Anya found Immonen just outside the alien containment chamber. He was flanked by a squad of Exterminators, almost comically small beside the mechanical soldiers despite being somewhat tall himself. He smiled as he saw her approach and gave a little wave.

“Ready to scan the little bastard again?” Anya asked. It had only taken her a few minutes to fly from DC to the Mojave at near top-speed.

“I am. Gary won’t be joining me this time?” Immonen asked.

“I guess not. He’s probably at his factory doing tests on something,” Anya shrugged.

“Well if you’re here, I think it’s okay. All the times I’ve scanned the alien, it’s never tried anything, but if it does, I’m glad to know I’ve got somebody who isn’t afraid to roast it.”

“Is this the same as the first test? Will it be okay with just me?” Anya asked as they stood before the thick security doors and were admitted after multiple scans. “The first time there were several of us.”

“Yes, but we didn’t know what it was capable of then. Now, after scanning it so much, we know that it can’t do much of anything. I think the fragment of it we have is capable of very minor dermal hardening, but it’s useless as far as an attack goes and it can’t block my scans.”

“Good to know,” Anya said as they entered the massive chamber. Several wall and ceiling-mounted cannons were aimed at the center of the room and the small shielded dais on which the alien fragment rested. It still didn’t look like much of anything: a scrap of metal and flesh merged together that occasionally twitched.

“It’s mostly routine at this point: scan it, measure any changes in its make-up, note that it’s still cut-off from Omega, leave,” Immonen said as he approached the dais. The containment fields were already condensed around the alien, and Immonen put his hand against the outermost field. The energy barriers opened just enough to allow the doctor’s hand to pass through and touch the alien.

“Recording first scan of the day,” Immonen said and there was a loud beep from somewhere in the room.

“Begin recording,” an automated voice said.

“Dr. Garreth Immonen present, as always. Currently joined by USAIF Host Anya Nowicki for security. Say hello.”

“Uh, hello,” Anya said to the room and Immonen smirked at her.

“Beginning scan of captive alien,” Immonen said and placed his hand flush against the alien and closed his eyes. “Change in internal temperature by two degrees Fahrenheit, within normal parameters. No adjustment to alien abilities, dermal hardening appears to be it’s only…uh…”

“Garreth?” Anya asked.

“Change detected,” Immonen said. “I can feel the connection to the other alien opening. It’s up, in space, above——Uh!”

Immonen reeled back as a blue light sparked between his hand and the alien. He grunted in pain, his hand smoking. The containment fields instantly sealed up around the alien, and compressed in a second. The alien was crushed to pulp in an instant, but Anya barely noticed.

“Alien signal lost,” Felix said. “Decoding signal now. You got experience for that!”

“Not now!” Anya said and rushed to Immonen’s side. “Garreth, are you okay?”

Immonen had fallen onto his back and was clutching at his hand. The palm had a black scorch mark on it, and Anya winced as she saw the burned flesh. The doctor didn’t reply at first, just clutched at his hand and winced.

“Ow,” Immonen said.

“Garreth?” Anya asked.

“Fine. I’m fine. That was…just a painful surprise,” Immonen said.

“What the hell happened?”

“It changed itself while I was scanning it, enough to give me this nasty shock. I think maybe that’s why I had a connection for a moment: it altered itself so maybe it wasn’t blocked anymore. Just a guess though.”

“Your hand,” Anya said and pointed.

“Ah, yes. Not a problem. Physician, heal thyself, and all that,” Immonen said and closed his injured hand into a fist. When it re-opened, the burn mark was gone. “All better.”

“Thank god,” Anya sighed. “Did you learn anything?”

“No, just that Omega is still not on Earth,” Immonen said as he stood. “I should go see MacDougal or somebody in charge, let them know immediately.”

“We can just call them. Are you sure you’re okay? An alien just attacked you,” Anya said.

“Truly, I’m fine,” Immonen said and touched her hand. Anya suddenly felt that he was not fine. The alien was dead, certainly. Felix confirmed the loss of the signal, the data stream, and the experience, but Immonen had still be attacked. He might have had his brain scrambled, or injected with something so subtle even he couldn’t detect it. Her heart started to beat faster at the mere thought of their best healer succumbing to something the little alien fragment could have done to him in its final moments.

“Felix, call Gary,” Anya said and the old man’s face appeared before her.

“Heya kid. How’s things with the doc? Just got a bunch of security updates from the containment facility, but it looks like everything’s okay. Haven’t had time to review the tapes yet. You all right?”

“I’m fine, but it’s Garreth,” Anya said and explained what had just happened.

“Well, I can tell you that alien is dead as disco. It didn’t climb into the Doc or anything either. His vitals are showing totally normal,” Gary said. “Granted, the scanning equipment at the containment facility isn’t really ideal for fine work. It’s mostly just there to keep track of the alien.”

“I’m telling you, it’s all right,” Immonen said and patted Anya. Another wave of anxiety overwhelmed her. This was bad. Immonen had been connected to that thing, it had sacrificed itself to lash out at him, the one who had brought so many hosts back from the brink of death, herself included. She couldn’t take any chances.

“So, before we send him on his way, we scan him at the factory, where you’ve got your big scanner,” Anya said.

“Hmmm. Hey Felix, you can confirm there’s no alien signal coming from the Doc?” Gary asked.

“Absolutely!” Felix said. “The only alien that was her is totally dead! No trace of its signal or Omega’s anywhere.”

“All right. Bring him on by, just to make sure,” Gary said.

“I think you’re being a bit silly about this,” Immonen said as Anya led him to the hangar and the V-200.

“Not gonna take a dumb risk on our best health insurance,” Anya said. “Or, y’know, the guy I’m dating.”

Immonen sighed and leaned back in the passenger seat as she flew away.

Gary was waiting for them in the hangar with a pair of medical droids on either side of him when they arrived minutes later. The droids were the size and shape of average people, just metallic white and with cross symbols on their foreheads and shoulders.

“You do realize I can scan myself, don’t you? Which I did as soon as I recovered from the shock?” Immonen asked.

“Well, the shock could have damaged your abilities or something,” Anya said. “This is just a precaution.”

“The general room scanners are more precise here, and the medical droids say he’s fine,” Gary said as he led them to the medical and scanning rooms. The droids bathed Immonen in rays of green light from their eyes as they marched on either side of him. Gary tapped the side of his glasses to cycle through his HUD.

Anya felt herself calming somewhat as Immonen too her hand.

“See? No problem,” Immonen said. Her heart wouldn’t calm down though. Her stomach twisted as she felt that she had to make sure, had to check Immonen and be certain he was safe.

“Just a shock that thing gave you, right?” Gary asked.

“Hardly worth mentioning. Even if I were a normal person it wouldn’t have done much worse than some nerve damage and a small scar.”

“But you connected with Omega?” Gary asked.

“Connected is a strong word. Got closer than before is more accurate” Immonen replied. They entered the long hallway that ran down the center of the factory, past the Ready Room, and approached the scanning a medical rooms. Anya started to let go of Immonen’s hand but he tightened his grip.

“Though, I am feeling a bit woozy, all of a sudden. Could I bother you to help me with the tube, Gary?” Immonen asked.

“You getting weak on me, Doc?” Gary asked and patted Immonen on the shoulder. As soon as he was close enough, Immonen grabbed Gary’s hand and the old man collapsed to the ground in a heap.

“Gary? Gary!” Anya said and stared at Immonen. “What the hell?”

“Quiet,” Immonen said, the inflection of his voice changing. Those two syllables were off, the emphasis more on the second than the first. “Follow commands or both of these expire.”

“Guuuuhhh,” Gary groaned. He had a dopey grin on his face and looked like he was falling into a blissful slumber.

“You’re not…you’re not Garreth, are you?” Anya asked Immonen. She knew it was still Immonen’s body, but something else was lurking behind his eyes. It was using the doctor’s power to make Gary woozy with doapmine, the same way she had been made anxious when Immonen had kept touching her since the containment facility.

“All right! All right fine I won’t do anything. Just don’t hurt either of them!” Anya said. The knots in her stomach now weren’t the result of chemical manipulation. “What do you want?”

“Access,” the presence behind Immonen’s eyes said. “Gaaareeeee. Stand.”

“Mmmf. If you say so,” Gary mumbled in a voice thick with drunken happiness. He stood up and Not-Immonen led him over to a console on the wall.

“Access this location’s internal functiiionnns,” Not-Immonen said.

“What are you doing?” Anya asked.

“Do what now?” Gary asked. “What’s goin’ on?”

Not-Immonen tightened his hand on Gary’s and the old man wobbled on his feet, and chuckled.

“Unlock any security or defensive p-protocols for this facilit-t-t-ty. Engage terminal functions. Overload. It will feel good,” Not-Immonen said. His voice wavered and cracked, going up and down in tone as he stuttered. He winced and hissed as if in immense pain, his body wracked by spasms.

“Gary, don’t!” Anya snapped.

“S’okay, kid,” Gary mumbled and typed something onto the console. Anya took a step forward, fire in her eyes, when Not-Immonen looked at her, his eyes bloodshot, and growled at her.

“You’re it, aren’t you? Omega,” Anya said as she stopped.

“Omega? Haaaaah. No. We know better. No more t-talk. Speech is…auditory parasite. P-profane information delivery. Follow instructions: Stay back. Or both of these eeeexpire.”

Anya sword and felt her eyes sting with tears as she bunched her fists up uselessly at her sides. Gary had loads of security, but he had it behind command words, codes, and even if he could activate it from underneath whatever Not-Immonen/Omega was doing to him, it would only kill the doctor, and the alien would then kill Gary.

But they were about to lose the factory.

But it would be useless without Gary anyway.

“Fuck,” Anya hissed. “You hurt either of them, I swear I’ll make you suffer. No quick explosions like your buddies. You’re gonna burn.”

“No. No hurt. We want to see. See all of you. Show us what you have learned. What you have s-stolen,” Omega said. The terminal beeped as Gary finished typing on it. An alarm blared in the distance and Anya winced. It turned to stare at Anya with Immonen’s eyes and bared his teeth at her.

“You all…t-th-thieves,” it said, and then collapsed to the floor alongside Gary.

“Gary! Garreth!” Anya said, as she rushed forward. Immonen remained motionless, but Gary groaned and sat up, hand against his head.

“Uhhhh,” he groaned, and white foam gathered at the edge of his mouth.

“Holy hell, feel like I just came off a bender,” Gary said and blinked as he looked around. “Kid?”

“It was Omega!” Anya said. Gary blinked his eyes, which then widened with horror.

“Yeah. Shit, yeah it’s coming back. Bastard was messing with me, making me want to do whatever. Christ, it felt good too.”

“Garreth isn’t moving. We have to——” Anya said before Gary shook his head.

“No can do, kid,” Gary said. The lighting in the room changed to blood red, and alarms began to blare.

“What the hell is that?” she asked.

“Safety protocol,” Gary said and clenched his fists. “Self-destruct.”