Warning Major Spoilers fr the end of Prey! You have been warned.
Edit: For those who are wondering where this came from. I was replacing my old PC and found some story ideas from ages ago that I had completely forgotten about. Figured I'd upload them for shits and gigs instead of outright deleting them. These were the only complete chapters. The others were half completed chapters for my current stories before I had to abandon them and probably won't be uploaded. Anyway enjoy if you'd like. I sincerely doubt I'll ever continue these though.
It sighed as it watched the last of the blast radius of the growing mushroom clouds in the distance, the chain of Nuclear Warheads powerful enough to destroy the entire planet being unleashed onto the once blue world. The last resort of what few humans were left, one last desperate gamble of a dying species trying to stop the genocidal Typhon from escaping once more into the Cosmos. A hope that with the deaths of their species, a threat to all life in the galaxy would be eradicated forever.
It didn't understand…
Even after spending all this time with them…
Even after going through Morgan's memories again and again…
It didn't understand them…
And likely never would…
Alex, Igwe, Sarah, Danielle, Mikhaila…
They had tried…they had tried so hard…
And yet their greatest achievement…
Their greatest hope…
Failed them when they needed it most…
It could only sit in silence, watching its skin changing from the pale human flesh to a writhing sea of black every few seconds before switching back. They had given it human emotions, they had given it the ability to empathize, but it didn't know how. They had essentially given it a bike without any of the experience to go along with it, and expected everything to be fine.
They had forgotten that anger…was also a human emotion.
I need to know you see us…I mean really see us…
The memory of Alex's hope filled voice echoed through its head and it clutched its tendrils into makeshift fists, remembering the feeling that had caused through it at that point in time. The feeling when it had realised that it had been experimented on, that it's life had been nothing but a simulation, a test to them. However, the feeling soon drained away as memories of Alex's dead body reemerged, laying at its feet and staring up at it with unblinking eyes. And worse…There was no fear or no pain in that gaze, just something else instead.
Disappointment…Resignation.
This time it was Morgan's voice it heard and as the memories of its last encounter with the race known as Humanity faded, it felt a deep sensation of…what? Emptiness? Was it still hungry like all its kind was? No that was not it, this emptiness…it was not like that Primal Hunger…no it was something else…Was it pain? Perhaps…it felt similar…yet it wasn't wounded.
Regret…Shame.
It had no response to Morgan's voice and simply returned to its silent contemplation, seemingly uncaring for the heat rapidly increasing around it as the blast wave grew ever closer.
Why?
Why did they do it?
Why would these shattered remnants of Humanity go so far to stop the Typhon?
They could have survived at least another few millennia hidden in their underground bases, so why go so far to stop the Typhon from leaving Earth and spreading?
It made no sense…
As a Typhon all that mattered was the survival of their race. Indeed, a creature should prioritise the survival of its species above all else…evolution demanded as such. And yet…these creatures…
They evolved over time to empathize, to feel for others…
Why? How was that evolutionary successful?
It should have spelt their deaths as a species and yet…they had thrived before the Typhon had shown up. Morgan's memories proved as much. Kin selection perhaps? No…they were sacrificing themselves for another race that would never even know they had existed. There was no Kin selection present…
Truly, it made no sense to it. But regardless their plan had worked. It could feel the Typhon collective mind trying to escape the planet but to no avail. They were stuck planet bound and as more and more of the collective mind fell silent, it looked up at the orange string like structures above it growing dark. The Typhon would be eradicated. There was no question now.
It wondered…why was it not trying to escape like its brethren? Why did it not feel a sense of urgency to escape the oncoming nuclear fires. Instead, it felt calm and at peace. Thoughts of a beach Morgan once used to relax at filling its head as the sounds of crashing waves echoed in its mind.
It was a shame it would never see that beach in person. It was a shame the blue jewel that Humans called home would never again support life. Looking out over the destruction a thought occurred to it. Was this it's fault? Would the humans have resorted to this if it had taken Alex's hand.
It wasn't sure…and that realization once more brought the feeling of emptiness back…
No way to be sure but, I think it has a sense of retribution…
Trying to push Danielle's voice and the uncomfortable sensation away it just sat and returned to contemplating Humanity's final choice. A choice that that the Typhon as a species could have never comprehend let alone prepare for. Again, it came back to that one question. Why?
In the end it chose to sacrifice itself to destroy Talos One. Why? To Protect Earth?
It seemed to freeze slightly as Igwe's seemingly unimportant question took on a whole new light. Why? Why had it done that? Why did it even care? Why did it accept certain death for the sake of others?
I would have died without my medication. That wasn't easy. That says a lot, I think, about its heart. Can I say it has a heart?
It shook its head at Mikhaila's voice. Of course it didn't. A heart was a purely human organ used to pump blood through the human circulatory system. Typhon biology was far superior. So why would it have a heart that wasn't needed?
It was willing to make itself vulnerable…
It gave no indication that it had heard the voice a second time as it looked down at its chest and, for the briefest second, could have sworn it felt the soft beat of a human heart, before it vanished just as quickly as it appeared. It brought a black tendril up to its chest and the tendrils seemed to prod its own chest briefly before falling to its side once more as the ground started rumbling beneath its feet.
It wouldn't be long now; the blast wave was only a few minutes away. And it seemed it wasn't the only one that had come to watch the show. Not too far away it saw a pair of humans, male and female, climb out of a sewer grate and sit down to watch the encroaching wall of fire. It briefly debated walking over and sitting down with them however before it could it saw a smaller Typhon, a Mimic, rushing over to them. Wanting one last meal before its destruction.
With a slight flick of its mind it sent a Kinetic Blast straight into its smaller cousin, killing it instantly, with the humans completely unaware of the fate that had nearly befell them. After checking the area for anymore Typhon it got up and left, not wanting to ruin the couple's final moments on this planet by making an appearance.
None of us would have survived without its help. If it was one of my officers, I would give it a commendation…
It shook away Sarah's voice as it found a new vantage point to watch its oncoming destruction, coming to a rest upon the broken remains of an old fabricator. It briefly caught a glimpse of its own reflection in the glass, seeing the black writhing form of a Phantom staring back at it. It eventually looked away welcoming the hush that had spread across the once blue planet and as it looked up it almost jumped upon seeing images of Alex, Igwe, Sarah, Danielle and Mikhaila standing there staring down at it. Was this a hallucination? Perhaps, Morgan's medical knowledge did say that right before certain death hallucinations are possible. But could Typhon even get hallucinations?
It didn't think so…and yet. It was seeing one before it…
Would you let it live, after what it did? asked the hallucination of Alex turning to the others.
Each one was silent as they stared at it with varying degrees of suspicion before walking up to it and looking at it in the eye, or the Typhon equivalent anyway. Eventually each one nodded as they stepped back and despite everything gave it a smile, bringing a strange feeling to it. It felt the same emptiness and yet it wasn't a bad sensation this time. Why? It felt regret and yet it was not bad. Why?
Happiness…Sadness…Both…Bittersweet…
Suddenly it saw a hallucination of Morgan fade into existence beside his brother, we asked you once before but I'll ask again. Do you see us…I mean really see us?
It just shook its head. It didn't understand the question. Of course, it could see them. It could see everything. Far from upset it seemed that the hallucination of Morgan was simply amused. Before he walked up to it, the nuclear blast wave seemingly inches from consuming them all.
That's not what we mean…and deep down you know that. So want to try this again? If you truly see us, then take my hand…
It saw the hallucination of Morgan reach out to it and hold out a hand, time seemed to freeze as the precious seconds until the blast vaporized it suddenly seemed to drag on for an eternity. It just stared at the outstretched hand, noting that this hallucination was more powerful than it was led to believe as the blast wave seemed to almost be frozen in place.
Strange. Neither Morgan's medical knowledge, nor the numerous medical Neuromods they implanted in it ever gave the indication that these hallucinations could ever be so…vivid. A side effect of its Typhon physiology? Perhaps…
Still if this was what its final moments were going to be…If this was the final choice that it was going to be presented with…what would it choose?
It didn't know…
It didn't understand…
Why was it being forced to make the choice again?
It took a brief pause as it looked around at the devastation surrounding it, before turning back to see the couple once more, locked in their frozen embrace. It stared at them for what seemed like an eternity, a strange feeling coming over it as it then turned to its reflection in the remains of the Transtar Fabricator once more.
It might not truly understand the question being asked of it but…
It was clear that the current devastation was a consequence of its choice last time…
It got up from its sitting position and walked over to the hallucinations, another alien sensation filling it's body as it rose to its true height, towering over the forms of the humans. It paused for one last second as it took in all of the sights around it, committing them to memory.
It might not understand the question but if this was to be the last choice it ever made, the last action it would ever take on this planet…
Then this time…
It was determined to make the right one…
It nodded as it took the hallucination of Morgan's hand, expecting its tendrils to pass right through it…only to stumble as it felt something warm, solid, and alive, grasp its tendrils back. It looked up at the hallucinations in alarm only to see all of them smiling as they faded, giving one last farewell as all six voices resounded through its head.
We're going to shake things up…like old times…
And everything was enveloped in a bright light…