“So, the world is going to end in a week? Can you be a little more precise?” I asked, deciding exactitude was in our best interests. “I’d hate to miss the deadline by an hour or two because I was watering the horses.”
“Nine days, in all likelihood. The time fluctuates, I’m sorry to say,” Professor Armitage said, looking among us. “The Great Race could once travel to the far future, but it is now impossible. Our lost brethren in the future may or may not still exist.”
Curious how he referred to the Yithians in the far future as his brethren. That wasn’t a concern, however, with fate now against us.
Mercury then pointed out a flaw in my logic. “So, the future can be changed? It had to be if your people in the future aren’t there anymore.”
“Time can only change at the behest of the Great Old Ones and Other Gods,” Professor Armitage replied. “They alone can alter causality.”
“The Elder Gods are more powerful than both,” Bobbie replied, making a four-armed star sign over her heart.
“Believe what you will,” Professor Armitage said. “What I have said is the truth and you must make haste to Insmaw.”
I’d heard of Insmaw. Centuries ago, in the Pre-Rising era, the United States government had discovered the existence of the Deep One race in the town of Innsmouth, Massachusetts. Per the records my ancestors uncovered in the ruins of the United States Air Force base that New Arkham was built on, Innsmouth had been one of many seaside communities subverted by the Deep Ones so they could shore up their decaying genetic code. The townsfolk converted to Cthulhu worship, knowing him as Dagon, and created syncretic Christian-Cthulhean rites which gave rise to the original Esoteric Order of Dagon. The United States government of the early twentieth century reacted poorly to paganism and even worse to whites breeding with other races (let alone non-humans), so they’d gathered up the hybrids of the town and subjected them to unspeakable experiments.
When the Rising occurred, the survivors escaped their desert concentration camps and returned to re-establish their former home. It hadn’t gone well, since humanity’s survivors, as well as their former Deep One masters, considered the Innsmouth hybrids to be degenerates. Some, like the inbred Marsh family, had gone to Kingsport to form the Deep One community there, while others, like Bobbie’s family, rebuilt the aforementioned Esoteric Order of Dagon. A small few, however, founded a new town. No one had heard of any violence, racially motivated or otherwise, from Insmaw, and that was rare enough. Indeed, all I’d heard about the folk there was they were pleasant but isolationist. What did Whateley want from such a place? Even more pressing, what had he gotten?
“Teleport us there, Chief, and we’ll kill the bastard,” Thom said, looking uncomfortable with his surroundings.
“I can’t.” Professor Armitage gritted his teeth.
“Can’t or won’t?” I asked, getting annoyed with his doublespeak.
“Can’t. Before you, against the Great One’s will, I sent fourteen acolytes to intercept Whateley,” Professor Armitage said, his face scrunching up with a mixture of guilt and remorse. It was the first real sign of any emotion other than disdain. “They did not complete the transition due to a barrier Whateley erected. What came back was a jumble of their organs and bones in still-living pools of biological atrocity.” He paused. “They did not live long, thankfully.”
“Tsk-tsk-tsk,” August said, shaking his head. “Disobeying your masters, Harvey? Shameful.”
The Professor looked ready to punch him. “You speak of things you know nothing about, August. I’m trying to save the human race.”
“Then stop getting in our way,” August said, earning him my respect.
“This mission just keeps getting better and better,” Jessica muttered under her breath.
“You must travel by ground,” Professor Armitage said. “We will equip you with whatever charms or spells are required to hide you from Whateley’s divinations.”
“Divinations, charms, and spells?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “So much for technology of the mind.” It was a cheap shot, but Armitage had it coming.
August chortled behind me. “I’m starting to like you, Booth.”
“Thank you.”
“Even if you are a filthy mutant,” August added, his voice not wavering in the slightest.
I debated killing the rest of my partners when this was over. “We’ll need maps, charts, gold, a new illusion to cover my arm, weapons, and a selection from books in your library.”
“Planning to do some light reading on your way?” Thom asked. “Because maybe we should be focusing on the end of the world.”
“I can do both,” I replied.
Since I doubted Professor Armitage would be forthcoming with any further information, our best chance of getting information was to avail ourselves to the University’s library. I intended to ask August what sort of books would help the most as I suspected he would be all too eager to betray his former brethren—even if he was a jackass.
“I have already sealed away the Hinton Library for the safety of my people. Access to its knowledge is temporarily offline,” Professor Armitage said. “You’ll have to make do—”
“I am not concerned with the safety of your people,” I said, cutting him off. “I’m concerned with the safety of the world.”
Professor Armitage opened his mouth to protest before slumping his shoulders. “You will have whatever you need.”
“Thank you,” I said. “We’ll also need new clothes. Mercury and I didn’t get a chance to pack, after all.”
Mercury snorted behind me.
The professor turned to walk away. He would bring us what we needed, though. We were the last hope humanity had. Small Gods of the Earth help us all.
“That was amusing,” August said, chortling. “You know, Harvey used to be able to laugh.”
“I find that difficult to believe,” I said.
“He seems like he was born with a stick up his ass,” Mercury said. “I was kind of hoping I’d left those people behind when I left New Arkham.”
August smirked. “You never leave behind smug superiority.”
“He murdered our friends and co-workers,” I said coldly. “Slaughtered them when all he had to do was approach us and ask us to come with him.”
August closed his eyes. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d hoped to kill you so the Great One wouldn’t be able to finish bringing together this little fellowship.”
“Why?” I asked. “What does he get out of the world being destroyed?”
“Assuming it will be,” August said. “I’m not so sure since one more Great Old One doesn’t seem like it would make much difference. I think Marcus is less enamored of the Great One than he lets on. Marcus was a far smarter man than either Armitage or I as well as being directly plugged into the nature of the universe. If he thinks releasing this monster will do some good, then he might be onto something.”
“The Great One says Marcus is trying to mercy kill humanity,” I pointed out.
“Such a trustworthy fellow, the Great One,” August said, his voice low and contemptuous. “I’m sure you’ve picked up on that.”
“I have. What’s your opinion of the Great Race?” I asked, wanting a second opinion.
“There was a Pre-Rising scholar named Richard Dawkins who had some interesting ideas about evolutionary biology. Summarized, every species will act with motivation to benefit itself and the propagation of its genes over all other concerns. I believe this holds true even with races as strange as the Yith.” August narrowed his eyes. “They’ll help us as long as we’re useful. However, I trust them to do what’s best for themselves.”
“Like humans,” I said.
“Exactly,” August said, sighing. “It’s a good thing so many species can breed with us, or at least lay their eggs in us, or we’d have been long ago wiped out. Genetics is all about making sure your legacy is what survives, screw everyone else.”
A part of me was deeply troubled by that analogy. I was a monster but I maintained very human needs. Was there some greater plan from the monster inside me? A creature that wanted to breed with humanity so to make a race of hybrids? It was an insane thought but this was an insane world. Certainly, the ghouls’ and Deep Ones’ masters had made them take human husband and wives. I also had two children who did not know about their inhuman heritage even as they were possibly changing into something horrible—or were as human as anyone. It was my greatest shame I’d never told them. Yet, the Yith didn’t take consorts from among the human race. There was only one member of their species in the underground beneath Miskatonic University and he (it?) was ill-equipped for cosmic miscegenation.
“But the Yith don’t have bodies,” Mercury pointed out. “They’re just psychic entities wearing organic flesh.”
“Which means we have no idea what motivates them,” August countered. “Their most fundamental drives are different.”
“I see.” I thought about that. “That’s less than comforting.”
In the end, I decided not to focus on the bigger picture. Despite my claim of not being an assassin, I’d killed people for far worse reasons than regaining my humanity. I’d do anything to be able to hold Mercury in my arms as a man, to sire human children, and to live a normal life. If I could cure myself then I could cure my biological son and daughter. I could possibly even cure—
“Da!” I heard a child’s voice fill the chamber. It was a voice that seemed to mock my worries.
“Jackie,” I muttered. “They’ve already brought you here.”
A twelve-year-old girl with long red hair formed into ringlets, pale skin, and prominent canines had come into the room past the University’s personnel. She was dressed in a century-old black t-shirt marked “Arkham Witch” and jean-shorts I’d found last month wrapped in plastic on a scavenging run. The girl navigated around the many individuals moving around the garage with natural grace before coming to my side.
“Hey, Ma,” Jackie said, waving to her.
Her appearance here was so surprising, I didn’t know how to react. She’d changed a great deal from the emancipated waif we’d found a year ago, in the village of Scrapyard. Under Mercury’s care, the ghoul-human hybrid had put on considerable muscle and was quite tall for her age. Indeed, an outsider might be forgiven if they thought she was a girl of fifteen or sixteen.
I suspected Jackie would continue to grow exponentially, as hybrids tended to be of large proportions. I was glad to see her, despite wondering how she’d gotten here, and her appearance did much to calm the darkness in my heart.
Mercury walked up to her and gave her a big hug. “You are not allowed to grow while I’m away!”
Jackie rolled her eyes, disliking being treated as a child. “Get used to it. I’m taller than you now.”
“That’s not a great accomplishment,” I muttered.
Mercury shot me a glare.
“Sorry,” I said, raising my left hand in surrender.
Jackie turned to me, looked at my right arm as if to check my condition’s progress, gave me a warm smile, and hugged me. Jackie was the one person I knew that didn’t flinch at my physical transformation. She understood it was a source of considerable discomfort, was something I considered a mortal illness, and encouraged me to find a cure, but I doubted the girl ever understood how it made me feel.
I shook my head. “How did you get here? We left you a hundred miles away.”
“More,” Jackie said. “Professor Armitage came to me first and said you were going to be here. I was wondering when you’d arrive.”
I grimaced. If she’d been taken before our capture, Jackie was an unwitting hostage. Best not to let her know that; her cooperation would be the best defense she had. “I see.”
“You’re going to study here!” Mercury said, smiling.
“I am?” Jackie asked.
I did not like this, but there was a limit to what I could do. “Yes, I believe you’ll like it here. They’re very … unconventional.”
“It means they won’t kill you for being a ghoul,” Thom said from behind. He was checking out one of the cars the University was providing us.
“This conversation is none of your concern,” I said to him.
“I don’t give a shit about your little monster family,” Thom muttered, opening up its hood to fiddle around within.
“Hey, Pup,” Jessica waved to Jackie. “Long time no see.”
“Hi, Jessica,” Jackie said, ignoring my response. “It’s good to see you again. Killed any evil wizards lately?”
Mercury looked surprised at Jackie’s pleasant response.
“A few,” Jessica replied. “We’re off to kill another one.”
Jackie nodded, a somber expression on her face. “Good. Don’t get killed.”
“I’ll try,” Jessica said.
I was surprised by Jackie’s friendliness to Jessica. I’d made no secret of how each of us had tried to kill the other. Then again, perhaps Jackie was smarter than I was and knew about my suicidal thoughts. I’d all but dared Jessica to try and kill me at times. It was also possible that as a true child of the Wasteland, she didn’t think trying to kill a person was a reason to end a friendship.
I still remembered our naked forms entwined together on the ancient decayed mattress of the upstairs bed in the two-story scrap metal house Mercury and I lived in. Jessica and I had never been lovers before that night, so I should have been suspicious when she’d come to lie with me while Mercury was away.
It hadn’t been adultery, though I’d been guilty of plenty of that during my first marriage, as monogamy had never been an expectation with Mercury. She’d been with other men and women as part of her liberation from a hideous marriage to a New Arkham man decades her senior. Hell, back when I was still human-seeming, we’d made regular visits together to the closest brothel.
Still, I’d felt guilty finally touching Jessica in the way I’d dreamed about for years. It had been a respite from the horrors of my advancing mutation and made me feel human in a way I hadn’t since Mercury had decided not to carry our child to term. I’d fallen asleep, only to be awoken by the sounds of her moving around the room. Followed by the orihalcum bullets she’d put in me from the foot of the bed. I could have forgiven her trying to kill me. I couldn’t forgive her making me feel loved first.
“Booth—” Jessica started to speak.
“Not now,” I said, my voice cold. I didn’t say not ever, though.
Jessica looked down.
Mercury, meanwhile, chose to focus on other matters. “I want you to take care of yourself, Jackie. Don’t get into any relationships until you’re at least fifteen, and if anyone hits on you because you look older, tell me so we can kill them.”
“Ma—” Jackie started to say.
“Don’t ma me,” Mercury said, biting her lip. Her expression changed, becoming serious. “I’m not always going to be around here and training you to be a doctor is the one decent thing I’ve done. Take what you’ve learned and use it to make the world a better place.”
Jackie realized she was serious. It wasn’t as if she knew we’d survived no less than two attempts by extra-dimensional monsters to kill us and were on our way to probably get horrifically killed by one of the Great Old Ones. She sensed something was off, however, because she said, “Are you leaving me, Ma?”
Mercury shook her head. “No, my dear, but Booth made a decision to get you a place here so you were secure and safe.”
“I won’t change for another ten years,” Jackie said. “I’m safe among the Kingsport folk.”
“They’re murderers and thieves,” I said.
“And these people ain’t?” Jackie asked, looking between me. “Did you negotiate a place for yourself?”
I grimaced. “No.”
“Did he ask you?” Jackie turned to Mercury.
“Err,” Mercury fumbled for something to say. “It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision but that doesn’t mean—”
“So, just pack off the ghoul girl, eh?” Jackie said, glaring. “That how it is.”
Jackie was certainly acting like a fifteen-year-old.
“That’s not it,” I said. “I want you to be safe in case something happens to us.”
“There’s nowhere safe,” Jackie said, growling before walking off. “Excuse me, I need to go talk to my new owners.”
Jessica watched her depart, then went after her.
I blinked. “That could have gone better.”
“Ya think?” Mercury muttered. “Worse, we don’t have time to fix it.”
No, we didn’t.
But I decided to try.