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I stare down at the broken and charred body of my granddaughter. This is not my first time seeing a human corpse yet this one hurts me more than I thought possible. “God what am I going to tell Frank.” I whisper out loud to myself. I want to cry and break down but I have to pull myself together. That pod in the crater was definitely alien in origin. It looks like Galvan technology but the burning footprints and poor Gwen hint at a particularly sadistic Pyronite. Ben isn’t here so it might not be too late to save him.
Years of training and instinct take over as I push down my emotions. I will mourn my precious granddaughter after I make sure her cousin is safe and after I deal with whatever killed her. Despite this, I still couldn’t leave her here. I carefully pick up her small body. She is still warm but I know she is long gone. Half of her face is carbonized and a hand is missing skin. I cradle her as I run to the rustbucket. I still have some gear in there that should help me here.
As I near my rust bucket I slow down noticing footprints burned into the ground. It was here. I follow the prints and I become confused by what I found. The burned prints suddenly become small human footprints. A theory comes to mind but I push it away. I stand in front of my RV and hear sobbing from the inside. I sigh in relief as I realize it’s Ben. Poor kid must have seen the alien or even his cousin’s death. I opened my mouth to call out when his sobs turned to howls of pain. I place my granddaughter on the ground and rush forward. “Ben! I’m coming.”
I freeze in place after I practically rip the door open. The sounds of bones shifting and flesh ripping accompany the sight of a true horror. I’ve seen many wondrous and terrible things in my life. I’ve seen a vulpimancer mauling a man. I’ve witnessed a To'kustar towering above me ready to crush me. I’ve even watched a Pantophage eat a human whole and alive. This is the worst thing I’ve ever seen. It looks like it was meant to be a Kineceleran. I’ve met several in my time and I’ve always admired their speed and elegance. This was a twisted hateful mockery of a Kineceleran.
I hit a hidden panel near me and when it drops I grab the weapon hidden within along with another smaller device. I point my laser gun at the abomination. It seems distracted and disoriented. As my eyes scan the monster I see it. A device embedded into its flesh. I forgot to breathe for a moment. I’ve heard the rumors and even read what few bits of intel the plumbers had on the device. A cruel and hateful crime against existence itself made by the disgraced first thinker of the Galvan race. The greatest weapon ever created. “The carnitrix. Ben is that you?” It makes sense now. The pod held the carnitrix which attached itself to the first sentient being it encountered. Ben must have been curious and investigated the crater. My grandson killed my granddaughter.
“Ben I know you’re in pain and I know you didn’t mean to hurt your cousin. I can help you, we can get that thing removed.” My mind wonders where on earth would have the facilities to take that damned device out. How long would it take to get to Rushmore from here? No. This is too big to handle alone. Could I try to contact Xylene? No, she could be in another galaxy for all that I know. I haven’t seen my Verdona in a decade but with her power, she might be able to help. I wonder if she will weep over her granddaughter’s fate? Maybe…
Suddenly I realize my mistake as Ben grabs me and pushes me outside. My weapon is flung to the ground. I think he cracked a rib and he has barely begun. I look at the disfigured face of my grandson one last time. A tear runs down his face. He really can’t control this form. He moves forward and I feel his tail wrap around my leg. He flips me onto my belly. I know what is about to happen and I have to act and talk fast. I take the device I picked up earlier and type into it as I speak.
“Benjamin please listen to me. It’s ok. I know you can’t control yourself and I know you’re scared. I’m not mad at you and I could never hate you. I’m sorry I won’t be around to help you through this but I promise you that you’ll be ok. I don’t know how but you will be saved. I lo…” Time slows down to a crawl as Ben takes off. At the speed of a Kineceleran, it will take only a moment for me to die being dragged on the ground. Still, my life flashes before my eyes even as my eyelids are scraped off. I see my beautiful Verdona, I see the remarkable men and women I worked with to protect this world, and I see Frank and Carl as infants. As the pain courses through me, I let go of the distress beacon. I had just enough time to program a single-word warning to every former plumber as well as every alien in the Sol system. Carnitrix. Ben will hate himself for killing me. He has his problems but deep down he’s a good kid. Ben, Gwen I’m so sorry I failed you two. The pain overwhelms me before suddenly darkness claims me. I wonder if I’ll see Gwen on the other side.