Chapter 49: The Nuclear Man
Upon returning to S.T.A.R. Labs, Wells, Faraday, and Superman were all fuming at how poorly the meeting with Eiling had gone.
"Well, that could have gone better," Superman lamented.
"General Eiling will most likely come after Ronnie and Professor Stein that much harder," Wells realized. "We should take precautions."
"I'll leave you two to get on that," Faraday replied, starting to walk off. "I'm going to make some calls."
...
While he was doing that, Barry was off by himself, unable to get his inevitable failure from the future out of his head. As he stood in solitude, he didn't even hear Diana walking up to him.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Barry turned to see Diana walking towards him.
"Oh, hey. Sorry, I was just thinking."
"What about?"
"The future. When I go back in time to save my mom… and fail."
Diana paused for a moment, then sat down next to Barry.
"You are afraid of this future failure."
"Yeah…"
"You shouldn't be. The future is not set in stone. It can be changed."
"How can you be so sure?"
"In my time in man's world, I have seen many incredible things. I have seen mere words from a single man influence the entire world. I have watched men and women claim their own destinies in ways no one believed possible. We control our own futures, and this failure you are so afraid of, it will only come to pass if you allow it."
Barry paused for a moment, taking in what Diana was saying.
…
Meanwhile, at the Stein house, Clarissa was doing some light cleaning when a knock from the door rang out.
"Who is it?" she asked.
The knocking just resumed, so Clarissa made her way to the door, opening it. She gasped when she saw General Eiling standing on the stoop, giving her a smile as he tipped his hat.
"Ma'am. Is your husband home?"
"N-No, he's not."
"Well then… we'll have to do something about that."
…
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Kari was finishing the last of her tests on Ronnie and Professor Stein. She didn't look happy with the results, her brow furrowed and her mouth set in a grimace.
"Is something the matter, Dr. Miller?" Stein inquired, walking over to her.
"In a manner of speaking, yes. You and Mr. Raymond have truly become two halves a whole. If my calculations are correct, and I've checked them half a dozen times, you two literally cannot live without the other. More than that, the Firestorm Matrix inside of you is regaining its earlier instability because of the split. The only way to stabilize it… is for you two to become one again."
Stein was taken aback by this.
"So… if Ronald and I do not remerge…"
"Then both of you will combust, bathing the immediate area around you in highly concentrated nuclear energy."
"I see…" Stein responded, starting to walk out.
"For what it's worth," Kari called after him, "I'm sorry."
…
Stein made his way into the cortex, feeling more than a little overwhelmed by the news he was dealt. His hands were shaking, both from his own nerves, and from the worry and fear he could feel permeating from Ronnie.
"It must be disconcerting," Wells commented. "Knowing your entire existence is tied to another."
Stein paused, looking up to see Wells rolling over, a look of empathy on his face.
"You heard," Stein remarked.
"I had a hunch. That, and Dr. Miller ran her findings by me, wanting to be sure. Unfortunately, her calculations are flawless."
"Indeed. And I'm at a bit of a loss on what to do. Remerging seems like the most logical course of action, but… what would this do to our lives. To Ronald, Caitlin… Clarissa."
"Who can say? Unfortunately, it's impossible to know what the future holds."
"Indeed…"
At that moment, Stein's phone began to ring. He pulled it out, seeing it was Clarissa calling.
"Excuse me, Harrison. I need to take this."
"Of course."
Wells left the Cortex as Stein answered the call.
"Clarissa, is everything-?"
"Hello Martin," Eiling's voice greeted.
Stein froze up upon hearing his voice.
"What have you done with Clarissa?"
"Nothing. You turn yourself in, she goes free. Simple as that."
"And what assurance would I have that you will keep your word?"
"She has nothing I want. I have no reason to hold onto her. It's you and the Nuclear Man you make up that I want."
Stein remained silent for a moment, pondering the situation before finally coming to a decision.
"Alright. Where can we meet?"
"I'm quite comfortable right where I am. So come on home, Martin. Clarissa's waiting."
Eiling then hung up, leaving Stein quivering in fear and anger.
…
That night, Professor Stein slowly approached his house, hand shaking as he reached for the doorknob. He carefully turned it, opening the door to reveal Clarissa sitting in a chair with several soldiers standing behind her. From how still she was, and how her breath came out in thready gasps, there was most likely a gun to her back.
"Martin..." she whispered.
"Welcome home, Professor Stein," Eiling greeted, stepping out of the shadows. "So glad you could join us."
"I came, as you wanted," Stein told him. "Now let my wife go."
"Men, escort Mrs. Stein out. Gently."
Two of the soldiers grabbed Clarissa by the arms and began taking her outside. The second she was out the door though, a red streak sped by and pulled Clarissa out of their grasp. Before they could react, a golden tiara sailed in and struck them both in the face, knocking them out as the tiara returned to Wonder Woman's hand. She put her tiara back on, glaring at the soldiers.
"Threatening a man's family? And you claim to be defenders of humanity."
The soldiers opened fire, forcing Wonder Woman to deflect the bullets as Flash returned.
"Clarissa's secure!" he reported. "Superman, GL, you're clear to move in!"
"Copy that!" GL replied via comms as he came streaking in with Supes hot on his heels.
"Fools," Eiling remarked before turning to some of his soldiers. "Prepare the contingencies."
The soldiers nodded before heading off. Back outside, Superman and GL quickly arrived to help Wonder Woman and Flash dispense with the soldiers with relative ease. Superman landed on the ground, using his heat vision to melt the soldiers guns before swatting them back.
"Hey alien!" a soldier shouted.
Superman turned, and was immediately struck in the chest with a Kryptonite weapon. He cried out in pain as he was sent flying. He hit the ground hard, drawing the attention of GL.
"Supes is down! These losers have Kryptonite!"
"That's not all we have!" a second soldier taunted, pulling the pin on a grenade and tossing it at GL.
GL tried bringing it up an energy shield, but the grenade just distributed a yellow gas, which seeped through his construct. The toxic chemicals had him gagging and coughing, tears in his eyes as his concentration snapped. He too fell from the sky, just struggling to breathe.
"Lantern!" Wonder Woman cried out, rushing to catch him before he hit the ground.
Before she could, another soldier fired a cannon that shot out titanium cables at her, which instantly wrapped around her body. She strained against them, but their hold was too strong, keeping her from breaking them. She felt herself weakening, much to her utter horror.
"No! Not now!"
Thinking fasl, Flash ran around the falling Wonder Woman and GL, creating a funnel that slowed their descent. They managed to touch down safely, then he turned to Eiling.
"I don't know what your game is, Eiling, but it ends here!" he snapped.
"Agreed," Eiling replied, pulling out a small cube and tossing it into the air.
Flash charged at Eiling and the cube exploded, several incredibly sharp, metal needles being released. They seemed to lock onto Flash, shooting towards him and embedding themselves deep in his flesh. He howled in agony as he dropped, unable to move.
"We're done here," Eiling declared. "Let's grab the Professor and move out!"
Soldiers were already roughly shoving Stein towards a van. Eiling was quick to join them as they drove off, leaving the Justice League beaten and defeated.
…
Later at S.T.A.R. Labs, the four leaguers were laid out on various medical tables. Dr. Stone was working to get the steel cables off of Wonder Woman as Cisco set up GL with an oxygen mask and Caitlin ran de-radiation treatments for Superman. Kari was working on Flash, trying to remove the sadistically barbed needles before his body healed around them.
"Eiling was prepared this time," Wonder Woman noted. "He had the means to incapacitate each of us."
"Makes you wonder how long he's had this little project in mind," Cisco remarked.
"Long enough to have studied all of you and discern your weaknesses," Kari answered, pulling out her umpteenth needle. "He probably has contingencies for every Leaguer, including Batman, Aquaman, Cyborg… even J'onn. And what's worse, he's willing to use them at any time."
"It's clear that General Eiling isn't to be underestimated," Wells noted. "Now that he has half of Firestorm, I fear for what he plans to do."
Kari's eyes narrowed and she turned to Wells, passing him her tweezers.
"Take over for me. I'm too emotional and I'll just hurt him more than necessary.
"Of course," Wells agreed, taking the tweezers.
She rolled out of the room, still seething.
"She's afraid of what could have happened had the others been there as well," Diana deduced. "I will admit, I share her concerns."
"We all do," Wells agreed, beginning his turn on the needles. "It just makes our mission to stop Eiling all the more apparent."
About that time, Ronnie came stumbling in. He was sweating and clutching his chest, breathing hard as he locked eyes with Caitlin. Upon seeing the state he was in, she got up, rushing to his side.
"Ronnie! Ronnie, what's wrong?"
"I- I can feel him. He's terrified. They're threatening him… threatening Clarissa… we have to get him out..."
"We will," Caitlin reassured. "We just have to find him."
"Maybe J'onn could do some massive mind scan or something," Cisco proposed.
"No," Diana shot down. "It put a massive strain on him the last time he tried it. I would not risk it happening a second time."
"None of us would…" Superman commented, slowly sitting up.
"So what now?" Ronie asked.
…
In a government black site, Stein was cuffed to a metal chair in the bowels of a building. It was cold enough that he could see his breath, and every sound of pipes or the building settling made him jump.
"Comfortable?" Eiling asked, walking towards him.
"It's freezing in here..." Stein stammered, his teeth chattering.
"Apologies. But I believe it's going to heat up in here before long."
"Do your worst… I won't let you corrupt my life's work like this."
"Corrupt?" Eiling let out a chuckle that rang with an air of darkness. "This entire world is corrupted doctor. These… freaks that have been popping up like weeds, they're a disease, one that's been corrupting innocent people for far too long. The power they have, we don't stand a chance against it. Not without Firestorm. Just imagine it, soldiers who could shoot blasts of energy from their hands. Transform enemy weapons into dust with a flick of their wrists. Even fly."
"I'd sooner die than see your perverse version of my work."
"Oh, you will die, Professor. The amount of pain you suffer between then and now, it all depends on your cooperation."
A soldier then approached Eiling, handing him an electric prod.
"What's going on?" Stein asked in trepidation.
"Last time, I used this on a gorilla."
Eiling then jammed the prod into Stein's chest, causing him to cry out in pain.
…
Ronnie suddenly screamed, dropping to his knees. He was clutching his chest, right where the prod hit Stein.
"Ronnie!" Caitlin let out, kneeling next to him. "Ronnie, what's wrong?"
"It's Stein… he's in pain… I can feel it!"
He then began looking around frantically, then he grabbed one of the needles that had been plucked from Barry. Before anyone could stop him, he began digging the point into his arm hard enough to cut himself.
"What's he doing?" GL asked.
Flash sat up as best he could, his eyes widening.
"Of course. If he can feel Stein's pain, then Stein can feel his. He's trying to send the Professor a message."
…
Back with Stein, Eiling had just withdrawn the prod from his chest, allowing him a moment's reprieve. The older man was gasping for air, pain radiating through his entire body. Just then, a sharp pain seemed to emanate from his arm, but he forced himself to ignore it, keeping his eyes locked on Eiling.
"My, my, my, my, my," Eiling taunted, swinging the prod in his hand. "You show remarkable grit for a teacher. I am impressed. Why don't we let you catch your breath? Think about how much more of this you want to endure, hmm?"
Eiling then walked off, leaving the Professor alone. The second he was gone, Stein turned to his injured arm, adjusting it so his sleeve was pushed up. There, he could see raised skin forming a scar, one that spelled out a single word.
WHERE
Picking up on what that meant, Stein started tapping on the metal armrest of the chair he was tied to.
…
"I… I feel something..." Ronnie announced.
He then started tapping on the ground in a specific pattern. GL and Wonder Woman were quick to pick up on the pattern.
"Morse code," they both said at the same time.
"What's he saying?" Superman inquired.
"It's a number," GL answered. "27."
"It may be referring to an Army Base number," Diana offered. "Eiling's position would offer him a wide array of places to choose from."
"On it!" Cisco declared, rushing over to the computer and running a quick search. "I got it! Facility 27, about 300 miles away, shut down in 1961."
"Well, that's where they're keeping Stein," Ronnie insisted. "We need to get him out."
"We?" Flash questioned.
"I need to be there," Ronnie pressed. "If Stein and I don't remerge, we'll go nuclear. I have to go."
"And what if you can't unmerge?" Caitlin questioned. "What if your duelling psyches clash again and you lose yourselves?"
"The risk is too high if I don't. Cait…" he takes her hand. "I will come back to you."
She tightened her grip on him, as if afraid to let go. Ronnie then leaned in, giving her a reassuring kiss. It lasted a few seconds before he finally pulled back.
"Be careful," Caitlin whispered.
"Always."
…
At the DEO, Faraday was in the midst of a phone call.
"Right. Thank you sir," Faraday responded, hanging up the phone before dialing a different number. "Dr. Miller, do you think you can come into my office real quick?"
"I'll be right there. Is something wrong?"
"Not necessarily. I just have a little favor I need done."
"What kind of favor?"
"Oh, I think you'll like this one."
…
At the base, the League arrived with Ronnie in tow, taking note of the bustle of activity.
"Oh yeah," Flash remarked. "This place doesn't look shady at all."
Ronnie closed his eyes, focusing.
"The Professor's inside, I can feel his cells calling out to me, wanting to be whole again."
"Any sign of him?" Wonder Woman asked, turning to Superman.
"No," Superman answered, powering off his X-ray vision. "The whole base is lead lined."
"Are we even surprised?" GL remarked.
Superman just took a few steps forward, trying to focus.
"... we've managed to isolate the Firestorm matrix in the subjects' cells."
"Excellent."
"I think I got them," Superman reported.
"Thought your X-Ray vision wasn't working," Flash inquired.
"It's not. But my superhearing is working just fine. He's underground… about a floor or two. Wait..."
"Professor Stein, I'm afraid you've made a terrible assumption… that I need you alive."
"Eiling's about to kill Stein!"
"He's right," Ronnie replied. "I can feel the gun next to Stein's head. He's about to pull the trigger!"
Flash didn't waste a second running off, searching every room in the lower levels for Stein. Finally, he found him just as Eiling pulled the trigger of his gun. Seconds before the bullet hit Stein, Flash sped in and moved him out of the way, causing the bullet to miss as they ran up.
"He's here!" Eiling reported.
Flash then regrouped with the others, bringing Stein to a sudden stop.
"Whoa!" he let out.
"Good to see you Professor," Ronnie greeted.
"Likewise. Now, I suggest that we make ourselves scarce before Eiling and his men catch up to us."
"Agreed."
Just then, a barrage of gunfire fell upon them, prompting GL to put up an energy shield to block the shots.
"Get going! We'll handle these guys!"
Ronnie and Stein took off as the Leaguers rushed into battle. Wonder Woman landed on the engine of a humvee before shooting out her lasso, wrapping it around a soldier before yanking him in close. She then kicked him into three more soldiers, knocking them to the ground. GL formed a massive boomerang that sailed across the battlefield, knocking down every soldier in sight. Flash blazed past several soldiers, knocking them to the ground before they had the chance to know what hit them. Superman just flew upwards and delivered a massive clap, sending a shockwave that knocked several soldiers off their feet.
As the fight continued, several more soldiers came out onto the field, armed to the teeth with high tech armaments. One soldier stepped forward with a massive gun in his hands, aiming it at Wonder Woman as she blocked several bullets with her bracelets. He fired the gun at her, and she was bathed in electricity. She screamed in pain, dropping to her knees as the soldiers poured on the energy.
"Diana!" GL called out, about to rush to her aid.
Before he could get far, he was his by a sonic wave that threatened to shatter his ear drums. He hit the ground hard, followed by Superman as his super hearing was being tormented by the sonic wave. As Superman struggled, a soldier stepped forward, slipping on some metal gloves decorated with Kryptonite shards.
"This is gonna be fun," the guard declared before landing a punch on Superman.
Flash quickly came to a stop, seeing his teammates in peril before rushing over to try and help. Before he could do anything though, another soldier shot a missile at Flash. He ran to catch it, but it exploded in his hands, releasing some kind of compound onto his suit. Almost immediately, it began to burn.
"Barry, we're picking up some serious pH numbers from the suit," Caitlin reported. "What's going on?"
"They shot me with some kind of chemical!" Flash reported.
"That's weaponized phosphorus!" Cisco realized.
"How do I get rid of it?!"
"Water or foam won't extinguish it, but it can't burn in a vacuum," Wells informed. "Run, Barry, run!"
Flash started running in a circle, hoping to negate the phosphorus in time. Off to the side, Ronnie and Stein were watching this play out, feeling both helpless and remorseful that the heroes were suffering because of them.
"We have to do something," Ronnie insisted.
"The only thing we can do is merge, completing the Matrix," Stein informed him. "However, if we do, we may not be able to come back."
"I know… but we don't have a choice."
He held out his hand, looking nervous, but determined. Stein looked at the outstretched hand, steeled himself, and took it. Both of them were engulfed in flames as they fully merged. The flames died down, as Ronnie found himself back in his Firestorm suit, flaming hair and all.
"Professor?" he let out.
"Here, Ronald," Stein answered, a voice in Ronnie's head. "It would seem that this time, the merging was much more successful. We are of two minds, but the body is yours to command."
"Works for me," Firestorm remarked, igniting his hands and jetting into the air. "Just help me keep everyone safe, and watch my- our back. This is gonna take some getting used to."
"Compared to the alternative, this option is much more- Behind you!"
Firestorm turned around and saw some soldiers aiming rockets at him, prompting him to shoot a fire blast at them, knocking them back. Firestorm then landed on the ground and straightened up.
"Yeah, much more manageable."
Wonder Woman meanwhile, was struggling against the electric weapon being fired at her. She managed to hold up her bracelets, which began blocking the attack and allowing her to absorb the electric energy. After finally taking enough, Diana broke her arms apart, dispersing the energy and knocking the soldier back. As a group of soldiers mobilized behind her, Firestorm landed, delivering a wave of energy that knocked them back.
"You're looking well," Diana noted.
"Feeling well," Firestorm replied. "Go help your friends. I got these guys."
Wonder Woman nodded before heading off. She approached the sonic device that was paralyzing GL, quickly slicing through it with her sword. She let out a breath of relief as the sonic waves ended. GL quickly recovered, eying the soldier with the Kryptonite gauntlets. He used his ring to grab the gauntlets and pull them off his hands, allowing Superman to stand up.
"Now then, shall we go a few rounds without the gloves?" Superman challenged.
The soldier visibly gulped as Superman cracked his knuckles, delivering a single punch. The soldier then collapsed to the ground, his nose broken.
"Should've stayed down."
Firestorm meanwhile had blasted another soldier away when an additional one ran up to him and tried to hit him with the blunt end of his gun. Firestorm quickly grabbed the gun, sending energy coursing through it. The soldier pulled his gun away and tried to fire, only for the guns to explode into bits and pieces of plastic. Firestorm smirked before flicking his finger in the soldiers face, knocking him to the ground.
"I think we can get used to this."
"Most certainly."
As the fight continued, General Eiling made his way outside, holding some kind of grenade in his hand.
"Firestorm!" he shouted.
Firestorm turned to see Eiling activating the grenade and tossing it. It exploded, seemingly negating Firestorm's powers and knocking him to the ground. As Firestorm tried to pick himself up, Eiling was standing over them, a gun in hand.
"It's an ion grenade," Eiling explained. "Bombarded you with enough ions to destabilize your matrix. No more flames for you."
As he readied to fire the gun, there was a click, and he felt the barrel of a pistol pressed against the small of his back.
"Don't even think about it."
Eiling turned to see Kari sitting behind him. She was in tactical gear, several DEO soldiers coming in behind her, all aiming guns at the entire group.
"Dr. Miller. What brings you here?"
"I've come to acquire my property."
"Last I checked, Firestorm was terrestrial in origin. So unless you're here for the Kryptonian, kindly vacate my base."
"Actually, Firestorm falls under the Meta-Human category, which falls under my Xeno-biology spectrum. As such, Director Faraday acquired the rights for all information and assets pertaining to Project Firestorm." She snapped her fingers and two soldiers stepped forward. "Take him."
The soldiers grabbed Firestorm by the arms and began dragging him off. He let them do so, Eiling watching in disbelief. Kari ignored him, snapping her fingers again.
"Get the Leaguers loaded up too. I need to make sure that Eiling's machinations didn't do any lasting damage."
"You can't possibly think it will be that easy," Eiling challenged.
"Oh, it is." Kari reached into her vest pocket, pulling out a small bundle of papers. "Executive order from Washington, signed by the President himself."
Eiling took the paper and read it over.
"That takes some backbone. Not easy for a parapeligic I'd wager."
Kari just pulled back the hammer on her pistol.
"Let's get something straight, General. Firestorm is now DEO property. You come after Professor Stein, Mr. Raymond, or any of their associates, hell, if you even look at them in a way that I believe is even remotely threatening..." She aimed her pistol right at his stomach, "and I won't be the only one in a wheelchair. Have I made myself clear?"
Eiling paused for a moment, then holstered his gun.
"Crystal."
Kari lowered the hammer, then stowed her own pistol.
"Move out!" she ordered. "We're done here!"
A soldier came and pushed her chair into one of the trucks, one holding a charred Flash and a cuffed Firestorm. Once she was in, the doors shut and the van pulled out. Kari's serious demeanor dropped and she let out a breath.
"Oh, I can't believe that worked..." She glanced over at Firestorm and shook her head. "Here, let me get those off you. It was just for show."
Firestorm held out his wrists so Kari could remove the cuffs. Once he was free, he split apart, becoming Ronnie and Stein once more.
"Thank you for the assist, Dr. Miller," Stein commended.
"Believe me, it was my pleasure. I'm just glad we got there in time." She turned to Flash, wincing a bit. "Weaponized phosphorus?"
"Yeah," Flash confirmed. "Fortunately, I think I got the last of it off. Though Cisco's gonna be pissed the suit got wrecked."
"He'll get over it," Ronnie insisted. "Probably will cook up a new one even better than the last."
Flash chuckled a little in response.
…
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, the second Ronnie returned, Caitlin embraced and kissed him.
"Told you I'd come back to you," Ronnie reassured in between kisses.
"So… what will happen now?" Stein asked. "Since Ronald and I are seemingly now DEO property."
Kari smiled, leaning back in her chair with a small flair of dramatics.
"Well, I have so many projects on file at the moment, I highly doubt I'll be able to make time for Firestorm anytime soon. I'm thinking that I'll simply store the files for now, and as for the Matrix itself, well, I think it's in good hands right where it is."
"And of course, both you and Ronnie are welcome to stay here at S.T.A.R. so we may continue exploring your abilities," Wells offered.
"Thanks, Dr. Well," Ronnie told him.
"Yes, thank you Harrison," Stein agreed.
"Believe me, it's my pleasure."
…
Later on at the old Allen house, Barry was walking around inside, his eyes going to the holographic display of that night. Just then the door opened, causing Barry to turn and see Joe and Iris walk inside.
"Hey, thanks for coming," Barry spoke up.
"What's all this about, Barr?" Joe asked.
"Yeah, you sounded strange over the phone," Iris remarked.
"Did Joe tell you what he and Dr. Miller found here?"
Iris shook her head, so Barry approached the display. He turned it on, showing Iris the images. Joe grimaced slightly, but Iris just stared.
"This… this is that night. The night your Mom-" Iris trailed off for a moment. "What's all this mean? Why show us this?"
"I don't know how or when, but some point in the future, I'm going to be in this house that night, fighting the Reverse Flash to save my mom… and I'm gonna fail… unless I don't."
Both of them looked up in surprise.
"Barr, what are you saying?" Joe asked.
"Knowing that I'm supposed to fail gives me an advantage. I can find out what I did, and fix it so I succeed. I'm going to save my mom."
…
Back in his office, Eiling was sitting at his desk, going over some files on Kari and Faraday.
"I told you this wasn't over," Eiling promised. "I'll find something, anything that will ensure that neither of you will ever hold a position in the government again. I don't care how long it takes. I'll-"
All of a sudden, the power cut out, and a flash of red and yellow ran in and snatched Eiling right out of his chair. In the time it took to blink, Eiling found himself in some sort of subterranean tunnel. He landed hard on the ground, his kidnapper manifesting into none other than the Reverse Flash.
"General," the Reverse Flash greeted. "You've been busy."
"Who the hell are you?!" Eiling demanded. "Are you with The Flash?!"
The Reverse Flash responded by pulling back his hood, revealing himself to be none other than Harrison Wells.
"Harrison… you're one of them?!"
"I am… and I look after my own."
He grabbed Eiling by the throat, lifting him up into the air.
"Normally, I wouldn't care what you and your brute squad were planning, but you made one fatal mistake." He pulled Eiling closer until their faces were almost touching. "You tried to kill the Flash."
"W-what… are you going to do?" Eiling gasped, struggling to breathe.
"Oh, I'm not going to do anything," Wells replied, throwing him to the floor. "I'm just leaving you with… an old friend of ours."
"Eiling..." a deep, gravelly voice seemed to echo in Eiling's head, filling his mind with a wave of anger and pure hatred. "Oh, how I've waited for this opportunity."
All the color drained from Eiling's face as he scrambled back in horror.
"Oh God..."
"Not God… Grodd."
Wells then took off, hearing the faintest sounds of Eiling screaming in horror.
