Shadows from the Badlands

When Michael finally emerged from his quarters, fully dressed, he saw Sarah slouched against a nearby bulkhead. She had likely heard him come out, yet was studiously trying to avoid looking in his general direction

"This had better be important Sarah, or I'm going to hurt you," he said, only somewhat exaggerating.

"It is Michael, and really, because of who we need to talk to, your really the only choice I have," she said, before gesturing for him to follow. "Basicly, I've sold the plan to Jim, he hates it,and hates the thought of losing me again, but he knows that only the zerg have the numbers to stop the hybrids."

"OK, so whats the problem?"

"I'm not strong enough to control very many zerg at once. I mean, yeah a few thousand, but the old Overmind had cerebrates to act as middle men." She looked like she was going to be sick, "Either I killed them all, or the Protoss did, so I basically need to create more."

Michael still was not following her line of reasoning, and looked at her expectantly, hoping she'd get to the point soon.

"Fine Michael, I can read your mind well enough to know you want me to get to the point so you can get back to what you were doing. I need a telepathicly able person, or people in the long run, I need to infest them, and, really, the lift of people lining up to become half zerg monsters is kinda small."

Michael laughed at her understatement, "Don't you mean nonexistent?"

"Yeah, so Jimmy said too, but a person that's in the process of dying, might agree if it'll save 'em."

"Who do you have in mind, Sarah? I can't think of anyone would respond well to me," the bitterness crept into his voice as his reception amongst the rebels was once again brought to his attention. "Where are you taking me anyways?"

They stopped at one of the sickbays before she could answer. "When the nuke went off back at the base, his ship was to close and too badly damaged, and a lot of people got a lot of hard radiation," Sarah said, "and I know the kid looks up to you since you rescued him, even if you've really only met him once."

Realization dawned on him, and he hoped he was wrong with where she was going. In the wake of his grueling interrogations, and the attack on the base, he had forgotten about the colonists he had rescued from Haven.

"Ty's dying, and he's your candidate, isn't he." Michael's voice had gone flat. He had never seen a case of radiation poisoning, but had heard horror stories about what most of them went through, and even nowadays, only mild poisoning was something that could be fixed. "How much of a life would he have as some,whatever you called them? Would you have preferred death over what you became?" His harsh tone surprised them both, as Michael was never particularly protective of people who were practically strangers.

"I don't know, honest Mike, I think he would have it easier then I did, but I've never done this before."

Michael just sighed, and walked into the medical bay. It was packed to the rim, and he waited for Sarah to indicate where Ty was being treated. After she pointed him in the right direction, he walked over to a relatively isolated berth. As he approached he could smell the overwhelming scent of disinfectants and cleansers, overpowering, but not altogether hiding the smell of bile, sweat, and dying flesh. When he opened the curtain, he saw a form largely wrapped in cotton. One of his eyes was left unwrapped, as was the lower portion of his face. Patches of blood could be seen leaking through on every wrapped section of his body.

"Ty, can you hear me?" he said, wondering if the kid was already brain dead, or if even just unable to respond, if they would take him without his permission.

"Mhmm, hey Michael," Ty whispered, his voice sounding hoarse.

"Ty," Michael stopped, unsure of how to ask a kid who had grown up with the constant threat of zerg looming over his shoulders if he wanted to become one himself. The thought of just out and out asking was laughable, an how did one bring that type of thing up in conversation.

He got his opening though, faster then he expected as Ty started sobbing, "I don't want to die, Michael."

"Ty, that's why I'm hear. They have a way to save you, but it comes with one hell of a cost, and everyone else is too much of a chicken to ask you themselves." Michael whispered, hating himself more for having to do this. "They think-"

He was cut off as Ty said, "Whatever, I'll do it."

"Ty, they want you to become a zerg, to infest you, and I don't know what all is involved, but that's the only way."

It did seem to give the boy pause, offering him life, but at the cost of becoming a monster. "Will I still be me?"

"I don't know, and Sarah, dunno if you've met her, but she's gonna be doing it if you agree, thinks so," Michael said, stretching the truth a bit, hoping that whatever untrained telepathic abilities the kid had would be unable to pick up the lie.

"Then I don't care."

Michael shook his head, and said "OK, I'll let them know." He left the room, and found Sarah still standing outside, looking anxious and guilty.

"You have your cerebrate." He said, the earlier venom had been leached from his voice, leaving it an empty shell. He walked off before she could respond, not wanting to hear her thanks or apology.

Visions of the marine were dancing in his head, the creature burrowing out of his side. He recalled the horrific abominations from the Fairfield colony, the humans so warped and twisted, as to be recognizable only by there faces, forever etched in his mind. Then there was the crewman of the Bunker Hill, who wasn't really even alive. Would Ty end up like them? Would it be worse? And how would they find more humans to undergo willing infestation, as Michael was sure most would take death over that.

Around him the ship gave a slight lurch, and he wondered if they were already on there way back to Haven, or some other world which had an entry to the old Xel'Naga hub.

His quarters were empty when he reached them, and he suddenly felt desperately alone. The day had been looking up before Kerrigan had interrupted them. It seemed the only times he was ever in a good mood any more was when Dash'rs calming presence was nearby. He was just going to have to keep him around all the time now, he mused to himself, just to ward off the insanity that seemed to be enveloping the universe.

As he lay on his cot, curled into a ball as if to protect himself from the outside world, he let his mind drift to the myriad connections that had started forming in his mind. Only Dash'rs and Kerrigan's had any real substance to him, the rest were nameless telepaths that had invaded his mind against his will. He focused on the Protoss' connection, trying to find the peace of mind he desperately sought. It worked after a fashion, especially when he felt Dash'r respond over whatever distance separated them.

He had been zoned out for almost an hour, just focusing on Dash'rs telepathic connection, lost to the world around him, when felt a weight settle on the bed behind him. Dash'rs arms wrapped around him, and held him close, pressing his muscled form into Michael's back.

"I know what Kerrigan has asked of you Michael," he heard Dash'r say, his mental voice soothing and relaxed, "and for what it is worth, I believe it is our only coarse of action that offers us any hope."

Michael grunted as a response, it did make him feel better, and he knew the Protoss could feel his mood lightening in response, but he could not bring himself to respond. Instead he lay there, allowing Dash'rs presence to wash away the outside world for as long as possible.