Chapter 11: Shadow
Hector fought back another wave of nausea as he walked through the ruins of Aetrix, stepping over yet another body, the cut across her chest as likely the killing wound as the arrow through her throat.
I could've prevented this. He told his sister.
Please don't think like that, Hector. Sara responded. You'll lose yourself in the guilt.
Hector nodded, and went back to his searching. He was looking for survivors, anyone who might have escaped the wave of death that had swept through Aetrix. However, with each passing minute, it seemed less and less likely that he'd find a survivor.
Hector, you've been out there since noon. His mother said. The sun is starting to go down. Please don't do this to yourself.
Just a bit longer. Hector said for the umpteenth time. There has to be at least one survivor. He simply refused to believe that he'd failed entirely, that everyone from Aetrix was dead. Someone was alive under the rubble, or maybe struggling with a wound. He just knew it.
Hector. Please call off your search. Daniel pleaded.
You're hurting yourself. This isn't healthy. Rose said.
I can't. Aetrix was my responsibility. I promised them that I'd protect them. I can't leave things like this. He proceeded past the market square yet again, looking, hoping, begging for someone to be alive. But the corpses in the street remained corpses.
Sara laid a hand on his shoulder, making him jump. "Hector, please stop this. They're all gone. You're not to blame."
Hector shook his head sadly. "I could've postponed the evolution. Had I waited a few days, none of this would've happened."
"Hector. I'm losing you." Sara said, tears coming to her eyes. "I'm losing you like we lost Dad and Joshua."
Hector froze at the mention of his little brother's name. He'd been the middle child, ten years old when Aetrix had come and erased Drex from Dreyparx's maps. Now, Hector was mourning that same fate having fallen on Aetrix. He came back to himself when he heard his sister talking.
"Please, just stop. There's nothing left here for us to find. Just... just forget this place. Leave the dead to rest in peace."
Hector shook his head. "I can't. There has to be at least one left." He quickly walked past his sister, and proceeded into the ruined barracks again. He looked in, and saw soldiers in various states of armor. Most were men, though a few were women.
Hector saw a brief flash of movement, and his guard instantly went up. His vision sharpened, and he peered into the shadows of the barracks, expecting to find a scavenging Chimera...
So when he saw the two kids cowering in the corner, he found it nearly impossible to hold back the tears. It was a boy and a girl. The boy had short brown hair, and burning blue eyes. He'd been crying a lot recently, Hector could tell. He stood firmly in front of the girl, protecting her from this intruder. The girl had brown hair worn in a loose braid over her left shoulder. Her eyes were blue as well, and just as sore from shedding tears. They both wore necklaces underneath their black shirts, and also wore soft leather pants.
The boy drew a knife. "W-who are you?" he asked, trying to sound brave.
Hector dropped to a knee, and showed his open palms. "I'm a friend." He said simply. "What are you're names?"
"Kaylee a-and Kyle."
Hector, what's going on? Sara asked.
I found survivors! Hector's mental voice cracked. A boy and a girl were hiding in the barracks!
Hector, you've lost it! They're all gone! Sara screamed over the mental link.
"I'm Hector." He said, his voice soft. "I won't hurt you two. I want to help."
"Are... are they all dead?" Kaylee asked softly.
Hector nodded sadly. "I'm so sorry."
More tears streamed from her face. Hector was amazed to see that she still had some left in her.
Hector heard footsteps behind him. "Hector." Sara said. "Come on. Let's..." She stopped short when she saw the kids.
"I'm Sara." She said softly, kneeling next to Hector. "I'm Hector's sister."
"I-I'm Kaylee. Thi-is is Kyle."
"I'm very happy to see that you two are alive. We had thought that everyone had died."
"So, then we..." Kyle didn't need to finish. He saw the sad look in Sara's eyes.
"I need you two to trust us. You two can't stay here. It wouldn't be safe. Chimera will be coming here soon. I don't want to see all of Aetrix gone." Hector said.
Sara stood, and took a tentative step towards the kids. The brother moved protectively in front of his sister. Sara gently pushed him aside to get a better look at Kaylee.
"Kaylee, where did you get that cut?" Sara asked, referring to the large gash in her thigh. The material around the cut was dark with blood.
"It's from a s-soldier. He swung his sword a-at me."
"You're a very lucky girl. Any deeper and you'd be dead." Sara said as she laid her hands on the cut. She closed her eyes and focused her powers. The barracks filled with a soft glow as her magic healed the girl's wound. The girl winced for a moment, then relaxed as the magic took away the pain from the wound.
Sara took her hands away from the girl, whose wound had vanished. She looked at the boy, who shook his head. "I'm fine."
"Well then," Hector said, standing. "You two are coming with us. Night is coming on quickly, and you two won't be safe here." Hector scooped up Kyle, who protested initially, and was off like an arrow from a bow. Sara gingerly lifted Kaylee, and was off after her brother.
The journey to the Brood Chamber was uneventful, But despite his calm exterior, Hector's mind was racing. He hadn't failed Aetrix! There had been survivors! Children! Aetrix lived on in them!
He forced himself to focus once they'd arrived at the Brood Chamber. He set Kyle down, and took a moment to calm himself down. He needed to concentrate on his immediate needs. He needed to collect food from one of the Chimera groups nesting near his Creep Colonies, so that these kids wouldn't starve. He had some Hydralisks and Drones head over to the closest one, which had been settled by a group of Rhynox, massive, horned beasts that were normally docile unless young were threatened.
Hector sifted through his available genetic information, as well as any developments in his psionic arsenal. He had yet to do so since emerging from his cocoon.
Available Genetic Information:
Class 1- Zergling, Drone, Overlord, Brood Queen, Creep Colony
Class 2- Baneling, Roach, Hydralisk, Overseer, Blade Queen, Hatchery
Class 3- Level Three: Mutalisk, Scourge, Hunter, Lair
Available Psionic Abilities:
Class 1- Swarm Embodiment
Class 2- Mind Bolt, Mind Lock
Class 3- Absorb Genetics, Drain Energy
Mutalisk – Zerg Airborne Combat Strain. Fights by expelling parasites towards foes. Costs 10 bio-energy.
Scourge – Zerg Airborne Combat Strain. Suicidal warriors of the Zerg Swarm that fight by exploding against enemies in a spray of acid. Costs 3 bio-energy.
Hunter – Zerg Specialist Strain. Can create thick clouds of Creep Spores or spray a corrosive variant of Creep. Costs 15 bio-energy.
Lair – Larva Production: 1000/20 hours. Creep Spread: 10 miles.
Class 3 Psionic Abilities:
Absorb Genetics – Absorbs the genetic information of creatures, and transfers desirable traits to the Swarm's genetic pool.
Drain Energy – Converts life energy into usable bio-energy.
Absorbing genetics seemed a god way for Hector to improve the Zerg Swarm. Some Chimera had impressive attributes that could serve well in The Swarm. Draining energy, on the other hand... he suppressed a shudder. Instead, he pulled up a now-familiar set of information.
Evolutionary Stage: 3
Overmind Bio Energy: 2,000/15,000
Maria Bio Energy: 500
Amelia Bio Energy: 500
Rebecca Bio Energy: 400
Rebecca Adept Class: 4
Sara Bio Energy: 600
Sara Adept Class: 6
Rose Bio Energy: 400
Rose Adept Class: 3
Daniel Bio Energy: 400
Daniel Adept Class: 3
Reserve Bio Energy: 5,000
Requirement for Next Evolution: 100,000 Bio Energy
He smiled. His mother had managed to class up. He turned to look at Sara, but she was gone. Hector looked to Kaylee. "Where'd Sara go?"
The cocoon split open to reveal the new Blade Queen. Sara smiled. This was her Blade Queen. She grabbed the Blade Queen's hand, and pulled her to her feet, giving away some of her own energy as she did.
Thank you, my Queen.
Serve the Swarm well, Sheila.
Yes, my Queen.
Sara smiled. The smile was quickly replaced by a pained look as her mind filled with pain. She dropped to her knees, clutching at her head. Her last thought before losing consciousness was of her brother.
A/N: Sorry it took me so long to upload this chapter, but between school, my other fanfictions, a social life, some original work, and a general lack of inspiration, I've been hard-pressed to continue this story. However, rest assured, I have received some inspiration, and I'm back. Now, on to your reviews!
Light Lord Cybergate: I really don't think that it could be called an alter-ego. It's not really another side to her, it's... complicated. I'll try to expand on it in later chapters. However, I don't plan on having her go off and create her own Brood.
As for Hector and Freylice, you'll just have to find out.
Kane: First off, I need you to get an account on FanFiction. We need to talk. As for your praise, thanks as always.
Sara got a growth spurt and a stronger connection to the Swarm because [spoiler].
Hector actually did have enough bio-energy for evolution.
When The Swarm evolves, all of it's members go dormant. Hector's Zerg were all in cocoons evolving, so couldn't fight.
The presence inside of the meteor... The presence inside of Sara... It wasn't Sarah Kerrigan, and it wasn't the original Overmind.
Beyogi: Thanks for that.
S.R.457: Yes, but not for a while.
