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IF - Chapter 19 (The End)
🕑 Added 2024-12-24 22:23:37 +0000 UTC------------------
The soft churn of the ocean faded as the small research vessel finally reached Site-X0’s dock. The air hung thick with the scent of salt, seaweed, and faint ozone, the mixture clinging to the skin like a second layer, at least, to the humans. Isla felt something different.
Isla’s tiny body drifted in the cramped confines of her more portable tank, but her mind remained sharp, her eyes watching everything. Before her was a monolith—a sleeping dragon… The obelisk, pulsing with such power it put a quiver through her fish spine.
Something’s down there… Her gaze fixated on the dock grates, the glass-like ocean crystal clear, showing the endless abyss below them. Something massive…and way more terrifying than anything on the island. Even whatever hole Hollow went to find. No wonder this area is safe… What creature would dare invade this place when that thing sleeps down there?
Her attention moved to the boat as the darkness within the engine room stirred. Well… I guess a rogue cancer cell of The Fog. What are you going to do? No… Have faith. I have faith… How are you doing, Other Me? No response, only slack wings draping over her. Still sleeping, huh? Lazy ass, she joked, trying to smile.
Kael’s boots thudded against the dock, followed by Brigid’s lighter, quicker steps. James’ heavier footfalls joined them moments later, carrying the cooler containing her.
This is it… We’re back.
James’ posture was taut, his shoulders stiff with the weight of something far greater than her. Two armed guards approached, clad in AEGIS’s gray-black uniforms, their faces locked in neutral professionalism. Their gazes, however, flicked between the team’s faces, assessing.
“Where’s Captain Isla?” one of the guards asked, his eyes narrowing on James.
“Not in a state to report,” James smoothly replied, barely slowing his pace as he carried the cooler and hid the pain he felt with every step. “Medical staff needs to be sent to the ship’s research room. Immediately. Brigid and Kael can fill them in on what happened. Captain Isla’s orders were for me to bring this specimen directly to Director Evelyn.”
Isla’s heart—or whatever semblance of one her new body possessed—panged with quiet approval. Clever, James. Real clever. Eve doesn’t meet with average grunts. Presenting something interesting, like an immortal fish, and she’d make exceptions.
The guards’ eyes darted between each other, then back to James. A silent conversation passed between them before one of them tapped his earpiece. “Copy that,” he muttered into it. “Sending medical supplies to the ship. Escorting cargo and soldiers to Director Evelyn.”
Success! Isla cheered, having to take the little victories in this state of hers. Although… I’m dreading the look on Eve’s face when she realizes I’m not just a fish.
The other guard nodded once, his hand gesturing for James to follow. Brigid’s eyes followed them, her lips pressed into a worried line. Isla watched her for a second longer, sensing the heaviness in her breathing—not quite panic, but not far from it either. Kael’s hand settled on her back, a firm, grounding touch.
They’d be okay. For now.
James’ measured steps echoed in sync with the guards as they moved deeper into the facility. The cold, sterile air of Site-X0 hit like a wall, replacing the salty sea breeze with the chill of recycled, dehumidified air. Isla’s tank rattled softly with each step, the slight tremors a reminder of how small she’d become.
Her attention shifted behind them.
Something moved in the shadows of the obelisk—not the sharp, sudden motion of a bird or rodent, but a slow, deliberate shift, like ink bleeding into fabric. Her fins twitched. Her total field of vision observed it from the edge of her tank, watching the creeping darkness that slithered along the floor’s edges, hugging the spaces where light failed to reach.
Her gills fluttered with unease. What’s your endgame, buddy? Is it to attack me when we’re alone? Gobble me and Her up before she fully awakens or recovers? Maybe waiting for her to recover just enough to be a better meal?
Her fish body turned with slow, deliberate spins as she followed the writhing, undulating shape that curled into the cracks and folds of the facility’s architecture. It was not a single thing. It was many things—all moving as one. Her senses extended toward it, like hands reaching through the dark—and she stopped.
Space. Not darkness. Not absence. It was like looking into a window to something so vast it shouldn’t fit within the edges of this reality. Its surface shimmered like heat distortion, but its depths…she saw nothing but the void. Eyes—numberless eyes. As if it could fill an entire planet—no, an entire reality—had been crumpled into something the size of a stray shadow.
She shuddered with instinctive revulsion, every nerve alert.
Her—the other Her—stirred at the edge of her mind, an ancient whisper brushing against her thoughts, wings stretching as if waking from a long sleep. “Be patient. Wait. Its fate is already sealed. Its presence agitates the sleeping giant…which causes the sealed princess to stir.”
Isla’s gaze turned forward again, toward James’ broad back, her breathing steadying with practiced control. The guard’s earpiece buzzed, static briefly crackling before a voice came through.
“Director Evelyn has authorized passage. Escort the package to the Fog Tank containment room. Surrender your weapon.”
The guard gave James a curt nod as he complied, then stepped aside at the next security checkpoint. The final gate—a bulkhead reinforced with plates of alloyed steel and ceramic—hissed as it slid open with a soft clunk of disengaging locks.
Well, well, well, Isla dully thought. It feels like a lifetime since I last walked down this hall.
“Authorized personnel only beyond this point,” one of the guards muttered. “You’re on your own from here, soldier.”
James’ eyes flicked to the guards but said nothing, sensing the nerves rising in him—Evelyn made him nervous. She made everyone nervous. He stepped through the opening without pause, though, as if a man on a mission. The gate sealed behind him, its locks snapping into place like a beast’s jaws clamping shut. The chill deepened—the darkness seeped through.
The hall ahead was dimly lit, illuminated by long strips of cyan light that gave the air a surreal glow compared to the typical natural glow that permeated the Endless Sea. Each step echoed longer, deeper.
Isla’s awareness spread outward. The pressure was heavier here—a black hole sucking everything toward it. Her senses brushed against threads of energy that twisted in the air like tangled vines. She felt them. She felt it. Her pulse—or whatever now passed for a pulse—quickened.
The Fog Tank containment room was ahead. James’ pace slowed as he approached, his every movement deliberate, like a soldier walking toward enemy fire. He shifted the cooler to his left hand, his right twitching before he stilled it.
Evelyn’s presence hit them before her image did, not that James would know what he felt. Isla’s senses, heightened as they were, couldn’t mistake it. It wasn’t something visible. It was a shift in the atmosphere—a tangible density, like being submerged in ice. Her immortal fish body’s instincts coiled in on themselves, her tiny gills flaring with the taste of something evil.
What…really are you, Evelyn?
The reassuring cocoon of Her wings enveloped her, feeling the shadow prowling around the room, waiting for an opportunity to strike as she stretched from her slumber.
“Have faith, Isla.”
James stepped through the entryway, his gaze forward but his breathing shallow. The room was cold, the Fog Tank’s dull, silver sheen reflecting the pale lights. At its center, a single figure stood, hands clasped behind her back, facing the tank.
Dr. Evelyn Hart.
Her posture was immaculate. Straight back, shoulders square. Not a twitch. Not a motion wasted. Her head tilted, gray eyes locked on the immortal fish within the tank. Isla could see the faintest reflection of Evelyn’s face in the tank’s surface—calm, sharp, as if she’d seen everything this world had to offer and found it all…predictable.
“Where’s Captain Isla?” Evelyn’s voice was as cool and precise as a scalpel’s edge, cutting through the quiet like it had been waiting for this moment.
Thanks for noticing I’m gone…
James didn’t flinch. “She’s…not in a state to report,” he admitted. “She’s on the ship, unconscious. We had to leave Dr. Maeva behind on the island. I’d like to perform an immediate rescue.” He lifted his chin, his eyes like steel. “Alone, if authorized. Brigid and Kael have been through enough.”
Evelyn’s head turned, her eyes locking onto him for the first time. Her lips curled into a slow, steady smile—too wide. Isla’s tiny heart froze as her eyes caught a glimpse of something under that smile.
Sharp teeth.
“Authorized,” Evelyn softly granted, her voice smooth as velvet. “Take one of the new speedboats I had delivered. But…” She tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing. “Make sure you come back with something of value. Oh, and put the fish inside the tank before you leave. The opening to connect them is over there,” she pointed.
Isla’s tiny form tensed. Her gills flared with a low, rumbling growl she couldn’t release.
What, Maeva’s not valuable enough for you?!
James nodded, his face carved in stoic determination. Isla watched as he moved without another word, hoisting her cooler up and briskly walking toward the containment chamber’s bridging system to add new specimens.
Isla wanted to gulp at the quiet hiss of the airlock’s depressurization that echoed through the hall, the cold, sterile air of Site-X0 rushing in like an arctic breath. His gaze remained fixed forward, his mind already focused on rescuing Maeva, no doubt, by the aura he projected. The machine closed around her, a tube coming out to connect and suck in the water. After some kind of analysis, she was injected into the tank.
Isla tracked every glint of light and every shift of shadow. Her tail flicked instinctively, steadying her as the room’s cold glow made everything appear washed out in hues of cyan and silver. Smooth metal walls arched into a dome-like ceiling, and the only other source of light came from the luminescent veins of energy that ran in rhythmic pulses along the Fog Tank’s surface. Everything about this place felt sterile, suffocating. Was this her new home?
“You’re dismissed, soldier,” Evelyn’s voice echoed softly from the far side of the chamber, her tone laced with the kind of confidence that didn’t require volume to command authority.
James’ posture straightened. His eyes shifted to the side, noting Evelyn’s silhouette emerging from the thin mist near the Fog Tank—her stride measured, each step an exercise in precision.
You certainly know how to act like the villain…
Her white lab coat fluttered behind her like the banner of a heralded conqueror. Her hands were clasped behind her back, head tilted in that familiar way Isla had seen so many times before—an artist examining a half-finished canvas.
“Understood, Director,” James replied, his voice clipped but respectful. Without looking back, he turned and exited. his footsteps heavy, echoing until the airlock sealed once more. The locks snapping into place like the jaws of some giant deep sea beast.
Silence.
Behind her, She held her tight, urging her forward as if wings were gently propelling her on. “You wished for the Truth… You had faith. Here is one piece of it in your life. Understand, secrets have teeth.”
The air shifted. Isla’s senses went taut.
Isla’s small body hovered in the center of her tank, the slow, figure-eight pattern she’d been swimming morphing into a tighter spiral. Her senses flared, catching the faint vibrations in the air—not sound, but movement. Every shift Evelyn made sent ripples through the tank’s water, her presence like the prowling weight of a lioness just outside the grass line… A lioness with a T-Rex circling it in the shadows.
The only other living thing in the containment zone was the other fish—a simple-minded creature that moved in slow, nervous loops.
Instinctual patterns of the figure-eight.
Fear. Prey.
I know, little buddy. I know… I’ve dealt with this lioness before, though.
Evelyn’s eyes slowly turned toward her. Her gaze was not soft. It wasn’t even curious. It was precise. Like she’d already categorized everything Isla was and found her lacking. Isla’s fins stilled, her gills working overtime as she tracked Evelyn’s every step.
The other fish’s spirals grew tighter, frantic. Isla’s gaze shifted to it, catching its rapid movements. It’s scared. Too simple to reason. It’s just responding to instincts. But why now? No, I feel it, too… It’s coming!
A shadow stretched across the floor behind Evelyn.
Not her shadow.
Isla’s body tensed, her fish heart pounding in rapid beats. The shadow wasn’t connected to any source of light. It pooled outward from a central point, like ink dropped into water, dark tendrils curling and unfurling in slow, sinuous movements. The air grew colder—not temperature, but presence. The pressure in the tank more than tripled, as though the chamber had been dragged deeper beneath an unseen ocean trench.
Move. Move. MOVE.
Isla’s tail flicked as she spun in sharp angles to make letters in the tank to warn her: Danger! Danger! Danger!
Her senses stretched beyond the glass, her awareness flickering as she reached with something deeper—a force older than herself, older than this world. She felt Her brush against her mind, a whisper to give her strength.
Then, she felt it—hollow hunger. It wasn’t after Her, it was after Evelyn! Her tail flicked again, her tiny body darting in sudden letters, trying to form a crude warning. “S-H-A—”
A sound.
A buzz.
Deep. Reverberating. The kind of sound that existed not in the air, but in the bones. Isla’s all-seeing eyes snapped to the scarab brooch pinned on Evelyn’s coat—its smooth, obsidian surface glowing with a faint, icy blue light. A voice emerged from it, masculine, mechanical, but with a resonance that rattled through Isla’s core with a unique energy source.
“Neural signature detected, Queen Pharaoh. Partial match. Cross-referencing with internal database.” The voice hummed for a moment longer before stating, “Dr. Isla Reyes. Employee Identification: IM-019-742…”
Evelyn’s head tilted toward the brooch, her gray eyes narrowing with interest now. Her gaze shifted—not to the shadow, but to Isla.
Not me, Eve! It’s behind you! Behind you, you stupid devil bitch!
“Oh?” she murmured, her tone taking on a faint edge of curiosity. She stepped forward, slow and deliberate. Her eyes locked onto Isla with the full intensity of a predator’s attention. “Fascinating.” Her breath fogged the glass for half a second. “You’re not just an ordinary little fish, are you… Isla, can it really be you?”
The shadow pounced.
Space twisted behind Evelyn. A fathomless darkness bloomed outward, warping everything behind her like a vortex of shattered glass and ink. It poured from nowhere and everywhere at once, its edges crackling with barely-contained rage. Isla’s heart clenched, her tail slamming against the tank’s wall as she darted back. Teeth—too many—emerged from the swirling mass, gnashing in unison. Eyes blinked in rows, all of them trained on the brunette’s exposed back.
It struck.
Then, it stopped.
No. It didn’t just stop—it froze in place, its whole mass arrested mid-lunge as if time had been cleaved from its movement. Evelyn’s left hand twitched—a single, small motion. Her head turned, so slowly it seemed mechanical. Her eyes met the shadow’s gaze. No looked past it as if seeing nothing more than an unwanted, cold breeze.
“Hmm. A tad more chilly than it should be. Log it, Scarab,” Evelyn whispered, her voice carrying no weight but total authority. “Is this your doing, my little runaway?” she asked.
Her left hand raised as she absently rubbed it. The shadow’s mass twisted violently, its eyes widening as realization hit. It wasn’t the predator. It was prey. Its entire form collapsed inward—folding, folding, folding—into Evelyn’s open palm. It disappeared with a soundless snap.
Evelyn hadn’t even blinked. Not a single twitch of recognition besides to scratch an itch and make note of a slight chill. That was all The Fog’s cancerous cell had been to her.
The only sound was the faint clink of Evelyn’s fingers closing into a fist.
Her hand shook. For a brief instant, Isla’s fish eyes saw it—her birthmark—the diamond-shaped mark on the back of Evelyn’s hand shimmering with deep crimson light. It pulsed once, then faded.
Isla’s gaze widened. Her world sharpened. Patterns—tattoos—spread across Evelyn’s body like black ink spider webbing across her skin. They flickered for a heartbeat, visible only to Isla, before vanishing even to her enhanced sight.
Isla’s breath hitched, seeing the shadow of what lay underneath. Not a monster. Not a human. Not an Eldritch creature, hungering for sustenance. No. What she saw. No, what she tasted was an endless sea of fire, brimstone, and ash. Torment unending. The eyes and shadowed smirk of a crowned devil. Only…this devil believed she was human.
“Now, now,” Evelyn’s gaze returned to Isla’s tank, her smile a fraction too wide. “What wonderful stories do you have to tell me from your adventure, Isla? Let’s start with a new name since you can’t use your old one now that you’ll be staying longer with AEGIS.”
So… This is why I always felt like she was a devil… You are a devil, Eve. A Princess of Hell. Only… You don’t know it. Now I have to wonder, who sealed you like this…and why did they send you here? A small smile lifted her soul as clarity came. No, I suppose I’m going to find out. I have faith.
“Begin translation metrics, Scarab. I need a program that will allow our doctor here to be a useful part of Site-X0. Be sure, Isla, I will do everything in my power to return you to your former body…” Evelyn’s head tilted, eyes narrowing in mock consideration. “And, in the meantime, if we already have a Mr. Flop, here. How about you go by…Dr. Immortal?” Her dark smile widened. “Yes. I like that. Welcome to the team, Dr. Immortal.”
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Author Question: So, that ends the novella on Dr. Immortal and her origin story! I should probably rename it to Dr. Immortal, tbh. What do you think? There are many other stories in this universe I can tell and many mysteries to delve into but this introduces a big character within AEGIS, Dr. Immortal and Director Evelyn.
I'm thinking about a novella about the continuation and story of Hollow next but have a few novella (single book stories) I could tell that can always be branched out of.
Let me know what you think! I really want to know what you think about this format. It is a lot easier to write than full blown series, that's for sure. Writing single stories like this that tell a specific course of action, like how Dr. Immortal came to be.
