Chapter 10: Tipping Point

On the bridge of the Hyperion, both Horner and Valerian were still monitoring the Leviathan. Since delivering the payload over, Matt put the ship on yellow alert as a precaution. The several minutes that stretched on with no development was not sitting well. Hearing the tone for being hailed, everyone on the command center turned to the comms officer.

"We are being hailed by the Leviathan Captain."

"Put it through to this monitor," he said and pointed to the one that both he and the younger Mengsk were using.

"Yes sir," the crew member replied. Both men turned to the screen and saw a new video window popped up. Upon getting a picture, there were three things seen. There was seeing both Kerrigan and Stukov in full view instead of the head and torso. Next, the warhead missile that was out of the crate it was in, but looked undamaged. Lastly, there was a towering blue zerg in the background.

[Can you hear me Horner?] Sarah called.

"Yes Kerrigan. What's going on?" Matt asked and put his hands behind his back.

[I got a glimpse of Jim's mind not too long ago] she stated in a semi tense tone. [He is alive. But it appears there is a hybrid with him]

"A hybrid? The last time he confronted a hybrid it killed everyone in the lab and tried to kill him."

[I agree...however, this one seems to be different. It is torturing him with its own psychological power]

"I see...are you asking for more payload?" he wondered hoping it wasn't.

[No. Can you still activate the missile remotely?]

"Yes."

[What is its communication range?]

"Probably here to the surface...with less percentage of processing commands due to atmospheric conditions," the Captain informed.

[I will have the Leviathan move the missile to be in the open space pointing at the facility below. We'll need to coordinate the launch and when to detonate it] she informed. [Stukov and I have already planted our energies in the missile to go off with the warhead. Just need you to activate the thrusters and time the trigger]

"...alright...I follow you."

[Thank you Horner]

"Lieutenant. Pull up the missile profile of the one that was sent over. Get it connected with the Hyperion to activate upon my command," he ordered after turning to his left and addressing the weapons officer.

"On it sir," the individual replied and began inputting things on his workstation.

[In order to produce the best possible results for create TGFs, we would need at least two weather fronts to create a high ionized areas] Stukov informed through the communications channel.

"That would create the perfect storm setting," Valerian agreed then tapped on the screen that was beside the one for the comms-link. "However, the ship's sensors only detects one weather front coming down from the north."

[...hmm...not the best possible results...how big is the weather front?]

"It looks like a large scale one that covers much of the land already."

[...that should be suitable still...what concentration of ionization is there in the sky above the research lab?]

"...scans indicate a concentration of a more positive charge...does that change things?" the prince asked.

[It shouldn't]

[...Izsha...hear me] Sarah spoke while touching her right temple with her fingers on her right hand. [I have an important task for you. Take the missile and gently place it out in the space between us and the Hyperion. Make sure the pointed end is aiming straight at the facility on the planet's surface]

"..." both Dominion officials responded with blinks. As if the ship responded to the Queen of Blades, the floor that the giant projectile was on started moving. As if it became alive, its flesh began to rise in certain areas to wrap around it. Once it had a firm hold on it, the missile started sinking into the organic ground. After several seconds past by, the warhead was swallowed into the ship itself.

"Get me more exterior cams on towards the Leviathan," Horner asked after turning to one of his comms personnel on the bridge.

"Aye sir," came the response.

The main air space above the command center started to produce a large holographic window screen. Once completed, it gave a visual of what was occurring outside looking towards the Zerg spacecraft. One of the giant worm like tentacles slowly retracted into the ship till it was at its entry point. From the video-link with Kerrigan at the dock, everyone could hear a series of deep sounding folds and bends of what seemed like skin. Though the individuals on the living ship were use to the sounds, the ones on the Hyperion cringed in disgust a little.

Once the noises stopped, the large appendage began to extend itself. Instead of going back to where it was before, it started going straight for the Terran vessel. Watching it cautiously, it was not going fast or slow as it kept coming. When it was about to reach the halfway mark, the tentacle stopped and seemed to sway slightly. Hearing a deep dull sound coming from the video-comm link again, it sounded like burgling a little.

As if to confirm what the noise was, a bulge appeared at the base of the extended worm arm. Slowly and consistency, it started traveling up its length. Producing another round of people looking nauseated, Horner and Valerian just kept a cautious gaze. Once the large object came to the head, split lines appeared at the tip. Opening up, it made many on the bridge of the Hyperion think of horror movies.

Four massive jaw segments with an array of sharp jagged teeth and an esophagus of a bio-hell monster. Coming out of it with tentacles around it, was the warhead missile. Stopping at a certain point away from its mouth, it made fine adjustments of positioning the weapon. Once done, the appendages carefully unwrapped themselves as if like a jellyfish moving around in the ocean. Finding that the missile had not moved or changed since releasing it, the parts of the massive worm-like arm began retracting.

"Captain. Warhead is online with Hyperion communication. Waiting on activation," the lieutenant stated from her station.

"Good," Matt stated after turning toward the officer and nodding. Turning back to the video feed towards the Leviathan, Kerrigan and Stukov turned towards the feed after watching the large extension of the ship retract fully back in.

"Warhead is ready Kerrigan. Waiting on activation and when to launch."

[Thank you Horner] she said with a small smile. [Valerian. How much time do we have till the weather front moves away from the research facility?]

"...looks like it is sitting or moving slowly...we have an hour or so till the entire front moves away," the Dominion prince answered after looking at the ship's scans again.

[Alright. So here is the plan...we send the payload down. Once it reaches the atmosphere, Stukov will inform when to detonate the warhead. At the same time, he and I will release the cocoons we put our energies in. When the super thunderstorm occurs, I will go with a scouting party on the outskirts of the lab below. Once it calms down enough to not be fried up, we will infiltrate the facility. I will need your ship's scans to give me insight if the nanos survived and any other readings that occur in there Horner] Sarah explained and saw him nod.

"Copy that Kerrigan. We will be your eyes in the skies," Matt responded. Both he and the young Mengsk were distracted seeing the large blue Zerg move. Watching it turn around, it went into the still gaping hole of the where the missile was pulled into. The sound of flesh being moved around while it crawled down made both men press their lips together to not change their expression. Turning back to the lieutenant, he gave the order.

"Activate the warhead and engage thrusters at my command."

"...missile activated..." the officer replied back. Seeing him turn toward the exterior view, others did the same. Hearing him give a countdown from ten, a thought of the large projectile blowing up went through a major of them. When zero was called out, she pressed an "engage" button on her workstation screen.

Seen from both ships, the missile's thrusters began fire. Forming a blue plume of flame, it started accelerating forward. The lieutenant gave readings of stability and time of impact. Going much faster, they could see the air pressure resistance. The forming of a red bell of flame in front of the weapon meant it had entered the atmosphere. Raising the tension from watching and waiting, both Matt and Valerian glanced at the comm-link with the Leviathan. Both Kerrigan and Stukov had their eyes closed and produced an aura glowing around them.

"Starting to get interference for the signal of the warhead...still stable though," the officer announced from her station.

[...just a little bit more...] Stukov stated quietly. After a couple of seconds, he raised his hand.

[Now!]

"Detonate the warhead," Horner ordered firmly. Upon doing so and turning to the exterior visual of the planet and the Leviathan, they could see the explosion occurring only in a small area of the entire planet's size. However as they waited, a chain reaction began to occur that started sending off sensors in the Hyperion and the central nerve controller of the Leviathan.

"You are lisssstening dear?" the shapeshifter spoke in Liddy's voice. Still grinning at Jim as he continued glaring at it, it took an inhale that sounded like multiple people breathing at once.

"Share with me...your guilt..."

"..." Raynor responded not moving. He continued looking at the thing with evolving hatred.

"...of what?"

"Hee hee hee...of watching her...ssssuuuuffffeeerrrrr...her sssself-afflicting desssspair...as she slowly crippled herself...to death."

"You sick bastard," he reacted with baring his clenched teeth.

Wanting to strangle the monster, he froze from feeling something. Calming down and focusing on the sensation, he never took his eyes off the yellow irises staring back at him. Feeling his skin getting pricked in multiple places, it felt like small spiders poking and crawling around. Taking a quick glance down with his eyes, there were several thin needle tentacles that came from it. Unable to escape without suffering some kind of consequences, the Commander took the lesser of the two.

"...fine..." he muttered in agitated defeat.

"How...grand," it muttered with satisfaction and mockery.

Levitating from the ground a couple of inches, it slowly began circling around to be behind him. At the same time, the creature did a slow arm wave with both the left and the right. As if triggering something, the environment began to change. Seeing things become blurry, the light and color of things faded into darkness. Wondering if he got drugged with the toxin again, there were no strange sounds coming from anywhere currently and his senses still seem intact.

As fast as the scenery disappeared to blackness, it slowly came back. After a few seconds of blurriness, Raynor blinked and looked around with his eyes. Seeing what he saw, he rubbed them to make sure. Opening them again and seeing what was in front and around himself, the environment remained the same. Feeling his nerves being pulled apart, Jim tensed up seeing who was here with him.

As if traveling back in time, it was when his late wife was at her lowest point with depression. He was in his old home in Mar Sara to which he lived with Liddy and their son John. Standing in the old living room, she was across the space from where he was. Sitting on the rocking chair, her non-verbal language was very notable. Not moving in the chair, her face seemed drain of life as she stared at nothing.

"..." Jim spoke looking hard at what was in front of him.

Closing his eyes, he turned his head to the left to not view what was there anymore. Strangely, his eye lids opened up. Confused on why they did that, he wondered if the toxin caused a muscle reaction. Halting and remaining still, he felt more of the prickling again. Taking a look at his peripheral vision, the needle thin appendages were the ones holding his eye lids up.

"...nnnnnooowwww..." the thing said in a breathy voice. Back to sounding like its original voice, the shapeshifter moved. Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, the creature hovered over him like a floating cloak.

"...relive the#$eexxppeerriieeennnccee#$...no devi-ation."

"..." he responded with silence.

Just staring forward, his mouth slowly went into a frown. As if detecting him, the thing slowly floated around to be in his face again. Instead of giving into fear seeing its hellish form again, the ex-marine gave it scorn. Reluctantly turning his head back to the vision, seeing the image of his wife was giving him quick flashbacks. Sighing internally and resisting urge to slug the creature in the face for being close, he took a brave step forward.

'Damned if I do...damned if I don't,' he thought. Tensing up tightly, the monster was back to being almost like a coat on him. For what ever reason it had, it seemed that it was eager to be a part of the event.

Taking another couple of steps, he was stopped. Looking down and around quickly, it was as if the thing did a complete transition of changing the environment. Shaking his head internally, he looked back at the re-created image of his wife. Seeing the chair he sat in the past, he made his way towards it. Pulling it back a little, he took a seat.

Adjusting a little, he put his hands together and rested his forearms on his knees. Staring back at Liddy, he didn't say anything. The level of detail that was created was surprising. The anger and hate that had festered and built was slowly dampening. Feeling remembrances of her and the memories that were conjured up, his face began to soften a little.

"..." Raynor spoke. Blinking from the silence, he also felt something pointy gliding on the backside of his left arm. Clearing his throat, he called.

"...Liddy...?"

"..." she answered with not moving initially. After a few seconds, the woman blinked lethargically and moved her eyes. Locking with his, her faced glitched as if she was going through a hard twitch. Once it was gone, she continued looking at him and had her hand positions changed a little.

"..." Liddy said and gave a weak smile. "...hi James..."

"How are you feeling today? You alright?"

"...I've...been better...I think I am better than yesterday," she stated though looked unsure.

"..." Raynor commented. As if recalling the sensations he felt, the sight of her aura of sadness and being broken hearted emitted from her. Squeezing his hands together, he tried to recall of his last discussion with his wife went. Though he was grabbing bits and pieces from memory, what kept coming back was how ill she became afterwards then was sent to a hospital. Oddly, there were flashbacks that were very clear and precise as it passed through his head.

"..." he reacted from feeling the spider prickling again.

Assuming it was the hybrid that was causing him to remember things more than others, he wondered how much of its toxin was in him. Though his senses seemed to be functioning still and he wasn't nauseated, it made him skeptical that he was completely sane. Shivering a little, it hovered over him like vulture waiting to strike. The sensation strained his nerves a lot from telling himself not to react to them.

"...how...have you been dear?" Liddy asked quietly staring at him.

"...I have been alright...things considering," the Commander replied with a softer tone and looked at her with a sad smile. "...worried about you..."

"..." she reacted with a slow blink and gave a soft smile back.

"Have you been in contact with family and friends lately?"

"...a little...but not as much as I have in the past."

"Have you been able to sleep without the nightmares appearing?" he asked rubbing his thumbs together a little.

"...not really..." she spoke more toward herself than out loud. Looking down at the ground, she curled her legs up and hugged her knees.

"...you've been...working a bit more...right?"

'...I remember...this was like walking on eggshells,' Jim quickly thought without changing his expression.

"...yeah...helps keep my mind off things...until I am able to cope and deal with...what happened," he answered then looked at her. "How about you?...Have you been keeping yourself busy with your hobbies?"

"..." his wife answered with just looking at the floor. After a couple seconds of awkward silence, he tried again.

"Has your girlfriends invited you to the outings that you like to go to?"

"...I...haven't gone with them...recently," the woman spoke quietly and began to downcast her face.

"..." Raynor commented pressing his lips together a little. Looking down at his hands, he tried to think what happened during this or the next topic they talked about.

"...I'm sorry..."

"...?" he reacted blinking and looking up at her. The barely above whisper tone and the coiling up position began to trigger his memory of what she did.

"...I'm so sorry...Jim..." she spoke in a low lost tone. The sight of her eyes getting glassy signified that this was the triggered event.

"..." the ex-marshal responded with remaining quiet. Trying to think of what he said back then, it seemed the silence was making her feel worse.

"...I just...believed...it was best thing for John," she continued and gave a weak snivel.

'Nothing I will say...will save her from digging her own grave,' he thought feeling a mixture of emotions. Not as raw as he felt the time this happened, but it still hurt him to see her slowly die from her own despair and guilt over their son's death. Deciding to vary what he stated back then, he looked up at her.

"...in dark times...having each other and time to heal would be how to move forward," Jim spoke firmly but not above a normal talking tone. Seeing her lift her head, she gazed back at him with depression and guilt all over her face. Squeezing his hands together more, he pushed again.

"...Liddy...I am suffering just as much as you are...just because I don't show emotions or express my pain, it isn't to prove how manly or how tough I am...it is just how boys are taught on how to act when becoming a man..." the Commander began. Getting off the chair, he approached her and took a knee. Still a little amazed at how detailed and exactly like her the creature reproduced, he also picked up a fragrance. It triggered a memory of what kind of scented perfume his late wife would use. Using willpower to not express surprise or get out of the emotion he was trying to convey, he continued.

"I need you still...we both need each other to heal...to grieve and move forward together."

"..." the woman reacted with just blinking as more tears came down her face. Knowing what would happen next, he gave in to the little hope that sprang in his head. Holding out his hand towards her, he felt his face soften and express pain.

"...darling..." Jim whispered giving her his hand. Seeing her pupils change sizes a little, he got quieter to sound a little more desperate.

"...please Liddy...please..."

"...uuuuurrrrrrkkkkk..." the hybrid spoke quietly from nearby.

"..." Raynor spoke holding his face and movement. Not breaking eye contact with her, the tense silence and staring only became painful. Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck shift to the right, he felt the thing move away from him a little.

"...the expressssssion...and sensssssations of pssssychological strain...#$%#$...without physical sssstimuli or ailment..." the monster commented out loud. "...it issss...interesting...no?"

Taking a quick glance at it, he saw its hideous morphed face. Reminding him of a demented scientist, it seemed enthralled and captivated from what it witnessed. As if the scenery was new material and provided enough of a distraction, it had removed all the needle tentacles from him. Taking a quick look back at his reproduced image of his wife, it appeared she was frozen in time. Gazing back at the creature, it appeared to be processing something in its mind.

"...?" the raider leader reacted from hearing what sounded like loud dull boom.

Looking up at the ceiling, it seemed to have happened overhead. After a couple of seconds, a tremor started happening through the building. Getting the hybrid's attention, the environment begins to shift rapidly. As if on acid, the scenery transition swirled violently enough to make the Commander put both hands on the ground to keep balance. Once the old labs came into view, a fresh iron scent was in the air. Turning to where he saw the image of his wife, there was a dissected subject sitting.

"Jesus!" Jim stated loudly. Jumping backwards to get away from it, the living dead corpse did not move. However, the hybrid monster looked immensely agitated. Giving a loud glitching growl, it hovered above the ground and shot into the left hallway. Glancing that way, he saw that it appeared to be a main pathway and a way out of the labs. Hearing a distant thunderclap, it made him feel a little at ease.

"Guess there is just a thunderstorm overhead," Raynor mentioned out loud. Rubbing his face to calm himself down, he began to hear something. Listening, the movement of flesh and noises of mild groans was very nearby. Looking back at the corpse, it had begun to fidget then looked at him.

"That's it," he stated immediate getting angry.

Looking around the chamber for anything, he found a large steel pipe on the ground. Quickly grabbing it and looking back at the undead, it had gotten up from the chair. Rushing it, he swung murderously at its head. Making contact, the dissected subject fell to the ground with a big dent in its head. Still alive and struggling, Jim swung down at it hard again.

"No more of this shit!" he stated out loud. Making the impact dent bigger, he wounded up another swing and brought it back down.

"No more of this game!" the Commander yelled. Hitting the mid-back of the undead, the portion of the skin broke and exposed inners and blood. Not stopping, the ex-marine lifted the pipe overhead and impaled the back of the corpse's head with it. Pushing hard through the impact till it could not go through anymore, he let go and took some steps back. Still feeling the effects of becoming enraged, the dissected living thing was more than dead now. Its new function now looked to be a flagpole holder with crimson pooling out of the gaping wounds.

"...hah...hah...hah..." Raynor said breathing harshly and looking down at it with scorn.

Hearing another thunderclap in the distance, this one sounded much closer. Backing up to the wall in case a tremor was going to occur, a high magnitude earthquake rumbled quickly. Losing his balance and recovering, he got low to the ground and waited. The quake only lasted a few seconds, but was strong enough to rattle everything and cause a good amount of destruction. Glancing at the main hallway out of the labs, he got up and started jogging.

'What the hell was that?...an explosion?' he wondered going down the passageway. As curious as he was about what was topside, something else was on his mind that took over. Climbing the stairs to the next floor, the thunder sounded louder and seemed bigger. Putting on a stern expression, he began scanning around for something.

'Where is the armory...that freak of nature has some god damn hell to pay.'