Queen's note: I really do think the Slayer, Doomguy, has a bit of a warped sense of time now. Between being 2k+ in age and all that's happened to him in and out of hell. So there's going to be a few stretches of awkward time, and a lot of adjustment for him to get used to human time frames again.

Also there's going to be side effects on humans being around HIM, but that will be expanded on more later. [I did fix the order of the chapters and got chapter 5 where it was supposed to be]

Garnets

Chapter Seven:

Time is a Thing

Lily had traveled in many ways in her life. Skiff, fairy, an old plane, trains and cars, but had never been exposed to the 'newer' advanced ways like the teleportation portals.

She had seen them, yes. Both on tv, recordings in her remote history classes after moving to the sea platform. Remembered her mom's co-workers wondering if the new technology was a factor in the recent extinction event happening.

Now that Lily had gone through a portal…

The young woman really did not want to go through another portal ever again. Not just because she was already hurt, cold and gasping for air. Not even because she had been thrown into the portal.

It felt like someone had grabbed her by the spine with no warning and yanked her without warning. Or permission for that matter to make it feel like Lily had her insides rudely mixed up like a shake and bake. That did not even cover the confused, acid like visual trip!

Hitting the hard, metal ground was almost a mercy as the young woman just crumpled on the other side. Her right side was on fire as she tried to roll face down. Dry heaving out nothing, but using her still functioning arm to get up, on her knees.

There was a voice, but the world was narrowing again. This time not because of adrenaline, but purely oxygen starvation. Lily dropped her shoulders as the new deck vibrated, trying to get the thicker gas out of her lungs as she was taught before the last doctor was killed.

She made it through though.

The floor was wet from what water came through as well as soaked the two people. There was some sort of humming of air vents, a vibration in the ground. Lily was sure her right arm had been dislocated, and her body was only just letting her know how much she hurt as it darkened.

But… she made it.

Large hands were grasping and rolling Lily over then, and the shoulder flared in greater pain enough she whined. Unable to cry out as she was just able to get a little bit of real air. Wide eyes staring up at the mass of armor and muscle above her but only partly seeing him.

A strange sound Lily did not recognize that came from her, as the Slayer closed his hands over her right shoulder. It hurt so much more to have it put back in then when he had accidentally dislocated it in the first place.

"The stasis pod is ready- you need to get her there to get the gasses out of her lungs." Vega's voice was louder than on the radio, and a lot richer than expected. "Quickly, she's suffocating!"

Oh right.

She was suffocating.

Lily could only stare, almost unseeingly as she was picked up as easily by the giant of a man as she was lifted one of her cats. That odd heat sensation was back, seeping into her back as everything was spinning as the Slayer was moving far faster than his bulk would suggest he could.

The demigod glanced down as he shouldered his way in the medical area when a smaller hand scratched at his chest plate. Then he spotted the Argenta device needed.

The Slayer had not personally needed the pod, not with his accelerated healing. Yet he had seen and put several Sentinels inside the liquid filled stasis pods. It was not water, but something much more as the man unceremoniously plopped the smaller human inside.

Human survival instincts were an impressive thing, as Lily reflexively tried to push herself right back out. Only the large hand on her front holding her under the surface was quite a bit stronger.

"That was not…exactly what I meant." Vega's voice spoke up, watching through the cameras. The fluid in the stasis pods were safe for humans from what he understood, but had expected a mask to be put on. Not seeing the Slayer essentially drowning their new guest to get the toxic gas out of her lungs.

He supposed it was effective, if not an unorthodox way to fix the situation.

Perhaps the Slayer knew something from his still mostly unknown past? He definitely seemed to know more about the Argenta technology then Vega at times.

It was an odd thing to see the twitching hands weakly grasping at the gauntlet, change into an oddly stronger grip. The tension is the Slayer's shoulders visibly eased as a fist hits his forearm. His free right hand lifted to sign at the camera, Sleep stuff.

"...Sedatives?" Vega asked for clarification, getting a thumbs up and the man pointed to the activation panel at the bottom of the pod where he could not reach without letting go.

The Slayer's grip on the human shifted, but still held her in the stasis pod as he reached in with his other hand. Closing it around one of the girl's hands as he tried to be reassuring as the pod fully cycled on.

He could almost feel the confusion coming off the semi conscious human as her chest was moving. Breathing easier in the pod than Lily had in the storm only a few minutes before. A rough, rasping laugh came out of the demigod as she used her free hand to reach out of the pod and try to flip him off. She definitely had no depth perception, or sense fully where his head was as the rude gesture was 'aimed' off to the side of his shoulder rather than at the Slayer propper.

The hand was already sliding down as the sedatives in the pod were activated. Catching the young woman in a leg as she jerked one last time before that hand slid down the gauntlet. He watched and waited for the smaller fingers to go slack. Only once the 'breathing' was as steady as it could be, did the Slayer lift his arms.

Stepping back and pulling off his helmet to look down at it, and his armor. Both need cleaning, but not really a deep decontamination and scrapping. After a moment the Demigod pulled his chestplate to peer inside.

"I've already started to design another tracker for when the fabricator is running." Vega spoke once seeing what his charge was doing.

The demigod frowned at the stasis pod, sealing his armor and then reached to make sure the stasis pod could not open from the inside. Not that it would be safe to wake the girl up so soon, best to let the pod stabilize the life inside then wake.

That gave the Slayer… four days.

He debated going back to the sea platform right away. That new large demon was potentially a very good fight.

But the Slayer found that for once… he really did not want to deal with the weather. Or rouge waves.

The Demigod gave the stasis pod a small pat before walking away. Heading to the decontamination shower first. Vega.

"Yes Slayer?"

The Demigod glanced at a nearby window, showing a small section of earth. His signing shortening again. Tell me, storm passes.

"I will let you know when the local storm over the sea platform passes." Vega agreed, still keeping the new component plans active. "Do you know where our new guests will stay?"

The Slayer nodded as he entered the decontamination shower room. Pulling off his armor and once his upper body was free did he sign at the nearest camera he knew of. Gardens. Safest place.

That would be the best placement, Vega considered. The new growing things and animals were already there. The area was also right above the oxygen processing systems as well. Vega paused to metaphorically eye the not quite human man, wondering to himself if the Slayer knew the oxygen levels were higher in that area of the Fortress.

Having the 'smaller' platform AI in those systems would help with Vega's systems. It was a semi isolated system that was easier to monitor from the inside than outside.

Vega was not sure if this was planned after the Slayer met the young woman, or just chance. He knew enough that the Slayer would not answer if Vega asked right now. His charge was pretty single minded while focused on cleaning his armor.

It was fascinating to watch as the parts were moved from the decon showers to the Slayer's current work area. Methodical and surprisingly detailed as he cleaned the inner workings in those parts that he had not done for a while. Once that was done, the man shifted his attention to his weapons.

Deftly he broke each one down, cleaning and checking to see if any small part needed replacing. Or tweaking modifications, it was all done methodically, with no short cuts. No risks or miss attention.

Vega only spoke up once he was done, making a soft crackle in the speakers as a warning. "Slayer."

The demigod looked up.

"The animals will need care now." Vega pointed out, able to keep an eye on the garden-green house level.

The slayer blinked, and then got up, padding out of his work area with bare feet and old sweatpants. Wincing a bit as he had forgotten about the other new additions. As he was keeping Lily in the stasis pod for now it would be his responsibility to keep the small things alive and cared for, would it not?

Not that he minded too much, as the guinea pigs were not too dissimilar to his Daisy. The small cats though were a different story. Where he was able to give them a small pet with Lily on the platform, they now shied away from him. Possibly seeing him as the reason they were taken from their former home (true), their normal routines (true…), and not seeing their human (...also true).

Now he felt bad.

The Slayer made sure that the garden area of the Fortress, originally the place for Sentinels to have a safe, pleasant place to meditate. Now it was mostly dry earth, no pools, with one scarred somewhat barren looking tree in the middle. These places used to be nice centuries past, but now they look a little sad looking. Yet the Slayer knew this place would have the most secured grates and filters in the vents.

A whistle drew his attention to the tanks that had been rolled down here… was it still the same day?

He definitely felt bad.

With a deep breath, the not quite human set about finding one of the smaller store rooms. It was only a little bigger than the guinea pig pen that had been on the sea platform. He was able to triple check the open space was secure, found the supplies for the pets and set up their things. Even moving one of the old bins of dirt from the old garden area.

The guinea pigs were nervous, but thankfully settled once the Slayer carefully, gently picked them up one at a time. Petting each animal until they calmed down and were set in the room. Part of their old corral used to block the open door, a sturdy wire panel. Two of the guinea pigs had him pausing, thoughtful as they seemed almost extra…fat.

He wondered if they were pregnant.

Lily had said they were originally pets, then allowed to breed for protein. The girl did not seem like she had the heart to cull the guinea pigs though, more so how fond of Maple she was. Possibly her father helped originally with the idea. She had seemed perfectly capable of butchering the large fish on the platform, practice smooth movements.

The Slayer paused as he picked up the last guinea pig, who sat calm in his hands as Maple tried to groom his fingertips. Recognizing him as someone being introduced to before. He stood, with his back against the door frame and indulged in a few long minutes to pet the dark fur.

Eventually he had to set the sleepy Maple down.

Before releasing the cats, who were all quietly watching him move around. The Slayer remembered just enough, or perhaps thought it would be like with the Sentinel wolves. Another room was found, a former much larger storage room with a tinted window that overlooked the gardens. He rolled the cage with the cats into there, getting hissed at, and took the time to find Lily's things.

Setting up a bed in there, including a few of the mattresses from the Platform the Slayer had grabbed when the girl had been busy packing. The second litter box was found and set up in there, then food and water.

He only opened the front of the cage after finding the human's bedding and pillows. So something that smelled like their human was here, to hopefully be rasuring.

The demigod did not reach in, even though the tabbies looked so soft. Only one had short hair in shades of gray, the other two had long fur of dark tan colors, the last cat being more brown. All three were surprisingly sisters.

The felines seemed quite kittenish, making the Slayer wonder when Lily had gotten them.

It took a while for Vega to speak up, drawing the altered man's attention from sorting through the new supplies. Getting food things all put away in the old cafeteria-kitchen area. Not just putting cold things away, or frozen, but adding the dry things away neatly into storage. Now and then going down to check on the animals. He was as methodical in putting things away as the Slayer had cleaned his gear and weapons.

No use just leaving things out and in the way.

"Slayer," Vega spoke, watching the man lookup, not for the first time he seemed to have such a strange sense of time. Going days to weeks without sleeping or eating. Drank water yes, but distinctly did not seem to have to eat. "The storm has passed over the platform."

The Slayer frowned at a box of noodles in his hand. He set it down in its new home before signing. How long?

"It's been two days since you brought miss Lily aboard." Vega supplied, "She has been stable in the stasis pod."

"Hmm," The demigod rumbled a low, thoughtful sound, thinking of what to do. He finished with the box he had in the kitchen before walking back to where his armor was. Pulling off the sleeveless shirt and looking for the new skin suit Vega had been making.

He was back in the control room, in full armor in less than an hour. Then stepping back on the deck of the sea platform a few minutes after that. Scanning around he found himself on the main platform near the west dock again. With the overcast sunlight it was easier to see the damage of that night.

The Slayer tapped the side of his helmet for Vega's attention, and signed with his free left hand. Where big one?

"I'm not detecting the mass from before." The AI spoke through the coms, "It's not on the nearby platforms either. It seems to have left the area."

The Slayer frowned, looking around and finding it pretty empty. As if all those lesser demonic creatures had been swept away in the storm after all. He did not let his guard down and walked through the platform. Glancing down to see the sea's waves, though big not nearly like that storm as they stayed well below the first level.

He remembered that mentioned hard drive of information in the lower levels. Making a mental note to try and go back down there again as he found where the observation room was. The Slayer headed back to where he originally came into the inner platform and found Lily.

The outer door opened for him and the Demigod snapped up his rifle, hesitating just a moment as he realized the slumped form on the far wall was not moving. Human like enough to recognize from before, the blue armor almost covered with dark fluids.

The creature's full right arm and part of the same shoulder was completely missing. It was not the only evidence of the infighting that happened that other night, as the possessed body was covered in claw and bitemarks. Even in the metallic parts of the armor.

There was an odd soft blue glow from under his own chestplate, mostly because it was ajar from the lack of shoulder.

When there was no movement other than some twitches from the left hand around the bottom edge of the possessed lower armor. The Slayer walked closer, waiting once he was sure the old soldier could see him. The good, if now hazy, brown eye slowly focused and he lifted his head from the wall.

It took a few minutes, they crawled by before the possessed, altered man lifted his remaining arm. Scraping at the chestplate until he found the handle of his combat knife. Watching unflinching as the plasma rifle was leveled at what was left of the man.

The Slayer almost squeezed the trigger, but paused in surprise as the knife was shifted. The infected man using his leg to push the blade in the stiff hand, holding it by the blade and lifting it as an offering.

Just that bit of human left, or able to interact. To wordlessly make a request.

End it.

The slayer stooped, hooking his rifle back to his leg and reached out. Taking the knife and in a swift movement gave the requested mercy. When the remains did not start burning into embers right away, he reached to pull the two chains he saw the first time seeing this man on the other side of the glass. It was both the familiar set of dog tags and the thicker golden chain with rings. They were tangled together, but slipped into one of his packs.

The odd glow had not faded, despite the body being still.

Chestplate was pulled off and the Slayer stopped, staring at the glowing blue cavity where a chest should be. It was like a geoid, pulsing with dimming wrath-like energy around the crystalized heart.

Carefully, as if expecting the body to implode or reanimate, the Slayer reached down. Pulling the crystal heart out, felt a crackle of energy and watched in fascination as two things happened. The heart lost its shape, turning into a sphere-like shape, while the body was dissolving into a crumbling crystal like dust. Leaving mostly armor and some fabric behind.

The Slayer picked up the combat knife, then its sheath to take with him as well.