Round 3 - Evan Donaghue (Eric)

Everything was suddenly in slow motion. Evan Donaghue stared at the needle implanted in Ryan's forehead and slowly, sluggishly,  reached up to his own neck to find the second needle. His confusion, surprise and frustration spread outward across his brothers and sisters, even as he felt his knees give out below him. As his sensations spread outward among the hive mind, he felt Ryan's mind pouring into Evan's own memories. 

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(Picture a bright white flash, like a lens flare into your eyes)

Donaghue looked over at Maggie Holness, Finbar Douglas and Ben VanderTuin. They all wore the same look of astonishment that echoed his own state of mind. He looked back at the monumental object that was clearly the focus of the Markham team's excavation efforts. 

"What is it?" gasped Douglas. "A starship?"

"Whatever it is," Donaghue replied in hushed tones, "it was not made by humans."

(Another white flash)

Donaghue's hand went numb from an ethereal cold emanating from the statue as he grabbed it. A sudden, sharp hiss caught his attention. Tearing his eyes away from his prize, he saw a plume of white vapour gushing from one of the nearby pods. The top swung open and almost immediately, an unbidden thought entered his mind. 

{You are making a mistake. Return the device to its alcove.}

{What?} Donaghue thought back in surprise, understanding the meaning of the words, but horrified by how strange they felt inside his head. {What are you?}

{The alcove inhibits the device's Felcar field,} the voice continued, ignoring his question. {If the field is not contained, Xyctexyct will awaken and break free of his containment cell.}

{Xyctexyct?} Donaghue was paralysed with confusion. 

"Doctor, are you alright?" Douglas' voice sounded distant and insignificant amid the thoughts rattling in Donaghue's mind. 

Out of the vapour, a long, three-fingered hand appeared, each finger tipped with a curved talon. 

{Xyctexyct is the entity contained in the core of our vessel,} the tone of the voice was changing, becoming impatient. {It powers our technology. It is devious. Dangerous. It must remain contained.}

Donaghue looked at the statue. Through it, he could feel a connection to power. Immeasurable power. He wanted it. 

Douglas cautiously approached the open pod, trying to peer inside it. 

{This is your final warning, return the device to its alcove.}

Donaghue hesitated for a moment, his tongue nervously licking his lips. 

{No.}

With a ear-piercing scream, a grey shape burst from the pod, tackling Finbar Douglas to the deck. 

Donaghue dashed through the door, slamming into Maggie, who gaped at him in surprise. 

"Run!" he screamed and they both retreated.

(Another white flash)

"What? What the fuck happened out there?"

"There's no time for that Mr. Shipley. If you could please start the engines, it is about time we left."

"But what about Maggie?"

"We won't be seeing her again Mr. Shipley. Start the engines. We need to go, before they finish with her and come for us."

"Who?"

Donaghue reached in to his coat pocket and pulled out a pistol, pointing it at George's face.

"The engines, Mr. Shipley, now."

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Donaghue crumpled awkwardly to the ground. He felt the first knee connect with the floor and then, an eternity later, the second. As he tilted over, his eyes passed over Marcus, sitting upright and Ken laying on a table. While his enhanced body could not suffer any noticeable harm from the fall, he found it strange that as his head bounced off the cold plastic flooring, he felt no pain at all. His head gradually came to rest on the ground and he found himself facing his shrine to Xyctexyct. His substitute alcove. 

Ryan had walked over to the shrine and was reaching toward it. Donaghue raised his hand weakly and tried to focus his mind to send a warning even as Ryan grabbed the statue. 

"Whatever it takes!" came the echoed thoughts and words. 

"No," Donaghue cried mentally, his thoughts still agonisingly slow, "don't listen to it! Return the statue to its shrine! It is the only way to control it!"

Donaghue felt heat radiating on his face, then felt his body being forcefully pushed. As the world rotated before his uncomprehending eyes, he saw Ryan being lifted bodily off his feet and the shrine disintegrating. Donaghue's impaired mind finally processed the explosion. As his consciousness faded, through sheer force of will, he projected a warning hoping that any of his brothers and sisters might hear it. 

"He is free. He is coming for us all."