Chapter 61

Michael watched Neal from across the table with calculating eyes. This man was offering something he somewhat needed; information on where dangerous anomalies actually were. Which was a more valuable than it would seem at a glance.

The reason that the vast majority of humanity had no clue that anomalies even exist was thanks to their relative scarcity. And even with Keith's extensive knowledge, they would eventually run that dry and have no idea where to go from there.

Michael watched Neal for a moment longer before deeply sighing, "Tell me about the "aliens.""

Neal's expression perked up at Michael's approval to continue, "Smart choice. They're a civilization that's extremely far away from our planet. Under normal circumstances we'd have no way to actually communicate with them. Which is where the problem starts. They've reached a technological level that overshadows us to such a degree that any aggression on our part would likely result in our immediate loss."

Michael rolled his eyes, "Then maybe don't be aggressive?"

"It's not that simple. Their biological makeup is extremely similar to ours. For the most part they're human."

"Most part?"

"Well, they have a bit of a problem. They've been conquered, and our similar biological makeup makes us extremely susceptible to being conquered in the same way."

"... conquered by?"

"Well, technically by a bug called Marce. They latch onto their host like a tick and inject them with an anomalous virus that makes the target completely and totally infatuated with the bug. Their entire civilization is fixated on the damn thing."

Neal's expression grew grim, "So fixated that after taking over a planet with a total population of thirty billion people they want to expand their empire. They opened a portal to earth and preached the glory of Marce. The foundation was luckily able to trick them, they bought us time, but we'll need more than that to get them off our backs."

Michael studied the man from across the table for a moment longer before holding his hand out towards him as a blade made of blood formed in his palm.

"You have a lot of nerve, you know that?"

Neal's eyes shot towards the blade, and he quickly became flustered, "Did I do something to upset you? If I did, then I'd like to apologize right now. I'm sorry."

Michael raised an eyebrow, "You do realize that the foundation tried to kill me the last time I came out of a portal they'd sent me through, and now you want me to go through another? I'm sure you can understand why I have a problem with this."

Neal raised his hands up in a nonthreatening manner, "We're not the foundation. Strictly speaking they hate us, but this is a threat to the world as a whole."

Michael stared towards Neal with an unconvinced expression, "How desperately do you need me to deal with them? Honestly speaking, I'm rather busy at the moment."

Michael leaned forwards in his chair, "And I'm pretty sure you just don't want me on the planet for a while. Makes it easier on yourselves I suppose. So tell me, and be honest, how soon do you need me to deal with this?"

The GOC agent practically squirmed in his chair before speaking through gritted teeth, "Six months at the most."

Michael grinned and patted him twice on the cheek, "Then I'll just do that then. I already got plans anyway."

Michael retracted the blade of blood into his body before moving to return to his main body.

"Wait, before you go! Can you please return President Smith's body to us? We can give you a new body to take over if you want, but we really need to show his face to the public again."

Michael thought it over for a moment before shrugging, "I guess, I don't really need him anymore. He's already done his job."

With that the president's eyes glazed over before refocusing as he collapsed onto the table.

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Michael's eyes refocused as he returned to his main body. To his side was Calder sitting on a sizable piece of rubble where he was talking to Keith.

"No, I'm not going to place you on her head", Calder said, not even bothering to look at Keith.

"Come on, don't be like that. Michael would've done it if he was here", Keith protested.

Michael's eyes narrowed as he watched Keith try to weasel his way into getting a new body, "Shut up Keith, stop gaslighting Calder."

Keith quickly noticed Michael had returned and scoffed as Michael continued talking, "We did good today, but we're not stopping here."

Michael swept his hands across the horizon and turned towards Calder, "Do you know why we just did that?"

Calder shrugged, "Because they were monsters?"

Michael placed his hand upon Calder's shoulder, "No, we killed them because they did monstrous things. That's a distinction I want you to make from now on."

Calder stared towards Michael emotionlessly, "You're not in charge of me."

Michael chuckled, "I very much am in charge of you. I let you out of your little dimensional jail cell, and I need to make sure you're not about to go burn down an orphanage the second I take my eyes off you. Not that I think you will, mind you."

Michael looked towards the far building where scientists had begun to exit through the ruined doorway, "But today you did a good thing. People get to finally see their families after years of being in this hell. That's thanks to us."

Calder watched as the scientists left the building, many with tears streaming down their faces as they looked up to the sky. They'd been in there a long, long time. A slight smile entered Calder's expression.

Michael broke him out of it with a slap on the back and a laugh, "Sorry to break the moment for you, but there's one more thing I want us to take care of before we go take a break."

Calder sighed, "Very well, what is it."

Keith grinned at Michael's side, "We're going to go kill Michael's cousin, dad, brother? Honestly I'm not exactly sure what he is to you at this point."

Michael flicked Keith on the center of the mask, "We're going to kill the flesh that hates."

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Russia was cold, as always and two men dressed in foundation garb walked a fence line surrounding a large stretch of land. They wore gas masks and had rifles hanging from straps across their chests. Insulated hazmat suits covered the entirety of their bodies and their gaze was kept squarely facing the other side of the fence. Up until they heard a loud snap echo throughout the air and the sound of boots hitting the ground.

Both their heads shot to their left where Michael and Calder stood. They quickly tried to raise their weapons but were laying on their asses before they could manage to pull the trigger.

Michael grabbed onto either barrel and crushed them in his grip, "None of that now. Those bullets wouldn't hurt either of us, but they'd definitely tear up this guy's clothes." Michael gestured to Calder.

Calder scoffed, "As if they'd manage to hit me."

Michael sighed and let go of the rifles, allowing the two men to scamper a couple meters away from them. "Y'all two are free to do whatever, but if y'all can do me one favor I'd really appreciate it."

One man pulled out a radio and quickly began to shout orders into it while the other man unsheathed a knife and took up a fighting stance.

"Who the hell are you", he yelled!

Michael restrained himself from rolling his eyes, "You know, you'd think everyone in the foundation would know about me at this point, but noo~. They have to hide their little secrets with everything they got. Can't have the lower ranks know they have something like me running around."

Michael scoffed, "Let the O5 council know that I'm about to clean up what they couldn't, again. Not that you even know who those people are."

With that Michael turned back towards the fence, and with minimal effort cleared it in a single leap. Calder followed suit, and they immediately shot across the landscape.

It didn't take long to see signs of the flesh that hates. They came across bodies here and there as they moved throughout the dense foliage. They were deteriorated, barely breathing or moving. Mostly rooted into place and expelling spores periodically that infected the nearby soil and heated up the environment.

Michael couldn't help but feel refreshed as they made their way further into the territory of the flesh that hates.

Until they came upon a small village in a clearing amongst the trees. Flesh grew on the walls and heavily infected creatures moved about the area. It wasn't dissimilar to the world that had been taken over by the flesh that hates, just on a much smaller scale.

Michael watched over the movement within the town for a few moments before grinning, "You're not getting this world, you bastard."