The hivemind is conquering for me?

A few moments later another individual entered the video. A small woman. No more than five feet tall. With dark brown hair. People that small aren’t usually allowed into the army for strength requirements, but if they were Psionic... That was another matter.

Thorne watched the projector, eyes wide, alert. ”Do you think it’s her?” Malone asked, but he was drowned out by the intensity he was paying attention to the recording.

”Denise is it? Take a seat. What can I do for you today? I am a very busy woman.”

”Yes Lochagos, thanks a million! I promise I won’t take up much of your time.” Denise said with a salute and sat down.

Thorne took a deep exhale. That voice... ”It is her...” The same mannerisms, the same genuflection. Without a doubt. This Denise was the sanguine butcher!

Thorne’s mind wanted to wander, but the conversation began and he needed to watch.

”Well? What is it?” Cora said, seemingly uninterested, but a cautious observer, like two on edge detectives noticed something. Cora was scared. Not necessarily because of this ’Denise’ but of something.

Denise leant back in her chair, showing no regard for etiquette anymore. ”Oh... That look in your eye. You hate me, don’t you?”

”Hate you? Recruit, my time is valuable, don’t spout nonsense, I don’t hate you, why would I? I hand picked you during the recruitment stage.” Cora said, but Denise shook her head with a smile and pointed at her playfully.

”Oh but you do. I can see it in your eyes. Feel it in the way your shoulders are just ever slightly clenched at this moment. I can smell your sweat. That extra salty note in the air. You are scared of me and I know why... It makes sense now. Why you have been trying to ’train’ me. But all your torturous schemes that would have broken many others of my creed. I took them all in stride. I know your secret. You hate Psionic individuals don’t you?”

Cora scoffed. ”What are you talking about? I oversee hundreds of Psionic beings in the army. And-”

”Exactly, you oversee. But you aren’t one. That’s why you hate us. You. Aren’t. Special.”

Denise then leant back, a massive grin on her face as she broke the Lochagos.

”You are right. I don’t know how you came to this conclusion within minutes of meeting me, but you are right. Now get to the reason you have interrupted me today before I discharge you, freak.”

”Haaahhhh~ Isn’t it so nice to let the truth out? To let yourself be yourself? Not any of this tight ass persona you have going on? Since you have been yourself. I will be myself. I am here to kill you, Lochagos Cora Pyrmenocles. Violently. Painfully. Without batting an eyelid. I am going to enjoy feeling your flesh under my fingernails and I am going to enjoy your meat inside of my stomach.” Denise then flashed a playful smile. The type of smile that if you saw it, you might fall in love, if you didn’t know any better...

A silence lingered in the room, both past and present before the Lochagos began to laugh.

”Hahaha! Oh my... That is very funny, Denise. Very funny. You think you are going to kill me? Why? Because I am a normal human where you are gifted with those weird hands you can change into and your super strength?”

Denise copied the Lochagos and also began laughing. ”Hahaha! Yeah! Exactly! You are so weak and you have been pissing me off having me stuck in this shithole for months to the point I finally had to take action myself. So I am really going to enjoy being gut deep inside of you. Hahaha!”

The duo laughed amongst one another for a few short moments before Cora wiped the corner of her eye. Denise spotted this and commented.

”So what? Are you going to try and fight back? Run? Scream? Beg for your life? Call in some support? I have heard it all before. I very rarely see something this calm beforehand though.” She then leant forward. ”Do you perhaps have a little trick up your sleeve? Tell you what. I am a good sport. And given your disadvantage, I’ll let you have a crack at it.”

”Oh, well that is most kind of you, Denise. Though I must warn you. I have had dozens of assassins try and kill me at this point, almost all were Psionically inclined. You think against people like me that you are invincible.”

She paused and reached into her desk before pulling out a black cube and placing it on her desk.

”But the thing is, you aren’t. In fact. You are so beyond vulnerable it’s a joke... Why don’t I show you what it is like to not be special? Hmm?”

Cora then proceeded to tap the top of the cube and once she did the look on Denise’s face became one of shock. At which point Cora began to laugh again, only this time it was truly a twisted laugh.

”Ahahahaha! Yes! Feel it! Feel the pain! Feel the weakness. You think Psionics are the only road to power? Your power is flimsy. Flawed. With this little cube. I’ve killed hundreds, thousands of you power-addled freaks! And I will continue to do so as your existence is flawed and goes against nature. So die. Die in agony!”

Cora then pulled out a ceremonial dagger that was on display on her desk and walked slowly around to Denise, who was paralysed by the weapon on her desk. She approached leisurely, without care and placed the blade against the young, now paralysed, woman’s throat.

She was just about to slice before noticing Denise’s face suddenly warped into a large grin.

”Anti Psionics? That was your big play? Oh you poor bitch.”

Cora’s eyes went wide in shock and fright and moved fast to cut, but it was too late. With a swift punch, Denise punched out and Cora was sent hurdling back, bones most definitely broken and blood was seeping out of her.

Denise then stood up, her smirk still there as she casually walked over to the desk and picked up the antithesis of her being. ”Y’know? For almost every other Psionic entity you might have come across in the future you will no longer have. This little cube will have secured your life in almost every situation... However you have unfortunately crossed paths with me. I have touched anti Psionic entities and used an anti Psionic weapon before. Now I am not resistant. This really does hurt, but there is one thing you haven’t taken into account in your defence... I am mental and even more bloodthirsty. Behold!”

All of a sudden a font of blood poured out throughout the room and where Denise was standing a gigantic creature was now there. Blood pouring from its nightmarish appearance.

”What is that!” Malone muttered, appalled.

”The Sanguine Butcher...” Thorne commented, watching still. ”So she isn’t human? Or is she and this is just a power?”

The duo continued to watch before all of a sudden the projector began to glitch and stutter. ”T? What is happening?” Thorne asked.

”I told you, I could only get so much, it’s damaged. Look, it’s coming back on.” The Techno mechanic said and sure enough it came back on.

The large creature was gone, what remained in the image was this Denise. The surroundings of the room were identical to what it was now.

Chaos.

However, that chaos was interrupted.

”Sterling? Are you listening? I tried to destroy as much tech as I could, but this bitch was crafty so I assume something managed to escape my claws. I’ll give you a call when I get out of here, but in case I forget, know this. You will never find me. Ever. Even with this new advantage and knowing you know just what I am capable of. It would be your end. Oh and Dean, Sup. Same goes for you, I just like teasing the stuck up one. Okie. Later nerds, I need to find a way off world before they find Miss blood-mist in here. Hmmm, Might aswell fuck up the logistics chain while I am here for shits and giggles while I am removing my Alias from-”

The projection finally cut out entirely this time and Thorne and Malone just stood there in silence for a moment.

This had just escalated from homicidal maniac to something beyond their paygrade. Not that it would stop them.

”Run back that video again and begin to take in every detail. We need to transcript every word. We need to send that image of that monstrosity off to experts. We need to find out what that cube was. Anti Psionics... Never heard of it, but others might. Better yet, we need to find that cube.” Thorne declared.

”Sterling... Are you sure we should still be investigating? We should hand this over to the Praetorians. That monster looked dangerous. Beyond our capabilities.”

Thorne turned to Malone and frowned. ”Dean, we have always been chasing a monster, you know this. Now we finally know what it looks like... We are not stopping now. We will find it and kill it if it’s the last thing we do.”

...

Sitting inside a cafe. A man was sitting down, relaxing. It had become a part of his life to sit in this cafe a few hours everyday. He didn’t enjoy it much at first, but now it was his way of life. He enjoyed chatting with the barista. She was a kind soul.

He had spoken to his boss about hiring her, but she just told him it wasn’t time to expand up here yet.

Just as he took a sip of his coffee.

*BAM!*

A woman sat in front of him and banged the table hard, causing everyone to look over, as he turned towards the purple haired woman ,she flashed him a grin and asked politely.

”Hey there. Are you the Cacia fuckwit we tricked? Savitri, right? Get Sammy, I am here to party!”