Quoted By:
Araña nodded.
<span class="mu-r">“Yeah, we saw. It’s just…it’s hard to start stuffing your face after all that happens, you know? Nerves, and all that.”</span>
That was fair. Flint had thrust them into a pocket dimension that they knew nothing about, and they were likely operating under the assumption that you were being torn to pieces on the other end of that portal.
<span class="mu-r">“Thanks, by the way. We appreciate you coming back for us.”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“Your boss would’ve killed us if we hadn’t.”</span>
That made them smile. Prowler’s frank nature somehow helped to defuse some of the tension.
<span class="mu-r">“Glad to know that Gloria still thinks about us.”</span>
Araña was just starting to look like herself again, but before anyone else could contribute to this conversation, Flint loudly cleared his throat and clapped his hands together.
<span class="mu-g">“I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but can we get back to the part where these two tell us about the giant bugs that just tried to eat us?”</span>
Everyone looked at him, and then slowly directed their attention to the two Morlocks standing on the corner of the room. Iara had cleaned herself of most of the blood by now, and Glass was back to being mostly whole. He was the first to speak up.
<span class="mu-g">“They’re called the ‘Brood’. They’re a race of alien bugs that travel through space, looking for people and planets to infest. They've been here for hundreds of years, popping up in random places around the galaxy and using living beings as incubators to lay their eggs.”</span>
<span class="mu-b">“No need to sugarcoat it, Glass. They’re monsters. They enjoy the suffering of others.”</span>
Iara had her teeth bared, her muscles tensed as if she was preparing for another fight.
<span class="mu-b">“Those demons that we fought back in Vegas? They were bad, but the Brood are ten times worse. The only reason they haven’t spread their nest further is because they’ve probably been stuck down here. We’d be better off blowing up this whole damn facility.”</span>
Glass layed a gentle, transparent hand on her arm and she seemed to calm down somewhat. She took a deep, shuddering breath and turned to address the two girls.
<span class="mu-b">“I’m sorry that you’ve been stuck down here with those things. No one deserves that. It’s a miracle that you’re still alive. But from here, things are gonna get a bit more complicated, I think.”</span>
Prowler frowned at them.
<span class="mu-g">“What’s that supposed to mean?”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“Me and Deep have been talking, and we think we know what that thing swimming around outside might be. You see, there’s this race of giant alien fish that sort of…swim through space. They’re called the 'Acanti', and they mostly keep to themselves.”</span>
The Deep One shook off Glass’ hand and rubbed at a puncture wound on her neck that hadn’t quite closed properly.
(Cont.)
