Chapter 19: 4 hours left- Father & Son

Skip's POV

  "Hello, Journal Time is August, 15, 28XX!" I said as I opened up my holo- journal. "After dealing with the AI that tried to kill us, I learned to our horror that the AI has stated the truth. Without the AI main's functions, the air-conditioning has stopped, the power is out, we are beginning to see spores growing on the wall and I smell..." I took a sniff in the area. "Shit, mildew..." I said while making a face and wave it off.

"Making notes in that journal, eh?" my father said while recording.

"Dad? For fuck sake, how long you been listening?!" I asked.

"I didn't say anything, just noticed," he said.

"Oh ummm.. Okay, sign off." I said as I turned off the holo journal.

"Relax, you'll need some relief because you don't want to start going crazy later on some point," he said while patting me on the shoulder. "Think about making a love letter to your lady friend?"

I narrow my eyes at my dad and I thought about telling him off that I am Gay and have no interest in women. But, I need to focus on the mission for now.

"Yeah," I said with an indifferent tone.

My dad doesn't know about my sexuality and he wouldn't understand at all if I had told him. The other knew and understood about my orientation, it just... I can't explain it to him, the last I want him to do is to call me an "Faggot" or "Queer" since he thinks that I should be "Finding" a girlfriend, only if he knew... I never told him about my relationship with my husband. I... I can't tell him since the minute I do who knows what he'll think, he may be ashamed for having me.

"Son? What wrong? You don't seem excited that are going to be up for against a score of infected bastards." my dad asked me.

"No, I'm ready, Dad! Let head on to the Scilab," I said, determined to see it through.

The score of Infected monsters.

On our way to the Scilab, we encounter Insectoids but they seem highly mutated by the spore concentration. I wasted no time, reaching the energy sources nearby, charging myself up for a powerful strike, firing a powerful bolt of energy, electrocuting them without any hesitation. As I did, their screeches wailed through the halls and my father seemed to be excited that I managed to fry them in one go.

However, it drew the attention of the infected, I and my dad pulled out our pistols, expecting them to come at us... There is nothing come this way, but we agreed to keep moving toward the lab while being wary of any infected ambush.

When we arrived at the lab, I Stood by the door, I've pulled my hack-tool, and began unlocking the system. As I did, we went inside the lab, sweeping the area for any infected and I saw some human corpses with some of them... God.

I nearly vomited at the sight of the corpses but I managed to keep myself together while moving through them like I was accustomed to it. I kept moving and recognized the chemical that Millie has pointed out to us earlier as well finding the Opliate qualate easily enough.

"Hey Son, I found a nearby computer that is still working." my father shouted over to me.

I ran toward the still-active computer and wasted no time hacking into the computer and found a video: Experiments & Enhancements. I played it.

From the video: I learned the scientists have tried to make a PSI enhance strength enhancement to get a user's PSI Level taking them from a level 1 to a level 3 or a level 7 to a god knows what level they will be. They also noticed that some of their colleagues began speaking weirdly and spoke about "Harmony" & "Discord". Dammit, this is only half the information, we need the whole truth. My father noticed my frustration and patted me on my shoulders.

"Dad! I'm alright!" I said.

"They have been something on the back of my mind for some time now," he said.

"Oh?" surprised that he would ask me at this time.

"When are you gonna get a girlfriend? You turning faggot on me or something?" he said to me, he doesn't understand me.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME, ALRIGHT?! I love women, I'll get laid after the mission and after the job is done providing that we don't turn into the infected or die, alright?!" I shouted at my father, which I shouldn't have done.

My father simply grinned at me and chose not to press the topic further but I have a feeling he probably knows by now. I should have done that, I should have come clean on the matter but I ...

"Son! You coming or not?! I don't need you going all mopey on me now!" he said, answering my thoughts. I've simply come despite my feelings on the matter.

Stirring up the hornet's net

I shouldn't have snapped at my father, I know full well he didn't deserve the crap I gave him. I told myself that I would tell my father about me being Gay and in a marriage with our Surrogate wife, Jayce. Once we got the news that she is pregnant with our child, it gave me a reason to provide for our unborn child; I remember well that I argue with Bass about coming clean with my father since I never told him about us. I was with the company for 2 years, every time that I wanted to tell him on every mission- Yato, Zouia, Engei, Zariu III, and Oro, I would lose my nerve and ...

"Son... We are not alone!" my dad alerts me to the enemy's presence.

Great... I need to keep my head in the game, I can worry about my hesitation about telling my father the truth later.

"Ah! So you are the discord that set us free..." someone said behind me.

We looked around for the sound of the voice, but no one is there. I noticed the lights are going out, making the room dark.

"We should thank you, Skip & Mark. Especially you, Skip." the voice speaks again. "Tell me, how does it feel to fell our enemy, the machine people?"

"Honestly, it is a rush!" I said, but remain wary that the infected can pounce on us.

"You have nothing to fear from us, Skip..." the voice speaks again, only to reveal itself as...

A man with missing legs, his left arm is gone, replace by a parasite that swarms around him. I see he still has Employee I.D. but the man's mouth had sewn shut... the fuck.

"So you're the voice? For an infected monster, you are being chatty." Fighting my revoltion of that guy.

"I speak true, my brother. There is no shame, being talkative, now is it?" the man said acknowledging my comment. "But I must ask... How did you feel when you felled the machine people?" the man said, I see him smiling despite his stitches on his mouth.

"You are one sick fuck!" my father said. "Bet your glad that A.I. is destroyed, I bet she beat your ass before we came."

"Indeed... she has..." it trailed off. "Proven to be an obstacle to us, I believe you were aware of the consequences of 'Destroying' it?" the man chuckled a moment which it unnerved us.

"What do you want from us?" I said I am getting the feeling what the monster is going to say next will not be pleasant.

"I speak plainly, my brothers... I come to you from the warmness..." it raised its hand to stop us from speaking.

I.. can't speak... i ... My mouth is moving but the words are not coming out. What is this..?

"Before you speak, my brothers..." he speaks as he floated toward me and my father standing beside me, only to find out that he cannot speak. "I have come to you in peace." it stops on where it was a few feet from my father. "I have come to you with an offer and a message," it speaks, I told my dad via sign language: be patient!

"Our sister & brothers have wanted to thank you for defeating the machine people, especially the machine mother been in the dust. They have sent me to you to give you an offer of joining our unity since we wish to unite all the races, gender, nationality, differences, and culture. We prefer to settle it peacefully, we are not your enemies." he teleported out of sight.

We looked around us with our guns drawn to see if he going to reappear. When he didn't, we relaxed, taking deep breaths making no sounds... to restrain ourselves from shooting wildly... when he appeared, he brought his friends with him.

"It is good that you wanted peace, the both of you..." it sends chills down our spine. "The offer is clear, join us in harmony and we do not have to fight each other. You may speak, Skip Fozen."

I took a gasp of breath. Now it is my chance to ask it a question. But the man got closer before I can say anything, I stared him down.

"Choose your words carefully, Mr. Fozen. You are a discord among us and even though we are grateful for what you have done, we will not suffer any more interference from you or anyone," it said. "If you don't join us, we will lay you part from the masses. You will be forgotten, desolated, and we will mourn you. Death separates you from us, your choice is to be with us, rather than be thrown away. Skip, will you not -"

"Shut... the fuck up." I coldly said to the creature. "Here is my answer!" I said as I quickly fired a bolt of energy at the creature which it sends him flying backward.

However, we noticed that they have us surrounded, and the man floated back as if nothing that I did barely fazed him. He shook his head at me and then turned to the others.

"The answer is clear! Go, my brothers & sisters, rend the discord apart! Bring them to the biomass!" the creature shouted. "I don't care if I have to raise my hand against them. We will bring them home, whatever they want to or not!!" it bellows, prompting us to run for our lives.