053. About freedom, 3

(Luka)

Between the one responsible for it all and the one who still has a chance to unfairly profit from everyone's accumulated misery, I understand it wasn't an easy choice for Artom and my friends.

The aging man who felt responsible righteously, and fought his entire life for a sense of justice, it was hard to hear.

Everyone in Frieleg had been conspiring to betray the others it seems. We were just the igniting sparkles into the powder keg. We were the opportunity for everyone to make their move.

For my friend who thought he had killed the evil scientist, it was painful. A lot.

Hearing he had been manipulated by his worst enemy he thought dead, it was hard.

Stephen had leaked most intel to me, and the computer brought the final touches to confirm their shared tragedy. Lone Down would recover Robert and the latest results that were perfected thanks to the end of the world.

Keys for biological panacea and immortality probably. They don't deserve to rip the benefits of so blood soaked works!

Y - You're really sure they didn't cause the wider outbreak?

L - It's clear yes. They were looking for the same answers. And something they missed all these years to make their dreams completely true, it only appeared after.

Now Henry and Stephen could finish their insane projects, because the world and nature finally allowed it. But we all agree no one in Frieleg deserves to benefit from it.

And Robert Stein is about to steal everything on his way. We went after him before he could get his victory.

~

Outside, things were already crumbling to unimaginable levels.

The growing spire was already a gigantic tree like structure completely abnormal looking. Below it, the roots grew so fast, dislocating the ground and the buildings alike as if everything was made of sand.

How could biological engineering create things like that...

Henry was in a different building waiting for his turn to meet his end probably.

Through the unsafe tunnels we rushed to the side of the executive hotel and airfield. The seat of power for all the politics on this last corner of the world.

We barged in after Rob's last forces and preparations for departure.

Lone Down had sent a war helicopter to pick him up and the unlikely merchandises.

Chests quite secured were carrying the golden prizes, all the data and samples from Henry and Stephen's life works.

Morgan withstood the fire shots opening the way for Artom to blow everything up.

I saw the helicopter approaching in the distance, beginning to shoot rather indiscriminately around the area. I jumped to cover.

Robert and Artom died in the skirmish that didn't last long but had been intense. Everyone had been shooting around and at each other. In the end the helicopter just blew everyone on the airstrip and didn't land.

Morgan collapsed with missing chunks, dying too I think.

Yura and I stepped back in horror, when the ground before us also began to collapse.

The explosions had broken down what the dark tree's roots kept ploughing from below.

The helicopter began shooting at this rising monumental tower, but it likely would just leave soon.

The weird tree was growing beyond what its firepower could clear out.

Yura was crying too as we ran away, as fast as we could.

What this towering tree even was, we couldn't comprehend. It's not wood, it's more mineral, but moving as it grows to visible speeds. Now it was digging through this valley and turning it all upside down, to make it collapse into its roots and an immense pot or caldera. Had that been planned? It's insane...

Us mere bugs next to it, tried to run for our life in the debris less and less steady.

We reached another service tunnel out of breath, to maybe flee from this madness.

An old man with decrepit looking features stood there, as if he had been waiting for us before opening the gate. Henry... The old inhuman doctor who cheated death, and then planned the destruction of everything he had butchered people to achieve.

Given the urgency, we didn't have time to care whether he was looking to buy his redemption or just a bitter revenge on those who would have stolen his success.

Others would have likely just killed him on the spot, or at least beaten him to death, but we were still running for our lives with utter destruction a heartbeat away behind.

So we jumped into the car with him and rolled like hell to escape through the tunnel.

~

Y - What is that tree?

H - Even I'm not entirely sure...

If even he doesn't know...

Y - You must have some idea! That was part of your destruction plan, no?

H - What your friends and I broke free and let loose, it's the same energy potential that made all my miracles possible... And all those monsters as well. Now it's a wider reality...

Unlocking biological potential, to absurd degrees, allowing regeneration and growth to nearing grey goo events?

L - So a real tree you say, could have just turned into this immense monstrosity? Or just a seed of it?

H - Quite possibly with the right help or parameters.

The ground was shaken, tremors reaching us. The car was shaken as dust clouds caught up with us.

Bacteria and flesh becoming monsters was already a thing...

But now a tree turning rocks into food is growing without limit, uncontrollably.

Y - Is this going to... stop?

Henry had a smirk.

Never doubt nor trusts an evil psychopath who is smarter than you.

Another shockwave shook us, as much bigger explosions began sterilizing Frieleg's contaminated caldera behind.

It sounded like the mountain was collapsing on us.

~

We struggled through the wrecks and fallen rocks to exit this tunnel, outside of Frieleg's mountains on a side also outside the Lazaretto.

We saw the morning light after a night of speleological struggles.

I sighed, breathing in with glee. Yura as well.

Henry looked weird. The old man seemed mostly surprised still being alive.

I held my trembling arms close to me, controlling my changes with growing difficulties. Be quiet...

Behind us, the mountain was engulfed in fog and falling ashes like cloudy snow.

The destruction behind probably had been absolute.

That was his plan...

L - What was it... That you found? That caused the end of everything at bigger scale?

H - Nothing.

L - Don't lie...

Yura looked at him and me in worry. Henry really looked the part of reanimated undead, while I... I was already transforming into something else hard to foresee. Veins and muscles were realigning in different ways under the skin of my arms and both of them might have noticed it.

H - It's called a daiûa... It was like a spore, waiting for the right chance to blossom. And it allows some metabolic shortcuts when it manages proper merging with something alive. Used well, it makes everything possible...

Y - And used poorly, it makes everything possible in the bad ways, is that it?

H - Right boy... It's our blessing and curse, like any technology. I don't know what caused everything else outside... It's like another daiûa of a far higher order of magnitude exploded somewhere else on the planet. This region was simply hit by the repercussions of something much bigger. These changes made the scales achievable even here much wider. And you... Girl, you will become one of them too.

I clenched my fists turning weird and sharper colours.

H - Thank you. For helping me.

Hearing this I snapped and killed him.

Yura yelled in horror as I was turning the old man to mush.

~