Josh walked alone through another empty hallway. If anyone could see him now, they'd surely laugh. Josh now walked in nothing but what he wore underneath that darn restrictive space suit. He spent a good thirty minutes rigging a surprise for later if he made it through the next thirty.
'If.' Josh grimaced.
There would be no 'if or buts'. He was making it through this. They all were. The J.U.D.G.E. in his hands, his companion in his lone endeavor and all the ammo he carried in his dark dress pants would make sure of that.
'Level 4.' Josh thought to himself as he reached the stairwell. He was currently walking back from climbing three levels above his destination. He kept that in mind when he pushed the stairwell door open and made his descend downward.
"…Josh…" That disembodied voice echoed through his head. "…Where are you…?"
Josh had to remind himself of the Baphomet's capabilities. They were beyond him and he needed to play this smart. From the wording it chose, there was a good chance the creature lacked the knowledge of his intentions. On the other hand, this thing was smart enough to hide in the elevator, so chances are it was lulling him into a false sense of security.
Either way, best not to take any chances. Josh held his weapon at the ready. It was fully loaded, he made sure to reload before leaving Vana. Josh reached the level four door in the stairwell and slowly opened it.
What he saw next almost made him throw up. Josh took one step forward and walked into a maze-like horror show. There on every wall, kids, scientists and security personnel were plastered onto the walls of the level by hardened yellow saliva.
"…Help…"On scientist glued to the wall next to the stairwell called out to Josh.
The Weapons Master checked his surroundings. Once deeming it safe enough he walked out of the stairwell, closing the door behind him. He turned to the KND Scientist. He knew him, he was the one in the video. Numbuh 74.239 just stared at Josh. Who knew how long he'd been strung up like that.
Josh reached and grabbed firmly onto the poor ginger scientist and with all his might pulled. With a grunt, Josh began to reap the results. The hardened saliva cracked and then gave way. Numbuh 74.239 fell over, still partially covered in yellow.
"Thank you." Numbuh 74.239 looked like he could cry. His eyes then fell on the J.U.D.G.E. "Oh hey, that's mine!"
"You kind of left it for me to find." Josh shrugged and then drew it from his dress pants pocket. "I kind of need it right now."
Numbuh 74.239 held his arms up and implored Josh to keep it. "I can always make another Achilles."
"We'd better get everyone else down." Josh turned to another scientist who was strung up on the wall. "Do me a favor and tell me how many people should we be expecting to pull off these walls? Times not exactly on our side."
"We've got about thirty scientists and security." Numbuh 74.239 informed Josh as he picked himself off the floor. The scientist ran up beside Josh and together they reached up and pried a nerdy looking boy with a bowl cut and glasses off the wall. "You alright Numbuh 71.522?"
"This is the last time we play god! You hear me Gabe? Last time!" The boy with the bowl cut, Numbuh 71.522 shouted at Numbuh 74.239 angrily.
"You and I both know we will." Numbuh 74.239 scoffed, only to receive threatening glare from Josh.
"Josh? That you?!" A voice called out from further down the hall.
"Terry?" Josh called out. "Hold on!" Josh spun back around to face the two scientists he'd freed. He pointed to the remaining operative in their vicinity, a station's security chief by the looks of it. "Get him down."
With that, Josh raced down the hall, passing another group of operatives, all of whom were strung up and glued to the wall. Josh kept running down the hall, only to stop by a gruesome sight.
He stared in absolute shock. It was some girl in what looked like casual clothes. She wasn't dressed in the generic lab coat nor in the commando suits that the station's security force outfitted in. But that wasn't what made Josh back up in surprise. It was the multitude of tiny goat head squirming out of holes on her face. The baby Baphomets squirmed and shrieked.
"That's just not right…" Josh turned away in disgust.
"Numbuh 783?" Josh spun around, finding Numbuh 74.239 hurrying along with Numbuh 71.522 and the Security Chief. There was a look of shock in the scientist's eyes. "Oh no…I must've missed a decimal…oh gross…"
"Does this mean those things are going to burst out of our cheeks too?" The Security Chief asked alarmed.
"God I hope not…" Numbuh 71.522 muttered as he reached out to pull Numbuh 783 out of her current predicament. The scientist was forced back by the baby Baphomets as they attempted to bite off the boy's fingers. "Yikes!"
"Get her last." Josh practically ordered as he eyed Numbuh 783 carefully.
Josh ran up to another security officer and quickly ripped him off the wall. The Security Chief ran up beside the newly freed operative in order to ensure he was okay. The scientist duo began pulling another one of their brain trust off the wall as well.
Josh quickly ran down another hallway, quickly coming upon the trapped forms of Numbuh 92 and Numbuh 93.
"Numbuh 832!" Numbuh 93 called out to Josh. "Oh man it's great to see you!"
"You see where the others got stuck at?" Josh asked as he began to free the twin pilots. With two forceful yanks on the recently hardened saliva, the boy managed to free them.
"Thanks man…we owe." Numbuh 92 let out a relieved sigh. "Man…we're going to need like a hundred billion showers to wash this gunk off…"
"I think I saw one of those things drag Numbuh 615 that way." Numbuh 93 pointed his thumb further down the hall.
"Thanks." Josh nodded appreciating. "Come on, follow me, we need to get everyone else out of this little flytrap we've got going on here."
With that the trio ran down the hall, the passed a pair of scientists and Josh left the pilots to deal with them. Josh kept going, they needed to hurry up and get lost. If Vana was smart she'd be leaving soon.
Josh came upon the trapped form of Terry. The ordinance specialist managed a small wave with his trapped hand. "What the heck took you so long?" Terry laughed.
"Glad to see your sense of humor is still intact." Josh rolled his eyes as he yanked Terry off the wall. "We've got an escape ship on Level 5. After we're done getting everyone off these walls we're getting off this stupid Science Asteroid."
"Amen to that." Terry nodded and followed Josh's lead and raced down the hall.
The operatives came upon a fork in the road. Without exchanging a single word, the two Prospectors split up, one Josh going left and Terry going right.
"Numbuh 832!" Numbuh 615 shouted. "There you are! Get us down!" He yelled.
"Would it kill you to just ask the guy nicely?" Liam muttered. The poor mountain climber was stuck to the ceiling. "You've been hounding the guy all night, boss."
Numbuh 615 let out a tired sigh and turned to see Josh standing there indifferently. He was about to speak, only for Josh to cut him off. "Save it." He stated firmly. Josh then reached out and yanked Numbuh 615 off the wall. "Now get Liam down from there." He pointed upward.
The team leader frowned at Josh but the submitted to his order. Josh ran down the hall, leaving Numbuh 615 to jump upward and hope the weight of his body was enough to pull the boy off the ceiling.
Josh then came upon Felix and Amber. It went without saying that the two looked worse for wear. Felix was trembling while Amber looked bruised in all the wrong places. Josh walked up to them cautiously, hearing a skittering and shriek from further down the hall.
"Better make it quick." Amber advised. The girl had to struggle to speak, the lead Baphomet had thrown her around like a ragdoll. Josh quickly pulled her off the wall first. She fell to her knees and held onto her side in pain. "That damn thing…I think I broke a rib…"
Josh glanced down the hall, catching a slight movement further down. There was not time to waste. Josh spun and leapt at Felix. The Weapons Master ripped the scientist off the wall with ease.
The traumatized Felix said nothing but quivered on the floor. "Hey. We need to go." Amber nudged her friend.
"Can you carry him?" Josh asked Amber over an audible shriek.
"I can try…" She said unsure.
"Good enough." Josh quickly spun around and whipped out the J.U.D.G.E. from his pants pocket. He then quickly pulled the trigger, sending a slug hurdling through a Baphomet's head as it peaked out of cover. "Go!"
Amber grabbed Felix and threw the boy over her shoulder. She pushed past the pain and trudged forward. Josh kept firing at the oncoming Baphomets. For the most part he had them pinned. They were laying in wait. The ones that poke their heads out were dropped instantly.
But sooner or later he was going to have to reload. He checked to make sure they were all behind cover, ducking in rooms or doorways. He dug into his pocket and dropped one of his remaining magazines. The moment the clip hit the ground, the Baphomets jumped out from their hiding spots.
'Smart Idiots.' Josh mused as he cut them down to the last man.
"…Josh…" That familiar disembodied voice reached out to him. "…There you are…"
Josh turned and ran after Amber and Felix. "I'll take him from here!" He called out to Amber. Amber let the boy fall to the ground and kept on going without batting a lash.
"Please do." She muttered.
Josh led them back the way he came. By the looks of it, they'd gotten everyone free and they were all congregating by the stairwell. Josh ran up to Liam and handed him Felix. The mountain climber nodded, knowing very well what Josh expected of him.
Josh caught up with Terry, who was standing with Numbuh 74.239 and Numbuh 615. They were standing around Numbuh 783, who was still strung up on the wall. Josh looked to Terry, silently demanding an explanation.
"We keep trying to pull her down." Terry pointed a thumb at the Security Chief, who was cradling his bleeding hand. "Those things on her face won't let us get anywhere near her."
"This is all wrong…" Numbuh 74.239 muttered. "It shouldn't have done this. It never should have done this to us…"
Josh stood there and stared at Numbuh 783. He looked past the shrieking baby Baphomets that had sprouted out of her face and looked at her as a whole. There was something off about her. Something familiar.
"How long before we all end up like her?" Numbuh 615 asked, pointing at the Baphomets.
"Yeah." Amber spoke crassly as she caught up to the group. "I got picture day next week. I don't want holes in my face now. I know about how the Baphomet reproduces you jerk. They all slobbered over us. How long until we start having baby demons bursting out of our faces?"
"That's the thing," Numbuh 74.239 said worriedly. "By now we all should have these things sprouting out of us."
Josh leaned in, examining Numbuh 783 closer. It was her eyes that really caught his attention. They were brown, and yet, they weren't. They should be brown, that was the impression they were supposed to give. But now he could see it more clearly. Her eyes were fake. Her skin was fake. Everything about her was fake.
"She's a teenager." Josh spoke lowly.
Numbuh 783 shook, attempting to speak but was unable to.
"In the video, the Baphomet looked directly at the camera." Josh recalled. "It was staring her because it could see through her disguise. It knew it was looking at a teenager amongst a room full of kids."
"So that's why it went haywire?" Numbuh 74.239 spoke as he clued in. "You're saying that, because Numbuh 783, or rather, this teenager disguised as Numbuh 783, was well….disguised. It couldn't tell kid from teen? That's what you mean, right?"
"Yes." Josh nodded, not taking his eyes away from the teen in sheep's clothing, so to speak.
"Yes!" Numbuh 74.239 raised his arms into the air and shouted victoriously. "I knew I didn't get the math wrong! I knew it!"
"Leviathan, right?" Josh questioned the faux Numbuh 783.
"…Get bent..." She cursed.
"I was informed that the Baphomet fed off of Estrogen." Josh leaned forward. "I wonder how terrible you must feel. You basically birthed every single one of the monsters. You must be hurting real bad."
"…You can't…leave me…like this…" The teenager struggled to speak.
The operatives looked amongst themselves, unsure what to do. "It would be unethical." Numbuh 615 muttered.
"We've got a ship on level 5!" Josh announced loudly. He turned to Numbuh 615 and pointed to the stairwell. "Get going. I'll deal with the teenager. Just get everyone out of here."
Numbuh 615 looked at Josh and then to the teen. His eyes returned to Josh, looking a tad bit skeptical. All their chattering suddenly ceased as they head a loud shriek coming from down the hall. "No time to argue." Josh spoke quickly. "Vana's waiting. Get going now!"
"Right." Numbuh 615 nodded. "Alright! Everyone! We're heading to the fifth floor lets go!"
Numbuh 615 then ran past the assembled operatives, leading a mass exodus out into the stairwell up to the fifth floor. Josh himself kept his J.U.D.G.E. out. He emptied the last of the magazine down the hall, striking a Baphomet that decided to pop its head out of a vent.
"Josh hurry up!" He could hear Terry shouting.
Soon, the hall was empty. Aside from Josh and the strung up teen, as well as whatever Baphomets lay in wait for him down the hall.
"So what's your name?" Josh asked the teen, not once taking his eyes away from the direction of the screeching.
The teen managed to raise her head, looking at Josh with a curious expression. "Why?" She struggled to ask.
"I'd like to know a person's name before I bury them." Josh slowly turned and cast a cold darkened glare at the teen.
He could see it in the teen's eyes. He could see that same fear he knew the Baphomets thrived off of. The teen's head hung low in defeat. "Grace." She managed to say. "Grace Collen."
"Goodbye, Grace Colleen." With that, Josh turned and walked away.
"…That was cold, Josh…" The disembodied voice belonging to the lead Baphomet rang through his head.
Josh quickened his pace. He ran up the stairwell
"…I am the Ultimate Weapon, teenager. There is nowhere you can go that I can't follow…"
'I'd like to see you try, monster.' Josh taunted as he raced up the stairs. He could hear the shrieks behind him.
Josh practically kicked the fifth floor door off its hinges. He could hear them pursuing him. All night they'd been at it. With him running and these creatures giving chase. But this was it. The final sprint. And, unlike every other time, he wasn't wearing that restrictive space suit. Well, he was still wearing the glove with wireless triggers anyways.
"Josh! C'mon!" He could hear Vana's voice. Josh looked ahead, running past the all glass walls. There stood the medic, holding the door like a gentleman.
He threw himself through the door and Vana shut it behind him. "I see I made it under an hour." Josh muttered.
"Actually." Vana said a matter of fact. "Your ten minutes over."
"Why didn't you leave then?" Josh asked alarmed as he picked himself off the floor.
"Because I knew you'd come through." Vana flashed him a kind smile.
There was a sudden beating on the metal door beside them. Vana and Josh shared a worried glance and then began to run for the ship.
"There you guys are!" Terry shouted from where he held the ship's door. "The engines are primed let's go!" Vana made it through the doorway first then Josh. Terry closed the doors behind them and locked it shut.
"We're here!" Vana shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Hit it!" Numbuh 615 ordered the pilots.
"Consider it hit." Numbuh 93 sand as he hit the forward on the ship's controls.
The Shuttle ripped itself free from the Science Asteroid. Josh stood up and walked to a nearby viewport.
"Man...we need to lock this part of space down. Set up quarantine." The Security chief muttered.
Josh stood there, watching the Science Asteroid. He recalled his actions during those first thirty minutes. Josh had climbed his way up to Level 7, made his way to Station Control, and doing so drew attention away from Level 4.
But while at Station Control, it had suddenly struck him that the Science Asteroid wasn't built in space, more like it was shot there and came to rest in Mars orbit. In other words, if someone wanted to, they could switch on the Station's thrusters and shoot it elsewhere. Like Mars for example. It took a little engineering, but Josh rigged his suit's communicator and wireless function to preset directives.
So Josh folded his glove wearing hand into a fist, priming the trigger for activation. He raised it up against the circular view port and gave the Science Asteroid the bird.
"Wait, look." Amber pointed out the view port.
Many looked out the viewports and were given an eye full of the Science Asteroid burning up as it entered Mars' atmosphere.
"My Doctor Time Space memorabilia!" Numbuh 71.522 sobbed.
"I don't assume you had a hand in that?" Terry whispered to Josh.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Josh shrugged as he pulled off his glove, tossing it aside. "Stupid Baphomets. They probably got around to messing with something they shouldn't have."
"…Josh…!" Josh froze, hearing that disembodied voice once more.
"No…" His eyes narrowed.
Josh turned to look out the view port once more. What he saw defied all that he knew about space. Out there in the vacuum of space was 'The' Baphomet. And it wings.
And it was flying in space.
"…" Terry just stared disbelievingly. "You've got to be kidding me."
Both Josh and Terry gave an accusing glance at Numbuh 74.239, who sat there in his seat whistling. "Wouldn't be much of an 'Ultimate Weapon' now wouldn't?" He laughed nervously.
"You see this is why you don't mess with Mother Nature!" Terry shouted.
"I can't believe this crud…" Vana face palmed.
"Yo, we got incoming!" The Security Chief shouted into the pilot's cabin.
"Wait what?" Numbuh 92 asked confused.
None of them were prepared for The Baphomet. It shot through one of the view ports like a speeding bullet. It's surprisingly flexible slipping through the comparably small hole. Josh and many others felt the pulling of the vacuum. Some were even yanked out of their seats and would have been doomed to the die in space if it weren't for the emergency shutter that slid over the view port.
"Get him!" Someone shouted. Soon there were a dozen operatives throwing themselves at The Baphomet. The goat faced demon swatted several with the back of its clawed hand, throwing them around like they were nothing.
"You…" The Baphomet spoke, turning its gaze upon Josh. "You did this!" It pointed out another view port.
Josh didn't reply. He just met its gaze. The Baphomet let out a sharp shriek. Josh's hand slowly reached down to the J.U.D.G.E.
"TEENAGER!" It screamed. The Baphomet lunged forward at Josh.
The Weapons Master grunted as he ducked. He fell backward and got of three shots, making sure to strike the creature and not accidently rip a hole through their ship. The slugs just bounced off The Baphomet. It spun around and brought its wings down on Josh, smacking the boy to the side.
"I am the Ultimate Weapon." The Baphomet lurched forward.
Terry and Liam charged it from opposite side, only for the creature jump and dodged their attempts to tackle it. This had the unfortunate result of the two operatives ramming into each other.
"You're nothing…" It glared and staggered forward. "…Josh…" Josh stood up, meeting face to face. The boy didn't budge. He stared down the terror unflinching. "Nothing to say?!"
The Baphomet reeled its arm back, prepared to swipe at Josh. The Baphomet attacked, throwing all its weight behind its strike. It was a calculated effort. The speed of its attack would have surely struck Josh if he were wearing the space suit.
Josh ducked and rolled away. The Baphomet spun around, turning its back against the wall and beside a viewport. It let out an ear piercing screech. Josh whipped the J.U.D.G.E. around and took aim. He pulled the trigger and shot out the viewport.
The Baphomet's eyes widened as it soon found its extremely nimble body being sucked out into space. Inch by inch the creature was pulled out through the shattered window. It would have simply flown around in space and entered through another window. So The Baphomet submitted itself to the vacuum.
Josh, on the other hand, had other plans. He jumped at the creature, grabbing it by the horns. The boy fought against the vacuum while The Baphomet hissed at him. All that remained of the Baphomet between space and the ship was its head. And Josh refused to let go.
"What're you doing Josh?!" It screamed out his name.
For a brief moment, Josh could see fear in its eyes. The Baphomet wasn't some stupid animal. It adapted, it grew stronger and endured. He could see its brain thinking in that skull. It knew what was going to happen next. It let out one final shriek as the emergency shutter came slamming down, decapitating it.
Josh fell backwards, the Baphomet's head still in his hands.
"Ah gross…" Some scientist muttered.
Josh sat up where he lay. He lifted the Baphomet's head and glared at it. "Not so tough now huh?" Numbuh 615 asked rhetorically.
Josh picked himself up and let out an exhausted sigh. The boy walked away, slinging the head aside.
"So, Numbuh 74.239, mind satisfying my curiosity?" Vana asked the redheaded scientist. The scientist gave a nod. "If that was your 'Ultimate Weapon', what does that make Josh?"
Numbuh 74.239 looked down the aisle, watching Josh walk off to somewhere else in the shuttle. "I don't know."
Josh took a secluded seat and looked out a nearby viewport. He placed the J.U.D.G.E. on the seat next to him. The shuttle shot through space. There no longer was that feeling of dread that had consumed the operatives. They were all going home.
"…You're going to do great…" Everyone but Josh looked around, suddenly spooked by a foreign voice in their head. "…Josh…"Chills ran down their spines, all except Josh who the disembodied voice had seemingly spared one last terror.
Numbuh 832 looked shut his eyes, too tired to ask why everyone was looking at him funny. Sleep overcame the exhausted boy. Josh dreamt of his time with his Sector, before they were decommissioned. But then his dream turned to a nightmare. Sector N was decommissioned once more and he was forced to kill those unrepentant and unrelenting. And then he saw The Baphomet. Whom he had no qualms killing.
When Josh awoke, it was with a scream. All looked to him with worry. He said nothing of it. He didn't tell him of his dream.
Josh never spoke of this day ever again.
