Chapter 7 - Second Chances
While having his eyes closed, Raynor's hearing slowly came back to him. Feeling the flames from the previous room still burning and radiating heat, something seemed different. Smelling the air, there was no scent of burning metal, ash, or torched corpses. As if an avalanche of memories came to him, his nose picked up stone, leather, and some aftershave. Cringing his face a little from being very confused, his ears stopped ringing.
Opening his eyes, Jim scanned around while not moving. Seeing that it appeared he was still in the hallway he dived into, he couldn't confirm if he really was or not. Being in darkness, there was no sound of flames raging behind him or illumination from them in the space that exploded. Feeling stable to move, he removed his hands from the back of his head. Moving his arms a little, he could feel the hairs on them were sticking on end.
Slowly getting up to one knee, the raider leader slowly moved his head. Looking around the environment, it seemed like he was in a dense fog of blackness. Feeling on edge, he slowly unholstered his revolver quietly. Disengaging the cylinder magazine, he began to unload the spent shells one at a time. Making sure none of them fell onto the ground to make a sound, he exchanged the used ones for the bullets he had looped onto his vest.
Getting six slugs into the loading chamber, the Commander felt a bit more stable from not being unarmed. It was short lived from feeling something lurking in the background. Getting angry instead of giving into the knot in his stomach, he snapped the cylinder magazine back into the revolver with a hard flick of his wrist. Not even turning around, he crossed his right hand over his torso. Pulling his right shoulder down a little to get his hand under his left shoulder area, he now was fully pointing the gun behind him. Not caring to aim or look behind him, he pulled the trigger.
Hearing a loud blast followed by a flash of light, it helped Jim see what was around him. Seeing that he was still in the hallway, his ears picked up a glitchy airy chuckle. Gritting his teeth, he gripped the handgun harder. Standing up while turning around, he pointed the Colt with his right hand and arm out only. Glaring at what was there, it was a figure that had his father's face with a bullet hole in his forehead.
"...son...I'm disappoin-" it began to say when two more gun blasts occurred. The two bullets blew out the eyes on the shapeshifter's face.
"You are not my father," the raider leader spoke gravely.
"#$%#nnnnoooooo#$%...but...it iiissss amusing..." it stated sounding like it was enjoying itself. "Let'sssss try another...urrrrkkkk...segment in your...sssskull."
"I said stay out of my head," Raynor threatened. Not even blinking from seeing the monster glitch hard, it suddenly appeared in front of his face. Staring at hauntingly glowing yellow irises, it was grinning at him widely as its face deformed a little more. It looked like a freak of nature on steroids.
"...m...A...k...E...m...E..."
"..." the ex-marine reacted with not moving. Just glaring at the creature, it seemed to be more pleased from his action. Moving one of its arms, it morphed into a Zerg claw arm rapidly. Making Jim back off a little, he still gave scorn to the thing.
"How will...you act when a...ssssecond chancccccee is given?" the shapeshifter asked and barely touched the man's chest.
"...what do you-!?" he said then felt the environment shift rapidly.
As if he was given a psychedelic drug, the figure's face began to pulsate and get more distorted. Taking a couple of steps back, Raynor felt overly disoriented. Unable to aim or see what was really in front of him, he glanced at the floor. The concrete surface began to fill back in through the darkness. Rushing to fill the ground with cement like a wave, it did not catch him or make him start sinking.
Cringing his face and staring at it, the thick concrete liquid began to act like it was oversaturated. It started to form large and small drops lethargically as if the environment was inside a lava lamp. Feeling his head start to spin a little, the ex-Dominion leader shook his head a bit. Looking back up, he clenched his teeth together to not lose it. As if he was upside down, the ground began letting drips drop and head toward the ceiling and vice versa.
"...what...did you do...to me?" Raynor asked sounding on edge and with fear in his voice.
"Just a little something...to make you more obedient...Jamessssss...Raynor," it stated using Arcturus's voice.
"...I will kill you..." he threatened out loud.
Feeling his balance starting to turn, the Commander reached for a wall with his hand. Leaning to the left, it collided with a solid surface at first. Feeling goosebumps flare throughout his body from the sudden sensation change, he dared a look. Closing his eyes and veering his head to the right, his fingers were getting crawled over by tentacles. Remembering the small amount of horror stories about what a couple drug addict marines did when they were too high on Spice, he gingerly pulled his hand back.
"...well well#$%#$...you a fairing better than my other subjects...of the enhancement serum," the voice said mockingly still using the Dominion Emperor's tone. "Why are you so hard to kill Raynor...do humanity a favor#$%#$ and just die!"
"Grrrrrrr!" Jim growled out loud.
Holding his left temple area of his head with a free hand, he thrashed his head about. Trying to get rid of the mind-altering effects, it came with mixed results. Gritting his teeth hard, he stopped and opened his eyes. Seeing the environment slowly moving on its own as a solid piece, it was a step above the alternative. If the area was swirling and bending like snakes moving to catch prey, he would have to wait till the effects subsided.
Looking at the shifting in place doorway, the monster was gone. However, there was distorted laughter in the background. Unable to determine the direction of it, white noise started interfering with it until it was cut off by computer noise. It was as if a program was loading and there were small bleeps followed by the sound of a small fan. Blinking a couple of times and seeing nothing changed, he closed them and shook his head again. Stopping and feeling ready, he opened his eyes and just stared.
"..." Raynor reacted with cautiousness.
Seeing that his revolver was not in his hand anymore, he slowly stood up straight. Two dark silhouettes were making their way from the previous room to where he was. When they past through the now undamaged door, it was two men. Surprisingly, they were wearing clothes of the past. One was a slender build in a dark gray suit with color matching fedora. The other was of a larger build in a black suit and red tie. It reminded him of someone from earlier.
'...this isn't...' Jim thought seeing their faces in detail. Wondering why the creature is showing him this, the surrealism of it was becoming unnerving. The aspect that it had this power to alter one's mind was more than dangerous.
"There you are old buddy," the larger man stated in a friendly tone. "Didn't think you'd be that eager for the job."
"...?" the Commander responded with a blink. Feeling something different on himself, he glanced down quickly. Seeing that he was in his blue suit and black gloves, it confirmed of where he was transported. Looking back up, he kept a neutral face.
"...well...it is good to be punctual for these types of errands," he answered. Seeing Tychus smile, he gave him two heavy pats on his right shoulder.
"That's the spirit."
"Better make sure that you don't get cold feet on me Raynor," the other person stated not sounding friendly. "You make me nervous on this job given your record of complaints from the boss."
"..." Raynor spoke and turned to the man. Giving a tight small smirk, he gave an open palm gesture to him.
"If I recall Thompson...you don't have a choice in the matter...O'Banon assigned all three of us on this heist."
"Oh I do have a choice in the matter," Ash countered and approached him. "I have insurance in case you bail."
"...hmph..." Jim snorted and gave a hard stare. "Bail?...for what is at stake...not likely."
"..." both men commented looking at him with neutral faces. Watching him turn toward the street alley they were in, he walked forward. As if his action caused the two to pause, the raider leader heard them following.
Focusing on not thinking to himself, he continued walking the passageway. Seeing the sight of the bank up ahead, Jim glared at it and proceeded there. Hearing the other two pick up their stride to match his, he kept his face neutral. Reaching the end of the alleyway, the three were on a sidewalk. Across the street was Covington Bank.
Having flashbacks about how the bank heist was set up and what funds they were going to steal, the ex-marine began to feel bitter. Just staring hard at the building, he forced himself to not look at one of the men behind him. Viewing his surroundings, everything that was beyond a 10 yard radius was not as clear as within. Hearing Ash Thompson grab both of their attention, he and Findley turned to him. Listening to him how the heist would go, the Commander stared blankly.
"You got all that you two?" the criminal subordinate questioned looking at the two.
"Hell...this will be easy as the last one," Tychus stated confidently and lit a cigar. Taking a hit, he exhaled smoke.
"They won't know what hit em. And by the time the authorities arrive...we be long gone."
"Hope you can deliver on that...one more screw up and both of your asses gets tossed into the street with a potential dirt nap," Ash commented with a dark smile. Looking at the bigger man's partner, he hadn't looked at him or turned around. Seeing the man name James Raynor continue to stare at the bank, he wondered if he was daydreaming. As if his thought was answered, the bearded man turned his head to the right to look behind him.
"Tychus does the stick up...we provide support...release the spiders to do crowd control...escape before the cops show up," the ex-marine remarked staring at him with an unreadable face.
"..." Ash replied with just blinking.
"Holy smokes...this is probably the most serious I've seen you partner," Findley commented then put a hand on his left shoulder. "What gave a turn of heart?"
"..." Jim replied with turning back forward. Not brushing off his undead friend's hand, he did not give a body response to his question.
"Let's just hurry up and do this dry run," Raynor commented evenly. "This one will be no different from the others...not like the funds in there is for some charity for kids or something."
"..." both men reacted with blank faces. Glancing back to see their expressions, Jim gazed forward then began walking. Beginning to cross the street, a second or two went by before following footsteps came.
While walking towards the financial building's entrance, the Commander could feel a firearm gently hitting his left ribs. Remember what he packed when this event occurred over a decade ago, other memories were surfacing. His father's last words that he heard on his mother's death bed came at him hard. Like an aftertaste in his mouth, he could feel the shame he felt from recalling the mental image his dying parents. Instead of that emotion, anger began to fester in him again.
"Hey Raynor," Thompson called to his right.
"..." Jim replied with glancing to him, but did not stop moving.
"Wipe off that thug look on your face," he stated then walked passed him.
"..." he replied while watching the criminal subordinate go to the sliding doors of the bank. Closing his hands into loose fits, he forced himself to just give a tight smile.
"You alright there Jimmy?" Tychus asked to his left and put a hand on his back. Both continued forward to follow Ash who entered the establishment already.
"...yeah...just still muddy in the head about losing my folks."
"Sorry to hear that buddy...tell you what...after we score this run, let's go to our watering hole and celebrate. Alcohol will numb that pain and help you."
"..." the raider leader replied with giving a slow blink. "...sounds like a plan there old buddy."
Feeling a couple of hand pats from Findley on his back, the big man walked beside him all the way into the structure. Upon entering, there was a good number of people that were inside already. Hearing his partner state that he will go get in position, Jim gave a short nod. Walking and scanning around, he could vaguely recall that everyone from back then was in this vision now. Crossing his arms over his chest, he moved casually to the position he was supposed to go to.
Walking to be near the receptionist station booth where the operation will start at, Raynor saw familiar faces. Wilkes Butler, a marshal that attended the Interstellar Marshals Convention, was at one corner of the lobby. His eyes seemed to trace where he was going. Knowing what happened after the killing took place, he had police nearby in which he would call upon. Scanning around, George Woodley, a guard for the bank, was in the spot he was supposed to be in. Despite the fate of him getting knocked out in the bank heist, he wasn't one of the deaths from the spiders being released.
"..." the raider leader said turning his attention to movement in the room.
Seeing Findley beginning to head to the receptionist booth, he saw Thompson relatively nearby. Remembering how the hold up and getting the credits went, a whisper in the back of his mind came. Recalling how he felt when the criminal subordinate to O'Banon told him where those credits came from, his eyes narrowed at him. Walking away from his post, Jim headed to where Tychus was. Recalling that his undead friend did know about where the money came from and how he reacted from it, he only frowned a little this time.
"Hey Tychus," the former Dominion officer called when he got within arm's length of him.
"...?" the big man reacted with surprise. Turning to him, he looked at him confused.
"What's up Jimmy?" Findley asked in a serious, but quiet tone. Before he could answer, Ash walked towards them. His face looked tense.
"What the hell are you doing?" the man asked irritated. Stopping at where the two were, both men looked at Raynor.
Without warning, the Commander pulled out the .45 ACP pistol from his inner jacket. Instead of pointing it up, he aimed the gun to be point-blank at Thompson. With no hesitation or words spoken, the ex-marine pulled the trigger. Firing the pistol sent a loud echoing blast in the building. Seeing the blast not only knock Ash backwards, but created a blood trail from the bullet wound in his head. Falling to the floor with a thud, the only thing that moved was the smoke escaping from the muzzle of the pistol.
"..." Raynor commented staring down at the dead man with a frown. Pointing his pistol toward the ground and getting out of his small stupor of gratification, something odd was happening.
Instead of screaming, there was almost dead silence. Instead of people being scared and moving around to escape, they remained where they were and stared. Looking up with his eyes only, he surveyed the surroundings. Everyone seemed to be frozen in place as they only had turned their heads to his direction. Feeling the environment give off an unpleasant vibe, he knew the creature was here nearby.
"..." Jim reacted hearing something behind him. Pivoting around and pointing the gun forward, there was no one there.
"...uuuurrrrrkkkk...this...wassss not...in memoriessss...yyyyeesss?" it asked from everywhere.
"Oh yeah?" he questioned. Slowly side stepping and sweeping the area with his gun forward, he couldn't pinpoint where the voice was coming from.
"How would you know?"
"...little helpersssss...are already...#$%! ...inside you...have scanned...your brain and made...copy of visionsss."
"Figured as much...so if they are already inside me, then you can just kill me whenever then?"
"...unlessssss you bore me...or give me reason to...then I might reconsider...#$%...however...I do not at the moment," the creature spoke nearby. Turning around and looking at the corpse with a bullet wound to the head, it began to get up. Its movements were slow, precise, and not fluid.
"What the hell are you-!?" Thompson spoke before getting shot at again.
Getting hit in the head, it whiplashed him to the right; however, he stayed on his two feet this time. About to get annoyed, he turned back to the smaller outlaw. Instead of being in the same place, he had rushed to Tychus. Grabbing something quick off of the utility belt that Findley had, Jim shot him in the head again. Feeling the head pull hard to the left from the bullet, he did not go down.
"Since you were so eager to use these things," Raynor began rushing toward him. By the time Ash turned his head toward him, he saw the ex-marine have a metallic, robotic ball in his left hand. Shoving it into the mouth area, Jim activated it.
"Have one on me," he stated and leaped back. Watching the spider activate, it opened itself and uncoiled its five mechanical legs. Grabbing hold of the criminal subordinate's face, gears began to sound. Extending its viewing lens and looking at the man's face, the soft neon sky blue light it emitted turned bright red.
"Override code Six-Four-Alpha-Foxtrot-Oscar-Niner-Zero-dash-Sierra-Delta-dash-Two-Sierra!" the raider leader barked loudly and quickly. Without looking around at people's faces, he turned around and bolted towards the front doors.
[Self-Destruction Override Code Accepted] a chorus of the spider drones announced. The one on Thompson's face began to strobe red repetitively. At the same time, the ones still on Tychus's vest turned on and immediately began flashing red.
[Self-Destruct in...2...1...]
"...#$% uuuurrrrrkkkk #$% ..." the monster emitted sounding both irritated and amused. Hearing the zero from the countdown, it tried to override the nanos that were still in the assassination machines. As quick as it could be, the message it sent never reached them as all 8 units began to implode. Acting like beefier versions of a frag grenade, the combination of all of them was more powerful than the pulse bomb.
"Grrrrrrrnnnnn!" Jim grunted loudly through clenched teeth. Making to the auto doors that slid open for him, he did a suicide dive forward. As he was in mid-air, the explosions erupted behind him. Reaching and rolling on the ground upon impact, he tumbled forward from the shockwave aftereffects. Getting to the ground on one knee and putting his hands down, he stabilized himself.
"...haa...haa..." he breathed heavily then spat on the floor. Despite doing that, the taste of smoke, ash, and metal was still in his mouth.
"Don't remember those...little critters having that much...explosives in them," Jim muttered then slowly stood up.
Feeling something different, he saw that he was back in his normal clothes; however, he now stunk of burnt guts and blood. Confused, he heard the sound of something burning behind him. The crackling of fire was accompanied with fallen wet slaps to the floor. Glancing down at himself, he was splattered with blood and his revolver was in his hand. Looking up and noticing the illumination of the fire around him, he saw the blue flames from the previous room that was destroyed a long distance up ahead.
Turning around and seeing he was back in the research center, the large room that he was in was heavily damaged and was set ablaze. Shielding his eyes from the bright normal fires, smoke was quickly enveloping the chamber. Not looking much around, there was carnage everywhere. It seemed the explosion was the epicenter of what appeared to be more of those dissected abominations. Body parts, flesh, internal organs, and other organic pieces that were very alien painted the walls, ceiling, floor, and damaged surfaces. Hearing some white noise in the background followed by hard glitching of an area on the right side, a growing swarm of flies began to fester.
'So...it can be hurt,' Raynor thought feeling a little better at the sight.
Looking to his left, he saw the only passageway out of here was partially destroyed. Rushing over to it, he kept his gun in his hand. Making to it, he squeezed through the small opening and pushed himself through. After side-stepping and crawling over fallen structural components for a couple of feet, the rest of the hallway was clear and open. Hearing what sounded like a machine high pitch squeal, the Commander began jogging forward into the unknown.
Standing at the observation deck in the organic spaceship, both Kerrigan and Stukov watched as a transport shuttle left from the Hyperion dock. Seeing it transporting the warhead cargo, she could feel that everyone on the Leviathan started to get antsy.
'Given what is being delivered and the possibility of it being rigged with a remote detonator...I would feel the same,' the Queen of Blades thought.
"Tell me Kerrigan," the undead UED officer spoke putting his hands behind him. "How are we going to combine our powers to the Dominion warhead?"
"Other than seeing if we can contain the energy in a capsule and attach it to the missile," she began then turned her head towards him. "I do not have much options to suggest."
"That is what I was thinking as well...as long as the nanos do not get to it first when it is detonated in the atmosphere, it should work."
"My Queen," Izsha announced coming down from being higher up in the neural network ceiling. "The Terran vessel carrying the warhead is docking soon."
"Keep it in the docking area. Stukov and I will go down there once their transport ship has left and the space is secured," Kerrigan informed.
"Very well. I am also detecting faint activity on the surface...scouts say that it is coming from the research facility."
"..." both she and the hybrid officer turned to her. The former female Ghost spoke.
"What kind of activity?"
"Despite interference from the technology swarm...there is destruction occurring inside," the humanoid Zerg advisor answered then placed on hand tentacle on her chest. "Based on tremor activities at the surface...there were three explosions."
"That must be Jim," Sarah commented feeling a little relieved.
"I do not question your faith in Raynor Kerrigan...but how do you know it is him?" Stukov asked.
"After his service in the Terran Confederacy...Jim became an outlaw," she informed then turned to him. "The skills he learned from those dark times...helped him get certified for demolition when he served in the Great War and Brood War."
"...I see...the title of Commander does fit him well."
"My Queen, the warhead is now dock and the Terran vessel is heading back to their ship."
"Good Izsha. Stukov and I will head to the docks now. Keep an eye on the Hyperion for any activity as well as the payload that got delivered. Continue to monitor the surface and let me know of any new developments."
"Yes my queen," she spoke and nodded her head. Watching the two leave the bridge, the neural connector of the organic flying labyrinth focused on the three tasks assigned to her. Despite doing so, she felt anxiety building in herself as her commander heads closer to the human bomb that was delivered.