Interview with Dr. Leon C. Jackwilde Part 1

Two people sit in a semi intimate setting. Two comfortable chairs, a spot light illuminates the area revealing the floor is a varnished hardwood, possibly oak. A person on the right is wearing business attire while the other is clad in typical laboratory vestments. The person on the right has shoulder length blonde hair that is perfectly styled. The one to the left has short spiked whitish-silver hair  that seems to be quite messy. It becomes clear to you that this is an interview.

Interviewer: Good morning DoctorJackwilde.

Dr. Jackwilde: Good morning Elenor.

Interviewer:(clearly taken aback by the subject knowing her name) You know my name? 

Dr. Jackwilde: Of course, I am familiar with your work with the S.H.A.I. Network.

Elenor: Well, I feel I'm at a disadvantage. You know my firat name but I only know your title and last name.

Dr. Jackwilde: I know more than your first name. Elenor Richardson, age 29, single, female of African ancestry... that came off a little creepy... I apologize. My name is Leon by the way.

Elenor: (Unnerved by his knowledge of her but doesn't draw attention to it.) Let's get down to why you're here today. 

Leon: I'm  here to let everyone know I am solely responsible for the current state our reality is in and I wish to be held accountable for my actions.

Elenor: please elaborate.

Leon: I constructed a device called the transdimensional gateway. By operating it I caused three different realities of our multiverse to merge together forming our current one. It brought the Arthrosapiens and two distinct cultures of humans all together on one planet.

Elenor: was that the intention?

Leon: heavens no. I simply wanted to see if interdimensional travel was possible.

Elenor:(shuffles through some cards, no doubt with questions written on them for Leon to respond to) After the merging, you aligned yourself with the Arthrosapiens and were hostile towards humanity. Why?

Leon: Why did I do what I did ? I let my pain and grief control me. I just couldn't handle the state of my life and I blamed all of humanity for it. In that altered state I made many terrible decisions. First was to use an experimental splicer serum on myself. The second was just rolling with the chemical changes happening in my brain due to the conflicting biochemical signals. It's also well established, by me I might add, that the splicer method doesn't work well with arthropods. I was so desperate to feel loved that i was willing to throw away my humanity. The third was thinking about the hive as if they were non-Earth C arthropods. The thought that they could always make more, that all of them were expendable. That because I was human, I knew more than them, that I knew what was best for them and how best to protect them from other humans. It was my arrogance and my ignorance. My arrogance blinded me to the truth. My ignorance blinded me to the reality in front of my eyes. 

Anyone who has disturbed and anthill or a bees nest knows they will retaliate vicously. Why do They throw themselves at much larger opponents without any sense of self preservation? They don't want to die but are willing to do so. But why do we see them as mindless cannon fodder and not valiant defenders? They defend their nests. No they are protecting their children. They are protecting each other.  The same truth applies to the arthrosapiens, even though their thought processes are alien to us. Each one of them is willing to die for their hive. But that same hive will violently fight to keep every last one alive. None of them are disposable, none of the worthless. They are not cannon fodder, rather they are a battalion of cannons. When dealing with them, it will do you good to know that they could crush us effortlessly as we have done to their distant cousins for so long and to remember who the apex predators really are. Because it isn't  humanity, Not anymore.

Elenor:(Shocked by the matter of fact way Leon responded at length) So, if the arthrosapiens wanted to do so they could wipe out all of humanity effortlessly?

Leon: Yes, however that isn't in their nature and not the point I was trying to make.

Elenor: which was?

Leon: That humanitys arrogance and self centered world view needs to change or there may be dire consequences, dire consequences indeed.

Elenor: Are you still in contact with the other humans you changed into arthrosapiens?

Leon: primarily, I am not and they are not arthrosapiens. When you see a human spliced with a tiger do you call them a tiger? No you call them an augmented human. Those people are augmented humans and not to be confused with the arthrosapien race. The arthrosapiens call them the misguided and the word they have for it literally translates to Jack's brood.

Elenor: Are you aware that most of them have gone into hiding?

Leon: I am, I've extended the offer to reverse the process so they can be unaugmented once more. A great deal of them have. Others have not been so cooperative.

Elenor: I assume you're referring to Amrak, Treyvin and Caltre?

Leon: Amrak and Treyvin. Caltre was the first to be returned to his original state. 

Elenor: That's all the time we have for today thank you for coming and letting me conduct this interview.

Leon: The pleasure was all mine I assure you. 

Elenor:  From everyone at our station goodnight Triearth and be safe out there.

The stage goes dark

The Last Testament of Jeremy Ergon

To begin, Hello. My name is Jeremy Ergon. I am a detective from the Sydney police department. I’ve been tasked with investigating the being known  as Xorlich, its progeny and their cult.

Once it arrived, the tar like substance called ichor suddenly began popping up everywhere. The real problem in understanding ichor is understanding the being that has unparalleled control of it. The issue with learning ichors strange qualities is that we had never actually confirmed its existence. That is until the entity known as Xorlich arose in the modern era. 

How do you know the unknowable? How do you fathom the unfathomable? Xorlich is an enigma. They however will pontificate at length psychically if prompted about its own origin. Whether this is the truth or not has yet to be seen. I was given unprecedented access to the being and it allowed me to learn a few things.

First of all, Xorlich has no true form. It has a preferred form but no true shape. This is due to its physical body being entirely made of ichor. The entity can warp and shift and mold its body however it pleases. To the degree of each person perceiving it differently based on its psychic probing of the individual. 

Secondly, ichor is inert unless Xorlich is interacting with it in some way. Under their control it is everything from a means of locomotion, a source of power, a mutagen and most notably a deadly efficient weapon. 

Next is that, by its own claims, it was birthed by the blending of the blood from ancient deities and extra-dimensional horrors. Creating the substance known as ichor that coalesced into the creature itself. This had an unforeseen consequence to those whose blood created it. Their blood had then turned to ichor and called to Xorlich to be joined with it. More ichor for the creature means it becomes more powerful. 

Lastly, it isn’t from this world or this universe. It has devoured its own universe and seeks to consume ours as well. It has become a deity in its own right. Possessing capabilities i could never dream of. 

I can hear her always inside my mind. When I first arrived, her voice began as a faint scratching, like a cockroach skittering across a paper bag. Now she speaks to me constantly, she is a thing of beauty. Terrible beauty, an eldritch nightmare made into the perfect specimen of humanity.

I was once afraid of what would happen to me during this investigation. Now all I want is to gain her blessing and be graced with her love.

The Hoarfrost Octus

Captured Cultists speak euphorically of the nightly ritual they call The Hoarfrost Octus.

1. The Twilight Supplication- cultists in their formal robes gather around Xorlich bestowing gifts(sacrifices) while chanting the Hoarfrost Gospel.

2. The Immaculate Communion- Xorlich invades the minds of all in attendance.

3. The Perfect Conception- an initiate or sacrifice is held down upon a frozen slab as they are administered a worm-like creature that forcibly enters their body.

4. The Warping Penance- A cultiat is wrapped in Xorlich tendrils  and gently caressed as they begin to scream, melting into an amorphous, falling into the pool of ichor at Xorlich feet to be absorbed slowly without ritual.

5. The Meandering Ablution- After becoming a cultist at some point Xorlich randomly gives a psychic command that wracks the cultists body with painful mutations turning them into an abomination.

6. The Transient Binding- Xorlich causes two Ichorborne to meld together becoming greater than the sum of their parts, Creating an amalgam.

7. The Love Ineffable- Xorlich will choose a cultist by gently lifting their face with a single finger. Bringing them close to its face as if to kiss them. Then Xorlich mouth opens and a sinuous tongue with a large spike pierces the cultists forehead filling their body with ichor. They writhe and spasm, screaming helplessly as their flesh warps and their bones shatter, their body revolting against the violent changes that result in them becoming one of Xorlich perfect children, the Apotheosis.

8. The Destined Assimilation- sacrifices, eldritch creatures and willing cultists come before Xorlich and are dissolved into puddles of ichor joining the rest at its feet.

The Hoarfrost Gospel

Born of blood spilt by wretched bone and holy blade
To tear away realities façade
Birthing from its will and flesh
Firstborn seemed a great success
Choosing a path perilous and untrod
Firstborn betray their parent God

It's power great,  inspiring fear
Drawing priests from far and near
Firstborn teach them the old way
They must stop it without delay
Chanting an incantation from the war
They banish it to the nearest star

Full of wrath, plagued by disgrace
It lobs its essence into space
Crashing down upon the earth
Brings an end to firstborns mirth
Vengeance for its children's spurn
It devours each in turn

Once more complete, world grows cold
It brings the priests into the fold
No more will spawn make its power torn
Giving rise to the blessed Ichorborne
Soaring high its wings unfurled
Our God will freeze the world

World in ruins, crumbling to dust
With new spawn that it can trust
It devours all from place to place
When came upon the dreamers face
A silent death, no defiant scream
Our nightmare swallowed up the dream

Rending holes in space and time
We sing its praise with voice and rhyme
The Hoarfrost Regalia is the key
For this world to let it free
Reality shall end you poor sod
By the coming of our Ichorborne god!

The Case of Detective Jeremy Ergon.

January 24th 10:17 am

The following was simulcast from every major news network:

The report we are about to read is from the internal messaging service of Geneticorp. It was delivered by an anonymous source. Due to the threat of bodily harm all names in this document have been changed to protect those individuals involved.

Description: Ichor, an innocuous, inky-black, tar-like substance. Exhibiting no immediate anomalous qualities. Long rumored by cults and religions to be the blood of the gods. This rumor was all that was known about this seemingly fictitious substance for all of recorded history until one fateful day.

On a day that seemed no different than any other to staff, a perfectly smooth gemstone appeared out of nowhere by the entrance to Geneticorps Dimensional Research Facility. The object appears as a fist-sized opal(18cm in diameter), that is midnight blue at the top and has a slight gradient until it reaches a pale, purplish-white at the bottom. The entire gem is flecked with silver. The gem was wrapped in a hastily scrawled note that simply read “Hoarfrost Opal, do not seek the Regalia.” Researcher Dr. Rebecca Werthing, picked up the opal and read the accompanying message before placing it in a vacuum sealed containment box. Dr. Werthing immediately felt an inexplicable pull, an inexorable desire to investigate this curious object. The doctor received approval to begin testing the gemstone. The curious item then was the subject of various experiments. These notes require top level authorization to access.

Experiment 1: Simple reflective property test. However, upon focusing the light upon the opal it caused a 3m area around it to drop to Absolute Zero. Continuing to try various sources of energy(electricity, gamma radiation and fire), resulted in the same effect. Anything in this supercooled area is frozen solid and crumbles to dust. Examining the dust requires at least a cryo-electron microscope. The dust itself is atomic particles that have been robbed of their bonds and charges. They have been reduced to inert neutrons.

Experiment 2: Following the first experiment, Dr. Werthing sent a subject, lab rat, in with the opal. As expected, there was no reaction. However, the good Doctor began suffering from night terrors when they went to bed that night.

Experiment 3: Wondering if it would react to something else with anomalous properties, Dr. Werthing brought in a human male with unexplainable abilities. When next to the opal, the subject began to convulse violently. Slowly ichor began to leak from the eyes of the subject and it seemed to be drawn inexorably to the opal, leeching its way into the opal itself. After this experiment, the opal began to audibly pulse. Dr. Werthing realized this opal could be used to neutralize other strange beings the Geneticorp deemed too dangerous to exist. The, now normal, human male was placed under surveillance to see if his anomalous properties would return. Whatever the Opal did to him, it was permanent. Also, it was this night that the doctor's night terrors became louder, like a scratching sensation on the inside of her skull, and could swear she could hear whispering.

The following day a notebook bearing a stylized snowflake symbol stamped on the cover arrived on the facility’s doorstep, It appears to be a normal composition notebook. The pages detail a being tied to this opal and four other items referred to as The Hoarfrost Regalia. An immortal eldritch horror called Xorlich the Ineffable, whose influence can render the world a frozen crumbling wasteland. How the notebook and opal came to the facility, or how someone could glean this knowledge is unknown. If this wasn’t concerning enough, shortly after the notebook was brought inside, other items would mysteriously arrive as well.

The first was a stylized scepter. This was decorated in fine filigree depicting snowflakes The second was a luxurious cloak bearing a pattern matching the coloration of the opal.

Throughout the next day two more items would arrive. A pair of full plates greaves with the same filigree as the scepter and finally a very ornate platinum crown with again the same filigree.

The night after the crown arrived, Dr. Werthing began complaining of sleepless nights and a frigid blue light washing over her. She spoke of how the opal longed to be reunited with the rest of the Hoarfrost Regalia. How they belonged together. Medical staff prescribed sleep aids and sent her home for some much-needed rest. Later that day she returned and conducted the following experiment.

Experiment 4: Dr. Werthing had 4 research interns bring the regalia into the containment area in proximity to the opal. This was a heinous breach of protocol. Anyone who knew her knows this is not something she would do of her own volition.

It was later reported that at this moment everyone at the facility suddenly felt a soul-crushing sense of dread wash over them and the personnel stationed outside the containment area complained of scratching on the inside of their skulls and hearing screams that no known source was capable of making. Once in the same room as the opal, the items begged to be worn. The opal itself began leaking the black fluid known as Ichor. Dr. Werthing instructed one of the interns to put on all the items and grasp the scepter. Upon doing so the opal seemed to melt and shift into a small, four-tentacled, floating, bubble of ichor(20cm bubble with 40cm tentacles). After the opal finished its transformation, it bored it's way into the interns skull through their forehead. Then all the other items melted into ichor and oozed into the flesh of the now screaming intern Security personnel reported it was at that moment they heard Dr. Werthing laughing like a madwoman and screaming “Together at last! Together at last! Finally, together at last!” accompanied by a roaring sound, like the splitting of a glacier.

Shortly after this there was a burst of blue light and all camera feeds in the room but one was rendered inoperable. On a single monitor, you could see everything in the room was frozen solid with the exception of two objects. Dr. Werthing and a stunningly beautiful naked woman standing in an ever-growing pool of ichor. The woman pressed herself against Rebecca and kissed her forehead. She convulsed and screamed as her bones audibly cracked and split. She continued screaming as her flesh melted and reformed. Her cries of torment only ceased once her ordeal was over. But she was no longer human, she was the first known instance of a creature referred to in the notebook as Apotheosis. Humanoid and monstrous(3m tall), with a pair of long-horns and a mouth that begins from the top of its head and splits the body down to where the pelvic area would be on a human. Sporting wicked claws and a digitigrade stance. Dr. Werthing was gone.

After this the former Rebecca Werthing never left the woman's side. All other personnel in the immediate area have gone missing and there are whispers amongst the researchers who have heard of this event of an eternal frozen midnight. Amid the growing chaos are rumors of an organization calling itself The Order of The Ichorborne God.

Addendum 1: Reports of some sort of explosion rocked the facility. Upon investigation and review of the CCTV recordings, the Regalia is gone. In its place stands a bipedal digitigrade humanoid and a devilishly handsome man.

If the text in the notebook were to be believed, the reunion of the opal and the four items spell the end of reality as we know it. In precaution, the president of Geneticorp forbids anyone going near the area in which these beings are being housed. All security measures money can buy have been placed in an area surrounding its containment cell, the majority of the facility it’s housed in has been evacuated and locked down.

Transmission from Head Security Officer of Dimensional Research Facility: The woman can escape if she wants. We have no means to contain her. Anything she wills, freezes and disintegrates. The full extent of her abilities are unknown.

What used to be Dr. Werthing is highly aggressive and attacks anything that enters the room, leaving a bloody broken corpse. The woman sits silently in a pool of ichor like she's waiting for something only she knows is going to occur.

Addendum 2: Geneticorps main office reported that all contact with the Dimensional Research Facility has been lost, further investigation is required.

Addendum 3: Geneticorp has authorized an investigation into the loss of contact. Upon arriving the search team reported the entire site is a frozen hellscape overrun with hordes of strange and hostile creatures. All their attempts to reach the facility have failed. Shareholders deemed the entire site in need of containment and sent teams to secure the surrounding area. This too failed, all known containment procedures are ineffective.

Addendum 4: Upon analysis of ichor samples gathered hastily by Dr. Werthing before her transformation, it is revealed that it has many viral qualities but is only capable of infecting a subject if directly exposed to a subject's bloodstream. It is unlike any known infectious agent. This points to the potential extraterrestrial or extradimensional origins of the ichor and the items themselves.

Addendum 5: Mobilization of SR Team 19 (Search and Recovery) dispatched to the location.

SR Field Leader Report 1: The man has tremendous psychic capability and can communicate telepathically. The language in which he communicates is dependent on the listener and he seems to fully understand those responding to him. The man's psionic emanations pass through any and all materials, warping the minds of those they touch. He's surrounded by people in robes fashioned to match the colors of the Hoarfrost opal. No one can enter the frozen area without being assimilated.

Addendum 6: The notebook mysteriously appeared on the conference table of Geneticorps Shareholders. After fully grasping the depths of its contents they are in constant deliberations in regards to how to deal with the being named Xorlich.

SR Field Leader Report 2: Further long-range observation confirms the text in the notebook. It’s clear the psychic influence draws humans in to be infected by tiny floating worms with barbed heads, referred to as Contagions in the notebook. Once infected, over the course of days the victim will either be brought before Xorlich or be left to mutate into a writhing monster known as an Abomination. Xorlich may forcefully transform a victim into either an Apotheosis, like Dr. Werthing or a bubbling mass of semi-sentient goo called an Amorphous. The Amorphous slink into the pool of ichor surrounding Xorlich and are absorbed by it. Apotheosis will spawn large semi-humanoid half serpent creatures designated as Atrocity. That, in turn, gives birth to large serpentine beings named Anathema. Which then produces even more of the Abominations. The Abominations release swarms of Contagions. The sizes of all these beings vary wildly.

SR Field Leader Report 3: Xorlich seems to possess a suite of abilities that make it horrendously dangerous. These anomalous qualities include Energy absorption(reduces item to neutrons), matter absorption(increases its size), the ability to warp space and time(seems to move impossibly fast and everything in its vicinity is slowed down or stopped entirely), bodily possession(forcibly infiltrates a subjects body, puppets them and then bursts out in a shower of entrails), phase shifting(shifts from solid to liquid to gas to plasma at will), and of course the ability to neutralize the special qualities of other beings by forcing the ichor from inside of items and absorbing it.

SR Field Leader Report 4: Observing him draws his attention to you and will drive you to madness, he will make you his own. He's calling me…

SR Field Leader Report 2: Further long-range observation confirms the text in the notebook. It’s clear the psychic influence draws humans in to be infected by tiny floating worms with barbed heads, referred to as Contagions in the notebook. Once infected, over the course of days the victim will either be brought before Xorlich or be left to mutate into a writhing monster known as an Abomination. Xorlich may forcefully transform a victim into either an Apotheosis, like Dr. Werthing or a bubbling mass of semi-sentient goo called an Amorphous. The Amorphous slink into the pool of ichor surrounding Xorlich and are absorbed by it. Apotheosis will spawn large semi-humanoid half serpent creatures designated as Atrocity. That, in turn, gives birth to large serpentine beings named Anathema. Which then produces even more of the Abominations. The Abominations release swarms of Contagions. The sizes of all these beings vary wildly.

SR Field Leader Report 3: Xorlich seems to possess a suite of abilities that make it horrendously dangerous. These anomalous qualities include Energy absorption(reduces item to neutrons), matter absorption(increases its size), the ability to warp space and time(seems to move impossibly fast and everything in its vicinity is slowed down or stopped entirely), bodily possession(forcibly infiltrates a subjects body, puppets them and then bursts out in a shower of entrails), phase shifting(shifts from solid to liquid to gas to plasma at will), and of course the ability to neutralize the special qualities of other beings by forcing the ichor from inside of items and absorbing it.

SR Field Leader Report 4: Observing him draws his attention to you and will drive you to madness, he will make you his own. He's calling me…

Addendum 6: Contact with SR Team 19 lost. Request for escalation approved.

Addendum 7: One final attempt to secure the area was made. Geneticorps President and shareholders authorized the mobilization of CT Team Omega 6 (Covert Termination). Upon arrival all transmissions from CT Team Omega 6 ceased, save for sounds that humans are incapable of making. The communication line is still operational.

Transmission from CT Team Omega 6 Commander 1: All things in the area have been infected. All personnel on site are compromised. The self-termination order has been issued.

Transmission from CT Team Omega 6 Commander 2: “The Ineffable Xorlich will devour all!”

Transmission from CT Team Omega 6 Commander 3: “Glory to The Ichorborne God!”

Addendum 8: Due to promising information gleaned through observation. Geneticorp authorizes the use of ichor to induce supernatural qualities in human test subjects. These tests are to be administered by Senior Researcher Dr. William Carmichael Jr.

Addendum 9: Drone photographs show the entire area is under the control of a human of varying gender. The surrounding landscape is either frozen or drowned in ichor. What can only be the former members of CT Team Omega 6 now stand dutifully around their new god in twisted mockeries of humanity. A New entity type observed, dubbed Amalgams have been detailed. These creatures are the result of two other entities melding together and forming a new monstrous whole. Xorlich then destroyed the drone from afar. All further attempts at remote observation have failed.

Addendum 10: Due to the likelihood that this entity could cause the end of reality. Request submitted to the Geneticorp Shareholders to classify this situation as a TA (Total Annihilation) scenario. Referred to in the armed forces as a BOHICA (Bend over here it comes again) situation.

Addendum 11: Request Approved.

Addendum 12: All knowledge of these entities and events are now restricted to the president and shareholders of Geneticorp. Any other persons with any knowledge of Xorlich or the events surrounding it will result in immediate neutralization.

Last log of Detective Jeremy Ergon: I've been given the task of looking into a spree of missing persons. These cases are thought to be somehow linked to the cult known as The Order of The Ichorborne God that has been growing in power in recent years. I have a few sources from various secret organizations that are funded by certain companies. If it got out that I know of their existence, well let's just say I would be terminated with extreme force. As would my contacts that provided me with this information.

Xorlich the Ineffable, it sounds a little too edgelord for my taste. Why can it be called Kevin, the Friendly Underpaid School Security Guard from New Zealand or something. It Always has to be something grandiose. Anyway I digress. Sources tell me this being is difficult to locate as its incalculable psychic prowess causes any and all observers to see it as a strikingly beautiful human of varying gender. I'm told it probes your brain to find the image of your ideal mate. The effect is psychic in nature and overrides all senses perceiving the entity. It sees what it wants you to see, it must have learned that from my ex mother in law. If anyone knows it's true face they are either dead or one of its Ichorborne. How long has this thing been coiling its insidious tendrils through our world? How many innocent people have been taken by this being? I'm not sure what to do with this information honestly. Records indicate everyone associated with this case goes missing without a trace. Stands to reason why they keep sending officers with no family or attachments. Disappearances are easily swept under the rug if no one cares you've gone missing.

Just to CMA, I've sent this dossier to an associate of mine who will distribute it accordingly if they are not contacted by me within 72 hours.

Later the day after the broadcast, outside of Geneticorps Health Treatment Facility, a strange creature was cradling a man and waiting patiently for the facility to open. The first person to arrive was shocked at first by the creature but then by how gently it set its cargo down. After delivering the potentially seriously injured man the being darted off into the nearby forest. The man it left behind was unconscious and severely frostbite on his face, ears, hands and feet. All which were so badly damaged they had to be amputated. Once the man was stable he was transferred to a Mental Health Facility owned by Geneticorp. The man came too and began screaming.

On the days that followed, he was identified as Detective Jeremy Ergon. It soon became clear that whatever caused this the detectives physical condition was not the extent of his injuries. He would rapidly change moods from wailing to manic laughter to fits of rage. Despite the sudden shifts in mood the man constantly repeats three words ad infinitum. "Hi, I'm Kevin."

Excerpt from Arthrosapien Book.

Round 2 on the January 5th Chapter opener.

5 Miles Outside of what
used to be Moscow, Russia
January 5th 2020


A winding, snow-dusted path; through glistening, ice-dipped conifers. The pristine flakes tumble gently through the mid-morning air, drifting lazily to the ground. This tranquil scene broken by the sounds of heavy boot-clad footfalls. A young woman, mid-thirties, is running as fast as she can down this path. She is dressed in the appropriate clothing for such frigid conditions. Specifically, a billowing long coat of a dark brown shade and rubber coated leather boots.  Although, since the event they haven’t been as cold as they used to be. Matter of fact, the former country of Russia is experiencing a record high for this time of year. The woman appears visibly frightened. Her breathing comes in heavy and panicked bursts, releasing little puffs of white mist. She clutches something to her breast within the folds of her coat. As she runs she continuously glances back over her shoulder. The trees rustle in an unseen breeze that doesn't so much as jostle the woman’s hair. Ahead is a small wooden cottage, the woman’s obvious destination. The closer she gets the more determined the look on her face becomes. A face, that if it were not twisted into a blend of terror and determination, would be quite beautiful.
She reaches the door to the cottage, her left hand bolting out to grasp the handle hurriedly, it turns and the door swings open. She leaps through the portal to her apparent salvation. She lands hard on the wooden floorboards, almost knocking the air from her lungs. Realizing the door lay open behind her she scrambles to her feet and slams the door closed, locking it with both the knob and deadbolt. She darts around the room frantically locking every window before collapsing from near definite exhaustion in the center of the floor. Everything is quiet and her breathing relaxes. She tosses her long coat towards a rack designed for such an item that stands dutifully next to the door, and misses. She stands up removing her heavy boots, she takes them to the cookstove and sits them next to it before she starts a fire to dry the boots and warm her chilled soul. The cottage is silent all for her breathing and the crackling of the newborn fire. A silence that is very short lived. The cottage is enveloped in clicking, scratching and smashing sounds. She darts to her coat and grasps it’s still hidden contents close to her chest before screaming.” You’ve already taken my daughter, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME!” She begins sobbing  as she pulls the object free form the layers of her long coat to reveal it is a backpack, flower patterned and pink, belonging to her lost daughter.  Pulling it as tight to her heart as she can and she felt something squish. The backpack having a large damp spot covering the bottom half of it. The noises increase, boards breaking, windows shattering, all accompanied by angry clicking-hisses. She breathlessly opens the pack, inside is an oblong object. It appears to be made of layers of a gray paper-like material, eerily similar to a wasps nest. The thing is oozing a viscous fluid. The sounds rise from angry clicks to an echoing roar of fury as the childless mother stares in slack-jawed horror at the contents of the backpack. It was then that the house was no longer a barrier to the unseen angry hordes outside it’s walls. As the walls practically explode in a shower of splinters, the woman screams one final time.
Weeks later, a small family follows the quaint path looking for sanctuary from the worst snowstorm on record, they find only a gaping earthen hole where there cottage once stood.

Entry 39 "Final Entry"

December 5th 2014 8:37 A.M.

This shall be my very last entry, not due to lack of content. Nor is it due to any mortal danger on my behalf. I’ve just decided it’s time to stop pontificating to lesser beings. I’ve already told any who happens upon this journal far too much. So farewell to those who have read these passages and learned much about us. My son Billy will safeguard these secrets and show them to those he believes will not abuse them. However, the creatures I dubbed Armatae Hominivorax, my family, will see to it that if anything in this journal is used in a detrimental way towards us… It will cost you your life.

Entry 39 “Final Entry” Dr. Jack

Entry 37

October 31st 2014 9:00 P.M.

It’s time I shed some light on our methods of communication and our social interactions. We have various ways to communicate. Inside our hive structures we use complex pheromone signals. In the hive this is an immediate and the most effective method. Outside the hive we must use our clicking tongue, flashing antennae, body language, hand gestures. For long distance needs we can employ swarm carried pheromone signals.

As for social interactions among ourselves, no one morph or caste is treated any differently. The deciding factor when it comes to our various forms is if the hive is in jeopardy. If so they priority is as follows: Reproductives , Specialized, Young, then unspecialised general population.

Decisions are made via pheromone votes. They aren’t weighted with any bias on caste or morph. I hope I’ve helped to grant any readers of this journal at least a middling amount of understanding as simply as i can explain it. I wouldn't want any furballs getting a headache.

Entry 37

Dr. Jack

Entry 38

November 16th 2014 1:00 A.M.

I think it’s time I explained, to any lucky enough to find this journal, what happened during what has been dubbed as The Event. We shall use Earth A as the base.

Here we have Earth A, it orbits a yellow dwarf star and is orbited by one moon.

Here is Earth B, It also orbits a yellow dwarf star and is orbited by one moon at a slightly farther distance, due to a few errant experiments.

Then is Earth C, This earth orbits a red giant sun in approximately the position of Earth A/B’s Planet Jupiter lies. It is orbited by two moons at equidistant points from each other even farther out than Earth B’s moon.

This is the basic concepts required to understand the things I’m about to divulge. I’ll keep it as simple as possible.

When I travelled to different versions of Earth using the Transdimensional Gateway i caused three separate universes to be tethered to Technospace via those travels. Due to the infallible stability of Technospace it was spared from what was to happen next. Once the third earth was linked to the others the multiverse collapsed them into a singular universe.
Resulting in a forced conglomeration of the three former earths. The multiverse equalized their frequencies and they slowly merged into one with the planet Earth as the point of reference.

Which tells us a few things. We are in C’s orbit around it’s red giant star. Otherwise we would’ve ceased to be. The other stars circle around it in a decaying orbit until it absorbs them into its core.

The four moons wreak havoc on the tides but due to the unlikely scenario that has occurred, the oceans and landmasses are, both deeper and higher respectively. Still it is currently unknown to me as the relation of the other celestial bodies to one another.

My gateway created this happy accident. The laws that apply to transdimensional travel are as of yet, unknown.

Entry 38 Dr. Jack

Entry 35

September 10th 2014 3:00 P.M.

Everyday I am blessed by the face of my Queen. Her pheromones are almost too much to bear. She is exquisitely beautiful. Before my ascendance she was a curiosity, a terrible beauty of form and function. Now she is the most gorgeous being I’ve ever seen.

I fear for my new people, because of my old ones. They may not give us a chance to communicate with them. Concerns about interspecies communication can wait. I have an excited and eager Queen sitting next to me. Her very essence beckons me. I can no longer resist the allure of her pheromones. She has been waiting for this night since my transformation began. She shall be a mother.

Entry 35 Dr. Jack

Entry 34

September 1st 2014 1:00 A.M.

It’s done. The fourth and final dose caused me to molt, my human skin split open revealing my new body. I am complete. My queen is positively beaming. Not to mention eager to generate her own brood. However, she must wait for my exoskeleton needs to harden. Soon our larvae will greet the sun.

Entry 34 Dr. Jack

Entry 36

September 30th 2014 7:00 A.M.

Today the hunters returned with a delightful set of mammals, the Carmichael family. Soon, they will feed my children. The humans will cower and weep. Thier fear is delectable, I can literally taste it with my new body. I will have revenge.

My new family has begun to be persecuted by the humans as well, this came as no surprise.

Once the Carmichaels are in place, my queen will deposit an ootheca full of our children above them. They shall feel and grow strong upon to very flesh of those who’ve betrayed my human self. Except for, Lianna. She is mine. I shall rend her limb from limb and cast her discarded form upon the fungus gardens so that all of us may feed one day upon her corpse.

In other news, Billy has returned again. He has told us just how far the humans have fallen. The residents of Earth A are a suspicious and primitive lot. They have slain most of the intellectuals from Earth B. Soon they all will know what it is to fear the shadows. Triearth will have peace, no matter what the cost, I will ensure it.

Lilsva my queen has decided, that once the Carmichaels have been dealt with, that she shall travel the world seeding new colonies. After her departure I’ll return to Technospace to manufacture more serum to convert any who we deem worthy of transcendence. Not to mention augment my own status in this hive.

For now however, I shall imbibe the sweet nectar that is long overdue justice.

Entry 36 Dr. Jack

Entry 33

August 30th 2014 5:00 A.M.

I cannot sleep. The sounds keep me awake, and the dreams. Dreams of horrible little fur-balls and scaly or feathery monsters I would’ve made an entry sooner but after my third serum injection I was wracked with such pain. My endoskeleton finally has liquefied and my new skeleton expanded inside of me a bit as my organs increased in size. Making everything from breathing to blinking excruciatingly painful. My skin is so tight now, It’s like right after recovering from a sunburn while your whole body is encased in a blood pressure cuff. I had never imagined I’d require more than three treatments but I’ll endure a thousand if I have to. My darling Lilsva has been caressing my face with her plumose antennae, which is the method that her race uses to comfort one another. It’s very soothing, one wouldn’t think so until you’ve experienced it firsthand. Tomorrow I take the fourth treatment. I can’t escape the bonds of humanity soon enough.

Billy has left again, and plans to find a place that we can built a new lab once my transformation is complete. He is such a good boy. after we’ve constructed the lab we will labor to connect it to this hive. The ancients themselves are pleased with the progress I’ve made in becoming like them. They are ready to welcome me with open arms into their brood, or so I’m told. Soon Lilsva, I shall be the King you deserve.

Entry 33

Dr. Jack

Entry 32

July 30th 2014 3:00 P.M.

I can feel my skin getting tighter, my teeth have begun to fall out, likewise my hair and nails. My sight and other sense continue to amplify. I can even sense the innate electrical fields all around me. It’s difficult to describe, but if I had to I suppose it’s kind of like goosebumps. Prickly and tingly perhaps, akin to a foot that's fallen asleep. I can only speculate how much my senses will continue to increase, last night I was awakened by the ambient sound of my own blood pumping through my veins.

My eyes are slowly losing their lenses, which makes blinking uncomfortable to say the least. This second treatment has had more internal effects than the last. I can feel my bones dissolving and my organs shifting. After one or two more injections I believe I shall slough off my human skin. My queen lays by my side chittering low and soothingly. She speaks fluent English now. She is absolutely amazing. The rest of our kin are almost adept at speaking it as she is.

Billy has returned home, I was overjoyed to see my son again. Although, I expected him to be aghast at my decision. He couldn’t be more thrilled. He actually told me he thought that I truly belong among the Kch’tk’thk as one of them. He did also recant the current state of the world. Most countries have collapsed. Small pockets of humans cling to their old lives. Others have taken to the advanced technology of my old world. More however talk about trees that move and wreckage that makes clicking noises. My family are the new boogeymen. We are the stuff of nightmares spawned in horrid little fuzzy mammalian brains.

Billy praises my ascendance and has told me he plans to depart again in the morning. I will miss him so and I think it’s worthy of mentioning we shared a hug. I told him to be safe, my voice cracked a bit in doing so. More so from my emotional attachment to him than my in progress transformation. He reassured me he would be fine. Saying “Father, you made me so well that there isn’t a thing on this new earth capable of truly harming me. inconveniencing me, surely but no more than that.” to his statement I told him that I loved him and he smiled.

Entry 32 Dr. Jack

Entry 29

July 3rd 2014 3:00 P.M.

Lilsva, Billy and I have decided with great sadness that to keep the Kch’tk’thk safe we must use the gateway to build a suitable hive in Technospace. It will house most of the specialized morphs and all the older reproductives. They have all agreed to this naturally and somehow I feel as if we are missing something. Nevertheless, most of the food stores are going to the new hive as well.

Billy is going to wander this new earth to take stock of the destruction caused by the overlay and to see if the people are willing to accept the strange new inhabitants.

Lilsva has been chosen by the hive and has become a new queen. She has also decided upon who shall be her new king. She has chosen me to be her partner to symbolize the peace that can be had between our peoples. I also know her true face. I say this because, even though they normally assume a semi-human countenance , they are still very arthropod-like. I can’t help but see true beauty from within her that no human can hope to attain. I know this to be taboo but, I feel something deep inside me. She is my Queen and I her King. My wrath upon the Clan Carmichael can wait. I have finally found happiness again.

Entry 29

Dr. Jack

Entry 30

July 20th 2014 1:00P.M.

It seems strange being here without my son. Regardless of my missing Billy, I’ve learned that the Carmichaels have survived this cataclysm solely by the power of their wallets. We shall see how long that lasts. Lilsva has sent out a group of hunters to capture them and bring them all to me. Soon, I’ll show them what happens if you wrong Dr. Jack.

I’ve begun to notice a few small things happening. The Kch’tk’thk are getting restless. I fear we may have been discovered. No matter, soon I’ll no longer be like the humans. I’ve seen the cruelty of them and want nothing more that to leave their race entirely. I’ve developed a gene serum that will slowly, albeit painfully, shift my genome from human to Kch’tk’thk. If it's successful I’ll continue to administer treatments upon myself until i have attained the form I do so desire to possess. I begin my transformative treatments tomorrow.

Entry 30

Dr. Jack

Entry 31

July 21st 2014 1:00 P.M.

Is this how they sense the world? After only one treatment, my senses have heightened. The magnitude of sensory information they process must be stupefying. We could call it synesthesia, because i can actually perceive sound in the visible spectrum. speaking of visible spectrum, the sheer number of colors i can see nearly brought me to tears.

It seems my serum affects the nerves and sense first. I imagine my body will be the last to follow suit for full transformation. I can hear well enough to listen to the sound that erosion makes upon exposed boulders. Taste is magnified a hundredfold and my sense of smell is even more refined. This is so overwhelming I may need to lie down! My queen is here and assures me I’m beginning to smell like her kind. She is so sweet.

One last thing, my friends grasp of the English language is fantastic. They speak it with a very airy and echoing accent, which is fairly off putting. Soon enough though we can all converse in my original tongue.

Yet, still i wonder and worry about how my son is faring in this new world.

Entry 31

Dr. Jack

Entry 28

May 30th 2014 3:00P.M.

Well, I’d be lying if I said I had expected what has occurred. In my haste for vengeance I miscalculated and targeted an alternate version of my world. I will never again allow myself the luxury of such a human mistake.

On an even more distressing note, it turns out the algorithm for transdimensional travel has a fundamental flaw. It permanently connects one universe to another. But, it can only connect three worlds in such a manner. Once it does they collide using the places travelled as a focal point bringing all of them into the same frequency. Creating an artificial nexus point. Effectively creating a new universe out of three old ones. In this case all three were in possession of a variant of what we called the planet Earth. So I’ll label this new world of fallen technology and sentient arthropods , Earth3 or Triearth.

You may say, “but Jack objects can’t occupy the same space”. And I would respond with, technically you are correct. The equalizing of the frequencies is slowly merging the worlds into one. All the mass accumulating into one planet as the multiverse holds it together. The Kch’tk’thk world orbited a Red giant star which, as it turns out, enveloped both yellow dwarf stars and due to the placement of earth in that universe we were spared. Now Triearth is orbited by four moons, which means the tides will be horribly erratic. The new mass of the planet will cause drastically increased amounts of both seismic and volcanic activity.

Upon realizing these things, Billy and I rushed to find the Kch’tk’thk who were initially terrified Lilsva informed us. It was then I supposed they should hide and the masses agreed. Knowing humans the way I do, They cannot be trusted and fear that which they don’t understand. With that we have decided to go to ground.

That all said, the Kch'tk'thk never cease to amaze me. Lilsva explained to us that they possess a very strikingly effective camouflage technique. Which we’ve already observed on their world, where they seemed to be mobile plants.  That fact has initially worried me that they couldn’t hide on this new world. But Lilsva is nothing if not informative. Explaining they could molt and grow a new exoskeleton that matched their new surroundings if they have ample time to observe the area around them.

The colony immediately worried for my safety after they had changed to match Trieath’s environment. So they presented me with a set of armor fashioned from their molts, with the correct number of appendages of course. So until a time comes when they figure out where to collect provisions they have decided to rely solely on their stores of food.

I find myself overwhelmed with concern about many things since the universal overlay. I know nuclear power plants will  have melted down after this event. Which goes without saying is a very pressing development. The other concerns aren’t truly worth logging.

Finally, I’m finding myself somehow drawn to Lilsva. I don’t fully understand it. I’ve seen all the other princesses Paired with males. Yet, Lilsva only seems to spend time with me. This is still another concern. I’m not sure of her full intentions.

Entry 28

Dr. Jack

Entry 27

May 27th 2014 3:00A.M.

I’ve returned home to Technospace, Billy in tow. The time has come for us to have recompense for the horrid actions of those illicit betrayers. Those of the family Carmichael shall know fear… And his name is Dr. Jack.

I’m activating the gateway, having located my universe, Billy and I shall travel there shortly after I’ve finished his memory encryption.

We have spent years with the Kch’tk’thk and know them completely. We will return to our new home after our mission is finished. Farewell readers of this journal.

Entry 27

Dr. Jack

Entry 26

October 6th 2008 7:00A.M.

Well, I suppose it is about time. I’m going to the world of the Armatae Hominivorax. I absolutely must learn more about this race that seems in every way our superior. No war, no crime, none of the things that define my race. Billy is waiting for me, along with the young Kch’tk’thk princess that I’ve taken to calling Lilsva. This goes against everything my instincts are telling me. But, I’ve taken every precaution. Including, at his urging, allowing Billy to remove any chemicals left by the swarm from my skin on the Nano level. However, if this is a trick and I never return. Let the world know the crimes of Geneticorp and its CEO William Carmichael. If I do return the Carmichael family will pay dearly for their transgressions.

Entry 26 Dr. Leon Cypher Jackwilde