Chapter 28: Mission

Frank never asked to be the leader of the resistance, but his wife Isobel was one of the first to be taken. He could only imagine the horrors she went through even now. Losing her sent him on this path: the path of finding others who weren’t just gonna stay put and compliant in a world run by such a vile and self-absorbed tyrant.

The group started small, just him and his buddies at a Newer York City sanitation works back in the real world. Over time it grew, and plans began to form. Whatever the key to hope was, it had to lie in something about Paradise. Delta had reused the Nexus realm and city assets, which meant all the educational buildings were still around. They were digital museums of sorts. While most held info on the real world, others contained information on the history of Paradise and the Nexus itself. It was tough to avoid the eyes during these intel runs, but they managed it with amazing consistency thanks to ample caution.

Eventually, they found what they were looking for: hope. There was an abandoned subway system below the Nexus. Originally, it was gonna be an active part of the city itself, but development on it cut short since they figured most people would want the outside air above the city. Nevertheless, the assets remained and, better still, it became used as a sort of debug storage during development.

Paradise worked differently in there, the documents said, due to how old it was. It sounded like a lot of the functionality Delta used wouldn’t work down there. Better still, the developers left some unused tools down there. All were useless to the resistance except one, an “off button”. The documents didn't say why it was there, but Melvin’s prevailing theory was that the early test Paradise must’ve been so buggy they needed it to shut it off from the inside.

This was their chance. Frank descended the ladder of a manhole cover--a hidden entrance to the subway--with some of his most trusted friends in a squad. They had a mission, and only one shot to do this most likely. If they succeeded, they’d save everyone.

The four of them descended the ladder. Frank was in his early 30s with buzzed dark brown hair. His light-skinned body was fit, and he was clad in the work clothes he had on before Delta sucked him and everyone else into her twisted reality.

Her turned his brown-eyes to face another fellow, who trailed behind the rest of the group. That man was skinnier, with medium length black hair. He was the brains of the group, and had on some nerdy looking button-down shirt with horribly clashing cargo shorts. He made the unfortunate decision of wearing socks and sandals too before he got pulled into Paradise. Unlike the others, he didn’t have the boots or the jumpsuit-like work clothes of the others, as his job was in a different department.

“Good work finding the entrance Melvin, none of this would have been possible without you.” said Frank. His voice had that trademark stoic courage to it, just a flicker of it with every word.

“We could all say the same of you, Frank.”

“Did you close the cover behind you?”

“Of course.”

A dark-skinned hand slapped Melvin's shoulder. “That’s my man, doesn’t forget a thing! I bet he could remember more than Delta even”

The hand belonged to Barney, Frank’s best friend and most trusted advisor. He was fit like Frank and completely bald.

A feminine “Shh!” rang out. The source was Clare. She reminded him a lot of his wife: with tan skin and medium length black hair. Personality was completely different though, but it didn’t help that she found a hair-tie to wear her locks in a ponytail style of late. She was incredibly loyal, and a coworker from back in the real world.

The woman was also by far the most cautious.

“Don’t even say that name down here. She has eyes everywhere, if she finds out we’re here, she’ll come after us for sure.”

“I thought Melvin said all the Paradise powers work differently down here?”, said Barney.

“Differently doesn’t mean not at all knuckle head.”, said Clare.

“Who you calling knucklehead Ms. Worry Wort, why I couldn’t count the number of times you had us ducking in a corner over a Delta eye that wasn’t even there-”

“Quiet you two, we got a job to do.” said Frank. He talked and they listened, usually.

“Let’s stick together and explore. The documents didn’t have a map, so we’re on our own. We gotta find that off switch. It’s gotta be around here somewhere.”

The subway system was dark, illuminated by old-timey square-fixture lights hanging above. There were few sounds other than their footsteps. They walked on the raised concrete with the historical-style subway tracks off the platforms edge. The tunnels turned and twisted, and the squad walked deeper and deeper for what must’ve been a good 15 minutes.

“Melvin, you’re sure this off button wasn’t just a myth or something right? Seems too good to be true?” said Barney.

“You saw the documents just as I did Barney.”, the other man replied.

“Quiet!” said Clare in a hushed tone. “Do you hear that?”

The group was walking through another platform, just before a curve into a train tunnel. From behind, they listened carefully to a faint grinding sound. Melvin recognized it from his studies out in the real world.

“That’s a subway train, but that should be impossible!”

The platform lit up as the train’s headlights shined from the dark. It was a long, gray vehicle. The group paused as as the door opened and a naked tan leg stepped out. Everyone knew that bare foot very well by now, and all knew who it belonged to. The other leg followed and the worst fears were confirmed.

It was Delta! She stood at the rather short height of 5’7”, arms resting at her side till she pointed one in the group’s direction for her first few words.

“You little sneaks thought you could hide from me here! The nerve. To think I have to come down here, where I’m restricted to one body just to get to you. Imagine, Paradise’s god forced to come down here, powers suppressed, to scurry after some rats in a subway. Well, just wait till I get my hands on you.”

The group took steps back, preparing to run. She took one step closer and noticed, along with the others, that Melvin stood still. The thin man’s fists were clenched, and Frank noticed the veins throbbing at his neck.

“Don’t do it Melvin, it’s not worth it. We gotta run!” said Frank.

“She took my wife Frank! Look at her, she’s weak here. Now’s my only chance to take her out.” said Melvin.

“I know how it feels Melvin, but don’t be stupid!”

As Frank tried to get Melvin to back down, Delta took some small steps closer. Her bare feet slapped against the smooth concrete of the platform. She had a smug smirk on her face.

“That’s right Melvin, I took your wife. You want to know what I did with her?”

“Fuck you!” shouted Melvin.

“I slid her tiny little body right inside myself. Right here~” Said Delta, crudely gesturing to her crotch. “I worked her in and out, in and out.”

“Shut up!”

“Don’t listen to her Melvin!”

Delta continued, smiling wider. She took another step.

“She was gagging on my fluids, but of course no one can die until I let them. Her squirms were sublime, and I eventually came, covering her in my gooey pleasure while she chocked.”

“Shut the fuck up!” shouted Melvin.

Delta went on. “And then, once her lithe body was all slathered in my nectar I licked her right up. I tasted every bit of her, and I do mean *every* bit. I swallowed her down like the sweet morsel she was.”

“Stop it!” said Melvin.

Frank tried to tug on Melvin’s arm, but the thinner man batted it away.

“We gotta get out of here Melvin. Don’t listen to her!”

Delta took a few more steps and grinned. “I felt every little squirm as she writhed in my throat: every pained pounding on my stomach walls. She melted right in here.”

Delta pointed to her stomach.

“She was delicious~”

Melvin snapped, he ran at Delta.

“No!” screamed Frank, but Barney placed his hand on his shoulder and stopped him from running in too.

Melvin yelled incoherently. He moved right up to Delta, a swing readied, and it’s at that moment the tan woman’s chest split right open into a fanged and tentacular maw. Pointed tendrils pierced though Melvin’s chest and tugged him in. The maw sealed around him, and Delta made moans of pleasure as the bits of him sticking out quickly sunk into her flesh.

“Mmm, you’re delicious too I must admit. You idiot, just cause my powers are suppressed doesn’t mean they’re entirely gone. I may not be able to read or control your minds down here, but my body is still my clay to work.”

Delta began to grow up and out, her flesh shifted. Melvin used the last of his strength to shout before his head fully sunk into the growing woman’s bosom.

“Run!”, he shouted. Delta’s tan flesh tugged him right in and he sunk into her. The gurgly and fleshy sounds were grotesque, and his muffled screams were horrifying.

The three remaining rebels ran into the nearby tunnel.

“Don’t stop!” ordered Frank as she sprinted with them at the back.