Hermitcraft 8: Moonfall (to be rewritten soon)

The Watcher

(Gem POV)

Gem sat in her newly built cottage, anxious. It was almost midnight, and False and Stress was still there, talking about their plans for tomorrow.

"...So tomorrow we're hunting? What do you think, Gem?" Stress asked. Gem nodded.

"Sounds good." She said, a little too quickly. False gave her an odd look.

"You ok?" She asked.

"Yeah. Just tired." She said with a forced yawn. They nodded, and saw the clock. 11:59.
"Yeah. We should probably go." Stress said, pulling False with her. Once they were outside, Gem blew out the candle and shut the curtains tightly. She took a deep breath just as a knock came on the door. She opened it to see three men standing there. Two wore the exact same black dress suit, sunglasses, blank expression, and the handguns on their hips. The third had the same suit, but white and without the glasses. They walked right past her without a word. Sighing, Gem scanned the area and shut the door.

The man in the white suit studied the cottage, nodding.

"Nice place." He said, sitting.

"Cut the crap. What do you want?" Gem growled, surprising herself with the ferocity of it.

"You know what the other Hermits call us. The Watchers. And you, Gem, are the only person who remembers anything. You were ordered not to tell anyone, or your brother gets killed." The Watcher said.

"I know. So what do you want? I know that." She said. The Watcher pulled out three small metal spheres, and threw them onto the table. They floated just above it, and cast the hologram of a female figure.

"Pearl? What?" Gem asked, confused.

"We have reason to suspect that she is a piece of the puzzle. I want you to get close to her, and study her actions. Every Wednesday we will call you at Midnight exactly, and we expect you to have notes on it. Hopefully we can find patterns in her mind. Understand?" The Watcher said.

"I understand." Gem said, and took the beads. One of The Watchers bodyguards stepped forwards, and handed her a large briefcase

"What...?" She asked.

"And that traitor, Grian? He remembers, just like you. Kill him, quick and quietly. Don't let any hermit know you have this." The Watcher said. Gem took the briefcase hesitantly, and putting it on the table, opened it.

It unfolded with more plates than should have been possible. Robotic arms opened quickly, and in the blink of an eye started putting something together. A black mask, helmet, multiple variants of camouflage fatigues, night vision headset, and black combat boots shaped to fit her hooves. They all had multiple variants with different camouflage. She looked under it, and her blood went cold. A handgun with a silencer sat under it, with two combat knifes on each side. A pack of syringes with blood red fluid inside sat under the gun.

With a ding, the robotic hands finished what they were making. Jet black with a sleek, long scope and a laser assist, sat a silenced sniper rifle. But what concerned her most were the syringes.

"I knew you'd like the serums. Your brother made it, right? A plague dubbed the Grimlands Wrath by the Ataraxi Empire. And to The Watchers, Plague N19. Nightmare. A fitting name, considering what it does to the mind." The Watcher said.

"What am I supposed to do with it!? If you want me to infect someone, forget it. I know what it does to people." Gem snapped. The Watcher only smiled.

"It's a last precaution. Only administer it to those threatening your mission, and contain them. In the meanwhile, get settled in. Gain the Hermits trust, especially Pearl." He said, patting the rifle. "Grian is the primary target. But if you get the chance, kill any other one of the Hermits. Direct order from the CEO, understand? He told you to start with Stress and False tonight."

Gem looked at him in shock.

"I can't do that! I can't kill False and Stress!" She almost yelled.

"Then perhaps you'd prefer we kill your brother over and over again? I can give the order now even..." He trailed off.

"Wait!" Gem yelped, and The Watcher smiled. He knew what Gems decision was.

"Good. Leave this with the body's, and use this serum to do the job. Understand?" He said, handing her two needles and a note.

"I understand," She said softly.

"I understand..." The Watcher implied, and Gem winced.

"I understand... Sir." She said, earning a cruel smile from him. Gem looked at her boots

"We'll work on the enthusiasm next time. Now I'll leave you to your job, Ghost." He said. But when Gem looked up, they were gone. But that horrible case was still there. She unpacked it, and got ready.

.  .  .

Gem swiftly made it to the house, not having to worry about Zombies. The Watcher had specifically programmed them this round to not kill her. Once she reached their window, she hesitated.

"It's them or your brother. And you've only known False and Stress for a week." She thought. She took a deep breath, and smashed the window with her elbow. She climbed up, her gloves stopping the glass to cut her. Once in, she dusted herself off as the door burst open. Gem froze.

"Gem? What are you doing?" False demanded in a sleepy voice. Gem sucked in a panicked breath.

"Welllll, the door was locked, and this was the only way in. I'll fix it tomorrow, promise." She said, forcing a smile. The needles of poison slipped into her palms

"...we gave you a key, Gem. You didn't need to smash a window." Stress said, sounding relived. They crossed the room to her, patting her on the shoulder.

"What do you need that's so important you needed to smash a window?" Stress asked.

"Well... this." Gem said, and plunged the needle into her gut. She pushed the plunger down, causing her to gasp. False whipped away as Stress collapsed, spasms rocking her body. Gem whipped the silenced handgun, aiming it at her chest.

"Gem, what did you do to her!? Where did you get a GUN!?" False screamed, completely unarmed and looking terrified. Gem felt horrible, keeping her eyes off of now still Stress.

"I'm so so sorry, False. But I have to do this." Gem said, and squeezed the trigger.