Chapter Text
This was a bad idea.
Venturing in the bowels of a crashed spaceship was definitely not in any way cautious as I liked to stay, but one major factor forced my hand; the possibility of alien armaments. If they were able to space travel, they mostly likely had more advanced weapons at their disposal.
Of course, there was the chance of encountering whatever was in that craft, but my time stop should allow me to maneuver around them easily.
Still, I need to move quickly. The government no doubt would be investigating this soon.
I entered what seemed to be the main room from a long rupture in the side, quickly scanning for any other living being.
Nothing.
The ship was dead quiet, no light except for the fires and glowing hot metals. It was night outside, so there was no sunlight to rely on. Whatever power source the ship had must have blown.
I managed to find a few guns and weapon to shove into my shield before I started hearing the approaching whirling of helicopter blades. My time was running out.
I considered using my time stop to scavenge more when I felt something brush my ankle. Before I could reflexively stop time, it quickly curled around my leg and yanked me backwards. Twisting my body, I managed to avoid falling on my face but I was quickly being dragged deeper into the bowels of the ship.
I reached for a gun in the darkness but more tendrils wrapped around my limbs. I thrashed blindly even as I was slowed to a stop. Then I felt multiple sharp instruments pierce my skin and steadily inject what felt like liquid hell.
I flared up my magic desperately, trying to burn out or at least halt the injections’ progression. The purple glow exposing a writhing room of growth.
I screamed as felt the tendrils dig into my burning flesh, but forced my eyes to stay open. There had to be a way out of this, as long as my Soul Gem was-
The tendrils started to circle my Soul Gem as if they heard my thoughts.
A mantra of denial burned on my tongue as I watch them poke and prod until-
The world melted into white hot agony.
***
The army had barely gotten spotlights on the fallen alien craft when the screaming started. Soldiers of all ranks tensed at the sound.
“I thought we cleared the civilians out.” One yelled over the din.
“We did but one might have gone inside before we got here.”
The screaming cut out after agonizing sounding climax.
“What’s our orders?”
“Hold. Do not shoot unless whatever comes out shows signs of aggression.”
Several minutes passed before the soft clinking of footsteps on metal could be heard. Slowly, a figure emerged into the spotlights’ beams.
“What the fuck is that ?”
Before the soldiers stood a warped parody of a human being. Stark black and white mutated flesh formed odd patterns broken up by purple streaks. Silver metal armor-like sections covered its left arm and parts of its torso. A few stray tendrils flicked in the wind. No recognizable facial features could be seen.
It shifted its head side to side as if it was observing its surroundings before slowly stepping forward.
“Halt! Identify yourself.”
The being flinched at the sudden commands, but only paused for a second.
“I said halt !”
Its gait increased.
Just as the soldiers began to open fire, the being leaped clear over them and vanished into the darkness beyond them.
“Shit, shit, shit! Spread out and find that thing!”
But it was already too far gone.
***
I came to slowly and sluggishly. My body felt weird, alien, not quite heavy nor light. My vision started to fade in as my fingers twitched idly in my lap.
I was sitting. That was the first thing I processed. The second, I was in a decrepit abandon building.
My memory was too foggy to remember how I got here.
But ultimately that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was saving Madoka. Whatever happened was naught but a setback.
As I thought this, I noticed I had yet to blink even once. Actually, I don’t even remember opening my eyes. Focusing, I couldn’t even feel my eyes.
My hands shot up to where my eyes should be but what entered my vision weren’t my hands. No, these were long and spidery with unnatural coloring. Connected to those hands were unnatural arms. Attached to those were-
I shot up.
Denial on my tongue (did I even have that anymore?), I clawed at the form consuming my vision, hoping that somehow my old familiar body lay underneath it. The flesh was hard like steel but I could still see and feel the damage I was inflicting.
“(Stop, Burning One! You are hurting both of us!)”
I paused at the voice. No, voice was the incorrect term. It was a series of inhuman growls and whispers echoing from an unknown source that somehow flowered meaning in my head.
I scanned the area for the source but found nothing. The only thing of note was that damage to this body was repairing itself at a modest speed.
I tried to speak, to question the not-voice, but only a low animalistic grumble sounded.
“(This body was not meant for speech but with time you may develop the means to.)”
Who or what ever this thing was, I couldn’t communicate with it-
“(We are one, Burning One. Such a thing is not a problem.)”
One? What did you do to me?
“(I did only what was needed to survive. You were the only option.)”
Fury coiled in my gut, but I shoved it down. I need more sense of the situation before I do anything rash. What even are you?
“(My creators called me the Helminth strain. I was made to create and maintain soldiers with capabilities beyond that of regular ones.)”
So an alien disease. A weaponized disease.
“(If it comforts you, Burning One, my capability to spread is severally diminished. And of course, I would respect your decision you make on that front.)”
...Why? Why respect my wishes at all? Why not just drag me along with whatever you want?
“(I have no objective other than survival, and a major part of that depends upon you, Burning One. Fighting each other would be at best fruitless.)”
I mulled over its words as I flexed my new limbs experimentally. I didn’t not know this body’s capabilities, but seemed much tougher than a human one. Perhaps, I could still fight Walpurgistnacht with it, though there was still the issue of weaponry.
“(Is this Walpurgistnacht an enemy?)”
Yes .
“(Then we shall destroy it.)”
I stalked over to a broken window and gazed outside. The sun was just peaking over the horizon. I couldn’t go out in the daylight like this. I would be bond to attract unwanted attention. If only I could still stop time...
“(Your former abilities should still be usable, if not strengthened.)”
Flexing the well-used ‘magic muscle’, the world faded into grey as time halted. I quickly tested if everything worked the same, and thankfully it did. Stopping time still drained my stamina, which could become a problem if I could not replenish it quickly. Also, despite not having my shield, I was still had access to my arsenal.
“(Impressive. You must have been a fearsome warrior.)”
I did not know how to respond to that.
After getting my bearings of where I was, I took a running leap out the window. Scaling building before as a Magical Girl was easy but with this body it was trivial. If time wasn’t stopped I would have made it to my apartment in record time.
I dropped the time stop once I was safely inside.
Is there anything I need to know about this body and maintaining it?
“(This body has the ability to manipulate infected biomasses as I did in the past. As for maintenance, consuming biotic and abiotic matter is all we need to maintain ourselves.)”
Helminth temporarily took control in order to demonstrate, quietly of course, to not alert the neighbors. The maggots particularly interested me. They were about the size of the Incubator, though shorter in stature. They were capable attacking and followed my will despite the distance. They would be useful Incubator hunters, if I had them at the beginning of the timeline.
“(So you have the ability to turn back time as well.)”
Yes, but only to a fixed point.
Helminth gave out the equivalent to a hum. “(Is there any communication devices here? It would be advantageous to know what is going on outside.)”
I turned on the television. “-the military has issued a partial lockdown on the city, though they have not commented on why, only encouraging the public to report anything suspicious-”
Seems the military are looking for us. I paused in thought. What happened while I was out?
I expected a ‘spoken’ reply but the events after my infection suddenly came to me, like a forgotten memory.
“(I apologize. I was still unused to piloting a mobile body. I should have slipped out another way.)”
I internally sighed and shut off the tv. What’s done is done. This timeline was still up in the air. If I could defeat Walpurgistnact, I could live with this. As long as Madoka is safe, I could live with this.
“(Is this Madoka your partner?)”
A shrieky equivalent to a sputter escaped my new maw. I knew what Helminth meant by ‘partner’ but I had no idea how to answer that.
“Did you hear that?” My enhanced senses picked up Sayaka’s voice even though it was muffled by the wall. Stalking to wall and focusing, I could hear three other people’s breathing and heartbeats, along with a fainter one. Madoka, Mami, and the Incubator I assume. But who was the fourth person?
“Ay, but I don’t have a clue what that was.” Kyoko? She wasn’t on good terms with the others this timeline, so why was she here?
“Do you think it’s here? The thing that killed Homura?” Madoka’s voice was quivering. My fingers twitched with the longing to comfort her.
There was brief silence, probably the Incubator talking, before Kyoko spoke up again, “Well, we aren’t going to find out if we just stand here!”
Fuck. I stopped time and slipped under my bed. I had to ‘flatten’ myself a bit, which was a weird sensation but I was thankful for this body’s adaptability. The bed skirt should hide me and would be less likely to be searched. I let time resume.
The lock clicked open and I heard them file into my apartment. I had reabsorbed any and all of the biomass Helminth used for demonstration, so they should not find anything.
Kyoko whistled. “Jeez, it’s like no one lives here. You sure this is moody’s apartment?”
“It does say her name outside the door...” Mami trailed off.
There was some rustling. “What I don’t understand is why she went into that spacecraft in the first place. Like, what did she have to gain?” Sayaka said.
More than you would think, I thought to myself.
Mami and Sayaka idly speculated while Kyoko muttered complaints to herself and Madoka remained quiet.
“Kyubey?” My blood froze in my veins when Madoka uttered that horrid nickname. “...You said Homura’s Soul Gem shattered, so there’s still a chance she’s still alive, right?”
Sayaka voiced my thoughts for me. “You’re seriously going to use your wish on the transfer student?”
“B-but if she’s alive, she’s probably hurt and scared!” Madoka stuttered, making my heart clenched painfully. You never make this easy, Madoka.
“It ain’t worth it, pinky.” Kyoko said. “Wishes like that backfire.”
Helminth clicked in confusion and I half-heartly shoved memories his direction.
As things began to devolving into an argument, Helminth spoke, “(If you do not wish for your partner to become a Magical Girl, why not have me infect her?)”
I had to twist my hands around so my claws would not scrape against the floor.
“(It would be easier to protect her if you were of the same flesh and you have noted that gaining power vastly increases her confidence-)”
No. I internally hissed. I will not rob her of her regular life nor put her through the pain of infection!
“(Both can be avoided. There was a strain that learned how to hide amongst the uninfected and there are ways to alleviate the pain-)”
Shut up!
I was so focused on Helminth I did not notice the room go quiet at first.
Deathly Quiet.
They were still there, but they must have switched to talking via telepathy.
Which means something tipped them off.
We’ll finish this conversation later. I thought to Helminth, pushing my displeasure on it. Stopping time, I crept out from underneath the bed.
Mami, Kyoko, and Sayaka had transformed and set up a perimeter around Madoka and the Incubator, frozen eyes scanning the room.
Great.
After some thought, I left a maggot to observe them. It would be better for them to find the maggot over finding me.
I had to channel my power through the maggot in order for it to be immune to the time stop without me touching it. Useful but draining.
Once I was a significant distance away and the maggot was properly hidden, I slipped into an abandoned building and let time resume.
The three Magical Girls held their positions for several minutes before pushing out and doing a more thorough sweep.
Just when I thought the maggot would get away undetected, the Incubator turned its head towards it.
Immediately, Mami’s ribbons snapped it up and dragged it into the light.