The bomb went off, the resulting shockwave blasting through the Chimera fleet.
Hale tried to focus on piloting the shuttle as hundreds of screams pierced his mind. He had to get Capelli home. Debris crashed into the windscreen, violently shaking them around.
join us
"Shut up," he hissed. He couldn't do this. Not now.
The control panel locked up and Hale didn't know if the Hivemind had shut it down or if it had simply taken too much damage.
we can help
"PULL UP! PULL UP!" yelled Capelli from the passenger seat.
"It's not responding."
"HALE, PULL UP!"
we can fix it
Hale screamed and slammed his head into the controls.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"
isn't that what you want
"Get out of my head!"
He just needed to last long enough to get them to the ground. Not for him, it was far too late for him, but he could still save Capelli.
"Hale, we're gonna crash!"
let us in
"Fuck you," snarled Hale.
The ground approached at an alarming speed as they continued to plummet.
He braced for impact.
The shuttle plowed into sand, flipping onto its front and rolling forward a few times before skidding to a halt.
Hale leaned over to check Capelli, almost moaning in relief upon finding a pulse. He was unconscious, but he was alive and breathing and mostly unharmed.
He heaved himself out of the pilot's seat and staggered out of the shuttle door.
The sun warmed his pale skin as he trudged through the sand. He looked up to see a huge, black hole torn across the blue sky. A wormhole, he somehow knew, which lead to the Chimera's home planet.
you hurt don't you
Of course he fucking hurt, he'd been hurting for the last two years, forcing himself on, only expecting to live until the end of whatever mission he'd been assigned.
this can all end
A jolt surged through Hale and he almost fell to his knees. It didn't matter. He'd won. He'd finished the mission. He'd got Capelli home.
you just have to let it
He felt the infection spreading through his brain. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He'd known this day would eventually come. What was the point of dragging it out?
No, though Hale. Not yet. Not here.
let go
He felt another entity seep into his mind. The resistance he'd put up for two years had been rendered utterly meaningless in a matter of minutes.
He found himself gazing up at the wormhole again, feeling almost drawn to it. Stars glistened from the darkness, and there in the middle was the Chimera homeworld. His homeworld. He heard footsteps behind him and turned around to face Capelli.
"Hale, what happened? What the hell is that?"
"Can you hear them?" The Hivemind spoke using Hale's voice. "They are calling to us. It's beautiful."
Hale's body twitched as he tried to regain control. Capelli raised his pistol. Straight to the point, as usual.
Ironic, though Hale, that I'd make it this far to be killed by one of my own men.
He supposed it wasn't a bad way to go. At the very least, it was better than being a pawn for the Chimera.
He took a step towards Capelli, who moved quickly away from him. "Stay back."
Hale managed to stop moving. He hoped he'd hurry up and shoot him before he completely lost control. Capelli's expression was unreadable. He'd said from the start that he wouldn't hesitate to kill him, but now he didn't seem to want to.
Hale felt the Hivemind take him over once more. He advanced towards Capelli, words forcing themselves from his mouth.
"This is just the beginning."
Capelli's hands shook slightly. Then his expression hardened and he looked Hale in the eyes.
"Forgive me, sir. It was an honour."
And Capelli pulled the trigger.