“Where did everyone go?” Yoko asked for the umpteenth time.

  “For Gozo’s sake Yoko, if I didn’t know five minutes ago, what makes you think I know now?” Garko replied. His voice dripping with poorly concealed spite.

  I understood that both of them were rather upset at the moment and honestly, I couldn’t blame either of them.

  I had mapped just about every corner of the compound’s five above-ground floors with [Echolocation] and it was amazing how many places we’d visited without running into anyone.

  The three-person group at the cafeteria had gotten another two guests while we walked. Each one arriving ten minutes apart. Each one was killed by the scared survivors who were huddled together. Vegetable knives seeking out exposed flesh and eyes as soon as the group saw the newcomers.

  I didn’t need to guess their reasons, as they had had extensive discussions about how the loners were the most likely to be the alien. Their group coming to the exact same conclusion that my own group had come to.

  It was a horrible waste of life, but they had at least stayed put in the cafeteria.

  The other group, the one that had made a beeline for the armory only to find the leftovers of my sabotage had had even worse luck. They had gone from there, to the garage in hopes of salvaging a vehicle. But of course, the lockdown made it so that the doors leading to the garage were sealed shut.

  Our group had Ertie and Dereng, who assured the rest of us that even trying to get through those blast-proof doors was a massive waste of time. Their group didn’t get the memo and so they spent a couple hours trying to get through the doors with a welding torch.

  It didn’t work and to make matter worse, a bunch of lone survivors had the same idea, so the three person-group kept getting into fights to the death. Taking small wounds and even a casualty over the course of their ordeal.

  Things kept escalating as more and more loners decided to make a break for it. Until they had quite literally exterminated all the lone researchers in the compound. Leaving only the two remaining escapees, the director up in the control room, the three-person group still huddled in the cafeteria, and our own four-person group as the remaining survivors.

  It was… honestly rather funny, in a morbid sort of way.

  Here they were literally gutting their fellow researchers because they were afraid of me, while I hadn’t directly killed any of them as of yet.

  It was a trip and a half, to say the least.

  As for what our own group had been doing, well…

  Dereng had had the bright idea of seeking out one of the nearby sample storage labs in order to take DNA samples and perform health checkups using the scanners there. His logic being that if we found any kind of infection, then we could go up to the director’s office and blow the compound sky-high like Ertie had suggested. If we didn’t find anything, then we could bench the suggestion and dedicate ourselves to finding the alien. That is, me. If we did find something off, then we would have to put on brave expressions and do our duty to our species.

  Or so the plan went.

  “Right. It looks like Ertie is cleared.” Dereng spoke softly. Sighing despite himself. “The scans aren’t showing anything off in his physiology. His lungs are good. His heart is good. His throat and nostrils are good. I don’t see any outward signs of infection.”

  “The DNA sample looks clean too.” Yoko said. “At least, I don’t see anything wrong with the microscope and the auto-scope doesn’t show any abnormalities.”

  Ertie took this news in stride. Sighing with obvious relief.

  “Okay. Right. I… whew. I guess that blowing up the compound might be an overreaction. I still stand by my earlier opinion that the crown won’t have us killed too. So… so there’s a chance.”

  He paused. His fuzzy pink face turning light blue for a brief instant.

  “We might still make it.”

  I felt a little bit of guilt at that comment. Because I knew damn well none of them were going to make it.

  Regardless, I did my best to seem relieved. Taking careful looks around me and copying the expressions of the others as they received the news.

  I read the new ability description with newfound curiosity. Revelling in the details the more I Thought of their implications.

  Yes, it would be helpful in the current situation, but that was far from the most important aspect. If I was reading it correctly, the new power would also let me emote like a normal (Gnome)ing human being again if I was around people. Meaning that I wouldn’t have to keep reminding myself to smile or to nod or to show any kind of genuine human emotion.

  Meaning that the eventual reunion I would have with my parents was going to go a whole lot more smoothly than I had anticipated.

  ‘Thank goodness. I’m not even mad that the combination took a whopping 45 ability points to get to level 9 and that it only left me with 7 measly points. Nor am I upset that I could have levelled both [Solomon’s Perfect Vicissitude X] and [Solomon’s Protean Form X] with those points. This was honestly the combination I wanted the most right about now.’

  “Okay.” Dereng spoke up suddenly. “Looks like I’m in the clear too.”

  Ertie nodded sagely.

  “I didn’t doubt you for a moment old friend.”

  “Don’t touch me.” Dereng snapped as soon as Ertie went for something akin to a hug or a re-assuring pat on the shoulder. “I know where those hands have been and I know what you were reading at that point.”

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Ertie made a strangled noise.

  “I wash my hands!”

  “Do you really?” Yoko asked. “Is that enough to wash away your sins?”

  “What sins!?” Ertie shouted. “Those books are perfectly normal! They are all 12 at the time! There is nothing wrong with the story!”

  I cringed automatically. The new power already showing its stuff.

  “Okay, okay. Just imagine that a woman lived to be 1000 years old as a timeless Gozoran. But she still looked 12. It isn’t weird because she isn’t actually 12 right? In a way, she’s the one with more life experience than the protagonist. So it’s okay and… why are you all moving away!?”

  I raised the rifle on instinct.

  “Why don’t you move over to that corner and face the wall Mr. Ertie?”

  “Oh come on!”

  Ertie then went on a ten-minute rant about re-incarnation and about how it reset things and about how immortals who took on the shape of little girls were totally legal.

  It was honestly fascinating to watch. Given how everyone’s eyes kept glazing over minute by minute. Silent judgement settling in their hearts.

  Whatever respect they’d had for his selfless suggestion of blowing up the compound evaporating like morning dew.

  “Do as he says.” Yoko insisted. Pointing towards the corner as well and raising her wrench with her other hand. “We’ll get you after we’re done with the testing.”

  Ertie started blurting something about uncultured insects but another few pokes with the rifle got him moving.

  Yoko went next. Her sample going under the microscope while she went under the scanning machine. The large, white thing started humming again as soon as she laid down. All kinds of lights blinking in and out while the thing started emitting fields of fluorescent blue light in grids along her body.

  “No issues on the scan.” Dereng confirmed. “The DNA looks normal too.”

  The other nodded and Yoko got off the machine with a sigh of relief.

  I offered up a steadying hand on instinct. My body moving before I could stop myself.

  “I always knew there was nothing wrong.” I said calmly. Letting the power take over.

  Yoko seemed as though she was touched and allowed me to support her.

  “All right. Garko goes next.” Dereng spoke. Now feeling visibly more confident. “Let’s get these tests out of the way so that we can get on with our…”

  “Error.” The advanced microscope buzzed.

  The single word making everyone twitch.

  “Primate DNA patterns detected. Abnormalities detected in cell growth. Abnormal chromosome count detected. 46 chromosomes detected. Evolutionary patterns suggest similarities to existing tail-less ape species.”

  Everyone looked at Garko. Surprise etched on their faces.

  And none looked half as surprised as Garko himself.

  “What!? What the…!? What!?”

  Honestly, I could relate. He probably wasn’t expecting this result. Then again, if he wanted to stay alive, he probably shouldn’t have taken his eyes off his own sample while he and everyone else were piling insults on Ertie.

  I brought up the rifle. Again, on instinct.

  But I needn’t have bothered. Ertie was swinging his wrench at the back of Garko’s head before the latter had the chance to blink. The heavy metal landing with a resounding crack before going up and down again and up and down again. Yoko and Dereng piled on in half a heartbeat. Their own wrenches landing with grotesque thuds on Garko’s body.

  Still, I did fire. Twice. Making sure to feign tripping and ‘accidentally’ shooting the larger scanner and the advance microscope.

  “Unbelievable.” I gasped. “To think that he was the alien.”

  “A PRIMATE!?” Ertie shrieked. His body quivering with rage. “Who the…!? What kind of primate gets these kinds of powers!? They spend their time flinging poo between the bars at the zoo! The only thing they like more than killing other things is killing each other!”

  “Yeah. That’s crazy.” I whispered. Feigning exhaustion.

  “Damn it. Damn it! How come we didn’t see it before?” Dereng hissed. “How come he gave the flamethrower to the director?”

  “Maybe the director is also an alien?” I offered. “That would explain why they kept the rest of us from the central command room and why they killed so many of you when you were trying to find out who the alien was. If she wanted to keep you all from blowing up the compound, that seems like the smartest thing to do.”

  “Bloody monkey!” Yoko yelled. “He played us for fools!”

  “We have to get the others.” Dereng said suddenly. “We’ve confirmed we can kill the aliens with just wrenches if we all act together. And we still have the rifle. We have to find as many other survivors as possible and make our way up the director together.”

  He paused to hurl the contents of his stomach. His hands still stained with Garko’s blood.

  “A few of us may die, but we’ll have the best chance to succeed if we all come together.”

  I used [Echolocation] again. Now seeing the team of two. Wounded and limping. Moving over to the infirmary through the cafeteria. They had made contact with the other team of three hiding in the cafeteria and a confrontation was ensuing.

  “Where should we go from here?” I asked. Feigning dread without any effort.

  “The living quarters.” Dereng answered.

  “Didn’t we just come from there?”

  “Yes. But it’s been some time since that. Others might have made their way over and locked themselves in their rooms. We should run there and knock on each and every door. Clearing the rooms to make sure they’re all empty before moving on to the hardware labs.”

  “Why there?”

  Dereng cringed.

  “Because that’s where we got the wrenches from. The hardware labs are full to bursting with backup equipment. Everything from spare parts for the snow-treaders to welding torches, portable sonars and flares. If I were trying to get weapons, I’d go to the armory. If that was out, I’d go to the hardware labs. That… and…”

  He took in a sharp breath and held it.

  ‘He’s hiding something.’ I realized at once. Then I looked at the others and realized that they had no idea what that secret might have been.

  ‘The plot thickens.’

  “What?” Ertie asked. “We’ve come this far. You might as well spill it.”

  Dereng hesitated some more. Swallowing a large lump in his throat.

  “There may be… other weapons available. Ones that we aren’t necessarily supposed to know about.”

  Yoko and Ertie narrowed their eyes. I followed along with no effort and no delay.

  “What kind of weapon?” Ertie insisted.

  “A drill.” Dereng finally allowed. “A new kind of drill specifically made to… melt… large amounts of ice with a very precise, very concentrated beam.”

  “Like a laser?” Yoko inquired.

  “Yes. Exactly like a laser.” Dereng confirmed. “I… tried to take it when we were all scrambling. I… kinda…”

  He took another deep breath.

  “I kinda overheard the director and Fark talking about it. I heard the code from them. I got into the secret room but I couldn’t lift it. It was too heavy for me. So, I figured I’d leave it there in case the alien came along and they were able to lift it. I didn’t want to take the risk.”

  Ertie blustered incoherently. His face turning an odd shade of colors.

  “You’ve known about a laser this entire time!?”

  “Yes.” Dereng confirmed.

  “And now, you’re telling me that the only one still alive who knows about it, is the director!? Who, by all accounts, is probably an alien pretending to be the director!?”

  “Yes.” Dereng confirmed again. Deflating as he did so.

  “And you had the nerve to criticize me about the kinds of books I read!? You (Gnome)ing (Gnome)tard!”

  He stopped.

  They all stopped.

  Eyes going wide.

  “What was that?” Ertie asked.

  “You… you said…”

  “(Gnome)tard.” Ertie tried again. Now growing paler.

  “(Gnome)tard. (Gnome)tard. (Gnome)tard. (Gnome). (Gnome)ing. (Gnome). (Gnome)ing (Gnome). You are (Gnome)traded. You are (Gnome)ing (Gnome)tard. (Gnome).”

  He stopped again. Growing even paler.

  “Why can’t I curse?”

  The others inched backwards. As did I.

  Dereng trying to curse as well. With similar results.

  He too grew pale, as did Yoko once she tried.

  “What… what’s going on?”

  ‘Well, if I had to guess. I would say that the people here in the instance get their curses replaced with the code word of whomever is using the instance at the time.’

  “What even is a gnome?” Yoko asked.

  “I don’t think you want to know.” I told her. Being completely honest with her for the first time since we met.

  “Are we, being affected by some kind of… Telepathic attack?” Yoko asked.

  The whole room fell silent. Our eyes converging on Garko’s cooling corpse.

  “We have to find the others.” Dereng stated. All doubt vanishing from his tone. “Like I was saying, it’s possible someone else knew about the laser. They might have gone to the hardware labs. We have to search the whole compound for other survivors and make our way there to pick it up.”

  He paused.

  “Actually, scrap that. The whole plan makes no sense. Let’s go to the hardware labs first and pick up the drilling laser. We can’t lift it because we’re reserachers, but Sully should be strong enough to lift it up no problem. I’ll take the rifle and we’ll have two weapons to use against the director.”

  He grabbed the nearby table to steady himself. His four legs wobbling so that his fuzzy pink fur looked like it was composed of rustling blades of pink grass.

  “The flamethrower should be low on fuel too. I don’t think the director will be able to keep us at bay for long. Whatever psychic phenomena the alien is using, it should disperse after we kill it.”

  Ertie nodded. Then he paused.

  “You know, I don’t like telling people I told you so… but…”

  “I know Ertie. This isn’t the time. You were right to think the aliens had superpowers and I was wrong. There. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

  Ertie looked at Dereng. Opening his mouth slowly, before snapping it shut.

  “No, you’re right. I’m sorry. Let’s just get to the hardware labs and pick up the la…”

  THOOOM!!!

  The building shook violently. Massive shockwaves sending Ertie, Dereng and Yoko to the ground. My body followed along thanks to my new power. My body effortlessly pretending that it was far weaker than it actually was.

  Then the sprinklers came alive. Showering us all in frigid, nearly freezing water.

  “Danger. Danger. Grey Protocol activated.” A mechanical voice droned over the PA system. The volume loud enough to be painful.

  “Fire detected in: Hardware Labs. Detecting source. Damage to exterior wall detected. Damage to fuel-line detected. Discharge of concentrated energy detected. Contacting standing director for further orders. Error. Standing director is non-responsive. Director-level chip reading high thermal signatures and a lack of oxygen. Director-level chip has confirmed cessation of biological processes.”

  I looked at the others.

  “Is that good or bad?”

  Yoko and Ertie were too stunned to answer.

  Dereng was too, but at least he made an effort.

  “Good, I think? She… she dea…”

  “Danger. Danger. Emergency relay not received due to inclement weather. Hull breach detected in… Hardware Labs. Thermal signals dropping rapidly. Attempting to isolate area. Error. Airtight doors not responding. Attempting to isolate 5th floor. Error. Airtight stairwell doors not responding. Temperature drop imminent. Please gather in the emergency bunker at once. Repeating. This is an executive-level order for all personnel to gather in the emergency bunker at once. Thank you and Gozo save the crown.”

  The others were starting to panic. Their bodies shaking uncontrollably due to the ice-cold water raining down even now. Moreover, the alarms were still blaring. Piercing our ears and banishing the thoughts from our minds.

  Well.

  Their minds.

  I was more pre-occupied with the latest turn of events. Trying to make sense of the instance.

  It just seemed too… easy.

  Which was very weird, because this was supposed to be the kind of challenge that old masters used to strengthen themselves.

  I mean, according to Hazimon, the Drake had apparently done this instance several times in order to try different things and all his approaches had been unorthodox.

  But this didn’t seem like it would challenge the Drake in any way whatsoever.

  In fact, I’d be very surprised if Prudence had any trouble with the instance. Whereas I could see people like Boris or Charlie breezing through the challenge.

  ‘Maybe the Drake went outside and stayed there for some time?’

  “Get to the bunker!” Dereng shouted. Lifting himself up and trying to help Yoko and Ertie. His legs gave out though and he fell in a pile. His feet slipping in the water while his body shivered violently.

  I rose up instead. Helping him up and doing the same for the others. Having them lean on me while we made our way down to where I knew the blast doors were.