Chapter 398 - 398: Earned Rest
Inside the research facility, an experiment was being conducted.
A feline man lay on a large table-like restraint device, his limbs and tail spread apart.
Rather than being stripped naked, the opposite was the case. Armor clung tightly to every part of his body, with only his head visible.
"Please don't! Anything! Anything but this!" The man pleaded, his voice growing ragged with every word.
Behind the protective glass, several individuals in white lab coats observed him in silence.
"Test subject #62. The goal is to observe the effects of allowing the alien organism to fester within a feline host already infected with the plague in hopes of a possible synergy between the two. Expected outcomes: severe psychological degradation, physical mutation, loss of humanity, and alterations beyond recognition." One of the researchers exclaimed in a detached, emotionless tone.
"Begin the infection."
A panel opened in the laboratory, and a restrained Hreh'tar came into view. The alien's limbs were bound in a manner similar to the feline's containment, with only one appendage left free.
"NO! I BEG OF YOU, STOP!" The feline cried.
"Thankfully, we have a loud one." Another researcher mused. "Examining the strain on the vocal cords is a welcome bonus."
Instantly, the eyes of the Hreh'tar locked onto the man's face. Its tendril lashed forward like a whip, eager to infect him.
A numbing pain spread through the man's nervous system.
"Infection successful. Make sure to contain the alien nicely… Capturing another will be a pain." The voices behind the glass mused aloud.
The feline screamed, tears in its eyes, its body trembling against its restraints.
"When infected by an alien's spawn, the spiritual energy inside the host determines how long it takes for the invaders to take full control. The weaker the individual, the less time the infection needs to spread." One of them confirmed an earlier hypothesis.
When the feline's body attempted to fight back against its armor, it only made the protective attire tighten further against it.
Eventually, the screaming subsided, as did the struggling.
"Fascinating success." One of the researchers murmured, noting the final results.
They had successfully kept the Hreh'tar's offspring contained within the armor. The feline's head was gone, replaced by tentacles sprouting from the only gap in the containment suit.
It was the same type of creature that had lunged on Michael from the ceiling when he had made the mistake of surveying too high.
"I beg to differ." Another researcher rejected the final conclusion. "The plague and the monster's spawn didn't reach complete harmony like we hoped. It was a failure."
After a brief pause, he added. "We don't have many more felines in captivity. If we don't deliver satisfying results soon, our heads will be on chopping blocks."
Tense silence spread across the laboratory.
"Goddamnit! What are the upper branches doing?!" A woman cursed. "We need full flexibility to experiment, but with the decline in feline deliveries, we can't afford to act with the freedom we require!"
"Keep calm." The oldest man among them said, attempting to defuse the situation. "We might achieve better results if we test the procedure on younger felines… Primarily on those yet to have reached the age of ten."
In a heartbeat, the others breathed a sigh of relief. The old man had a point.
Before they could initiate the procedure, however, red lights began to flicker across the entire base, and sirens sounded in alarm.
"We are under attack!"
Panic began to spread.
"It must be an incoming alien squad… Nothing we haven't anticipated."
Just when they were about to continue their work, the wall behind them shattered into debris.
A tall figure emerged, his eyes gleaming with menacing crimson and a faint hint of gold.
"..."
Michael remained stoic, gazing through the glass, his eyes locking onto the struggling alien that had once been but an innocent feline.
"What do you think you are doing?!" A woman with her hair in a bun bellowed. "Do you have any idea how precious our laboratory is?!"
Michael met her eyes, his emotionless gaze observing her in complete silence.
His sword blurred, slitting her throat halfway, painting the pristine laboratory red.
The researchers cried, scrambling to get out of the way. Only for each one of them to topple on the ground. Blood pools formed beneath them, being forced to slowly succumb to their agonizing deaths.
"I am sorry…" Michael whispered. Breaking the protective glass, he stepped inside the isolator.
"You must have been scared."
In response, the contained infected feline finally broke its limbs free of their restraints. With killing intent, it pounced, eager for the kill.
Despite being only an Elite, it did not hesitate even when faced with Michael's aura of a Lord.
With a clean slash, Michael severed the appendages, stripping the creature of any remaining chance to infect anyone.
Sapped of its strength, its legs buckled beneath it, staggering forward, about to fall, only to be caught by Michael's embrace. His warm hold tightened as the unfortunate creature succumbed, its life fading away.
"Everything is fine." He reassured gently. "You can rest now."
Once the alien was gone for good, he set the corpse ablaze, turning it to ashes.
Stepping out of the isolator, he approached the last researcher who had been playing dead. Michael had gone along with it, pretending to believe him, just long enough to let false hope linger before snatching it away.
"Please, reconsider! Have mercy!" The old man pleaded.
Michael remained unshaken.
"You were so focused on whether you could that you never once stopped to reconsider whether you should." He replied, killing him painfully.
The research facility was rather large. The crew was tasked with capturing the guards for further interrogation and rescuing the abducted felines.
Meanwhile, Michael tasked himself with exterminating the researchers and putting an end to the agony of their creations before they could spread their misery to any other innocence.
Once the objectives had been cleared, the cultist's base was set ablaze.
By the end, over sixty felines had been rescued from captivity. Although they bore many wounds and were both dehydrated and starving, they were nevertheless alive.
"Mission accomplished." Michael declared in a detached voice.
The crew, along with the scouts, escorted the freed felines back to their camp.
No one uttered a single word the entire time.