The Permutation

Homeostasis (Part 1) Albert

Saturday, November 5th, 10 a.m.

Albert hated to admit that Lancet Falls had grown on him. Its rustic charm had taken hold of him like a particularly tenacious weed. It pained him to see the place Vergil had been so passionate about brought to its knees. Inexplicable destruction and devastation had fallen upon this sleepy town like a tsunami striking the middle of a continent.

Humans choose to live in places like Idaho because it acts as a buffer between them and the natural world. It was a refuge from disasters and the toxicity of humanity, but somehow that security had been compromised by invaders from another dimension, something no one could be safeguarded from.

Vyth and Blujh were their world's version of Christopher Columbus, and with them, came the winds of change. Like the first invaders of the United States, Vyth and Blujh brought disease, and just like Columbus and his lot, they had little to no regard for the indigenous people within.

Although Vergil's plan had been asinine and overly dramatic, his heart had been in the right place. He couldn't have grasped the Pandora's box that had been opened at their arrival. The boy thought he could send them back to their world, and that would be the end of it, but all of this was just the beginning. The beings would not be content with one foray into this dimension, they would not be satisfied until they had explored every nook and cranny, and when the interlopers were finished with this dimension, they would move onto the next one. These men may not be human, but the fundamental avarice and curiosity remained.

Apparently, debilitating vices are not exclusive to humans. With higher-order thinking comes fatal flaws, the two inextricably are inextricably linked across all dimensions.

Albert preferred not to turn the looking glass on himself. His days as a common housepet content to serve the Master,\ and the little Master were obscured by the dense fog of memory, but he longed for that simple life. It had been an innocent existence consisting of unquestionable love and loyalty. The new Albert felt the burdens of intelligence and found that humans did not have a monopoly on flaws. He discovered that he had plenty of his own, cowardice being among them. Although he had chastised and mocked Vergil for being foolish and caring about everyone far too much, Albert admired the man.

Being a brave fool is better than being a coward.

He'd pretended not to notice the hurt in the Little Master's eyes when he deigned not to acknowledge her existence. Albert couldn't bear to let his old life and his new life intersect. With his newfound awareness came the realization that Albert's continued presence around the Little Master hurt her. Albert was a constant reminder of the Master for the girl, and he couldn't bear the way she looked at him.

Now, he wished for nothing more than to recount all his actions. As the girl was swallowed by that ravenous mass of humanity, she would die thinking she lost her father, mother, and her lifelong companion. Due to his own cowardice, Albert had let down Vergil and the Little Master, and found that he did not know a single reason why he should continue on.

Throughout their panicked flight from the drive-in, Albert remained silent. Whenever Albert deigned to speak, his ever-present negativity subtracted and never added. With his sentience, came nothing but a persistent storm cloud over those he interacted with.

Albert looked out the window and noticed their little group had attracted the stragglers of the once great parasitic horde. No fewer than a couple dozen more of the creatures had coalesced behind them and now followed the truck, somehow keeping pace with the vehicle. No doubt they had been attracted by the collective presence of Michelle, Christopher, and himself. The one called Vyth parked the truck, and Ms. Kim and Blujh disembarked to dispatch the threat. Compared to the horde, this motley crew was eliminated with ruthless efficiency. They completed the whole operation in a matter of moments.