Cassia didn't know what had just transpired, but given the size of the blast outside the ship and the fact Johanna and Valla had yet to return, she and her fellow demon slayers were among the most desperate for answers.
Although Jaina and Uther had combined forces with Varian to very nearly kick down the door to the bridge to find out what happened to Muradin, they hadn't managed to do so with the same speed (or diplomacy) of Kharazim, who had very gracefully and quietly shattered the lock with his foot, before stepping in and striking up a conversation with Matthew.
"Captain Horner." Kharazim said, voice carrying through everything. "What has happened outside?"
"...Well, I didn't expect you'd come so quickly." Matthew wiped his brow. "I'll explain everything, but please wait a moment so I can work out the answer myse- Oh, um, hello..." He registered the rest of the Nephalem and also Jaina, Uther, Varian, Cassia, Tyreal...
"Peace, my fellows." Kharazim said without looking back. "We share a cause, and Captain Horner is clearly in the same situation we are."
"Can we help?" Called Jaina. "All of us would be glad to help rescue our friends, and I will follow any instructions you have."
"...Gather every hero in the canteen, plus Cook if you can find him." Said Matthew. "And then... could you do a headcount? Adjutant, run a check on ALL marines, and notify me if any are missing."
"Acknowledged."
Matthew stood at attention. "I'll be there at exactly 1200 hours to report everything I can. Until then, please keep a careful watch. Don't spread this news, but... I cannot find Cook anywhere. Mira should have evacuated the others in his place, but... a lot is unknown."
"I'll do my best." Jaina gave a very small bow. "King Varian, if you and Uther find Greymane, you can sweep the ship quickly enough. I'll find some paper and start listing who's accounted for."
"Of course. Come!" Varian guided Uther away, and the Nephalem left with them, apart from Nazeebo.
The witch doctor looked at Matt through his mask, the wooden eyes as emotional as a snake. "Bad mojo." He said, sighing a little. "There is much afoot, and it is riddled with darkness and smoke." The eyes locked onto Matthew's and he found himself unable to look away. "Do not lose yourself, Horner. Without James, YOU are the one who must serve as our guiding light through this shadowy existence."
Horner nodded, and swallowed. "I... will do my utmost, Sir Nazeebo." He calmed himself. "...If I may be so bold as to ask, can you tell me anything that may help?"
"Ah, you would trust the ramblings of an old man?" The smile of the mask seemed more highlighted, but nobody could tell if it was mocking or approving.
"To disbelieve in the supernatural at this point would be absurd. I want to make a good future, and that means looking at every possible answer to a problem."
"...Cook's spirit is no longer in this physical world." Nazeebo answered. "Do not waste this precious time looking for him."
Matthew wanted to speak more, but... the words wouldn't come. He was inclined to disbelieve Nazeebo, for lack of proof, but... No, perhaps the words had merit- if Cook were around, he would have been located by now. The witch doctor walked out of the room.
So, that left some other things to check.
The screen Artanis had been on was showing static. Matthew went over. "Captain, can you start scanning for the Spear of Adun? I don't think that blast could possibly have destroyed it, although it didn't look good."
"Yes, commander."
Matt cast his mind to the other pressing affairs. He needed to find Mira Han immediately, before she got into more trouble. And aside from that, he had to piece together what he could of the failed plan.
At 0600, they'd departed. At 0646, they'd landed. The push had taken until 1045, since demonic energy had reportedly disappeared around 1045. Now it was 1105. Matt really wished he had some more time, or at least more information.
"In summary, our priority goal is locating and retrieving our strike force, as it it presumed they are still alive thanks to Mira Han." Finished Matthew, looking out over the room. "As a secondary goal, we want to reconvene with the Protoss, or our scouts Nova and Tychus, to find out the state of this conflict."
The heroes seemed to be taking the news as well as could be expected. The weight of their utter disappointment in Horner was in every face, even if the vast majority tempered it with the understanding they had gained over their lives.
"If anyone can contribute any service or information, then I would deeply appreciate it. I'll even offer additional priveliges regarding curfews and the job rota." Matthew said, before making to leave the stage.
On the way out, Jaina snagged him. "Don't worry about us." She reassured. "While we all hoped things would go better, everyone here supports you fully."
Horner stood at attention, and kept his voice formal. "Thanks. I need to keep the ship running now though, so is there anything you need to say?"
Jaina took a sheet of paper she had, and showed a list of the heroes by dormitory, with ticks next to names. "It's about the head count. Everyone is here, apart from Doctor Cook, and... well, I'm hesitant to write her off due to her whimsical disposition, but... we think Brightwing is missing."
"I see. Do you know who I can speak to that would know her well?"
"Malfurion." Answered Jaina. "Listen, if I can ease your burden, just let me know- really. I want to contribute as much as I can to keeping people safe."
"That's good of you, and I'll bear it in mind. If possible, could you think of some ways to apply magic to solve our problems? I'm unfamiliar with it as a whole, I'm afraid. And... pass on my apologies to Varian. Muradin was one of his, no?"
"I will. I'll see you later, Admiral."
Dehaka boarded his leviathan, dragging the bodies of two heroes. Diablo had been ravaged by Kerrigan, and had he not already been zerg it would have been enough damage to put him beyond infestation, the brain irreparable- although his sequences could have been deciphered nonetheless. His body was completely limp, without any life within.
The other had been incapacitated with great precision. In Koprulu, the zerg killed and assimilated- with few exceptions. In the nexus, it was a different playbook. Assimilation was unreliable, changes slowed and sometimes failed entirely. So, in order to gain the strength of the fallen, Kerrigan instead used infestation to sway them.
Dehaka regarded the broken thing in his arms. Kerrigan had torn through a wing and pierced straight through the body, yet somehow avoided the lungs and heart, to prolong the time before death. It's breathing was shallow while in Abathur's leviathan, and when they'd been outside briefly, had stopped entirely. But it still clung to life, just barely. It would have to be infested first.
So he stood before a primal spawning pool, contained on his ship. Normally Abathur handled infestation, but he was out of commission for the moment, and Diablo had to be kept out of the hivemind. Dehaka placed Brightwing's body into the pool of DNA and bacteria, watching as it reacted to the hyper-evolutionary properties of the pool.
Infestation could have myriad effects, but if done by Abathur personally was controllable. Primal infestation was a battle of willpower to keep your mind and self from being consumed by the pool. A struggle for dominance over entirely new instincts and traits being forcibly written into your DNA, dozens of systems being jumped ahead by many thousands of years, and new ones growing within you.
A chrysalis formed over the body. A sign that they weren't losing their struggle.
Dehaka waited patiently, ready to see a new zerg join him.
Pain.
Getting stabbed hurt. Bleeding out hurt. Breathing the sulfurous air really hurt.
But being placed into the spawning pool had hurt enough to send Brightwing far beyond the point of blacking out. It reduced her entire perception of the world to one supernova of agony, white-hot and blacking out everything but that pain.
And now her subconscious was fighting to keep her alive. Basic instincts and genetics fought against foreign ones, testing what would be preserved and what would be overwritten. A normal reptile would have been overcome in moments, simply broken down to nothing for its lack of potential.
But she was more than that. A race created to fight off demons and mages, to stand against forces that could topple mountains with nothing but the blood and tissue they were made of, hardy survivalists to the core.
She was aware of a vision, briefly. She saw memories of times immemorial, on a planet she didn't recognize, killing and growing stronger, evolving to survive...
And the pain ceased.
Her mind, accelerated by the infusion of nutrients and other things, pulled her from the short coma, back to reality, to a darkness filled with a green fluid...
She tried to breathe, and took in the fluid. She panicked for a second, before realising she wasn't choking.
She opened her eyes. She couldn't see much, a soft glow lighting up the inside of this tiny chamber. Black walls enclosed her, trapping her.
She pushed against the wall, with her head and then with her claws. It didn't move much at first, but she pushed again- and it tore, the green fluid spilling out into some kind of large puddle below her.
She blinked a few times, clearing her eyes, as she crawled out from the dissolving chrysalis, shaking off the disorientation. She felt the fluid dribbling out of her mouth, rapidly emptying her lungs. With a small jump, she cleared the pool and landed on the floor, exhausted but vitalised at the same time.
It was around that point her senses woke up enough to tell her there was another being in the room. Right in front of her. "Brightwing is... not dead?"
"My name, is, Dehaka. One-who-collects. I am, leader, of, pack."
She saw the zerg towering over her, and quivered. There was no way she was in any condition to escape or fight back. But something inside her stirred a new emotion, before she could grow too scared. Loyalty? Or maybe something close to respect? "Are you... new friend?" She gasped, memories of the minute before her death coming back. "Friends! Did friends escape!?"
"I am, your, alpha." Dehaka leaned lower, to talk to her. "...Do not, know 'friend'. Do not understand."
"Brightwing must go to friends, had to save Loose-o from zerg!" She suddenly started to panic, before whispering. "Zerg..?"
"You, are zerg. I, am zerg."
Brightwing stopped, looking around herself. At the walls, the floors, the creature in front of her, and finally to the back of her own hand.
What few parts of Faerie Dragon instinct left in her recoiled in horror, absolute revulsion at what she had become. Corrupted by something, the one thing she was born to prevent. Thoughts of the zerg, what they'd done to everyone in the group and to Lucio wiped the thought of escape from her head. She'd already felt unwelcome amongst the humans, unable to connect with them and make friends no matter how she tried- she thought they saw her as a monster, no matter how nice she tried to play. But now...
She scrambled backwards, into a corner, trying to shut her eyes and wish away the changes. Zerg instinct kicked in, and forced her eyes open in wariness- the only other thing in the room was a dangerous predator. Yet... something compelled her to trust and follow that predator, and that scared her most of all, because that thought wasn't her own.
"Brightwing is... scared. Why thinking Dehaka friend? Not friend."
"Does not, matter." Dehaka was picking up something large, and then with some effort he pushed it into the pool.
She could only stay there shivering as it was encapsulated in another chrysalis, larger than hers. "No like..." She whispered, staying in the far corner of the room.
Half an hour later, she'd calmed a tiny bit, as it had become clear Dehaka had no interest in attacking her. Not a word had been spoken, as she struggled to overcome her mental obstacles, and he simply waited for time to pass patiently.
The second chrysalis burst, and Diablo clawed his way out, stamping out of the pool and roaring, before hunching over and snarling, before sinking to his knees.
All Brightwing's worries about the zerg were replaced with demon. She tried to back off further in fright, but was already in the corner.
"Mere... worms..." Breathed Diablo. "You dare afflict my mind..." He clenched a hand on the floor.
"You, are dominated." Dehaka looked down at Diablo. "Your mind, restrained. No, hivemind. Obedience, forced in."
"GRAHHHH! You... YOU!" Diablo glared up hatefully, but couldn't seem to raise a finger against Dehaka. "I refuse to serve!"
"You, cannot refuse."
"Then I shall destroy all I can!" Diablo got up, and turned to Brightwing. He drew back, and swiped at her.
She jumped away from the ground, dodging the swipe, and then saw Dehaka growl at Diablo. The demon cringed, and halted.
"Rest." Ordered Dehaka.
Brightwing landed behind Dehaka, putting an obstacle between her and terror. Diablo was rapidly losing consciousness, before collapsing asleep.
"You should, feed." Dehaka looked back to her. "Go. Hunt."
She took her chance to get out of the room.
Lucio came out of the portal, hit the floor and crumpled. Mira took one look at him and shut the portal, worry creasing her face for a mere moment before she was back to her normal self.
The floor he was lying on was hard red rock, dusty and dirty. The air was... breathable. Maybe.
"Mira? Why did you shut the gate?" Said Raynor. "That critter who saved us was still in there- hell, we've just left them to die!"
Mira shook her head. "Already gone. Not letting Kerrigan chase us now. We all need to find somewhere to recover. And then... I'll need to get us back to Matthew."
She looked over the group, assessing the injuries. Variety was the spice of life, life was pain.
Valla was the least beaten-up, with a few chips taken out of her shoulderpad. Evasion had served her well in the fight against Diablo.
Johanna couldn't stand, legs and back bruised beyond belief, but she was conscious and somehow alive, considering how hard she hit the wall.
Muradin was burned all over, and had many spikes sticking out of his armour, but dwarves were dwarves, they didn't die often.
Raynor was the overall worst injured. His armour had been crushed with him inside, and the extent of his injuries were impossible to tell. He still had all his limbs, but Mira doubted he'd have escaped without adrenaline giving him borderline life-support to get through the portal.
Lucio looked at his leg. He could have sworn it had sprained, and the rest of his injuries were still undeniable and painful, but his leg... it hurt alright, but he could at least move it. He picked up his sonic amplifier. The device wasn't broken, to his immense relief. But it didn't have unlimited batteries, and even so, it wasn't good to overuse the technology.
...But it still had thirty percent battery, and another few hours of use could be the difference between life and death here. Lucio restarted his crossfade. "Ugh... no way... how did things go that way?" He muttered, getting up with some difficulty. "Mira, we gotta get these guys to a proper medic."
"No problem." Mira was prying off Raynor's bodyarmor, the buckling having made that a daunting task. "Look over there."
Lucio looked. A complex of buildings rose in the distance.
"Welcome to Deadman's Port, my homeworld and base of operations." Mira put her hands on her hips. "Sure, I didn't manage to land us right in it, but the portal was at ground level. There's free healthcare and rum over there, and we also have casual fridays. Ideal world, trust me." She had a smile so crazy that the onlookers wondered if she was even being sarcastic. "Just watch out for anyone not named Mira Han, they're liable to kill you."
Valla picked up Johanna, and slung the crusader over her back. She trembled under the weight, but straightened. "We must move now. These injuries are too great to leave untreated."
Raynor got out a choked "Yeah" before bringing up an arm and helping Mira pull the front off his armour. He sucked in a deep breath, and put a hand on his heart. "Not out of the woods yet, folks. But we ain't dead, and we've got a destination. Nothing to do but reach it."
The walk was a hard slog. Normally, it would have been half an hour and a nice straight stroll to reach there.
Lucio deactivated his skates first thing. They hurt too much to use. Rejuvenascia was working wonders for the group, giving them the strength to keep pushing onwards. Raynor was like a possessed doll, seeming to continue to walk and even talk when Lucio had realised that at least three of his ribs were cracked. Did he have no nerve endings? Was he just the world's toughest man? Was he even more of a team player than Lucio?
"Hey, Lucio." Raynor said, as Valla wordlessly marched behind Mira. "...You ever had someone do that before?"
"Huh?"
"Sacrifice their life for you."
Lucio looked down. "A... a couple of times." He needed a second to gather the strength not to collapse. "I was leading a social revolution. A lot of people loved me, but the ones on the top just... saw me as a threat, I guess. When I was starting out, I couldn't afford a proper security getup, I was the leader and the only fighter, with the 'amazing Vishkar tech' that I stole."
"Assassins." Raynor deduced.
"Mm. I... man, I hoped I was past people dying for me. I always tried my best to pick up as much danger as anyone that was helping me. Saved most. Not all." Lucio admitted. "...But, it feels worse when you don't see it coming."
"Yeah. You saw Kerrigan? Well. I thought she was going to be back from the mission where she was captured without a scratch on her." Raynor grunted, and rubbed his arm. "Dammit, think there's something sharp in there. I was watching out for her, had the best magistrate without a single loss to his name, and a commander I trusted as one of the smartest."
"What happened?"
"Commander betrayed her. It was over an old grudge. And so, the worst mass murderer in history was born, and I lost Kerrigan." Raynor said.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I... don't know if I could fight someone I loved. Gotta be horrible, being reminded every time you see her."
"I actually trusted her to have returned to her old self a few times. Got burned pretty bad. Lost another few close buddies. I'll be the man that kills her, whatever it takes."
There was a pause, as they picked their way around a large rock, and saw whatever passed for the sun setting over this world, orange light illuminating the hard ground. If not for the strange skies and the occasional blue crystal growing on the rocks, it could have been from the desert wastes in central America, in the old west.
"But then... why'd she want to spare you?" Lucio asked.
"No clue. Probably one of her schemes, to get someone else killed. But anyway... I guess I need to thank you, and apologise." Raynor said gravely. "I didn't know that, uh... critter, but she died saving us all. That wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been someone she was willing to save. So thanks for being a good enough person to get us saved, and I'm sorry that we weren't good enough to avoid what happened."
Lucio nodded. "I... barely knew her. She struggled with her chores, since she didn't have any hands. And... she could be kind of scary. But she had a pretty pure heart. Just wanted to be friends with everyone. Showed up at my room to wish me luck, and... and..." He bit his lip. "She said she'd keep me safe. I had no idea... Raynor, she died for me just because I was willing to help her with some cooking and cleaning. That's messed up." He shook his head. "Guess I'll have to pay respects if I can. Find her family and say sorry if I get the chance."
"You're a good kid. The world could always use-" Raynor trundled to a halt, coming up to Mira. "Huh? Something wrong, Mira?"
Mira pulled out a phone, and turned around with a finger over her lips. It buzzed a few times, before someone picked up. "This is Mira Han. If you could mobilise my personal unit and get them to the front gate subtly, that would be nice." The person on the other end chattered a bit while Mira nodded. "Yes, and prep the medbay for five. Catch you in twenty minutes." She ended the call and stuffed the phone into her pocket. "Alright, we're good to go ahead. Once you get into the city, don't leave my sight or you'll probably get held hostage and executed."
"Uh... Why?" Asked Lucio.
"I'm the leader of the largest mercenary band in Koprulu. I don't keep them in line with ass-kissing, so work out the rest yourself." Mira answered, brushing some dust off her jacket.
Raynor was the one to actually explain. "Basically, kid- she gives them the ability to stay safe outside the law, as long as they obey her she pays them a cut and doesn't have them shot. If they got power over her, they could become the new leader by blackmail. And right now, she's our ally. So we'd be the blackmail."
"Got it. You're basically a gang leader, huh? Knew a few growing up." Lucio commented.
"Ah, gang leader is a weak word. Try 'pirate queen'."
Artanis looked around his ship.
The beam had, either by luck or intention, done no serious damage. He'd knocked out his shields and been forced into an emergency warp, but the probes could take care of the repairs.
But the warp... standard protocol for a protoss escape warp was the greastest distance possible. Normally, a sound move, but here in the Nexus? Star charts were useless. They had no idea where they were, lost in space. Reversing the warp would put them right into Kerrigan's grasp.
He heard the hum of a gravitational manipulation device. Thoughts moved through the Khala, establishing communication. "Artanis. How do you fare?"
"I am thankful for your support, Fenix. This is a difficult decision to make, regarding our next move. I do not want to abandon our allies, but we currently cannot hope to beat Kerrigan."
"I know you well, Artanis, as you know me." Intoned Fenix. "You would find a way to locate our allies from here, without sacrificing any protoss that did not have to die. I would quite gladly die to further your ambitions, especially if I can help our race against the zerg."
"You can only die once. I refuse to waste lives, even if... sacrifice is necessary to win."
"Then how shall you locate our allies?"
Artanis looked at the golden metal shell of the Dragoon. It was expressionless, but the Khala conveyed emotions clearly. It wasn't a question- Fenix wanted to hear his plans. "I may send a message to Tassadar and Zeratul. They could eventually relay it to Raynor. Or better yet, a warp beacon. Yes, that could work... Although I will have to take them away from watching the Raven Lord."
"Allow me to go in their place. I am no Dark Templar, nor do I wish to be- but if I can best serve as a sentry, so shall it be."
"Fenix, I would never lower a warrior like you to a Sentry. Are you truly accepting of this task?" The answer resonated between them instantly. "Then I thank you for the offer. I will have a beacon made, while you gather your forces."
Tyreal betrayed no emotion as the news spread. He had no doubts Lucio were still alive out in the cosmos. A soul seeking such pure and rightfully-owed justice was inextricably linked to his existence.
Yet...
He stared at the chores rota. Kel'thuzad was on cooking. Ragnaros assigned to mop the corridors. Neither would be remotely capable of doing a job the other inhabitants deserved to have done well. Around this point, Lucio should have been making a few upbeat comments, and going off to make sure the food was fine while asking him to handle the water for Ragnaros.
He knew, here and now, that Lucio was owed justice for the suffering inflicted on him. And the rest of the group. If the zerg so wished to antagonise him, he would happily answer the call and mete out justice alongside the rest of the mortals.
The bridge was occupied with Matthew and Varian's team, all brainstorming ideas around a table. Jaina had done a little research and preparation, and even calculated what the mages on the ship could do if they banded together.
Varian was more than pleased to offer insight on how best to put him to use. He'd also been responsible for having Cassia take over scourge-watching duties. He'd be damned if anyone from Azeroth was going to let them stab everyone in the group in the back.
So, they all just focused on the task at hand- working out where Mira would have escaped to, and how to reach her.
Greymane tapped the table. "You need to think like her. Where would she consider safe?"
Horner lit up. "Of course!"
"Oh? An idea?" Uther looked over. "Let's hear it."
"There's only one place Mira would ever run to. Deadman's Port. If she can't open a portal to us, then she'll make her way there." Matt deduced. "...But I don't know how to find it in the Nexus. Maps are completely useless, nothing is where it should be."
"Maybe... we could attempt to open a portal?" Offered Jaina. "Or perhaps I could try a spell to give me some idea of the general direction? I've not tried to cast on such a large scale before, but maybe with all of us we could get the faintest idea..."
"Even with all of you mages working together, I know you don't have the range to cover all Azeroth, let alone the distances we've encountered up here." Varian countered. "But try it anyway. Some idea is better than none."
"If I may?" Horner interjected. "Distances in the nexus seem fairly comparable to Koprulu, so if I warp us to three locations and you obtain a directional vector, then perhaps we could triangulate Deadman's Port?"
Jaina clapped her hands together. "Brilliant! I'll gather everyone and explain the plan."
"Er... Triangulate?" Asked Varian.
"If you have three instances of lines pointing towards something, then you can predict where the lines will cross. Triangulation is when you apply mathematics to that." Explained Jaina. "It's taught to anyone who needs to command ships."
"Ah, right. Excellent. I'm afraid I missed some studies while I was without my memories, and it's hard to cover everything." He slid his chair away, and picked up his sword again. "I'm going to relieve Cassia of her task. I'm sure she doesn't wish to spend all day tracking a lich. But while we have a chance to speak... Matthew, when you have some spare time, I'd like to come and discuss armies with you. Your guns are impressive, to say the least." He nodded and left.
"Jaina, come to me once you've gathered everyone, and I'll begin the warps. How long will it take to cast your location spell each time?"
"No more than a few minutes."
"I'll look forwards to working with you, then. Thank you for your help, ladies and gentlemen."
Author's notes: So, that's the aftermath of the Diablo incident. I think I'll do another chapter of character interaction next, while things wind up for the next series of events... After all, nobody is going to just let Mira be.
As always, if you want to see a bit of interaction between any specific two heroes, then just comment- the sooner the better.
Reviewer answer!
TJtrack99: Be careful what you wish for- I didn't kill her! It was always planned for this to happen though, both to give me a character to interact with the zerg extensively and to further my own ambitions...
This might be a blow to the heroes, but both sides are far from their low points in this conflict. No spoilers on victories, ultimate or not... but I plan to get at least a good 25 chapters out of this, if not more.