Tinker Tailor Soldier Necromorph

Disclaimer: Think of this as a little precursor to Dead Space 3 on a more distant area outside of Isaac's situation. It was also written a little while ago, so the fiction itself is actually older that I just forgot to post. I own nothing Dead Space related but my own characters.

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness … So God created man is His own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created He them."

-Genesis 1:26-27

"I am prepared to die, but there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill."

-Mahatma Gandhi

By: VampireQueenAkasha

"For two hundred years, Unitology has sought the truth. When Michael Altman spread his word, few people believed him. The government tried to discredit him! And when that didn't work, they killed him and said it was an accident! But we also know he was telling the truth! For two centuries, we and our forefathers kept the faith and our belief in his words. Now finally we have proof - that we have been right all along. You've all seen the video logs by now, you all know what they found out there. Here on this very planet, we found - Another Marker!"

"Do not speak to it."

"I understand."

"Do not let it sense your fears."

"Alright."

"Do not look into its eyes."

"ALL RIGHT! Goddammit, I get it."

The Marine, Corporal Rowland Gorman was growing impatient as he was lead by Doctor Marcus Chancellor down the hallways of the U.S.M. Elysium. The symbol of the ship was a smaller ship surrounded by wings and ribbons. The doctor was calm and collective in his approach, but this particular marine was not impressed with the act. There was a reason why he was sent here. He sensed that it was trouble because nearly half of the doctors gave him pretty funny looks when he arrived with his crew.

"Corporal, I wish only to take extra precautions with this," Marcus told him, gently, his brown eyes flickering with some form of controlled sadness. It was strange to catch such a look in a doctor, but Rowland wasn't about to ask questions.

"Yeah, yeah, just point me in the direction I have to go..." he muttered.

They entered a sterile research room filled with staff members working quickly and efficiently with test results, computer monitors and pushing several containers. Rowland frowned as he watched them pass and he moved out of the way to avoid being run over by a woman pushing a cart.

"What's all the rush for doc?" he asked, "You guys movin' something?"

Marcus smiled and nodded his head. In front of him stood a thick wall of reinforced steel bearing the markings of the government forces that they were all familiar with. Rowland had been through a lot of shit in his war days, but he knew that whatever was behind that wall sure as hell wasn't getting through. He knew just by looking at it that it was a containment cell.

"What's in the box?" he asked, giving Marcus a funny look, "You holding a bull elephant in there?"

Marcus chuckled softly and shook his head. "Not even close, my friend," he replied, "All you need to know is that it must be transported safely to our next destination."

One of the doctors passed by, chuckling to himself as if they weren't even there. "Damn thing grows too fast!" he muttered.

Neither one of them caught the carefully-placed jibe.

"Just do this simple task and you will be payed in full," Marcus told the Corporal.

Rowland stared at the sealed room, squinting suspiciously. He had good instinct enough to know that something strange was on the other side of that thick, cold steel. Perhaps it was just his own weird and unnerved feelings, but he knew one thing was for sure.

It wasn't right.

O

"MAN! This is fucked!"

Rowland nodded his head grimly at his crew as they sat together at the cafeteria table. It was empty, so they had plenty of time to dish out their feelings before their mission the following day. Private Kane Vasquez was not thrilled whatsoever about the plan.

"I know, I ain't too chipper about it either," Rowland muttered, "But they want to make sure we don't fuck around and pay us after we finish the job."

Kane rolled his eyes and folded his muscular arms across his chest. He still looked displeased.

"Alright, you guys get some rest," Rowland told them, "Tomorrow's the start of a real fucked up day, so we gotta be up and about early morning."

The crew nodded their heads in agreement before mumbling to one another and rising. Rowland watched them file out until only his chief medical officer remained. Dana Strauss, young and ever-so beautiful. She had a mean streak to her, like most chicks these days.

"You know how to give a speech." she remarked, teasingly.

Rowland smirked down at her. "Yeah, it's not all I can do, sweetheart."

Dana could only laugh sarcastically. She gave Rowland a gentle shove before walking passed him out into the hallways. "Keep dreaming!" she called back.

Rowland laughed quietly to himself before he sighed. "Damn." Dana was a good gal and sometimes he had wished she'd get with him eventually. But their job seemed to get in the way of things all the time. Oh well...

Rowland walked down the hallways to his room before he paused and glanced down the length of the hallway toward the doorway labeled CLASSIFIED: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. He frowned thoughtfully. That was where the doctors had taken him. Whatever they were hiding, he didn't like it. Sure, they were getting paid a great deal to transport whatever it was that was behind that metal door, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

He could hear voices then from Marcus and another. He was doing all the talking and Rowland strained to listen.

"Listen...you..." Marcus' words were too hard to hear, so he grunted with frustration and entered his room. He pressed his ear to the wall and strained to listen. The conversation was a bit muffled, but he could make everything out.

"I can't... Please, spare us from this life that we live!" Marcus begged, to some unheard figure, "I...I promise they will comply with everything. Please, do this. Do this and I will become your most faithful of servants, I swear it!... I swear."

Rowland jolted when Kane stepped into the room. "Hey, why are you wasting time eavesdropping on that weird little asshole?"

Rowland scoffed and arched a brow. "Kane, I have officially established the fact that Doctor Marcus is fucking out of his mind."

Kane shrugged and placed himself in bed with a tired sigh. "Who cares how nuts he is?" he muttered, "So long as we get our due."

"Yeah, I guess so." Rowland knew that was very true, but he still didn't like the unsettling vibe he was now getting all of a sudden.

O

The Elysium passed into the Aegis 7 system earlier the following day. Chunks of what remained of Aegis 7 drifted uselessly through space and the craft passed delicately through the potentially dangerous debris field. The captain and his crew watched as they passed through the field of what remained of the tragic event on Aegis 7. The captain's aged, wrinkled features glimmered with uncertainty before he gazed straight ahead.

"All ahead full for Ceres..."

Ceres was a small merchant planet stationed in the Aegis 6 system. It was filled with the lowest of human life. Traders passed through that planet for illegal shipments and everything in between. The captain normally did not condone even entering such a...crude and filthy place of thieves and murderers, but it seemed fitting considering what they were to do.

Meanwhile, Rowland and his team were suiting up and preparing their weapons and RIGs. Dana gave Rowland a smile, watching his quick and rather hurried motions. "Everything alright?"

Rowland dropped his pistol and uttered a curse before he bent to pick it up. "Yeah, let's just do this."

Kane chuckled softly. "What's wrong with you, Corporal?" he teased, "Got butterfingers?"

Rowland gave him a look before standing, fitting his weapons into place on his belt. "All right girls, gather around." When his crew moved around him to hear what he had to say, he was quiet before speaking. "We're headed for Ceres. But this ain't no joyride, you got it? We're gonna send this package down there and head back. The quicker the better. Let's do this quick and fuck-up free. I don't want to bring up what happened last time."

They groaned and shook their heads. Not a great idea to bring up old times.

"That was an accident, Corporal!" one of his men protested; he was private Billy Stokes. A small and skinny fellow with a very irritating lisp about him that sometimes got on everyone's nerves. He was the crew's technical officer and had pretty good skills about him.

Rowland waved a hand in the air. "Doesn't matter what it was, Billy!" he snapped, "I just want to get in and out on time."

They nodded and stood up, murmuring quietly to one another before walking into the hallway toward the captain's nest. They acknowledged with quick salutes and he nodded once before returning his gaze to the blackness of space before him.

"The task is simple; transport the cargo through merchant territory to the west side and return to the ship," he told them, "I trust you can do that."

The west side was unknown territory and rumor had it that it was a Unitologist sector.

Rowland nodded. "Yeah, yeah, just when do we get paid for this trip?"

"After everything goes according to plan and you return without a hitch," the captain told him, his eyes darkening at Rowland's less-than-respectable tone, "When you do, you shall be rightfully paid for your services and you can be on your way."

Rowland sighed. He couldn't argue with that. As long as he was paid and he could leave this damn ship. He still couldn't shake his uncertainty aside. But he kept it cool for his team. After all, they relied on him to be their leader. He couldn't show fear.

The glow of the small dwarf planet appeared over the tip of the ship, bright from the reddish sun of this system. Mostly a desert planet, it contained life that could very well grant humans the ability to live there. Unfortunately, it was taken over by merchants and thieves, so it made it somewhat dangerous. But nothing was too dangerous for Rowland and his team. They were able to take down any rogue, thief or merchant.

The ship passed through the powerful atmosphere and landed right over top of a mountainous incline. It was mostly desert here, the green plants and vegetation sprung up from stones and dry earth. Unlike Earth, these plants required little water and with the right conditions, were able to be consumed by humans.

Rowland and his team waited at the base of the ship once they filed out, watching as the cargo doors roared open and two engineers were moving a massive metal crate forward with their Kinesis equipment. Rowland furrowed his brow and studied the crate with mute interest. What could be in there, anyway? It wasn't like him to be so curious. He was always about getting the job done and never questioned anything so long as he was paid.

But this job seemed different.

The captain stood beside the crate, patting it with a gentle, almost possessive hand. "Take excellent care of this cargo, my friends," he advised, "It is...quite fragile."

O

Rowland hated traveling, especially in a wide-open transport vehicle with sand blasting in his face and stinging his eyes.

"You know I need something to drink after this crap," he snapped.

Kane smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "On the bright side; we're getting generously paid for this 'crap'." he pointed out.

Rowland nodded his head. "I told you that." He sighed and leaned back briefly to stretch his neck.

Kane did the same.

They were quiet for a long time before Kane spoke, smiling.

"Damn, now I need a drink too." he said.

Rowland chuckled.

Dana was standing atop the large crate, holding on for dear life as they moved. She occasionally peered into a crack, despite her curiosity. Something moved inside. Dana could see it. Her eyes widened before she raised her voice loudly.

"ROWLAND! STOP THE TRUCK!" she shouted.

Rowland, surprised by the sudden outburst slammed on the brakes and whirled on her. "What's the matter?" he demanded, "What are you-Hey, wait up! Get back on the truck!"

Dana had jumped from the crate and was working on removing the massive locks on the doors. "Help me get this open!" she told them, "There's someone in there!"

That startled them all.

"What?" Kane gasped.

They quickly moved over the crate to peer inside. Rowland furrowed his brows, straining to see inside. Sure enough, he noticed a shape moving slightly inside. His eyes widened. "Jesus Christ!" he cried, "Get this goddamn doors open...now!"

They grasped the edges of the heavy locks and struggled to pry them open. They would not budge.

"Goddamn things are too fucking tight," Kane snapped, "We need to-"

Suddenly, Billy fired off round after round at the metal locks, causing everyone to jump back in shock to avoid the blast. The high-energy plasma shots seared and melted the locks into a mushy pulp and the group turned to glare at Billy. He struggled.

"What?"

"Give us a fucking warning next time!" Rowland snapped.

Billy shrugged his shoulders.

The massive door creaked open and Dana peered inside. "Hello?" she called, "We're not here to hurt you. We want to help."

Dana was always so caring and considerate in any situation it seemed. Rowland always applauded her for that, but this time, he had a weird, gut feeling that whatever or whoever was inside this thing may have been put there for a reason.

"Be careful, Dana," he advised, when she climbed inside.

She nodded, obviously knowing the dangers. This person could easily be dangerous to her, but there was no excuse for having them trapped inside like this. She kept a steady hand on her pistol just in case something could go wrong. She switched on a shoulder light and shined it around the darkness of the crate, spotting a shape sitting with its back to her. From what Dana could tell, whoever it was had no hair and was wearing a white medical gown.

"Hey, are you okay?" she whispered, gently, "Take it easy, I'm here to help you."

The others waited for Dana to emerge and when she did, they readied their pistols into the darkness. Dana emerged with a soft chuckle. "Take it easy, boys, it's all right."

They frowned when she stepped outside with another woman. At least, it LOOKED like a woman. She had no hair and even more, not a single eyebrow. She was wearing a medical gown and had no shoes. Her eyes were a very eerie shade of yellow and Billy noticed strange Unitologist tattoos running up the lengths of her arms and legs. His eyes widened. He seemed to take notice before the others because he backed away.

"The sign..." he whispered, horrified.

Dana smiled warmly at the woman. "My names Dana, what's yours?"

She didn't answer, but just stared at her with an empty smile, seemingly mimicking Dana's expression. The others frowned at her.

"What's wrong with her?" Kane asked, shrugging, "She don't talk or something?"

Dana shook her head. She gave Kane a scowl. "Some people who are exposed to psychological trauma tend to become muted."

"What makes you think that?" Rowland asked.

Dana gave him a look before she smiled at the woman again. "It's going to be fine. We're going to take you into town and get something for you to eat, how does that sound?"

The mention of eating seemed to cause a spark in the woman's eyes because she smiled broadly, showing her teeth. Dana smiled back and nodded her approval. All this woman needed was food and maybe a little medical work and she would be fine. One thing was certain though...they were going to confront the doctor and the captain about this and find out what was going on. When she looked at Rowland, she could tell he was thinking the same thing.

O

It wasn't just a place for crime and sin, Ceres also had some of the finest cuisine's on the galaxy. They arrived at a place called "Ceres Eatery and Grill" where they indulged in plates of food. They had given her a jacket to wear, covering up her markings, but Billy couldn't stop staring at her as if she were something to be studied. The woman however studied her plate with a frown on her face. There was a massive meat trimming there with vegetables. Dana looked at her curiously.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

The woman picked up her piece of flesh with one hand and took a small bite. When she did, she began to cough and gag with disgust, tossing it back onto the plate. They watched her with confusion and Billy nodded his head, grave.

"She doesn't want animal meat..." he whispered.

Rowland gave him a look. "What are you babbling about now?"

Billy reached into his coat and pulled out a necklace with a charm of what looked like the Marker. The woman immediately reacted to the sight of it and she reached out with one hand to take it into her hand. Billy leaned forward to make it easier.

"You're a Unitologist?" Dana exclaimed, "Why didn't you tell us?"

Rowland scoffed. "Who gives a shit if he's a fucking cyborg?" he snapped, "We have bigger issues to be worrying about right now."

Billy continued to watch as she touched the necklace and gently stroked it in her hand. He didn't respond to their accusations, but continued to watch her. She smiled at him and there was something in her eyes that made his blood run hot.

Rowland stood up and sighed, walking outside to the truck. He called back to his comrades. "Well, guess I better call it in. That dickhead scientist's got a bit of explaining to do!"

As soon as he said that, his COM link beeped and a holographic image of the captain appeared, contorted and furious. "I TOLD YOU TO DELIVER THE PACKAGE TO THE WEST SIDE!" he bellowed, "WHY THE HELL HAVE YOU STOPPED?"

Rowland laughed coldly. "Hey, chief, I have some questions too," he snapped, "Like why the fuck was a woman sealed in that damn crate?"

The holographic captain's eyes widened in horror. "Oh God, you've released it?" Behind him, two scientists looked just as horrified and began talking at once. "THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN ALREADY! It was to be taken to the west side! To..."

The captain was interrupted by Doctor Marcus. "Let me speak to him, captain..." The holograph turned and revealed the doctor. "Rowland, where is the specimen now?"

Rowland scoffed. "Inside the diner, eating."

Marcus' eyes glimmered slightly. A fear perhaps. "What have you fed her?"

"Not like she ate anything anyway!" Rowland snapped, "And-What the hell does that have to do with this?"

Marcus looked quiet for a moment before he continued. "Take her to the west side as commanded, Rowland," he told him, "I promise you that all will be explained in due time."

"But-" Rowland was cut off and the transmission ended.

O

The trip through the merchant city wasn't the greatest trip they had ever taken. Too many people were asking about the woman and her bizarre appearance and it became an issue when one man even attempted to steal from Rowland's belt.

"Back the fuck off, all of you!" Rowland shouted.

They drove the truck outside the city walls and Dana sighed heavily. "We can't keep this up," she said, skeptically, "We have to find somewhere to stay for the night away from these sick little vultures. We're still a day's away from the meeting point."

Rowland nodded grudgingly. "Fuck..."

The night descended on the planet quicker than they thought. The temperature began to plummet, so they resorted to starting a fire. While Rowland and his team surrounded the fire, the woman simply maintained a distance on top of a jagged rock, watching the flames with a fragment of doubt and uncertainty. The others stared at her.

"Hey, if you're cold, you can come over here." Rowland offered.

She made a strange face at him and backed away a few more inches, squeezing her body in between the two rock surfaces in a way that should have hurt, but it didn't seem to do that. She watched the fire suspiciously, like it would kill her.

Rowland gave the others a look. "O-kay..."

Billy leaned forward, whispering to them. "All of you have to hear me!" he pleaded, "We have to prepare for the next stage!"

Rowland scoffed. "Yeah, yeah, I heard all this bullshit before..."

Dana stared at him quizzically. "When?"

"My old man was a Unitologist," Rowland explained, rubbing his hands and holding them out before the fire, "He would always babble about that Marker shit and everything about it. Told me we had to prepare for the Convergence or whatever the fuck that meant... All I know is mom didn't agree with it and she got her ass in some trouble..."

Kane looked at him with concern. "What happened?"

Rowland's eyes flickered with a hidden warmth before it disappeared. Clearly, he didn't want to discuss it with them. "Ah, just get some sleep, alright?"

The crew eventually settled down around the campfire and started to relax for sleep. It was quiet before Rowland spoke again. "And Billy, if you keep it up with that shit, I'm gonna toss your ass into one of these sticker trees, got it?"

Eventually, the fire had died down.

Everyone was sound asleep. Everyone but the strange woman. She was staring up at the night sky to the very stars above. Rowland awoke and looked up, noticing her there. He frowned in confusion and exhaustion before sitting up.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked.

No response. She began to remove the jacket and even her night gown. Rowland felt a slight blush touch his cheeks and he covered his eyes. It wasn't right to go and stare at a naked woman like that, no matter what she was doing.

"Uh, maybe you shouldn't be stripping down like that..." he said, uneasily.

He peeked out between his fingers to see what she was doing now and noticed the markings. Tattoos and writing of Unitology were written all over her back and beneath her arms. There was a tattoo of a black-colored Marker in the middle of her back and it seemed to be surrounded in an aura of some kind.

Rowland was fascinated with the tattoos, despite his general disgust with the concept of Unitology in general. He blinked and suddenly, she was there beside him, smiling in a way that chilled the air around him. He didn't have a moment to be surprised because she had moved so fast.

"What the..." he gasped.

Her eyes were bright in the darkness, the unholy yellow seemingly melting together with red as if it were caught in a swirling storm. She smiled at him and suddenly, her mouth elongated in an unnatural way, revealing several rows of sharp, dangerous teeth. He opened his mouth to scream and-

Rowland awoke from the nightmare with a horrified cry, drenched in cold sweat. He was sitting in the truck bed and Kane was driving this time. He frowned back at his leader when he noticed his terrified, cold sweat-covered condition.

"Hey, you all right?" he asked, "You slept most of the trip."

Rowland frowned and looked around with a bit of a dazed look for the moment. Dana and the woman were sitting in the truck bed; Dana was talking with her. The woman met his gaze and she smiled again. This time, she didn't look anywhere near as friendly as before. Rowland squinted at her suspiciously before he tapped Dana's shoulder.

"Hey, switch up with me." he said.

Dana, confused by the odd request, moved and they switched seats as the truck bounced over a rugged incline. Rowland sat down across from her and furrowed his brow. She smiled at him continuously, shifting slightly in her spot.

"I need to ask you something and I don't know how much you understand or not," he said, "But don't fuck with me, you got it?"

She didn't say anything, but instead tilted her head to one side and gave a quick, acknowledging nod. Clearly she understood.

"Who the hell are you?" Rowland demanded, "Those guys, those goddamn doctors...they did something, didn't they?"

She didn't answer, but her smile disappeared. She frowned at him and didn't reply, only stared straight ahead and avoided the question. Rowland began to get angry now. He surged forward and grabbed her by her arms, shaking her. This startled the others.

"FUCKING SAY SOMETHING!" he shouted.

She said nothing. She stared at him with unflinching intensity. Her yellow eyes seemed to burn a hole in his forehead. Rowland scowled angrily before he felt Dana's hand pulling him away from her.

"Hey, hey, relax, okay?" she said, "We're all a little confused here and we just need to get our heads together."

Rowland glared at her before he scoffed and looked away toward the horizon. There was a jagged mountainous incline up ahead. It seemed to form a strange shape that resembled the tip of a Marker, but maybe he just had it on the brain lately given the situation.

And his dream.

If it was EVEN a dream.

Suddenly, the entire truck began to tremble and shake. Kane struggled with the controls as the engine whined and gurgled like a tormented animal. It weaved from side-to-side through the sand, tossing everyone about. Rowland glared angrily at him.

"What the FUCK are you doing?" he demanded.

"I-I'm not doing anything, dammit!" Kane spat, struggling with the controls, "Something's wrong with the power source!"

The wheels struck a split in the ground and sent the vehicle airborne, tossing everyone from it. They landed into heaps in the sand as the truck flipped through the air and crashed alongside them. The strange woman was already up before all of them and when they regained their senses, Dana was the first to speak.

"Uh...Corporal?"

Her concerned tone caused Rowland to look up after spitting out a mouthful of sand. His eyes went wide in shock and horror.

"What the fuck...?"

Before them stood a church of black ivory and metal, bearing the markings of Unitology all around its walls and glass windows.

O

The woman was leading the way into the church. The others followed behind with their weapons in hand. They felt the need to wield them. After all, there were no signs of any living souls to be seen. It looked as if a struggle had taken place there as well.

When Rowland stepped down, he grimaced at the sound of squishing beneath his feet and lifted it to take a look. There was a sticky, flesh-like gunk attached to the walls and to his shoe. When Rowland touched it, it seemed to belch out a horrible stench before wriggling and sinking.

"What the FUCK is that horrible smell?" he groaned, holding his nose.

Dana touched the fleshy substance and reached into her bag to take out a vial, scooping some into it and placing it into a machine built into her wrist. She pulled up a holographic image readout of data and frequencies. She frowned and stared at the images before her, uncertain by the results.

"This looks like it's 70 percent...human..." she said, stunned.

Rowland grimaced. "So we're walking on human body parts?"

"I...I don't know...That might be it..."

Kane made a face before he cast his flashlight around the hallways. "Shit, is anybody here?" Kane whispered, "Are we even in the right place?"

"Yes..." Billy told her, seemingly in a trance, "It is...it's where it will begin..."

"Shut up!" Kane and Rowland hissed at him.

Then, there was a soft rattling sound and they aimed their weapons and flashlights up toward the ceiling where the source was.

"What was that?" Dana cried.

Something shattered the wall to the left and all flashlights and weapons turned in its direction. That seemed to alarm the woman because she quickly move and grabbed Rowland's weapon, forcing him to lower it. He glared angrily at her and she shook her head, placing a finger to her lips. They stared at her with confusion as she walked to the darkness and bent down to something. There was movement there, but neither one of them could see.

"What the hell is she doing?" Kane demanded, in a hushed growl.

The woman stood up and carried something in her hand. She approached them and held it out. They gasped with horror and staggered back.

"What the FUCK IS THAT?" Rowland cried.

Billy's eyes glittered with madness and he grinned. "A sacrifice!"

The woman was holding something that was horribly similar to an infant. Its skin didn't look right; it was cracked and blistered, covered in blood and dirt. Its eyes were white and lifeless, but its tiny chest was heaving in and out, showing that it was, in fact, still alive. When it rolled a little in her arms, they could see that it had no lower jaw, but its upper was filled with razor-sharp teeth. It wasn't natural. It was unholy.

The creature gave a horrible, eerie screech and stretched in her arms. It looked over at its watchers and snarled deeply. It reminded Rowland of the sound of a furious cat. There seemed to be some form of restraint in the creature. It looked absolutely willing enough to lunge and tear out his eyes, but something held it in check. Something powerful.

The woman smiled at her watchers and placed the tiny creature onto the floor. It looked up at her and made a rattling sound that reminded them of the cooing of an animal before it pattered away into the darkness of another hallway. The woman followed it and the others quickly tagged along.

"What are we doing?" Kane hissed, "That thing...it isn't human!"

"It looks like those things mentioned in Clarke's report..." Dana whispered, "You know, the one that everyone thought was crazy?"

Rowland nodded his head. "Look, whatever the hell's going on, it knows; so we have to follow it for now and find out."

They saw no other alternative, so they slowly and quietly followed behind the woman and the strange creature. They entered what looked like a sanctuary of the church and were horrified by the sight of blood sprayed across the walls and floor, markings and symbols painted with it and chunks of human meat. The woman calmly walked toward the center of the church toward an altar, stepping through blood and flesh. It squished through her toes and nails, but it didn't bother her at all.

She paused and stretched her hands out before the altar, closed her eyes and tilted her head back. She seemed to be in deep focus; her chest slowly moved in and out and her lips slightly parted. Soft, gentle breathing sounds emerged from her.

"Alright, what's going on?" Rowland demanded.

As soon as he took a step forward, something flashed through the air and the group stepped back at the sight of many red laser sights trained right on their most vital of spots. They raised their hands with simultaneous shouts and became surrounded by various members of the Elysium ship. Their weapons were trained on them, circling them and preventing them from moving. Kane gave a curse of fury and Rowland glared at them.

"Get that goddamn gun out of my face or I'll shove it so far down your throat, you'll be pissing lead!" he threatened.

"Rowland, that isn't called for..."

The group looked over toward the doors and noticed the captain of the Elysium stepping through the crowd of armed marines. He appeared to be pleased instead of furious by their defiance. The woman looked toward him and smiled slightly.

"What the hell is going on?" Dana demanded.

The captain surveyed the gore and flesh around them and stepped up with Doctor Marcus behind him. "What is happening is the future...the final hope of the survival of our race," he told them, "The future of the entire universe...it rests with her."

Marcus sighed when he read their clueless, angry expressions. "You see, we required someone to take her here," he said, "We needed to see just how well you would follow our orders. We knew that you couldn't resist your curiosity."

"So what are you going to do with us, then?" Kane snapped, slowly reaching for a knife in his belt, keeping the move out of sight from them.

"That is of her choice alone," Marcus told him, smiling.

"What is she?" Dana asked, giving the woman a cautious look.

"She is the final stage, Dana," Marcus continued, "We strove for so many years to finally understand the Marker and its purpose. We didn't find the answers that we sought, but we realized that under certain controlled circumstances, we could find someone who did, or rather create someone..."

"You're playing God? That's fucked!"

Marcus chuckled at Rowland's words. "No. That would be foolish, wouldn't it? No, what we have done was extract this creature's essence from the very heart of the Black Marker and made her in our image so that we have the control." He gestured to the small infant-like creature standing in the shadows. "Do you see why it does not attack us? She is controlling them. It is she who decides on our behalf. She will not let them harm us."

Dana smiled angrily. "You don't know that! You could be wrong!"

Marcus turned to the woman with a smile and held out his hand. "How about we have ourselves a little demonstration?"

She raised her chin and closed her eyes, followed by a slight raising of her left hand. Everyone looked around at the sounds of hissing and snarling; they reminded them all of a swarm of insects or the noises of animals. They looked around warily as shapes and shadows began to appear around them; jagged shapes with inhuman bodies and claws. When the light cast on them, they could see now just what they were.

Dead bodies.

Living dead bodies with claws and fangs, blood and gaping wounds. They lived and existed where they shouldn't. Some were still wearing the clothing of Unitologist priests and priestesses and there were others that even looked like small, pale children with claws. Others looked like crawling human corpses with fangs and no legs, but instead, they had wriggling blades tails that seemed to resemble fleshy spinal cords.

"Oh my God..." Dana whispered, horrified.

"Do you understand now?" Marcus said, smiling, "We have it under control. Think about it! EarthGov will control this new species! We have achieved what no one else has ever done! So many lives lost, but they would not have been in vain!"

The woman continued to watch this with an emotionless face, but Rowland caught a glimmer in those yellow eyes. He smiled back and decided to try something. Turning to Marcus, he paced back and forth, which caused the men to point their weapons at him.

"Hey, let me ask you something," he said, "You're telling me that you have this alien thing under your control, right?"

"Correct." Marcus replied.

Rowland looked at the woman now. "You know you don't have to obey these guys."

The captain scowled, rather intimidated by the man's tempting to change the will of his creation. "Be quiet, Rowland."

He ignored them and smiled broadly now. "They're just a bunch of useless assholes. Why would someone like you obey these guys? You've got the control. Not them."

The woman looked toward the captain and his marines. She looked intrigued by the thought that Rowland offered her and that angered the captain. He held up a finger. "I said shut your goddamn mouth, Rowland!" he warned again. "Or we will have to-"

"Have to what?" Rowland challenged, whirling on him, "What can you do? Shoot me? Go right ahead then, fuck-face. At least I can go out knowing I didn't stoop to your fucked up level!"

The captain's eyes narrowed before he sighed and shook his head with mock pity. "I had hoped you would come to your senses and join us. After all, you all have shown such promise in the past. However, you leave us no choice." He looked toward the woman. "Kill them."

She didn't move, but instead tilted her head at the request, as if it confused her.

"What are you waiting for?" the captain barked, his eyes widened with a mild glimmer of unease at the lack of a reaction, "DO IT! KILL THEM!"

She looked toward Rowland and his comrades. They stared back worriedly, wondering what she'd decide. The woman gave them a strange look before smiling and raising a single hand and pointing toward her intended victims. But she wasn't pointing at Rowland and his friends this time.

She pointed a finger directly at the captain and his crew.

As soon as she did, the Necromorphs around her let out a chorus of screams and snarls before charging right for them. Rowland and his team were stunned that the creatures surged right passed them and began ripping and tearing into the helpless marines. Their screams pierced through the air as flesh was ripped, guns went off in different directions and blood flying through the air. In the middle of the chaos, Rowland and his comrades attempted to sneak out of the church.

"Shit!" Rowland cursed, "Shit, shit, shit!"

Dana glanced back in horror. "Oh my God, where's Billy?"

In the middle of the carnage, Billy approached the woman with absolute submission and subdued excitement in his eyes. He dropped to his knees before her and held out his hands. She smiled down at him and stroked his cheek with one hand. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back.

"I'm ready..." he whispered. "Take me."

She leaned forward, touched his face with one hand and closed her eyes, moving his head back to expose the hollow of his neck. After a moment, her mouth elongated in an inhuman manner, bearing long, sharp teeth. She uttered a snarl and sank her teeth deep into his neck. Billy's entire body shuddered with pain, but his features were filled with peace and delight as her teeth literally sawed through the flesh of his neck.

His lifeless body thumped to the floor and the woman stared down at him before she gestured to his corpse. Suddenly, several winged Necromorphs began to swarm over Billy's body, stabbing thin proboscis tubes into him. The woman smiled as she watched this and then, she looked toward the direction that Rowland and his friends had gone. She grinned through her blood-soaked lips and turned toward the altar of the church. Behind her were now various corpses of the fallen marines and the Necromorphs were pulling them toward the altar.

The woman smiled and extended her arms to the creatures before her. The sounds of their roaring faded away as Rowland, Kane and Dana fled into the desert on the truck. They could warn those in the merchant city, but would there be enough time?

Finally, after an entire night of traveling in shaken form, the sun began to rise. Finally, Rowland stopped the truck at a sharp incline and stared down in horror at the merchant city below. Dana leaned forward.

"What is it?"

Then, she saw it.

There were dead bodies lining the streets, windows smashed and blood everywhere.

Those creatures prowled the streets, screeching and screaming for the entire universe to hear.

THE END