Next steps

"So, you've got the Intrusion and Vision now," PAris said to me. "What's next?"

"I dunno," I said. "Unnamed Child would be good to add to the collection, but tracking her down would be difficult. Maybe Wood Bitch? I'm sure we'd be able to find some Puppets somewhere..."

"Want me to leave a message with Solar Progeny?" Paris asked. "See if Tony can find any activity?"

"I guess," I said. "I'd rather not trouble him too much, but we can at least ask if he knows anything..."

"I'll give him a call after lunch," Paris said.

Around that time, That Guy Tyler opened the door.

"Um, boss...," he said. "There's a lady at the door wanting to speak with you..."

"Thank you," I said. "I'll go take care of it."

I went up to the front door to find a young Japanese woman waiting there.

"Ogenki desu ka, Daniel-san!" she said, seeming a little flustered.

"Dr. Ferris will do just fine," I said. "What's your name?"

"My name is Kimiko Kelterry," she informed me.

Interesting. "Kelterry" is far from a common Japanese surname. In fact, this is the first time I've ever heard that surname.

"I've come here on behalf of Elie-Sempai," she said.

"Elie Graves?" I asked.

"Hai," she replied.

I haven't spoken to Elie in quite a while. And the fact that she refers to him as "Sempai" implies that she's a student at the AMU, like him.

"What does he need with me?" I asked.

"He wishes to discuss the Extractor," she said. "He says he's near perfecting it, and wishes for your input."

"I see," I replied.

I suppose some exposition is in order.

You know that Extractor of mine? It wasn't my idea...

Elie Grave and I are old acquaintances, and we used to share notes with each other frequently. A long time ago, he showed me the incomplete blueprint to the Extractor. He couldn't quite complete it, so I gave it a try myself. The result was my modified toaster oven, which is still far from perfect, as it has backfired more times than I care to admit. IF he really has figured out how to make it work properly, then that is something I'd like to see.

"Very well," I said. "When and where would he like to meet?"

"Tomorrow night, if possible," she said. "At the library of Seline Dhark."

Good thing I know where that is, and can teleport that distance.

"All right," I said. "Inform him that I'll be arriving around 8 o'clock."

"Of course," she said. "Sayonora, Dani- I mean, Dr. Ferris."

"Goodbye, Kelterry-san," I said.

So, it seems I have a reunion with an old pal. I'll keep you all posted.

Kallaway

We brought Kallaway back to my lab and sat him down in a chair. Paris left me alone with him, and I placed a sock on the doorknob, to ensure our privacy. I spent some time bandaging myself up as I waited for him to regain consciousness. Eventually he stirred.

"Ah, you're up,"  said. "Good. Allow me to officially introduce myself. My name is Daniel Ferris."

"Where am I?" Kallaway asked.

"This my lab," I informed him.

He took a brief look around.

"Shitty lab," he muttered. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Allow me to explain," I said. "I've been seeking an audience with you for a while now. The reason being that I require a sample of your blood."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" he demanded.

"You see, I work in a rather unique field of science that specifically deals with the supernatural," I said.

He continued staring at me, with a distrusting look on his face.

"Normally, I'd call bullshit," he said. "But unless I was dreaming earlier, I could swear I saw you vanishing into thin air."

I appeared in front of him instantly, shocking him slightly.

"I assure you," I said. "That was no dream."

I stepped away and walked over to a table, where I had a syringe ready to go.

"Now, the reason I need your blood, is because you're what we refer to as a Descendant," I said.

"A Descendant of what?" he asked.

I turned back to him, syringe in hand, and smiled.

"A god," I told him.

"Okay, now I'm calling bullshit," he said.

"It's true" I said. "On your mother's side. Dating back approximately 800 years."

"Whatever," he said, getting up. "I don't give a shit about any of this. You're not getting my blood."

I chuckled a bit at that.

"Oh, you seem to be misunderstanding me, Mr. Kallaway," I said. I turned to him, darkening my expression slightly. "I'm not asking."

We stared each other down for a minute. He was clearly considering fighting me, but seemed to be weighing his options. Eventually, he softened his stance.

"What exactly do you plan on doing with my blood?" he asked.

I motioned to the Extractor on the table next to me.

"This device is called the Extractor," I said. "It's designed to draw out, amplify, and contain eldritch energy. Using it, I can extract some of your ancestor's power from your blood, and from there, I can research that power."

He remained silent for a while.

"I don't trust you," he said.

"You shouldn't," I replied.

A minute more of silence passed, before he outstretched his open hand to me.

"I'll do it myself," he said.

I passed him the syringe, and a shortly after, he handed it back, filled with his blood.

"So, now you just pull the magic out of it, right?" he asked.

"That's right," I said. "You're welcome to watch, if you'd like."

I prepared the Extractor and placed the syringe inside of it. I turned it on, and began drawing the energy. The energy was a smooth, soft blue light. I began amplifying its power, and the energy expanded, and began shifting colors, mostly lingering on shades of blue.

"Wow," Kallaway muttered in disbelief.

"This is it," I told him. "Your ancestor's power. The power of destiny itself. All that's left is the transfer..."

I began transferring the energy to the Cell, bracing myself a bit.

"You might wanna stand back," I said. "This could go poorly."

He took a step back, as the energy was compressed into the Cell. Once the process was complete, I let out my breath. Success.

"Perfect," I said, removing the Cell and pocketing it. "Thank you for your cooperation."

"Whatever," he said. "I've still got a couple more questions for you."

"Go on then," I said.

"First of all, why were you holding back earlier?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I didn't see the end of that fight, but you got me back here safely," he said. "You must have defeated the rest of those men somehow after I was knocked out. I get the feeling you could've ended that fight a lot sooner."

"Power invites opposition," I informed him. "If my true power was public knowledge, it would be problematic. So I hold back. Save my true capabilities for a last resort."

"I see," he said. "Next question. This "Extractor" of yours is designed to draw out and amplify supernatural energy, correct?"

"Correct," I confirmed.

He motioned to the larger machine I keep in the corner.

"So why do you need a man-sized version of it?" he asked.

"Is that what you think that is?" I asked.

"I can tell at a glance that they're built for a similar function," he said.

"Well, you're not wrong," I said, teleporting over to it. "I call it the Enhancer. And as you observed, it is capable of drawing out and increasing dormant energies inside of anything as large as an adult human."

He stared at it, then glanced at the Extractor, still containing the syringe full of his blood. I could tell exactly what was running through his head right then. I opened up the Enhancer, and turned to him.

"This could be a good chance for you to realize your potential," I said.

He looked back at me hesitantly.

"If successful, we can awaken that dormant eldritch power hidden deep inside of you," I continued.

He approached the machine nervously, clearly second guessing this decision. He stood before it, hesitating for a couple minutes.

"You can consider this my thanks," I said. "In return for aiding my research, I can bring out your real power."

After a few more moments, he stepped inside, and I closed the glass door behind him.

"So this will work, right?" he asked. "It'll draw that same power out of me?"

"Probably," I said. "Assuming you survive, of course..."

His eyes widened.

"Wait, what?" He asked.

"Turning it on now!" I said, pulling own on a switch.

The machine lit up, and I slowly turned up a dial. The soft blue light was slowly pulled from his body, filling the empty space around him. I turned up another dial, causing the energy to grow thicker. Kallaway fell to his knees, seemingly overwhelmed by the power surrounding him. I knelt down and locked eyes with him.

"I can bring this power to the surface, and make it stronger," I informed him. "But controlling it? That's on you, my friend."

He slowly stood up, looking more determine. The power began soaking back into his body. Most of it, anyway. Some of it lingered around his right hand, some of it spread behind him in the shape of wings, and even more of it was pulled into his eyes, causing them to glow brightly.

He fell forwards, leaning on the glass, struggling to keep a handle on the power. Then, in a sudden moment, he cried out in pain, as the energy behind him solidified. What had once been pure energy was now a set of large, crimson wings, composed of something similar to chitin.

The energy around his forearm soon did the same, solidifying into a gauntlet made of the same material. And slowly, the light faded from his eyes, revealing large, pitch black pupils, with no irises at all.

I opened the door, and he slumped to the ground, catching his breathe.

"How do you feel?" I asked him.

"I... I'm seeing things," he said. "I can't make sense of any of it. These flashes... what is this?"

"Destiny," I said. "One of your ancestor's powers allowed her to see possible outcomes to the future. You seem to have inherited that ability."

He looked up at me, confused. But his vision seemed to sharpen suddenly as he looked at me, and his expression changed to one of anger. He rose to his feet, taking a loose stance, prepared to come to blows.

"A lot of people are going to die because of you," he hissed.

I smiled down at him.

"Is that so?" I asked.

Without another word, he rushed at me. Before he could get a proper hit in, I vanished, appearing behind him and hooking his ankle with my cane. He caught himself before falling and turned, attempting to deliver a right hook, but I jabbed my two lead fingers into his eyes. He swore in pain and stumble backwards a bit. As he did, I clicked a switch on my cane, releasing the concealed blade inside of it. I teleported right up to him and jammed the sheath of my sword cane in to his solar plexus, and as he leaned forward, winded, I brought the blade up to his throat, holding it there.

"Here's the thing, Mr. Kallaway," I said. "Even with that little power up I just gave you, you still can't beat me."

I leaned a bit closer and whisper into his ear.

"And I don't need foresight to know that," I informed him.

I then teleporting right outside his apartment building. Now, I've mentioned that my teleportation is kind of painful. I, however, am somewhat used to it.

He wasn't. As soon as I brought him there, he collapsed in agony. I took a couple dollars out of my pocket and tossed them to him.

"Reimbursement for that soda you sacrificed," I said. "Have a nice day, Mr. Kallaway."

I then teleported back to my lab. All in all, I think that went better than expected. Not every day to get to take part in the birth of a new Demi-God.

The Opportune Moment

A little over an hour ago, I was confronted by a large group of Timberwolves. Most of them carried daggers or bats. Only a couple of them had guns, which was good. Too many guns would be a problem.

The gunslingers stood at what they must've assumed was a safe distance, while the rest of the wolves charged at me. One of the gunslingers took aim at me, but I closed the distance between us in a moment, startling him. I hooked his gun hand and forced it in the direction of one of his comrades. He pulled the trigger on reflex, causing a bullet to tear through the side of one of the batters. He went down, crying out in pain.

It took a second for the rest of them to process what had just happened, but when they did, the melee fighters changed direction and charged toward my new location, while the second gunslinger fired his own gun. I still had the first guys arm hooked, so I forced him between us to take the hit. He shouted a couple choice swear words before I elbowed him in the head, knocking him out.

I then appear right beside the second gunslinger and hooked his arm as well, forcing him to aim at another batter, and, like the first guy, he pulled the trigger on reflex, taking the batter down.. I then clubbed him with my cane and he went down. The rest of them hesitated at seeing that. I calmly faced them all and leaned on my cane, staring them down.

"I would have assumed you'd all be informed by now that I can teleport," I said. "And yet you still seem taken aback by it."

As a side note to anyone who may be skeptical of this, I'll confirm that it's completely true, and should be less unbelievable then that whole thing with the magic spider and the Extractor. It hurts a bit, but I can, in fact, teleport.

They then decided to pull themselves together and rushed at me again. I appeared in the middle of them and hooked the arm of one of the batters. I forced his arm into motion, smacking one of the knife nuts with his bet. He dropped the bat in alarm, and I quickly scooped it up and knocked him out with it. I then teleported a couple feet away and knocked out a couple of them that were standing close together with both the bat and my cane.

I then turned to strike another of them, but his reaction time was as good as mine, and as my cane collided with his skull, his knife flew upwards, leaving a long gash on my chest. Shortly afterwards, I felt another knife slash me from behind. I vanished from the group, appearing a distance away. As I mentioned before, teleporting does hurt a bit, and it was starting to wear on me. Combined with the knife wounds I had just gotten, I wasn't in the best condition at that time. Like I said in the last post; large groups can be a bit of a problem.

They all turned to me. The could see that I was weak, and began approaching me menacingly. And slowly. Cocky bastards...

Unfortunately for them, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye that they didn't. The Descendant I had been keeping an eye on was walking toward them, with a pissed expression on his face and a grocery bag carrying a two liter of soda in his hand.

I pick myself up and leaned on my cane again, shooting the wolves a confident look.

"Do you assholes really think a couple lacerations are gonna keep me down?" I asked.

They paused, and one of the knife nuts, in a state of confusion, asked one of his comrades "What's a laceration?"

"Oh, you uneducated twat!" I angrily shouted, throwing my stolen bat at his head, knocking him out. "Expand your fucking vocabulary you simple bitches!"

While they were all taken aback by that outburst, the Descendant, who was now significantly closer, began twirling his grocery bag rapidly, before releasing it, sending it flying at one of the wolves in the front. He was stunned by it, and I took a chance to appear up close to him and smack him down with my cane before hooking the grocery bag and throw it back to the Descendant. 

As he rushed forward, he grabbed the soda out of it, allowing the wind to blow the bag away. As he moved, he snatched up a discarded knife that was nearby, and I teleported behind him, away from all the wolves.

The Descendant threw the soda bottle, putting a bit of a spin on it, then threw the knife at it, piercing the spinning bottle, and causing soda to spray all over the wolves, both drenching and startling them.

"Who the fuck are you!?" One of them demanded.

The Descendant straightened up, cracking his knuckles.

"David Kallaway," he said. "Pleased to beat ya."

"Thanks for the assist," I said. "I'm-"

"The prick who's been stalking me the past week," he said. "I know."

"I was gonna say 'Dr. Ferris', but okay, that's fair I guess," I replied. "What do you think our odds are?"

"Seeing as you're barely standing, I'd say slim to none," he answered.

"I was barely standing in the first place," I said, gesturing to my cane.

"Whatever," he said. "Either way, I have questions for you, and they can't get answered if either of us get killed. So I guess I'm gonna have to win this fight. You stay back. You'll only hold me back in your condition."

"Rude," I muttered.

With that, he rushed forward, and started fighting them. And, I must say, he held his ground pretty well. I couldn't follow the fight very well, so I won't bother reciting ever last detail like I've done up 'til now, but he is clearly well trained Mauy Thai, and possibly some other martial arts as well, and seems to have some strong battle instincts.

Unfortunately, the wolves numbers were a bit too much, and at the end of the fight, he got knocked out, and one of them literally threw his unconscious body at me. Not how I wanted things to go, but I could still work with it.

I had gotten some of my strength back, and after his brawl, there were only 6 of the wolves left. Or so I thought.

They surrounded me and the unconscious Kallaway, weapons drawn. But then a voice rang out from the shadows.

"Hold!" the voice commanded.

They all froze, and a man stepped out of the shadows, walking toward me. A man I recognized. He was dressed in a black longcoat, along with shades and a fedora. His hair was shoulder length, and somewhat greasy.

"Hello, Mr. Ferris," he said.

"Dr. Ferris," I said. "Seriously, Rillek, when will you acknowledge my three PHDs? I worked hard for those!"

"Forgive me," he replied. "But there's no point in acknowledging the achievements of a dead man. We have orders from the Apostles themselves to eliminate you before you grow too strong."

"I believe the number of fallen soldier around you will indicate that I've already grown too strong," I said. "And if they want me out of the picture, Why'd you tell your guys to stand down?"

Rillek sighed.

"In spite of the threat you pose, the Apostles are willing to grant you a semblance of mercy," he said.

"At what cost?" I asked.

"End your research," he said. "All of it. Cease your pursuit of power, and live a normal life, leaving the Fears and their goals to themselves."

I smiled at him. I knew this was is offer, and I sure as hell wasn't accepting it.

"Yeah, gonna have to go with no," I said, raising my whistle to my lips. "Go fuck yourself, Rillek."

Realizing what I was about to do, Rillek quickly reached for his gun, but he wasn't fast enough. I placed the whistle in my mouth, plugged Kallaway's ears, and blew.

Now, fun fact. In addition to teleporting, I can also blow that whistle loudly. Like, super loud. Like, loud enough to knock out all 7 of those bastards at once.

Afterwards, I called Paris over, we put Kallway in the back seat, and we're headed back to the office.

Now, my entire goal has been to get Kallaway to my office. This... wasn't how I was hoping to go about it. I was hoping for a scenario that didn't involve dragging his unconscious body all the way there. But hey, I'll take what I can get.

I'll keep you all posted on how the rest of this goes.

Wolfies

So, um... Still haven't interacted with the Descendant yet. For two reasons.

First of all, I haven't spotted the opportune moment yet. Once I do, I'll take action.

The other reason is gang activity.

Now, you may be thinking "But Dr. Ferris, you're in L.A. Shouldn't you have been prepared for that?"

I am prepared. I always am. But here's the thing.

I won't go into the full details yet, but there are beings in this world that are far beyond humanity. Beings of great, and terrible power. Beings which... leave me the hell alone.

Seriously, they avoid me whenever I can. They have reason to, but again, not going into full detail quite yet.

So, I've gone out of my way to seek out whatever samples I can of them for my research. Hence the items That Guy Tyler listed in that post of his. I don't mind him sharing that information. Or comparing my to a mad scientist. I honestly considered that a compliment. Mad science is the best science.

Now, while the beings generally leave me alone, the numbskulls who worship them... don't bother with that.

These particular numbskulls are called Timberwolves. You can thing of them as a weird mixture of bikers and religious cultists. Some of them lean more towards one of those or the other, some manage to strike a pretty good balance.

I've had a few run ins with them during my time in this city. None of those interactions have ended well.

For them.

I may be handicapped, but I'm no pushover. I've dealt with them every time they've bothered me.

However, it's only a matter of time before they start throwing bigger numbers at me. Which could eventually become a problem.

Hopefully my business with the Descendant will be done before then.

The City

I've given That Guy Tyler the next week off, while Paris and I head to LA. I won't disclose exactly where I work, but it's not too far.

We found our guy not long ago. We were seated in a booth, just passing time until we could find this "Person of interest" Sera mentioned.

He showed up sometime in the afternoon, flirted with the waitress a bit, ordered a strawberry sundae, and had a seat not too far from us.

It was him. The Descendant. Exactly the man I've been looking for.

"So what our game plan," Paris asked.

"For now, we play the waiting game," I asked. "The opportune moment will present itself eventually. Besides, we don't want to inconvenience the man more than we have to."

"If you say so," Paris said, shrugging. "You gonna finish that bacon?"

"As a matter of fact," I said, popping the last piece into my mouth, "I am."

Paris let out a disappointed sigh and waved the waitress over to order some more.

So yeah. That where we are right now. Just observing this man until the right time rolls around.

Seraph

We've successfully caught some rats for use as test subjects. I injected half of them with the vaccines, while keeping the other half as a control group. After giving the vaccine some time to take effect, I'll expose them to the ointment. Then I'll just... wait and see how many of them die...

Sure, it may not be humane, but these are rats. And not the adorable kind you get in pets stores. These are real fucking rats. I'd be doing my neighborhood a favor if they die.

Anyway, that's not why I'm making this post. I'm making it because I received an important call earlier today while I was working. I had Paris answer for me, and after a few words, he turned to me and said "It's Sera. She wants to talk."

I paused what I was doing. Sera Phillips is a woman who I... have a history with. We hadn't spoken in a long time. Why would she be calling?

I took the phone from Paris.

"Hey," I said. "Been a while. How's things?"

"Things are... fine," came her voice from the other end.

My heart stopped briefly. It'd been so long since I'd heard her voice.

"I noticed you've started blogging," she said. "Is this the Compulsion happening?"

"Likely," I answered.

"That's odd," she said. "I thought the big guys left you alone."

"The Compulsion takes a number forms, each caused by something different," I explained. "It's entirely possible that the form of Compulsion I'm experiencing is the result of something other then Them."

"I see," she said.

There was a moment of silence. A silence I decided to break with an important question.

"So... how's the Baby?" I asked.

"Ugh," she said. "Why do you have to call it that?"

"Because it raises questions for my readers, and I take some sadistic joy in their confusion," I replied.

She let out a sigh.

"I'm keeping an eye on it," she said. "It's safe."

"That's good," I said. "So... why did you really call?"

"I want to know that you're okay," she said. "And not doing anything... you know..."

"Stupid?" I asked.

"I was gonna say 'reckless', but... yeah," she said.

"I see," I said. "I'm afraid I've been doing both."

"I was worried about that," she said. "Why didn't you just lie? It would've been a lot more comforting to me..."

"Sorry, honey," I said. "My work is important. If I have to take a few risks with it, then so be it."

Sera let out another sigh.

"Look, just... promise me you won't get yourself killed," she said.

I stayed silent for a few seconds before responding with "Okay."

There was some more silence.

"So, that Descendant you're looking for..." She said.

I perked up.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"I'm afraid of what you might do with this information," she said. "But... there's a person of interest in downtown LA."

"Where?" I asked.

"I don't know where he's staying right now," she said. "But there's a café he frequents. Has a thing for strawberry sundaes, apparently..."

"Can I get an address?" I asked.

"I'll text it to you once we hang up," she replied.

"Good," I said.

I went silent for a few more seconds.

"So...," I said hesitantly. "Was there... anything else you were wanting to talk about?"

"I... um... not really," she said. "I guess this is where we should end it."

"Wait," I said. "Sera... I... I miss you."

More silence.

"I know," she said.

She hung up.

I set the phone down. A few seconds later, I received a text with the address of the café. Nothing else. I sent her a "Thank you" and waited for a reply. Nothing. So I pelled myself together and got back to work.

Um... hi...

This is Tyler.

The boss has given me permission to update the blog for him, as he's busy with his cures right now.

And he can't think of anything else to do right now. I've already cleaned most of this place up, except for the stuff I'm not allowed to touch.

Paris is out looking into something called a "Descendant". Not sure what that's about exactly.

Um, about the cures the boss has been developing. He's made a lot of progress on them, but they're taking up most of his attention right now.

Also, I guess we're calling the spider "Spider Wolfie" now. I don't know why the boss decided to keep it, but its still on the shelf of supposedly dangerous stuff.

There's some odd stuff on that shelf. Almost all of it's in those little mason jars. Amongst the "sample" there, are such items as a single, jet-black feather, a couple of flowers I can't identify, a jar of some black, tarlike substance, a jar of what looks like water, some black fur, a few empty syringes, a piece of wood with some grayish mold growing on it, and a jar of what looks like (but I hope isn't) human blood. Though, I'm pretty sure real blood would have coagulated (is that the term) by now.

What it is, the boss insists that everything on the shelf is dangerous, and I should keep my distance. And after what happened with the Extractor the other day, I'm inclined to believe him. With a name like "the Extractor", it sort of implies whatever weird energy was that the boss gather came from that little spider. Just what kind of bug is that thing, exactly?

I sort of got the vibe when I first met him, but the Doctor just keeps ticking off more and more of the boxes for the classic "Mad Scientist". And I'm sure that if he reads this post, he may actually take that as a compliment...

Progress Has Been Made

After a few days, That Guy Tyler finally acquired the sample I needed. He brought me the jar full of bugs he had collected. I examined each one carefully until one caught my attention. It seemed just like all the others, but I could feel that it was different.

I removed the small wolf spider and held it in the palm of my hand.

"Hello, little guy," I said, smiling.

"Um, I pretty sure that's poisonous," That Guy Tyler pointed out.

"It won't hurt me," I said.

Tyler looked a bit closer.

"Is it... cowering?" he asked

I wouldn't say it was "cowering", exactly, but its legs were trembling slightly, as it stared directly into my face. It knew exactly who I am.

"Come with me," I instructed.

I led That Guy Tyler into another room, where Paris was waiting.

"Get it ready," I instructed.

Paris noticed the spider in my hand and stepped back in alarm.

"Why are you holding it!?" he asked.

"It won't bite," I said confidently. "And even if it does, there's no venom in this would I can't survive."

Paris frown disapprovingly.

"I think you may be exaggerating a bit there," he said.

"Just get the extractor ready," I said.

Now, upon seeing the Extractor, you might mistake it for a toaster over. Because it used to be one...

I repurposed it, however, into something much different. I placed the spider into a small glass jar, which I inserted into the Extractor. I closed the door on it, and the little guy scrambled frantically, before realizing there was no way out.

"Cell," I said, opening my hand in Paris's direction.

Paris placed the Cell in my hand. What I call the "Cell" looks a lot like a very large, see-through battery. And in some ways, that's exactly what it is.

I placed the Cell into a spot on the Extractor and locked it into place.

"What is this exactly?" That Guy Tyler asked.

"You'll see," I said, starting the Extractor up. I leaned in real close to the Extractor, whispering to the spider. "Hang tight, little dude. This is probably going to kill you."

The Extractor began making a number of different noises, and the lights inside of it came on. I turned what used to be the heat dial slightly. Slowly, a sickly green light began spreading out from the spider.

"Just a it more," I muttered, turning the dial just a bit more.

The light coming from the spider spread out more, taking up most of the interior of the Extractor, like a shining mist.

"Good," I said softly. "Now, to amplify it."

I turned the former timer up, bit by bit. As I did, the green light grew thicker. Stronger. By the time I had turned the dial to its maximum, the light had taken on new features. Shaped that looked like insect parts (legs, wings, antennae, and whatnot) began randomly appearing and disappearing inside the strange light.

"Going good so far," I said hesitantly. "Now for the final step. Compression."

I reached up to where the cell was plugged in, and pressed a button on either side. The Green light began flowing through a number of wires connecting the Extractor to the Cell. Paris and I both held our breathes in anticipation. This was the part where there was often a problem. Sometimes, the machine had trouble compressing the power, which could cause a number of problems, ranging from the Cell cracking harmlessly, to the entire Extractor exploding. Probably should've warned That Guy Tyler of the risks involved with using this thing...

The green energy was slowly compressed and transferred into the Cell. We waiting, on edge, until the energy was completely drained from the Extractor and compressed inside of the Cell. Once it was finished, the Extractor made a loud Ding sound (a feature of the toaster oven I decided to keep) to inform us the transfer was successful. Paris and I let our breaths out in relief.

Success.

I removed the Cell and examined it closely. The thick, green light was sealed inside of it, constant shifting, occasionally growing and losing bug parts.

"What is that?" That Guy Tyler asked. He had been silent up until then, likely in shock of what he had just witnessed.

"Energy," I replied.

"What... kind of... energy?"

He asked.

"The unknowable kind," I said. "Powerful. Dangerous. Erratic."

My lips curled into a small grin.

"Eldritch."

I pocketed the Cell for now, and turned my attention back to the Extractor.

"What are you going to do with it?" That Guy Tyler asked.

"That's my little secret," I said, as I opened up the Extractor.

 I removed the container with the spider inside. I examined it closely. The spider was lying on its back, motionless. I tapped on the glass, and waited a few second. After a while, the spider came to. I stretched its legs slowly and flipped itself over. I smiled.

"There's my little trooper," I said.

I brought it over to a shelf where I keep all my other samples and set it down.

"That Guy Tyler," I said.

"Yes sir?" he replied.

"I know this is your first time in this room," I said. "You're welcome to come here at any time, but I have three rules. First of all, touch nothing on this shelf. Everything here is incredibly dangerous."

"Okay," he replied.

"Rule two," I said. "Don't touch the Extractor. Or that machine over there."

I waved toward a much larger machine I have in the corner.

"Sure," he said. "What's rule three?"

I made my way towards the door and simply said "If there's a sock on the doorknob, don't come in."

"What?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it," I said. "I feel like celebrating this success of ours. Let's get some grub."

"Really?" That Guy Tyler asked.

"I can't afford to pay you guys, but I can swing for a meal every so often," I said. "Now come on. There's this Mexican buffet that just opened up that I've been dying to try."

So, we  went, got some food, and had some fun.




Also, if anyone in the comments wants to help me come up with a name for my new pet eldritch wolf spider, I'm open to suggestions.

Tyler's First Day

That Guy Tyler arrived 15 minutes early. That's good. I appreciate punctuality.

"So," he asked. "What do you need me doing?"

"Oh, its quite simple, actually," I said. "For your first assignment..."

I handed him a mason jar and a small net.

"I need you to catch some bugs," I said.

He gave me a confused look.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yep," I said. "I assure you, this is important work."

"What kind of bugs do you need?" he asked.

"Whatever you can find," I said. "Flies, bees, spiders, doesn't really matter."

"And you want them all in the same jar?" he asked. "What if the predatory ones go after all the others?"

"Doesn't matter," I said. "Even the dead ones could prove valuable."

His confused expression persisted, so I gave a deep sigh and reassured him a bit more. I placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a big smile.

"Look, I know this seems odd, but I need whatever specimens you can get your hands on," I said. "This is very important to my work."

He shrugged and nodded. I pointed to the whistle I wear around my neck.

"When you hear me blow this, I'll need you to come back," I said.

"What if I'm too far away to hear it?" he asked.

"Trust me," I assured him. "You'll hear it."

He shrugged again, before leaving to fulfill his task. It was then that Paris entered.

"Bug net, huh?" He asked. "Got him catching samples for you?"

"Yep," I said, limping over to my desk.

"Think he'll have any better luck than I do with that?" he asked.

"Hopefully," I said, beginning to look over my notes on the ointment. "So, any updates on the Descendant?"

"Not yet," Paris said. "You know you could just talk to the Professor, right?"

"Dealing with the University is more trouble then it's worth," I said. "I'll save it for a last resort."

"Fine," he replied. "I'll keep an ear to the ground and see if anything comes up. What else do you need me doing in the meantime?"

"Put some fresh bait in the traps," I said. "I really do need those test subjects."

No rodents had gone for the traps overnight, which was a bit disappointing, but to be expected. Patience is a necessary part of science.

I kept working til later in the evening, at which point I decided it was time to turn in. I blew my whistle, and a few minutes later, That Guy Tyler return, with the mason jar now containing a number of different insects.

"Are these good?" he asked.

"Let me have a look," I said.

I examined each bug, one at a time. They were all perfectly normal insects. I let out a sigh.

Disappointing.

But to be expected.

"You did good," I said. "But I'm afraid none of these are quite what I need for my research.

"Oh," he said, disappointed.

"We'll give this another try tomorrow," I said. "For now, you're free to take the rest of the night off. Go have some fun."

"Yes sir," he replied.

With that, I called it a night.

I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to go dark for a few days. I'll update you all once I've made some more progress in my work.