Justin awoke to a mesmerizing tapestry of vibrant blue and green hues wrapping around an eerily peculiar sun. The grass wafted along his jeans in a soft breeze. He jolted upright and wobbled, his head whirling. His eyes focused again, hand catching his long hair. Out there, beyond scores of trees and hills, lay not a horizon, but a red hazy mist that turned blue-green all the way around the star. Large shadows could be seen in a pattern along the surface of the sphere, moving slowly.

  "Dyson Sphere?" Number Four wondered, squinting.

  He came to his feet in the knee-high grass, unbalanced, his head still reeling. He tried to catch his breath and take in his surroundings. Justin couldn't figure out if he was dreaming or if he had somehow teleported to a real place. He pinched himself, to no avail. In fact, as his mind grasped his new surroundings, he realized all his normal aches and pains had vanished.

  Enveloping him was a metallic fog, suspended in air, clinging to him in the breeze. He stood at the bottom of a small hill, all around him, trash and tattered clothes littered the landscape. He saw a beautiful red flower for a moment, before true horror revealed itself. His focus changed to behind the flower, to a man being splayed open at the chest.

  Man-sized raptors were devouring people where they stood, their blood and screams shrieking out into the clearing around the hill. So, this was the meaning of a bloodbath, it was flying out like water sprinklers over the clearing. Despite being a couple hundred feet away he could feel the panic sweep through his body, a sharp wave of cold putting his hair on end. The smell of blood and bile came rushing in all too quickly as he found himself gagging and soon hurling on the ground in front of him.

  "Oh god, what the hell? Is this a bad trip?" Number Three pondered, his voice higher and shaky.

  Mew took control, their face leveling, and shook Justin’s head no.

  "I remember we were driving and then-" thought Number Four.

  "Car accident, and now we’re here..." Number Two interrupted in their head with his unplaceable commonwealth accent.

  "OK, well shit, we’ve got to think of something gang, people are dying!" Number Four instructed.

  Mew turned their head to the top of the hill where gunfire could be heard.

  "Right, high ground! Ok then, let's move!" Number Four said aloud, pointing.

  Justin trembled as he jogged up the hill, past the mounds of skeletons and torn clothes. Groups of humans and other creatures ran in terror as the raptors hunted them. The ground was crunchy and full of pits. It didn’t take him long to conclude what the hill was made of. Screams assaulted his ears, as footfalls and snarling echoed all around him. He tried to focus instead on just how swift he was, and the lack of pain, and the metallic shroud. He steadied his shuddering breath.

  “Indeed, she mentioned the shroud would help us.” Thought Number Two.

  “In what way? Who is she?” Thought Number Three.

  “The Shroud is made of nanites and gives full invulnerability along with a few other things. Sorry, before this you guys blacked out. She sort of brought up the bad stuff out of the blue-” Thought Number Two.

  “The Bad stuff?” Number Three interrupted.

  “Obviously I mean the memories you two aren’t allowed to see Three, so naturally you and Four lost time.” Thought Number Two.

  “Again, who is this she? What happened? Where are we? Can you clowns not fill me in?” Number Four asked in their head, their face narrowing.

  But it was too late as Justin, his heart pounding, reached the top of the hill to find an ongoing battle. A swarm of torso-sized flying beetles were attacking a group of raptors with spears while two hairy cat men shot at the raptors with lever action rifles. For a moment Justin froze up, the buzzing and rifle blasts grabbing his attention, before a raptor noticed his presence and made a decision for him.

  Turning around the animal pounced at him like a cat to a bird. Justin reflexively threw up his arm and closed his eyes, but again no pain came. The creature’s claws tore through his shirt and ran down his skin, unable to even graze his flesh. The beast ground its teeth against his arm like it was made out of solid steel.

  Justin chuckled, then began laughing uncontrollably. It was certain now that, thanks to the shroud, he’d become completely impervious to damage. He grinned in delight. The raptor continued to hiss, claw, and bite at him futilely, only managing to tear up his clothes. Justin frowned, and his brow narrowed.

  “Oi! This is my favorite shirt, you stupid animal!” Screamed Number Four.

  In a fit of rage, he shot his right fist into the beast’s neck. Anticipating the sensation of flesh and resistance, the sting of velocity and power, he instead felt an unfamiliar tear as his fist effortlessly tore through the animal’s neck and spine. He froze again as the creature spasmed around his arm, hot blood spurting onto him repeatedly. It shot onto his face and into his gaping mouth. Spitting out the crimson iron he felt waves of red ooze inching down over his entire body.

  He began shaking as though he had just stepped out of a swimming pool. The feeling of cooling blood on his skin assaulted his senses. The raptor fell over dead, his hand slipping out of its exposed neck. The crimson iron, the stench, the finality of death, his mind was spinning. The world grew distant and unfocused, the sounds of fighting and gunfire dissipating as his mind went blank and his head snapped to the side.

  . . .

  The world gradually regained its hue, revealing a pink furry figure berating him, while he sat upon the crest of the hill.

  “Huh?” asked Number Four.

  “I said just who and what the hell are you? Why are you hairless? What in the hell is that shiny cloud doing on you?”, bellowed the pink man, training his rifle on Justin’s head.

  Mew instinctively grabbed the rifle and aimed it away before it fired into the ground. His ears didn’t ring, nor did the rifle move as he held it, nor did his hand burn. Mew smiled across Justin’s face and looked up at the pink man. He pivoted back to show the others what had just occurred. The raptors, the beetles, all lay dead.

  “Mew who fronted? What happened?”, asked Number Four.

  Mew shook their head violently. Slowly the body’s feelings returned to him. The fluids of the enemy dried on his skin, it clumped in his hair, it curled the tongue in his mouth. He spat out chunks of flesh and meat. He quivered and spasmed. The vicious fluid coursing down his clothes and body violently overwhelmed him. His head shook rapidly while he tried to ignore the horrid sensations and reclaim control.

  “Gotta stop. Gotta escape. Gotta help these people.”, Number Three thought.

  “We made a promise Mew!”, Thought Number Two.

  Justin's head and body gradually stopped convulsing as he pushed past the millions of tiny sensations bombarding him. The body was back under control, but just barely. Three and Four again wondered what they had missed during the fight as their dizziness died down. Mew looked their head up to the two cat men.

  “Gods above please don’t hurt us!”, shouted the red one.

  “Quiet Braun! Give up my gun you bastard! I’ll Cutcha to shreds!”, The pink one yelled as blades shot from both ends of a metallic housing on each of the man’s forearms.

  “Sick!”, said Three.

  Justin released his grip on the gun, remembering that a bullet would just bounce right off him due to the nanite shroud that still surrounded him. The colorful men continued shouting for a moment while Numbers Three and Four got a vague sense of what had just occurred. Someone had fronted and, using his shroud's strength, killed all the raptors, however all but one of the Beetles had died as well.

  “I’m Justin. All my people have hair similar to this compared to you two. This cloud protects me. I come in peace.”, said Number Four.

  “Peace? After that… I-I mean, my name's Braun and this here’s Morcant m-m-mister!”, said the red man.

  “And so, this life ends short. I must return to my sisters’ sides on the next battlefield.”, utterd a strange voice from behind him.

  The three men looked back to see a lone beetle amongst the corpses and bloody grass. It held a spear aimed at its belly.

  “Whoa now, just slow down there, friend! I’m sure we can talk about this.”, said Number Three.

  “Once more I’ve failed my queen and sisters, but I’m sure they’re waiting for me in the next life.”, said the bug, rubbing its mandibles together.

  “Wait, why can I understand them?”, thought Number Three.

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  “What makes you so sure?”, asked Morcant, casually sharpening his blades together.

  “We passed just before waking here. It stands to reason I may revive with my queen and sisters again… elsewhere.”, said the bug, looking to the strange heavens of the dyson sphere.

  “And what if you don’t come back? What then? You’ll never know for sure. All we know for sure is that we’re here now. Perhaps there isn’t a third chance.”, said Number Three.

  “Oh crap, the scorpions!”, shouted Braun.

  “They have scorpions on their world?”, wondered Number Four.

  “Beg your pardon?”, asked Morcant.

  “Thought it was a dream, but Morcant, I’ll bet my life we were stung and killed just last night!”, exclaimed Braun.

  “Oh rubbish! Now hairless over here’s gonna say he died too.”, said Morcant, giving Justin a side eye.

  “Well, yes.”, Number Four said, pressing their hands together.

  “Shit fire.”, Morcant sighed.

  “I am sorry to disturb, but it’s just the way of things that a queen’s guard must commit seppuku after her death.”, said the bug, readying the spear.

  “Wait! Surely there’s another way! Listen to reason! Um, does this rule have any loopholes? Besides, would your friends really want you to die?”, ranted Number Three, grasping at straws.

  “Well, I suppose I could pledge to a new queen. Yes, it’s not unheard of. But who would want me? I’m a failure!”, said the sad little bug.

  “I’d take you! I’m on an important mission here!”, Number two blurted out.

  “We are?”, a few voices echoed in Justin’s head.

  “From before, with Tutelarius and Emma, that scene y'all haven’t seen yet?”, Thought Number Two.

  “And just when are we getting filled in? Oh, wait, the bug!”, remembered Number Four.

  “A Mission? Here? From whom? Can anyone here help us?”, asked Braun, who had been checking his ammo incessantly.

  “What purpose could a failure like me serve on your mission, fleshy biped?”, asked the bug.

  “My name’s Justin, and I could use your ability to fly for scouting and sending messages. Apparently, I’m on an important mission here, and could use all the help I can get. As far as I know the only help we’ll be getting would be the survivors in this clearing, so just how high and fast can you fly?”, said Number Four.

  “Apparently? Ya don’t know? Braun is right, just who gave you this mission?”, asked Morcant.

  “I have er… memory problems. Do your people have an equivalent for dissociative identity disorder?”, asked Number Four.

  “Dissocia-what now?”, asked Morcant.

  “Multiple personalities.”, sighed Number Four, grimacing.

  “You mean to tell me that we’ve been sucked into another world full of man-eating monsters, suicidal bugs, and now a crazy killing machine on some mission he can’t even recall?”, asked Morcant, his voice raising higher above the screams of the clearing.

  “Oi! We are not crazy!”, shouted Number Three.

  “This is all crazy!”, screamed Morcant, throwing his hands into the air.

  A series of low and steady bellowings rocked the clearing. The sound was otherworldly, the quack of a duck, the low rumble of a lion, and the hiss of an alligator all converged. Like an earthquake it shook the entire valley into silence. Even the bones under Justin’s skin vibrated as his teeth began to chitter. His stomach sank heavily. Every hair on his body leapt into the air and goosebumps formed along his limbs. He trembled in silence. He hadn’t felt fear like this since-

  “Gods above what is that?”, Braun shrieked and trembled like a small child.

  “There.”, Morcant pointed to the tree line.

  Indeed, there, amongst the trees, stood a towering figure. Easily ten feet tall, a large sharp-toothed mouth was releasing the steady rumbling. Its nose bellowed steam while its massive eyes pierced into the clearing. Justin saw the horns, scales, the distinct nodules along its neck, and immediately recognized it. Carnotaurus…

  “Ha! Hahaha! We’re dead! We’re all dead! Dead!”, Braun echoed hysterically.

  “Get a hold of yourself!”, Morcant shook Braun, “That thing hasn’t looked our way yet, we can still escape. There's a mountain in the distance, and I’m sure hairless here wouldn’t mind distracting the beast. Right?”

  Justin sighed and turned to the bug, could he really save these people? Could he save anyone in this valley, even himself?

  “I’ve thought about it. You’re right, my companions and queen wouldn’t want me to die. I will serve you as my new queen! All hail the hairy fleshy biped!”, shouted the Bug, jumping around enthusiastically.

  “Would you really distract the monsters for us mister Queen sir?”, asked Braun, his teeth rattling.

  “Justin, my name is Justin. And yes, I’ll try to help y'all.”, Justin looked out over the forest from the hill’s vantage point. “The mountain and forest are all I see. Reminds me of that mountain people say looks like a tree trunk, anyway we’ll all meet up there if we separate. For now, let’s try to escape this clearing without being eaten.”

  “Agreed, looks like there’s a fight in front. Shouldn’t we go around?”, asked Morcant.

  Justin gazed down the hill to a chilling scene. A car sized palm, with four forward facing fingers and two back facing thumbs as legs. It stood an impressive eight feet tall. Instead of an arm a large stalk drooped over the wrinkly body, with an enormous bug eye at the end. Adorned on the ends of its fleshy finger legs, thick, pointed nails battled off a pack of raptors. Bodies of its ilk rested on the ground, torn open and splayed out for the world to see, and the smell…. rancid.

  Adjacent stood a brightly colored velvet worm, the height of a horse and length of a minivan. Using two of its left legs, it held a bow and arrow, and its acid stalks above its head spewed thick ropes of webs across attacking raptors. Its dazzling and glowing purples and greens bizarrely juxtaposed itself against the littered grasses. Justin mulled over the situation only briefly.

  “Morcant, could I see your rifle?”, he asked.

  “Ya see? A sane man wouldn’t ask a fella that on the first date.”, laughed Morcant.

  Justin grinned and held back nervous laughter, “You have those blades, and Braun has a rifle, I could shoot with Braun while you go in-“

  “Shouldn’t you be the one?”, asked Morcant.

  “Um, well, perhaps you’re right. Okay! Let’s form a plan together on how to save those monstrosities!”, Four said happily.

  Morcant pushed his rifle into Justin’s hands, “Don’t worry chief, I’ll show ya how it’s done!”, he said before flexing and screaming, “Charge!”, and rushing down the hill like a madman.

  “Oi! I said let’s form a plan! Morcant!”, Four began.

  “Charge!”, interrupted the bug as it flew down with its spear.

  “Oh gods above! What now?”, Braun shook in place.

  “OK, gotta think and act at the same time. Think and act. Got it.”, Four thought.

  “Braun, snap too and start shooting the raptors! If you keep shaking like that, you’ll hit the friendlies! I’m on the right and will help that giant hand. You help the velvet worm”, Four ordered before training his rifle on a raptor.

  He had been to the gun range many times with his parents and let out a long breath before aiming and firing. Reload, aim, breathe, fire. Repeat. Mew handled their body perfectly as it continued to blow away raptor after raptor. The velvet worm noticed them as Morcant charged in between them and began to cut away at a pair of raptors with frightening acrobatics. Braun got a few lucky shots but mostly whiffed on the raptors attacking the hand. Luckily its four front legs held them back long enough for Justin to retrain and assist while Morcant flanked from his side and the bug dove down onto an unsuspecting raptor.

  The battle died down as two raptors fled the scene with Morcant shouting something at them. Justin and Braun walked down the hill to meet their strange new allies, Braun quivering all the way. Morcant came to awkwardly stand between the strange creatures, as the bug flew above the group. The large wrinkly hand monster looked between all of them rapidly with its stalk eye, and the large velvet worm turned and snaked around to greet them. Justin’s mind was starting to race again. Just where were they? What were these creatures?

  The velvet worm looked them up and down before lowering its bow and speaking, “Strange ones, you have helped me. Gratitude,” it said in a low, breathy voice.

  Justin was now truly baffled as to how they could all understand each other as the worm's terrifying mouth spoke to them. “Don’t mention it”, said Number Three, trying to overcome his fears of the large beings.

  “Hello?”, asked the large hand or spider-like creature. Its pincers darted about near its mouth between its massive hairy legs.

  “Howdy,” laughed Matcha, a child alter suddenly fronting before Mew shook them away.

  “Why can’t I hear your thoughts? Why are we speaking aloud instead of in our minds? I am so confused. Help?”, The spider-hand ranted, its stalk eye moved about them.

  “Our thoughts?”, questioned Justin’s alters aloud.

  “What about my thoughts regarding that loud giant horned mouth over there?”, interrupted Braun, panting.

  The group looked as abrupt thunderous steps signaled the Carnotaurus had entered the valley, though not alone. Now a pack of the beasts, four in total, began marching leisurely towards the hilltop.

  “Braun’s right! We gotta move!”, shouted Morcant.

  The velvet worm nodded as everyone’s eyes turned to Justin, then to the spider-hands large eye.

  “But my parents! We must get them to the mind! Where is the mind? Where are we?”, questioned the spider hand, his stalk shaking.

  “The mind…”, Justin muttered aloud, his mind racing.

  “We must flee, child! Small ones, lead the way!”, the velvet worm said quickly.

  Mew shook Justin’s head as they regained focus. The bug flew down and buzzed loudly in his face. Stunned, he stepped back as the bug spoke.

  “The feathered ones are converging, my queen! They head this way!”

  Justin turned, and true enough, the raptors had begun merging their packs, running their way as a herd of monsters.

  “Hairless, Braun! Move!”, shouted Morcant as he began running to the treeline.

  The group was right behind him, a gust of wind blasted his skin and hair as the sight of the raptors sent everyone running. Before them stood the only remaining group of survivors, stumbling toward them as raptors encircled them. The creatures looked like axolotls, or even reptilian, but stood like kangaroos. They wore metal armor and held large swords.

  One of them, less brightly colored than the rest, was being pushed towards Justin’s group by another one. It cried, shrieked, and fought against the one pushing it as the others fought back the raptors with their blades. Morcant and the worm ran past them and as the two got close, Justin could finally hear them.

  “Please”, shouted the breathless one doing the shoving, “save her please!”

  Justin’s emotions tore at him as he looked around. The raptors were closing in on them, with dozens running towards them, snarling. Should he turn here and distract the raptors, or grab this woman and run with his group? Would the raptors all fight him if he turned to face them or would they just run past him and surround everyone? Suddenly, a memory he’d lost came to him.

  A woman he knew was the Emma that Number Two had mentioned was speaking to him, he couldn’t see her clearly, her voice was shaky.

  “You mustn’t stay there! Promise me?”, she said in the hazy memory.

  Mew bit their lip, and took control of the body. Running, he scooped up the woman over his shoulder using the nanite’s strength, and continued to run as the armored lizard people made a final stand against the coming horde. The woman beat at him, cursing. Suddenly, ahead of them, Braun ran past a pile of bushes that became the claws of a large green raptor. His face, full of terror, was drawn into the leaves as fur and screams flew up into the air.

  Morcant spun in an instant, but was clearly too late as the screaming stopped. His face dropped all sense of emotion or thought, becoming the face of a predator as he ran back towards the bloody leaves. In an instant, Mew didn’t hesitate, and snatched Morcant with his free arm onto his other shoulder, continuing to run.

  Morcant shout and cursed, even stabbing Justin with his blades, to no avail, as his skin was hard as diamond with the nanites surrounding them. Mew scanned for more piles of leaves ahead, before turning back to see the final armored lizard’s head roll off. A large red raptor stood over the corpse, staring directly into Justin’s eyes, as a hundred other monsters stood back behind him. Above and behind them, upon the hilltop, a carnotaurus roared, its piercing eyes gleaming down at them.

  The woman fell silent, while Morcant continued to futily stab at him. Justin ran forward, glad the raptors were no longer following them as the forest canopy suddenly darkened their surroundings. The survivors barreled forward into the howling darkness, full of…

  Chapter two: Dancing Shadows