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Ghostbusters: Regenesis Chapter 24 (Son of Cohila) Written by Leo_Todrius Sponsored by Cidius

The world of archaeology had been revolutionized with the advent of Lidar technology, using light to peek through forest canopies and reveal the hidden secrets lost to man for ages. It had been used to uncovered lost cities, temples, and sites across the globe including La Ciudad Blanca and Mahendraparvata. Decades of archeological stagnation had come to an end and real strides were being made in the science once more. Tough perhaps the most revolutionizing aspect of the Lidar system was that it was comparatively low cost, allowing groups large and small to compete on an equal footing.

One of the more unexpected results, though, had brought a team to the Oregon coast deep in the Suslaw forest. Amid the towering trees stood a few tents, a truck, and a slew of excavation equipment. All of them were emblazoned with the University of Oregon green and gold. Undergrads had marked off areas, put up the line and commenced their excavations. Tools, ceramic fragments and arrow heads had been recovered from the periphery, but the true discovery stood at the center of the site.

After being covered by vines and vegetation for hundreds of years, the most peculiar relic had been unearthed - a miniature step pyramid. The stone was ancient and carefully engraved, reminiscent of the south American style structures with central slopes and graduated levels. It seemed incredibly out of place considering the Native American presence in the Pacific Northwest, but it was the find that would revolutionize Hendrix Harper's archeological career.

Hendrix was in his late twenties and in relatively good shape. His mocha colored skin was well tanned, his arms were muscled from having to lug equipment around for so many years, and his black hair was worked into a man bun to keep it out of the way during the dig. Hendrix walked back across the site after having uploaded more information at the truck. Cell reception was poor, but they couldn't afford to be out of touch, not with anything as ground breaking as what they were uncovering.

"How's it coming?" Hendrix asked. Several of his team had worked hard to remove the natural detritus from the pyramid, but as more glyphs and engravings were revealed, more of the students had set to translating. Hendrix grabbed his clipboard from a small portable table and moved up to stand close to the front of the pyramid.

"We've made more progress on the translation... It does seem to be some sort of burial site like you surmised." A blond student replied. Hendrix grinned slowly, comparing his own notes to those of the students, running his finger over the translated glyphs.

"Here lies Cilehe, son of Cohila, the... banished prince." Hendrix murmured, "Have we made any progress on the passage about the demon insects?"

"A small piece here..." The student said, gesturing, "The face of darkness devour the lands on its path to home, sanctuary, shelter... We're not sure on the last word yet."

"Prophecy, or a description of the death of the banished prince?" Hendrix asked rhetorically, "But this has to be some form of banishment. The site is clearly pre-Columbian in design, Incan influences are abundant. To come all this way, though, would have taken a remarkable effort. I think we should-" Hendrix stopped mid-sentence as the ground rumbled and a plume of dust erupted into the air from one of the sides.

Bolting from his spot, Hendrix came around the corner to see that some of the stones had given away beneath the excavation team. The students were pulling themselves out of the cavity that had just formed, but the interior of the pyramid had been revealed. There were countless urns, jars and containers, but there was also a single free standing object inside, shrouded for the moment by the dust.

"Was anyone hurt?" Hendrix called out. Several of the students murmured that they were alright, though they were blushing furiously at having caused damage to the site. Hendrix, however, looked past the accident at the moment as he moved closer. Stepping down the collapsed stones was hard, but he set foot inside the pyramid interior, looking around. The cork stoppers on the ceramic jars had deteriorated from the humidity, as had the paint on their surface, but as the dust cleared, the central object became apparent.

Having been protected for around five hundred years, a carefully carved wooden sarcophagus stood upright in the center of the chamber. It had been crafted out of a rich red wood that had darkened with time, but it depicted a scorpion like insect. As the thin, filtered rays of sunshine cut through the dust and fell across both Hendrix and the sarcophagus, something else caught Hendrix' eyes. Resting in two of the six scorpion legs was a glittering, bright amber jewel. It was bigger than a softball, and it almost glowed. Hendrix' mind surged through everything he had learned, trying to guess the most likely candidate.

"Brazilian Tourmaline?" he whispered, though there was a way to easily find out. Brown and yellow tourmaline usually was magnetic. The archaeologist fished through his pocket and pulled out a small neodymium magnet. He brought it up to the crystal and, sure enough, felt the pull. A grin crossed his lips. His career had been made. He would go down in the history books for sure... But before the crystal became university property, before the others surged in, before he had to give up everything he found, he just had to hold it.

With tender, careful hands, Hendrix lifted the tourmaline from its cradle. It was so heavy, it had to be almost a hundred carats in weight. Ever so slowly, Hendrix turned around, letting the sunlight play in the vivid yellow stone. He could understand the temptation of the grave robbers of the past, but he loved science too much to do that. With one last sigh, Hendrix turned back round to return the stone... but the sarcophagus had been disturbed. The wooden structure was opened wide and the interior empty.

Panic ripped through Hendrix' heart. Had removing the crystal tripped some sort of latch? Had the contents been reduced to dust? No, it would have taken longer to deteriorate... so whatever was inside had already deteriorated... but it had to be studied before the last portions oxidized even more. Hendrix turned to leave the pyramid but gasped as something blocked his path. A large, towering creature rose up in the broken archway of the pyramid. It stood almost eight feet tall and was covered in powerful coppery red covered chitin. Big, black glassy eyes looked at the scientist.

Fighting the deer in the headlights feeling, Hendrix moved to dart around the creature. As he set one foot out of place, though, a powerful scorpion tail came plunging down, the barb striking him in his shoulder. Hendrix gasped and fell to his knees, dropping the tourmaline. The gem hit the stone floor and shattered, the shards soon collapsing further into a fine powder that caught on the wind and blew into the cracks in the pyramid.

"What..." Hendrix panted as the venom coursed through his body, paralyzing him steadily. The scorpion creature's mandibles chittered before it opened its mouth wide, releasing a cloud of thick spores, spraying Hendrix in the mouth. He coughed and sputtered as he fell to the ground, but the venom in his blood kept him from moving. Having successfully laid its first batch of eggs, the creature looked down at the collapsed scientist. Slowly the red chitin began to constrict and contract, the beady black eyes shrinking and taking on pupils. Even the pincer claws split out into fingers.

In moments the scorpion beast had shrunk down to six feet tall, its insectoid appearance morphing into that of a twenty year old latin man. His black hair had red streaks in it and was worked into fauxhawk and he had a slick black goatee that curved down into a sharp spike. What had been an exoskeleton turned into a red leather jacket and black denim pants. Even the boots on his feet had almost a scale like texture to them, reminiscent of the creature he was beneath. Cilehe crouched down, holding his hand out over the collapsed scientist, closing his hazel eyes for a moment.

"So much time has passed, so many things have changed... But my father cannot stop me this time. I will find my mate and bugs shall inherit the Earth." Cilehe said, having absorbed English from Hendrix but not shaking his Latin accent. The disguised creature stood back up. He climbed up the stones and crawled out, surprising the archaeology students that had gathered.

"Where's Hendrix?" One of them questioned.

"He's just down here... Allow me to show you." Cilehe replied with a stunning smile.

"How... How were you down there? No one else went in..." Another said, growing scared, "It's Cilehe, it's the banished demon prince!" The words pierced Cilehe's invisible shell, causing his lips to curl into a snarl.

"All of this time and you pests are as annoying as ever. Perhaps you can still have some use. My children could use good homes." Cilehe said before his mouth opened once more and a great cloud of spores erupted, washing out over the assembled excavation team. Some tried to run, some tried to get into the trucks, but none escaped in time.

---

The steady and even hum of the ecto-containment unit was louder than usual, particularly because the floor grating had been pulled up to expose the apparatus underneath. Spring cleaning meant something completely different in the Ghostbusters' firehouse. The Ecto-containment unit needed serviced and it was never a pretty job. Nico and Gray each wore shorts and sleeveless tank tops as valves released excessive heat.

Building a device capable of storing thousands of ghosts was hard enough in the first place, but to keep the unit running while parts were replaced was even more hazardous. Thankfully there were redundancies and backups to keep the machine working while the work was executed. Nico wiped his brow, breathing a bit heavily. He had finished replacing constrictors, relays, and two solid state backup power sources while Gray had worked on realigning the magnetic envelope inside the unit and given the biometric security an update.

"So tell me again that we're not going to have to do this again next year?" Nico asked, his slender pale body offset by his sleek black hair. Across the room Grayson glanced over, his Asian features complemented by the dull golden glow coming out of the equipment beneath their feet.

"I already told you that ten minutes ago." Gray said, a bit puzzled.

"I know, but I wanted to hear you say it again..." Nico murmured. Grayson rolled his eyes.

"Most of this unit could run a thousand years without maintenance, and what we did today should last a few more decades. Give or take wear and tear, the maintenance next year should only be a one person job.' Gray replied.

"I'm going to hold you to that, or at least make Dakota do it next time." Nico said. Gray rolled his eyes.

"Well, maybe so, but he's reconnecting with his grandparents in Detroit. I'm wondering to myself if he planned it to coincide with our maintenance in the first place." Gray smirked.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about any ectoplasm leaks. Did you hear that the Colorado busters just had to take on spectral versions of themselves?" Nico asked. Gray looked surprised at that.

"There hasn't been a case of those in years, I don't think since the original busters back in the late eighties... Hell, thee haven't been a lot of ghosts that could generate enough residue energy to lead to something like that." Gray said in surprise.

"Well, they managed to get it under control pretty fast, but-" Nico's sentence was interrupted with a yelp as he snapped his foot back. For a moment he had feared a rupture in the unit, but the wriggling, shuddering movement beneath his feet was a cluster of shiny backed beetles. They fled out of the floor and scrambled up the base of the guard rails towards the main floor.

"What was it?" Gray asked. Nico hissed.

"Nasty, dirty, horrible bugs infesting our sensitive equipment." Nico said, springing out of the mechanisms, scrambling up the stairs. He grabbed a heavy textbook off of the table next to the doorway, closing in on the beetles. His eyes were fierce and determined, his aim pure. He let go of the book and watched it fall towards his target, but before it could squash the bugs a large foot intercepted it and sent it flying.

"Hey!" Nico said in shock, his eyes lifting up. Seth was glaring darkly at that, a fact made all the more menacing by the fact that his PKE signature had been even further degraded after his encounter with the naga. His pupils remained in serpent slits, his canine teeth were still fangs, and black streaks ran through his otherwise brown hair and goatee. Other changes were cropping up as well, including gargoyle claws and minotaur horns. The bracelet on his wrist kept the changes from encroaching more, but it was a losing battle.

"They didn't do anything to you, you need to let them be." Seth said, moving to get a glass cup and a magazine. He ushered the beetles into the cup and then held it closed.

"Eww, I might drink out of that glass..." Nico said. Seth shot him another dirty look before he made his way down the hall that ran the length of the lower floor, taking a right and moving into the back yard. Seth took a breath before he stepped outside, feeling the wind run through his hair. Since getting back from the Naga dimension, he hadn't gone home or even left the firehouse. Gray had worked ceaselessly, but nothing seemed to be working. Seth was losing himself, and he couldn't get away with going out in public anymore.

Seth crossed the yard to the far side and crouched down, looking at the beetles in the glass. They scrambled around, not wanting to be trapped. They were beautiful in their own way, and so innocent. Seth pulled the magazine back and let them out, watching them disappear into the brush.

"That's sweet of you, catch and release." Eli's soft voice came from a short distance away. Seth looked up, realizing Eli had been in his garden the whole time. Rerun floated nearby, floating above the dirt equipped with a watering can.

"It isn't something we get to do very often in our line of work." Seth said. Eli nodded at that and moved over, sitting down on the grass.

"I guess I'm glad that most of the spirits we come across aren't humans, just creatures from other realms leaking through." Eli said.

"Even then, I... I guess I'm feeling more sympathetic, knowing what it's liked to be trapped. I wish we could help more of them go back home - wherever that is." Seth said. Eli nodded.

"Well, that's the nice thing about a containment unit. One day, if we figure out a better method, maybe we can do just that... But we'll save whoever we can, even if its just some beetles that need to escape the wrath of an intolerant young man." Eli smiled.

"You two really do make a good case for opposites attracting." Seth said. Eli smiled at that and patted Seth on the shoulder.

"I'm going to make taco salad for dinner. Anything you want with it?" Eli asked.

"Beer... Lots of it." Seth said. Eli nodded a bit at that. Gray wasn't a big fan of anyone drinking, but no one could blame Seth in the situation. Eli nodded and moved back for the firehouse, leaving Seth behind. Rerun watched Eli go before he floated over to where Seth was, looking a bit sad.

'I'm sorry.' Rerun signed, his hand movements slow and deliberate.

"Sorry for what? You didn't do anything wrong." Seth replied. Rerun's brow furrowed more at that.

'I can't turn you back to an earlier you. I tried.' Rerun explained. Seth shook his head.

"Whatever's going on with me, it runs pretty deep. It's okay." Seth said. Rerun grimaced again before he hugged Seth around the chest. Seth wrapped his arms around the time wyrm, and for a split second he recalled fragments of his early childhood - of leaving his bed, his house, to travel with Rerun, to learn what they needed to in order to save the universe... and then think it was all a dream.

Seth closed his eyes. If he really was reaching the end of his existence, at least he lived a good life. He saved his entire world, every world in his entire dimension... and helped out in a few others along the way. His life certainly wasn't too big of a price to pay in all that. Whatever small solace that thought gave Seth was enough to put a smile back on his face.

---

A late spring evening had settled over Portland. The skyline was glowing with lights, as were the bridges spanning the Willamette river. A battered gold colored Hundai pulled up to a stop light on Naito Parkway, the passenger door opening just long enough for Cilehe to step out, turning back to face the driver.

"I am most humbled by your hospitality." He said, flashing his winning smile once more. The driver gave a head nod and Cilehe shut the door, watching the car drive off. With a soft sigh, the insect prince turned back toward the riverfront. The driver had been kind enough to pick up a hitch hiker, but she still wasn't what Cilehe wanted in a mate. As the insect prince walked through the grasses, he paused as a strange musky scent similar to cilantro hit his nose. He turned, his hazel eyes turning glassy black for a moment as he spotted the source.

Nestled on a tree branch, several dozen brown marmorated stink bugs rested after a long day. They had survived the winter and reached adulthood, approaching their mating season. Their hard carapace's showed an intriguing mix of browns, tans and blacks in almost moth like patterns. Their black antenna wriggled as they waited for the next day to come. Cilehe reached up and gently stroked one, his fingernail stretching out into a claw.

"You, my friends, are very far from home... Just as I am. But, like you, I must learn to prosper..." Cilehe whispered. He glanced around, ensuring none of the humans were paying him any mind before his human form fell away. The scorpion crossed the parkway in no time at all, making across the grass and cement and over the guard rail. Carefully navigating, Cilehe moved up the embankment toward the steel bridge. With supernatural ease, he pulled himself up into the metal supports, nestled below the lower deck of the bridge.

Deep, glossy black eyes looked out across the city. While he had considered the humans pests, they had advanced a great deal in the last few hundred years... and they had multiplied. It was impressive to see, but it was also terrifying. Cilehe didn't just need a mate. He needed guardians to protect him and his new hive. Surely, out there among all the plentiful humans, there would be some that would respond to him.

Slowly Cilehe began to rub his red armored legs together with great speed, causing small serrated edges to catch and slide like teeth of a comb over a blade. The method of stridulation was similar to the rubbing wings crickets used, but the insect prince's supernatural origin elevated things to a new level. The chirping was extremely high pitched, almost inaudible to the humans as it spread out across the city. The sound carried in every direction, up through the west hills and out across the flatter lands of the east side. Somewhere in the city, Cilehe would find exactly what - and who - he needed.

---

The last lights of the evening clung to the horizon in rebellion against the constant march of time, but the city's lights were already rivaling the stars above. The lighting from all the sources played off of the U.S. Bankcorp tower, the pink granite and glass building remaining as Portland's second tallest building. The doors opened as one of the many employees from inside filed out. Jonah Cranston was in his late forties, his black hair perfectly styled with just a peppering of gray around his ears. His stubble was uniformly kept and his suit was perfectly styled. As always, he emerged with his blue tooth on.

"No, Lexi, I want the papers in the office tomorrow. Nine at the latest. I'd have you fax them to me at home, but I promised my wife I'd go off grid for at least ten hours..." Jonah paused as he walked, his brow furrowing, "Why do you think I left before Eight tonight? I wanted to get an early start at it." Jonah replied. He waited just long enough for his assistant to give in to the impossible demands before he smiled and nodded to himself, "See, I knew you could do it. You're the best Lexi." He replied before he turned off his phone.

With the steady supply of electronic noise in his ear gone, a strange quietness swept over Jonah. The street noise didn't seem as loud tonight and the music from the near by establishments wasn't too much. If anything, it was the quietest he'd ever heard Portland. Jonah reached up and pulled the Bluetooth device from his ear and just listened. There was true quiet, true peace... and somewhere in the back of it al, he heard a faint melodic sound like crickets chirping.

Jonah smiled softly to himself, thinking of his youth... His early teen years had been so different. For a short two years he'd lived with his uncle and aunt, he'd lived in the country and helped out on a real farm. He'd drank real milk, fed the livestock, played in the creeks. That was before he'd returned home, to private school, to his finance career. Something about it all seemed so stifling now. Even his suit felt heavy, almost constricting.

As Jonah walked, he reached up to tug at his tie, throwing it to the ground. He walked a few steps further, unbuttoning the cufflinks from his jacket, dropping them to the cement. Before long Jonah was practically stripping, running faster and faster, heading toward the waterfront. Rational thought fled his mind. All he knew was that wherever he was going, he was headed home once more.

---

Water sloshed across the ugly yellow and blue linoleum, spreading out further and further before the old mop came down, squishing into the crevices. Joaquín worked the mop back and forth, sloshing up the dirt and grime of the day. He found a few pieces of tomato and crumbs of bread he'd missed during sweeping and tried to drive them out of the corner. The restaurant had closed up after the dinner cycle, the cooks and the owners had gone home, leaving just him to clean. The place seemed so different with the kitchen lights and the display turned off, but Joaquín didn't mind. It gave him time to think.

As the young man passed the display, his reflection caught in the glass. He was fairly non-descript with short kept black hair and small black gauge earrings. Only his black hat with a luche libre mask embroidered on it really stood out. Joaquín gave up looking at himself and kept cleaning, trying not to get overwhelmed by his lingering depression. His twenty first birthday was just two days away but he was in another country trying to support his family back in Mexico. Getting a job had been hard without citizenship or a good education, and it felt at times like Joaquín was drowning in responsibility - and mop water.

With a sigh, Joaquín left his mop propped up against the wall and moved to the back of the shop. It was getting too humid, but he couldn't risk opening any of the big windows. The only thing he dared open that time of night was the small bread box sized window above the back oven. Joaquín stood on his tip toes and fumbled with the latch before it opened, letting in some cool air and a distant chirping. The sound caught Joaquín's ears without delay.

In the back of his mind, Joaquín started to feel better. He didn't feel as lonely anymore without his big family around. He didn't feel as isolated or forgotten. There had to be someone out there that cared, someone that wanted him for who he was. Without thinking of the mop or even the security of his job, Joaquín made his way to the back door and unlocked it, throwing it open wide. The sound from before was even louder, almost as if it was reaching out to him. Joaquín walked out into the night, heading toward the sound.

---

Portland's music scenes was one of the best on the west coast.... But while that meant there was lots of opportunity, it also meant there was a lot of competition. Once more Agustin had been locked out of his opportunity. He sat at a café bench, strumming on his guitar, listening in the back of his mind to the muffled beats and notes coming from the place across the street. He reached up and brushed one of his long dreads over his shoulder and took in the cold night air.

Without intending it, without focusing in the slightest, Agustin's strums became simpler and simpler. His dark fingers crossed the threads with a regularized pattern. Quick, fast, high pitched - almost like a cricket chirping. Agustin's hazel eyes slipped shut and he stood up, deciding to leave the club behind. He kept chirping on his guitar, his eyes closed, navigating his way down the street. It was a miracle the black musician didn't run into anyone as he moved down the street, but he was like a moth drawn to the flame. He had a singular purpose, to head toward the sound, to find it, to be with it. The young man crossed a street, nearly getting flattened by a turning car. The honks from the car horn did nothing to rouse him. Still he ventured on toward the waterfront.

---

The windows in the firehouse bedroom were open, the screens keeping the bugs at bay outside. Seth had been craving the fresh air for some reason. He missed his own place, his own bed, but after a few weeks of Gray's constant presence he had made his boyfriend go home. It was relaxing to finally have the place to himself. Seth sighed happily and closed his eyes once more. The temperature dropped suddenly, the air seemed different, his feet were cold and Seth slammed into a wall. He grunted suddenly as his eyes opened in alarm. Somehow he'd gone from the comfort of his own bed upstairs to being down near the front door. Rerun floated in the doorway, his arms outstretched wide to apparently block his exit. Seth looked at Rerun in confusion, about to speak when the most wonderful song started to come back to him. Seth felt the tension melt in his shoulders, his muscles relaxing. There was a soft squishing noise as his horns retracted back into his skull and his claws pulled back into his fingers. Wherever the cricket like chirping was coming from, it was nice. He moved forward and tried to duck underneath Rerun. Rerun grunted silently and pushed Seth back. Once more the wings on his back spun, rewinding time. Seth's progress was halted and the time wyrm knocked him back once more. The two had been caught in a loop for almost an hour but every time Rerun tried to go get help, Seth made it further toward the door. The time wyrm had worked hard to try and think of a time he could go further back to, but he'd been with the busters for days. He couldn't supplant himself, and running into himself was exhausting. As much as he wanted to use his powers to save Seth, he wasn't going to be able to. With a deep grimace, Rerun stopped blocking the door. Just as he'd been trying to do for an hour, Seth walked out the front door and onto the street in nothing but his boxer shorts. Rerun grunted in dismayed and flew up the stairs, bursting into the bedroom. He rummaged around in Seth's pile of clothes to find his cell phone. On his way back out, he paused just long enough to grab a PKE meter and turn it on. Scrambling to catch up to his mesmerized friend, Rerun's solid white eyes gazed at the meter in his hands. The tips of the antenna flashed yellow and the screen showed a very low but very prevalent signal spreading across the city. No doubt it was just what Seth was being drawn to. Rerun clipped the meter to the hem of his shirt and slid the smart phone open, trying to text Gray. He wasn't sure where they were going, but it couldn't be good.

---

While the bridge had given Cilehe a beautiful view of the city, it still didn't feel quite like a proper nest. The insect prince had found an old abandoned warehouse to claim as his new lair. It was full of termite chewed wood, roach infested pipes... An insect's dream. Cilehe was actually impressed with how far the humans had advanced and how useful they had proven, though they seemed to have declared war on the bugs. Every few blocks there was a store selling pesticides or a billboard offering removal services. Cilehe felt as if he was trapped behind enemy lines, and he was most certainly in need of guardians.

The red scorpion creature scuttled around his new territory, checking on the progress of his progeny. There were countless balls of eggs coated in thick foam protein, hardening into a protective shell. The eggs were growing slowly but steadily inside, gaining nourishment from the deterioration of the structure the sacks, or ootheca, were attached to. As Cilehe attended to the sacks, the first few hundred of the rat sized bugs had emerged from the students at the dig site and returned to their father, but something still felt missing.

He door to the warehouse creaked as it eased open, allowing Jonah to stumble in. He had undressed partially, but even unbuttoned and lacking a tie, a fancy suit was a fancy suit. The business man was rugged, masculine, powerful. Cilehe resumed his human guise for a moment, advancing. The grin on the goateed Latino was predatory as he circled Jonah, looking at him.

"I must say, I like what I see... You could serve me very well." Cilehe said, reaching out. His clawed fingers began groping Jonah's crotch, eliciting a quick response. Jonah moaned, leaning into the affection. He panted and sweat, his cheeks flushing. Cilehe leaned up toward him, his lips parting.

"What do you say, papi... Wanna be my lover? Do you want to eat my royal jelly?" Cilehe asked. Jonah nodded slowly, moving closer. It seemed odd to have a man Jonah's age drawn in so to a younger man, but Cilehe's charm seemed inescapable. Cilehe used his arms to pull Jonah close and he leaned in to bring their lips together. For only a moment did they kiss as humans, but Cilehe's human guise began to dissolve as they touched. The kiss evolved and Jonah's lips were pried apart by undulating mandibles.

It would have been a lie if Cilehe said he used his human form as nothing more than a tool... That was part of the problem, part of the reason he had been banished in the first place. Cohila was very set in his ways, very focused on his goal. There was no reason to play with the humans as anything other than a means to an end... but Cilehe had watched the humans, interacted with them, and learned something specific about himself - he desired males, not females.

While acting as a human it was easy to dismiss. They were such strange beings, they had a complex nature... but holding Jonah, having reverted to his scorpion form, his deviance felt deeper and more true. His solid black eyes bored into Jonah's mesmerized face and his mandibles pushed the business man's lips wide before a thick, faintly yellow goo began to gush out from Cilehe's stomach. The royal jelly was tart for the most part, like unripe green apples, but there was just enough sweetness to keep it palatable. Jonah guzzled it down, feeling it coat his teeth and tongue and throat before pooling in his stomach.

A second set of arms wrapped around Jonah to hold him in place as they kissed, though it wasn't for Cilehe's benefit alone to keep him stuck in one spot. Several of the larva from around the warehouse began to move in, crawling across Jonah's feet, circling around his ankles before spiraling up his legs. As the dozens and dozens of insects moved, they left behind a burgundy red silk that stuck and clung to itself, forming thicker and thicker layers over his clothing.

Inch by inch the insects advanced, forming a cocoon around Jonah's legs. The webbing constricted, forcing his legs together. The sticky substance that helped them to layer started slowly eroding through his clothes, and where it touched the skin it tingled and penetrated. His flesh began changing colors as a result, but his artificially tanned skin wasn't blistering - it was hardening. The flesh tightened and firmed up, taking on an odd earthy green hue. His body hair disappeared beneath the hardening layer, but the cocoon was covering too much to see outwardly. The insects spiraled around the business man's knees, his thighs, and finally his groin. The flesh beneath squirmed and flexed a little, feeling the intention.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jonah knew that something was going on, but all he could do was continue to guzzle down the royal jelly. Even in advance of the coming cocoon, his body was already mutating. The businessman's perfect hair was disturbed as two lumps formed, the flesh over his temples rounding and swelling. A docile look filled his eyes as the color drained out of his irises, but he continued to take in the ancient substance.

Cilehe felt enthralled by the process, watching Jonah change more and more, creating one of his guardians. He hadn't been so fortunate under Cohila's watch. Being interested in the same sex made no sense when one's ultimate fate was to breed, but Cohila had often turned humans into his queen. With that power of transformation and the ability to generate larva as a male, there was no reason he couldn't push it that much further and bring about a gay bug revolution. It was for that reason he had been banished, and why his deviance felt even more liberating now.

The red scorpion bug began producing more jelly, pushing it down Jonah's throat. He adjusted his legs as his tiny spawn wrapped up Jonah's arms, his stomach, and finally his chest. The businessman's skin was turning forest green. The lumps on his forehead squirmed before finally they ruptured, allowing tall, firm antenna to push out, curving back over his scalp. As Jonah's human eyes glossed over and became coppery, turning into compound eyes, Cilehe felt accomplished. He stepped back and let his larva coat the human entirely.

Being deprived of the royal jelly was sudden and hurt Jonah to his core, though his pain was short lived. As the world around him was cut off, he felt oddly content. His body was warm and numb, his skin firm but flexing as his anatomy changed. After Jonah had lived such a direct and mundane life, it was hard for him to even picture what was going on, but he didn't object in the slightest. The flesh that composed his ass was growing, stretching out into a longer abdomen. His back was changing as well, dropping down like a curtain or a cape over his ass. While parts of his body hardened into chitin like armor, other parts remained fleshy or leathery. It didn't take long for Jonah's precious flesh to start forming delicate but powerful wings inside his cocoon.

Countless words had flowed effortlessly from Jonah's mouth, but even that was already being adapted. Rather than changing the actual human mouth, though, the firm green exoskeleton came down over it like a mask, forming the four piece labium which could retract if Cilehe demanded it of his guardian. With his mouth covered and his eyes converted, even Jonah's ears seemed to sink into his skull. His flesh was hard and green, his hair had been absorbed by his cocoon and he was the proud owner of mantis wings... but the most profound changes were just starting.

Jonah's cocoon seemed to shift and warp, the growing mass of the guardian inside threatening to crack the shell prematurely. Cilehe watched as it rippled, knowing inside that his first protector was nearing completion. Thick, knobby and insectoid pieces had covered Jonah's legs, but it was his arms that had the most work. They were crossed over his chest, but the human length was far from what a mantis guard needed.

The royal jelly in the businessman's belly began to digest at an accelerated rate, saturating his system and pumping through his veins. While a fair portion of the jelly reinforced the changes already experienced, Jonah felt the bulk of it traveling through his system and gathering in his arms. The flesh over his hands stiffened, the chitin armor on his forearms hesitating only a second before surging forward. Almost like another appendage, long sickle like raptor arms dropped down from where his wrists had once been. They grew down more and more, curving toward one another until the blades were almost three feet long. Whatever Cilehe needed defended from, the mantis would no doubt offer suitable protection.

A soft but clear crackling echoed through the warehouse. The cocoon shuddered and then splintered. It didn't take much movement from Jonah before the cocoon came apart, falling to the floor in shards like a husk of dry leaves. The mantis guardian beneath was refined, elegant, and very strong. Cilehe let out a chirping with his legs as he looked at his creation eagerly... His first creation was magnificent to say the least, and there were more to come.

"You are now Daguan, my first guardian. Serve your prince well." Cilehe commanded.

"Yes, my prince. I serve you in all things." The mantis replied, his old identity feeling more and more distant by the second. Cilehe smiled deeply at that, as much as he could with mandibles.

---

The street lights passing by the Ecto were almost hypnotic as Gray stared out at them, waiting for the next text from Rerun. Most of the city used the old orange lights, but more and more the lower wattage blue and green were being utilized. One after another in a long line, Gray had to eventually close his eyes. Eli glanced over from where he was driving briefly, a soft look on his face.

"We'll find him... I know we will." Eli said. Gray shook his head.

"This is all my fault. I never should have left him on his own. We should have figured out something more, something better... I should have fixed this by now!" Gray exclaimed, slamming his fist down onto the dashboard enough to rattle it. Eli said nothing, taking a slow breath.

"There are risks in any job, especially ours. The number of things we're exposed to, especially..." Eli trailed off. Gray murmured gently at that.

"Especially our ghosts?" Gray asked, his eyes falling to the carpet, "I've been thinking about that too... Sure, we get the classic roaming vapors and free floating apparitions, but there's something going on along the pacific rim. We've all been changed so many times, and not just here - in the realities we visited as well."

"So we have a special breed here, or there's something out here affecting them all... But why is Seth affected more than us? Have we shown PKE instability?" Eli asked. Gray looked almost stunned at that. He reached under his seat and fumbled around the under-seat holster, pulling out one of their backup generation 2 PKE meters. The two prongs rising up from the top looked almost like prods, but Gray turned them on and electricity arced between the two ends. After fiddling with the settings, he turned it on Eli.

The screen showed the typical signal for a human, a barely registering field that emanated from the human, modulating with his emotional state but generally weak. There were the slightest, most miniscule traces of influence from their ongoing exposure, but Eli's signal registered as completely stable. Deciding one case subject was not enough, Gray turned the meter on himself to take a good reading. As hard as Gray looked, there was no lingering signal from Thana or the bigfoots or the orcs. Whatever had happened to him, even if there were traces, his body wasn't reacting to it in the same way Seth was.

"So something is different with Seth." Gray said finally. Eli nodded at that.

"We have to think outside the box. He's more sensitive to them for some reason." Eli replied.

"Rerun wrote that every time he turned back time that Seth was normal for a little bit before he sunk into it again, so whatever was happening it was going on for a while." Gray considered before he pulled the tablet computer off of its mount on the dash and checked in with the city grid. The PKE sensors hadn't been tripped at any of the points around the city, frustrating him. Eli glanced over again as long as he dared to.

"If there wasn't a big PKE surge, would there be a way for it to build up more steadily and not set anything off? Or something along those lines?" Eli asked. Gray leaned back in his seat, the gears in his brain turning quickly.

"In anthroposophy there is a theory about the Akashic records, how in the astral plane all of humanity's past and future thoughts and actions are recorded in a metaphysical transcription. Our equipment functions by isolating the foreign nature of the PKE signals from the ghosts entering our realm... But if it was masked as something from here, something that our system wouldn't even start to look for..." Gray murmured, trying to connect to the state database to access any data that could lead them to what was out of the ordinary.

"In the mean time, we just have to hope that Rerun is faster than our internet connection." Eli said, his eyes scanning the streets ahead.

---

Joaquín stood in the doorway of the warehouse, his eyes widening slowly. He wasn't even sure how he had gotten there in the first place, but as his awareness returned, he was even more stunned by his surroundings. The sheer number of webs was shocking, and the faint squirming noises across the walls were almost enough to make his skin crawl.... But when he felt a hand on his chin, he gasped.

"At least, a face more familiar to me..." Cilehe said, looking at the janitor with interest. Joaquín could barely respond, looking at the man before him. His goatee, his hair, his coat... He looked like a rock star - a rock star that was currently looking right at him. Cilehe looked at his Latino friend for but a moment longer before he leaned in and kissed him deeply. Joaquín was shocked and tried to pull back from the kiss, struggling, but arm after arm after arm wrapped around him. He felt his mouth pried wide by mandibles and the creature holding him grow larger.

Cilehe had to admit, he wasn't as skilled as his father at holding onto his human form, but he could still woo this human. His royal jelly began to leak from his mouth, but the human pushed it back with his tongue. He was a fighter, a true warrior... and too good to coat with a cocoon. Cilehe had to win him over in more ways than one. Joaquín struggled and writhed as he was lifted off the ground. Clawed hands began tearing into his clothes, casting the scraps aside before ultimately leaving him naked - save for his hat.

A gush of liquid escaped from Cilehe's carapace as it cracked open down a particularly thick segment of exoskeleton, sliding apart and allowing a very long, decidedly purple penis emerge. The tip was like several overlapping arrowheads and the most slightly blunted tip, reminiscent of the barb on the end of his scorpion tail. Cilehe tried to feed the janitor more royal jelly as he maneuvered him into place. The excess jelly dribbled out of Joaquín's mouth and down his chin, but the super sweet flavor was eroding his will. As tiny droplets seeped in around his tongue, his resistance slowly started to fade.

With the wall cracked, Cilehe moved. He thrust up, his barbed cock sliding into Joaquín's virgin ass, sliding inches in deep... just as the scorpion ghost's tail came down, striding Cilehe in the small of his back. The venom gushed in, but it had come from a different source. Joaquín's eyes snapped open wide as the white from the edges spread across his pupils, covering them completely before they started to glow.

Squirt after squirt of venom poured into Joaquín's body and his muscled form was already starting to change. The muscles firmed across his shoulders and around his ribs. His ass began to grow as well, as if it was feeding on mass from the venom directly. Every one of Joaquín's nails darkened, turning from ivory to tan, brown, and then finally black before stretching out into claws. His cinnamon colored skin began to toughen up as his hair sloughed off, making it harder for Cilehe to hold on to his partner.

With vigorous, dominant thrusts, Cilehe mounted his prey, watching him grow and grow. Joaquín's shoulders were broadening, his arms were thickening and even his legs seemed more powerful. The venom was being carried around his circulation, delivered to every part of his body, but the extremities seemed to get it worst. What had started with slight changes to his fingernails was becoming more robust. The nails grew out longer, but the black hard coating was advancing upwards across his forearms.

Cilehe watched with interest as the janitor's already powerful, built arms seemed to thicken more dramatically. His elbows wobbled and bulged, his forearms nearly doubled In size, and then a sickening crunch came as the hardening skin cracked out down the middle. Tiny shards fell to the floor as Joaquín's arms began to split in half, but the flesh beneath was an intense and vibrant yellow the bubbled and oozed out, filling in the gaps before hardening.

The splitting crevice moved up past the elbows and all the way up to the arm pits. Two extra sets of hands wriggled, but rather than trying to pull away from Cilehe, Joaquín slowly wrapped his arms around the beast fucking him. Cilehe moaned even more and fucked him deeper, but every time he buried cock into the former janitor, the ass seemed to get deeper... but this was part of the plan. Cilehe grinned as he fucked his cock up, feeling Joaquín's ass ooze out over it more and more. The butt cheeks fattened in every direction, rounding and oozing together into one protrusion that extended out, curving down around Cilehe's shaft.

Almost like camouflage, parts of Joaquín's skin had darkened beyond brown and reached far into black, decorating his double sets of pectorals and his finely crafted abs. Even his face was turning black below his nose and across his cheek bones, but unlike camouflage the rest of his flesh was headed in the other direction. The cinnamon tones turned bronze, then gold before becoming an even brighter yellow. His forearms, lower legs, and upper face were all brightly colored.

With each thrust, Joaquín's body hardened and became tougher. The skin was gone, extending outwards and hardening into his own carapace. His multi-limb body was robust and dangerous and his thicker, more insectoid head was capped with two new antennas that forced his hat off his head as they grew in, but the last changes came from his swelling, growing, and bloating abdomen.

While most of Joaquín's markings were almost tribal, every few inches his abdomen swelled were marked by clear black and yellow alternating rings. Each ring tapered down smaller and smaller, making the fit harder and harder for Cilehe. He grunted, groaned, and drooled, watching his wasp warrior form before him until it was too much. He threw his head back and hissed, his royal seed erupting inside of Joaquín. The pressure was too much and it built up before ejecting the demon prince's cock. The seed spilled out of the floor for only a moment before a sharp black stinger emerged from the tip, sealing it up as his new organs formed inside his extended body.

Cilehe pulled his scorpion stinger out of Joaquín's back and listened to the hard shell grow crispy and crunch apart before new wings unfurled, spreading out wide. Joaquín was hesitant at first, but as he tried them out the wings began to flap and move so fast they became blurs, generating a harsh buzzing noise and enough wind to lift him off the ground for a moment.

"Holy fuck..." Agustin whispered, dropping his guitar to the ground. He spun around and bolted, causing Cilehe to chitter in annoyance.

"Stahl, my wasp warrior, capture him and bring him to our cause!" Cilehe commanded. The wasp bolted for the door, his wings moving quickly. He squeezed through with impeccable ease before he lifted up higher, navigating though the industrial area. It took a few moments before he finally spotted the dark skinned human running through the alleys. He dove down, swooping with precision, his arms and legs grabbing for him. Agustin ducked out of the way with inches to spare, feeling the claws graze his back. Stahl swung around, trying for another pass. Agustin looked around, trying to figure out his best bet before he dove for cover under one of the near by dumpsters.

As the human approached cover, all Cilehe had to do was raise his hand. The dumpster rumbled and began to move as dozens, then hundreds of cockroaches emerged from inside. The display was enough to cause Agustin to skid to a stop for just a moment, and that was all Stahl needed. Agustin yelped as he was pulled up into the air, though he stopped struggling as much as he had been when he saw the ground drop down further and further below him.

Agustin was starting to wonder what the strange creature was going to do to him. If it had been a bird, he suspected his fate would be to fall from the clutches, land on a rock, and split open just like birds did with shellfish... But the being that captured him was a wasp. All he knew about them was that they were carnivorous and could sting many times. Agustin shuddered, feeling his dreads whip against his face. Perhaps falling to his death would be better than being eaten alive.

As the musician contemplated all the different ways he might be killed, his worries started t fade away again. At the back of his mind he felt the soothing music of nature itself, the son g that had drawn him in. His fingers slid up and down the wasps's powerful legs, strumming the chirping. He had no idea that Cilehe was wooing him again, trying to make him more complicit... and it worked. With his prey no longer fighting, Stahl lowered the human back down toward the ground, dropping him in a hypnotized heap back near the warehouse again. Agustin laid on the cold cement, gazing up at the stars above dreamily - at least until a shadow came over him.

The wasp man maneuvered around carefully before his own carapace opened up and a smaller shaft emerged just as it had from Cilehe, though his was a solid black. He brought it down past Agustin's thick lips and into his mouth. With his wings quivering and his abdomen pulsating, Stahl began to face fuck the human. His two pairs of arms and his braced knees kept him up enough to continue his work with due diligence.

The cock went in and out, finding the contours of the musician's mouth. Stahl felt such power in his heart, knowing that Cilehe had given him a great honor. That fact alone was enough to tempt him to the very edge itself. The wasp's shaft was starting to leak his seed.

While not a fraction as potent as Cilehe's seed or jelly, the wasp's juices were both sweet and addictive. It was so thick and sticky and hot that Agustin began to nurse on the shaft, and as he did it was hard to keep from falling into the sway of the demon bug prince.

From the midst of his many thick cords of dreadlocked hair, two new extensions were pressing out. It started as mere lumps, but the lumps refined further into stalks that crawled up higher and higher, forming into proper antenna.

Fed new information from his new organs, Agustin's mind filled only with the fact that the wasp was very huge and very manly. He didn't realize that his own back was rippling and distorting. Something was moving beneath his skin, spreading out across his back. His outermost layers of flesh were drying out and becoming flakey, but his core was changing too.

The skin in Agustin's armpit began stretching out, connecting his arm to his ribs in almost a glider sort of style. As the flesh extended, it started ripping through his clothes.

Agustin moaned and curled up, his stomach cramping as his back grew more. His muscles twitched in his forearms and legs, especially as the fine hairs that covered his legs were becoming softer and fuzzier. The black hair blanched out t o brown, but it also became far more obvious. The fuzz spread across his legs, over his feet, and spilled across his lap. His pube hair, even his pit hair was getting unnaturally soft.

Cilehe watched as his wasp guard went after the musician. It was a bit of a shame he hadn't done the dirty work himself, but at the same time it gave him time to think. He had drawn in only males, a fact that pleased him greatly. It spat in the face of tradition and it was very liberating... But he wondered what more had brought them to him? What set them apart? Cilehe watched with pride as Agustin's back split apart and two magnificent fuzzy brown wings were exposed. While still in their infancy, they spread cross his shoulders, the back of his arms, all the way down to his waist. The arms spread wide and that only brought the wings to go that much further.

As the fuzz dominated Agustin's body, his mind was taking on a simpler state as well. It was clear he was no better than a common brown moth, drawn toward the flame or any open fire source. He was vulnerable but powerful at the same time. He could dance through the night and lure people in, just as Cilehe wanted.

Watching the wasp mount the moth was unexpected, but certainly a welcome surprise for the bug prince. He left the shelter of his home and moved toward them, four arms outstretched.

"Mannah, welcome to our family... You shall serve us all in good stead." Cilehe explained. Stahl slowly crawled off of his prey and the moth man slowly repositioned himself before standing up. He licked his lips gently, his solid black eyes looking to his master before he bowed low. Cilehe murmured at that, feeling his heart race.

"Not much longer now..." Cilehe murmured, holding out his hands. He could feel the bugs in the walls of the building around him, of the ground beyond. They were all at his command and the world would never be the same.

---

Rerun continued to drift as he had for hours and hours, feeling his art ache with concern. He kept glancing down at his cell phone and the flashing battery indicator. He had tried to use his powers to return the phone to an earlier state, but it was different than with living things. He couldn't re-fill the battery from nothing. It seemed like no matter what he did, nothing was helping Seth, nothing was helping his oldest friend.

A tear began to leak from the corner of Rerun's eye as it all went through his head again. He had seen the universe itself end. He had tumbled back through time to when Seth was a boy. They had gone to another reality that had all life drained from it, and then he'd watched Seth grow up. He'd seen all of the Ghostbusters as he waited to catch up to himself, but he'd felt more connected to Seth than anyone - and now Seth was lost, hypnotized, mesmerized.

Rerun darted forward and looked at Seth again, grimacing. Despite his height and muscle, the journey through the less refined parts of town had left him a bit worse for wear. He had cuts and scratches from blackberry vines and rusty pieces of metal. He was bruised from where he'd climbed over some barriers, but still he didn't stop. Rerun held out his arms in front of Seth, but Seth just walked into him.

The time wyrm let out a silent grunt and tried to push back against him, but it was as if he was weightless. Seth easily continued on. Rerun's tears rolled down his cheeks and fell to the ground. He felt so powerless, so helpless, and it didn't help that he had a headache on top of it all. In that realization, Rerun paused, rolling around Seth's body as he kept going. Rerun's brow scrunched up as he tried to figure out why he had a headache.

Focusing on the problem, something began to bubble up into his perception. There was a terrible sound nagging at his pointed blue ears. It was a buzzing, a chirping, an oscillating sound just at the edge of his awareness. Rerun realized that had to be what Seth was hearing, and if he was hearing it, what else was? Rerun looked down and focused, watching worms crawling along the grass in the same direction Seth was moving.

The three silver wings extending from Rerun's back began to turn, just a little. The worms jumped back a little bit to where they had been. For a moment they wriggled in confusion before they fell back into their trance, continuing on their journey. It was the same way Seth had responded. Rerun brought his phone back up quickly.

'Bugs and Seth respond to sound.' Rerun texted quickly, pressing send. The animation began to play of a letter zipping away, but after a moment the phone let out one pitiful beep before it went dark. Rerun swallowed a bit. There was no going back now. Either they got the message or they didn't, but whatever came next, he would have to play witness to.

---

The night air was cool and wet... colder than Cilehe would have preferred, but not entirely without merit. He stood on the roof of his warehouse, his solid black eyes gazing out. He saw the moths and flies and insects huddled around the street lights. He felt the worms and the potato bugs and the worms in the ground. He felt so many of his kind out there, but he no longer felt his father or any of his kind. Cilehe slowly manipulated his hand and watched the bugs beneath the lights begin to swirl around at his whim, moving around in waves and loops.

"You feel it, don't you?" The voice was unexpected, young, and oddly smooth. Cilehe turned, his vision settling on a young boy, no more than ten years old. His black hair had a blue streak in it, but his eyes were strangely speckled with slate and ash grey. Cilehe morphed into his human guise, trying to put on a compassionate look.

"Relax, young one, you can always have a home here in our hive. We will protect you." Cilehe said, raising his hand. The vents on the building rumbled before insects erupted out of them, spilling out in a sea, rushing to engulf the intruder. The young boy held up a small hand and the bugs stopped in their place, almost as if frozen there. Cilehe's eyes even in his human form turned black as he bore his teeth, "That... isn't possible." He muttered, moving his own hand again, trying to will them on to their target. The boy, however, seemed unfazed.

"You are about to be visited by someone very special." The boy said, "He's connected to what you were feeling... That emptiness out there? That void? Like the magic has been drawn out of this place?"

"Who are you?" Cilehe asked. The boy continued to gaze into the night with his gray eyes, unheeding of the insect prince's question.

"You won't win against them, of course... No one yet has. But, there's a chance for you, a one time deal." The boy said. Cilehe didn't understand who this child was or what was going on, but for the moment he seemed to be at his mercy.

"What is the deal?" Cilehe asked.

"There's no way you can defeat them this time, but I can give you a second chance. All you have to do is tell them you know who can fix him, to restore him..." The boy said.

"Who?" Cilehe asked, incensed. The boy let out a soft, single chuckle.

"You don't actually need to know. Just the promise is enough." The boy replied, not once looking at Cilehe. The insect prince growled, dropping his human guise, letting out a roar. The boy closed his eyes, a disappointed smile on his lips.

"This is why every one of you has lost... Why your resentment lasts longer than you all do." The boy whispered, opening his eyes once more, "When you are defeated, just tell them what I told you to. If you keep up your end of the bargain, you'll get a second chance." The boy said. Cilehe growled again, flinging all of his limbs. The bugs that had been frozen suddenly moved, but as they hit the space the boy had occupied, they crashed and clattered over one another before falling across the roof in an uncoordinated mess. Cilehe hissed in confusion and disappointment. He didn't understand anything about the boy, what he had offered, but it was clear that he knew more... Someone was coming, someone very special.

---

Information scrolled by across the tablet screen and Gray did his best to digest it all, but it was too much to take in. Eventually he groaned and closed his eyes. Eli held onto the wheel with one hand and reached over with the other to pat Gray's shoulder.

"I know, I know." Gray murmured. Eli smirked a little.

"You know what?" Eli asked.

"We're going to find him, it'll be okay." Gray said. Eli smiled.

"See, it's like pavlov. Enough repetition and you're self reinforcing." Eli grinned.

"You're an animal lover, you should hate pavlov." Gray replied. Eli shrugged.

"I do, but you can't deny the theory just-" Eli paused as Gray's phone chirped. Gray brought it back up and opened the text.

"Bugs and Seth respond to sound." Gray read the note aloud. It was all he needed to narrow his search. He grabbed the tablet again and filtered through the results, looking at the map frantically before he spotted a big green blip, "Didn't Rerun say earlier they were going towards the industrial drive?" Gray asked. Eli nodded.

"Yeah, in the labyrinth of cargo containers." Eli replied.

"There's a hypersonic frequency coming from that part of town. I mean it isn't that far off from run of the mill insect song, but it's really too strong and we don't have any species like that this far north. I think we're dealing with some kind of a ghost bug." Gray said. Extrapolating the data before setting a GPS route for the general vicinity, "I'll check in the area. Maybe there has been enough insect activity that someone knows something we don't." Gray replied. Eli grinned at the revelations.

"And I'll tell Nico to be ready... He's been itching to try out his new toy and this should be just the perfect opportunity." Eli said, reaching for the radio.

---

The roof of the firehouse was generally unremarkable. There were clusters of solar panels here and there, a small lip to prevent things from rolling off the top, and a small hut like protrusion to give cover to the stairs leading up, but for the most part it was flat and even - a perfect spot for a gyrocopter to take off from.

Nico ran out from the stairwell, clipping his helmet into place, looking up at their newest acquisition. The gyrocopter had been patented in New York, looking like a cross between a miniature helicopter and a three wheeled scooter. It was gunmetal gray for the most part, though the control console was a vivid orange and the front wheel came down from a long arm in the front.

Nico reached the craft and grabbed a hold of the side panel, folding the door like portion down into an open wing configuration before doing the same to the other side. With the wings deployed, he hopped into the seat and strapped in before he began the flight prep sequence. Red and green lights started to flash on the wings as the rotors above began to spin with ever increasing speed, soon becoming a blur. Nico took a deep breath, prepping for what was about to come before he turned the headlight on and grabbed the stick.

---

Rerun's eyebrows were furrowed as he held on to Seth, his arms wrapped around his stomach, using every ounce of strength he had - but Seth continued on, step by step, undeterred. The insects swarming along the ground around Seth had grown to a density Rerun had never before seen, though they skittered out of the way of Seth's steps so as not to be crushed. Wherever they were headed, there wasn't much time left. It was that thought that crystallized in Rerun's mind.

The time wyrm closed his eyes and concentrated. The three silver wings on his back began to move, rotating upwards. The two larger ones overlapped, then the smaller one rose up in front of the others - all pointing straight up. Time itself seemed to shudder around Rerun before everything slowed to a stop; Seth, the insects, even particles of dust caught in the light beaming down from the street lamp. Portland, and everywhere beyond, had been caught between the seconds.

Rerun silently grunted as he no longer had to fight against Seth's momentum, slowly unwrapping his arms. Between chasing his friend and using his powers on such a large scale, though, he felt exhausted. His arms were weak and his solid white eyes were half covered with heavy lids... but he'd done it. He'd stopped time. Rerun circled around Seth, looking at him carefully. His eyes were dilated and distant, still a victim to whatever sound was summoning him. Rerun reached up and touched Seth's cheek, hoping he would be able to figure something out with the time he had just bought himself.

"That is really an amazing ability..." A young voice commented. Rerun spun around in shock, coming face to face with the grey eyed boy. The stranger reached up and brushed his black and blue bangs out of his face, looking at the time wyrm curiously. Rerun was flummoxed by the fact that anyone had managed to avoid his powers, let alone so close to the epicenter... and he had no idea if the boy understood sign language or not.

The boy slowly circled around Rerun, looking at him carefully. He appraised Rerun's three silver clock hand wings, the silver striping on his otherwise robin's egg blue flesh, his pointed ears and his darker blue hair. He even reached out to touch the green hourglass t-shirt clinging to the time wyrm's torso, almost looking surprised that it was in fact made of fabric.

"I still can't believe a being as powerful as you is acting like a pet to these humans. You're more powerful than any of the beings they have ever encountered, more powerful than the charts they measure with, and what are you doing? You're babysitting a broken human." The boy said, shaking his head.

'Seth is not broken!' Rerun signed with anger. The boy grinned.

"So you're not just missing your last wing, you lost your voice as well?" The boy asked. Rerun froze at that, his lips slowly closing. He had no response to that comment. He had always assumed he was as he was meant to be. The strange boy reached out and rested a hand on the base of Rerun's spine, taking a breath, "Time Wyrms can reshape all of reality, moving back eons to make a single change, then sweeping forward again to see how that ripples out through the ages... But you, you can only go backwards, can't you? What does it feel like to be trapped?"

'It isn't any of your business.' Rerun signed back, his brows furrowed once more.

"Oh, it is my business... Any time any of our kind turn against us and serve the humans? Any time they stand in the way of our goals... I really wished we could have been allies. We could have done so much together, but I don't need to be able to manipulate time to know that you'll never betray them. Not even for your fourth wing..." The boy said.

'Who are you?' Rerun signed, feeling an immense degree of fear. The boy closed his eyes and held his hand in place on Rerun's back.

"I really do wish we could have worked together, but I can't have you getting in my way." The boy whispered. As he removed his hand from Rerun's back, something remained behind. A stone ring appeared around the root of his wings, engraved with an ancient script... the engravings started to glow at once. Rerun felt suddenly sick as the world lurched around him, starting to move forward again. Rerun let out a deep grunt as he tried to fight it, but his wings returned to their natural positions. Seth started moving forward again and Rerun lunged, trying to grab onto his hand.

"Seth, stop!" The words were melodic, untested, and entirely pure. Rerun gasped as he heard himself speak. Only once before had he ever managed it, and it had been after Seth had died, after all life had died because of Zytu. Rerun swallowed and looked around, but the mysterious boy had disappeared the moment time started moving again. Rerun already knew what the outcome would be, but he tried to freeze time again. His wings didn't budge and not a second shifted out of place.

Rerun watched Seth move forward again, but he felt more helpless than ever. He had been defeated, he had been neutered. His powers were gone, but the rest of his friends weren't. He had to find the others. Rerun took one last look at Seth before he swung around and flew back toward the street, hoping to track down the Ecto.

---

Cilehe had felt the insects coming to him, he had found his guardians, and he had been snuck up on by some creature that wasn't as he seemed. He was taking no chances as the evening got later. He was the first to know when some being started clumsily crashing through spider webs. One more being had responded to his call, though something had kept him back and delayed him beyond the others. Cilehe leapt down off the roof and landed with impossible ease. He could feel the vibrations and disruptions of the being coming ever closer. Not sure what he would be facing, Cilehe once more adopted his human disguise. With each change he felt more comfortable with it. The coat, the pants, the shoes, even the hair. With the deft flick of his hand, he alerted Stahl to be waiting above and Daguan to brace himself behind the dumpster.

As Seth came around the corner, he startled Cilehe a bit. Seth's appearance was still a bit off kilter, though as he approached the bug prince it seemed to shift back a little. The points to his ears retracted, his hair returned to its normal chestnut brown and his fingernails returned to normal. Cilehe stared at the man before him, wondering for a moment if he was another mage like the grey eyed boy, but Seth had simply stopped in place like the others had. Cilehe tilted his head slowly and started walking toward Seth.

"You... followed my call? You were brought here to serve me?" Cilehe asked suspiciously. Seth said nothing, though his mouth hung slightly agape. Cilehe stepped right up to the human and stayed there for a moment before he leaned in and planted a kiss on Seth's lips. Their goatees rubbed together, the black and brown hair meshing. Cilehe's mohawk like fringe danced across Seth's messy mane. Cilehe growled and snarled into the kiss as his mandibles began to spread Seth's lips wide - but then something clattered against them. A matching set of curved, blue pincers were pushing out of Seth's lips, clacking against Cilehe's own.

Cilehe broke the kiss and slid back, looking at Seth in doubt. For a moment his mouth was disrupted by his own set of mandibles, but they retracted and were reabsorbed by his body a moment later. A chill ran down Cilehe's illusory spine. Someone special had indeed arrived, just as the boy promised. Cilehe held up his hand, hesitated just a moment, and then flexed his fingers while he focused on a directive. Seth fell forward onto his knees, bowing his head to the insect prince.

"Oh yes, yes yes... You are my perfect drone, aren't you?" Cilehe moaned, raising his hand. Seth lifted up onto his feet almost like a puppet on strings. Cilehe circled around the human, eyeing him carefully. He looked at his size and stature and he experimented a bit more. As Cilehe curled his fingers together and formed a fist, gripping it tightly, Seth's arms flexed and muscle bulged. As if it was paint or glue hardening, Seth's normally pliable skin started to firm and constrict. The faint freckles and well formed tan began to tint and change, taking on cerulean undertones. The formation of the muscles became set as his skin hardened into armor, turning a more vivid blue as it set. The natural curves were exaggerated, taking on geometrical angles and bends. The formation of the exoskeleton stretched into his shoulders, looping together over his back and then his collar bone. Even Seth's ribs pushed outward, his pectorals and solar plexus expanding.

The growth had come rapidly, almost like donning organic football armor. The blue was spreading, trying to keep up, changing Seth's natural color into an unearthly hue... but it was far from over. With Seth's incredibly wide shoulders, it made a rather awkward gap between his arms - but it seemed that gap wasn't going to remain there forever.

Just as Cilehe's guards had experienced, Seth's powerful blue armored insect arms began to crack and crunch. Tiny bits of armor plating rained down in flakes like egg shell as the structures shifted. The powerful arms split down the center, radiating out from the shoulder to his elbow and finally his hand.

Seth's huge, heavy left arm split apart with sticky blue strings of goo, but as they snapped it revealed two functional arms on one side. Each three fingered hand throbbed before slowly more digits filled in. The hands flexed before immediately turning inward, the behemoth exploring his changing body.

In a similar display, Seth's other arm followed suit. The limb divided into two and developed quite a bit, though thee were more sickening pops and crunches as the arms began rotating upwards. The original set of arms now rested above Seth's shoulders, almost like some sort of mounted platform. It made plenty of room for the man's ever hardening muscles. There was a quick crack sound, then a few more. Tiny holes had appeared along the outer edge of the four forearms. In moments thick blue goo began to leak out, hardening upon contact with the air before another layer built up and then another layer. Three hook like spikes formed around his wrists, then another pair of hooks curving forward from the underside formed moments later.

Similar blue spikes came down over Seth's newly armored knees, guarding the joint and offering yet another position to dig in. The interlocking pieces of exoskeleton looked half way between the best nature could achieve and advanced armor. His abdominal muscles were well represented, tapering down over his groin, settling beneath his the round blue guards of his hip joints. Several tiny spikes ran down the armor over his fibia bones, graduating down to the ankle cuffs. Seth's feet had been encased in pitch black armored chitin, each toe looking deadly and alien.

Cilehe shivered with delight at how well Seth was coming together. His armor was so detailed, so powerful... but it was far from over. Cilehe wanted to finish imprinting the human to him, to seal the deal. He leaned in for another kiss and focused all of his energy on the being. Seth shuddered at that, the white of his eyes almost glowing yellow before the light dominated them entirely. Seth's remaining blue flesh squirmed and wriggled as it prepared for the next phase, though there was no way to prepare for it emotionally.

Without warning, there was a sudden eruption of mass from Seth's upper shoulders and the back of his neck. Two curved shields of blue glossy armor dropped down, curving out, down, and then back in like a split, hollow turtle shell. Another surge of thick powerful armor built up behind Seth's head, growing almost as wide as his shoulders before curving upwards and ever so slightly forward into a long, tall, spire like horn. Seth's glowing yellow eyes rolled backwards before another horn erupted from his forehead, curving out and then up, complimenting his shoulder piece.

If Seth had been on his belly he would have resembled a Herculean beetle with ease, but standing upright it was clear he had kept some of his human anatomy - though it was hard to distinguish now. His human face was masked beneath a grim and emotionless blue shell. His human muscles were distorted and enlarged, frozen in their new armor. His four arms were crossed, his legs spread wide.

Cilehe practically drooled. He reached around Seth's hip, tenderly exploring beneath his blue shell. Tucked out of the way were amber colored beetle wings. Cilehe could almost imagine it now. They would be almost eight feet wide when fully extended. Cilehe practically purred, turned on by the newest guard so much. He leaned into Seth, using four hands to rub all over his body, his eyes gleaming with hope.

"Together we will do so much... and we will breed many more generations of our kind... With my father out of the way, I am a bug prince no longer... I am the new demon king, and you are my mate." Cilehe said before he leaned into Seth and brought his mouth to the beetle's. There was the scraping of hard chitin and the wet, sloppy exchange of drool - mostly from Cilehe to Seth, though he paused for a moment and pulled his head back.

Even with his new form, his guard seemed docile and still. Something was holding him back from relishing it all as the other guardians had. Cilehe appraised Seth carefully, though at the edge of his awareness he could sense it. The others had been craving a new life, they had holes inside them that he could fill... but Seth? Seth's holes, his wounds, were from something else. Cilehe knew he needed another approach to fully recruit his mate.

In an act that surprised even himself, Cilehe slowly reverted back to his human form, standing diminutively before Seth. He reached up with well tanned hands, feeling the contours of Seth's impressive face. He leaned forward and stood up on his tip toes until they were groin to groin. Cilehe ran one hand along the slit in the crotch plating, forcing them apart, feeling the hot sticky slime inside.

"You are my protector, you saved me from a life of failure and loss... And together we will save so many more, showing them lives of true purpose." Cilehe whispered. Seth let out a bit of a grunting growl before he leaned down and kissed Cilehe back. Cilehe hissed in delight, prying the crotch plating open more. The illusory pants he wore pulled back, allowing his hard shaft to curve upwards. Cilehe managed to get Seth's plates just far enough apart before he thrust forward.

The bug king's rod plunged into the hot, wet depths of Seth's protected carapace. Cilehe cooed as he felt his rod slide along a huge, ridged, curved and barbed member. Cilehe started to hump faster and faster, grinding into it, feeling his arousal grow and grow. Two arms wrapped around Cilehe and then two more. The kiss intensified and the blue beetle was grinding against him more. Cilehe finally felt that it was right, that Seth had achieved his true potential.

"My beautiful partner, will you serve me and our goals?" Cilehe asked. The blue beetle that had once been Seth stood there, his face solemn. His eyes glowed yellow, his form stood tall. In his mind Seth tried to fight it, to hold back, but he felt so lost beneath it all. He felt the gargoyle he had been, he felt the bigfoot, the minotaur. It was a circus and he was getting trampled under it all. Even in his own mind, he felt powerful blue arms wrapping around him, holding him in place as his beetle persona asserted itself. A forked black tongue slathered at his lips slowly.

"Yes, my king..." The beetle growled. Cilehe moaned at that, reaching up to rest a clawed hand on the beetle's cheek.

"Then I shall call you Kon, master of the winds and the rain, and nothing will stand in our way." Cilehe murmured. The words seemed to ignite inside of Seth, feeding the blue beetle spirit. He was a protector, a beast, a guardian and he belonged to the rightful king. Cilehe was his master, his lover, his royalty. Strong blue arms wrapped around Cilehe and the demon king started to feel his human guise slip. Once more his flesh rippled outwards, hardening back into its normal red armor.

The pronged kisses exchanged were lewd and dangerous, but the most visceral change came from the manhood already pried into Kon's undercarriage. The armor panels were pried wide, gushing out royal blue juices as the king's hard cock began to plunge in and out, sliding alongside Kon's. Both were engorged and dangerous, and both caught on one another with all the ridges and hooks and barbs.

The two were a tangle of arms and armor, of claws and tails. Even Cilehe's scorpion tail wrapped around Kon's neck like a collar, holding him in place as they fucked.

The juices dribbling from their conjoined manhoods thickened, glowing gently. What bugs it fell on seemed to grow and expand, nourished by the king himself. More of the ants developed wings, the beetles and roaches got horns, and the worms seemed to get larger and more ferocious mouths. The natural and supernatural were blending in ways Cilehe had never imagined possible.

Cilehe fucked Kon harder and harder, feeling the heat and the power from the male, knowing he would keep future generations safe... but he wanted more than that, he cared more. Cilehe felt an urge he had never felt before. He grunted and pushed in tighter, letting Kon's huge cock slam against his own crotch slit before the biological panels were pried wide. Wet sloshing came as their cocks plunged into each other deep and fast.

The scorpion king practically drooled, sensing Kon's essence leaking out as slimy pre. It was musky, it was bold, it was powerful - and Cilehe needed it. He tightened his tail around the beetle's neck, his arms clung to the man tighter, and the humping intensified. Kon's golden wings buzzed a bit beneath their shell cover as he tried just to process all the stimuli. Cilehe was becoming more and more frantic, an act that caused his swarms of bugs heading outward to grow momentary clumsy, but it was all worth it as on started to snort, huff, and then bellow.

A rich, hot, potent flow of seed filled Cilehe's carapace. It flooded every orifice, every hole, every pocket. A tingling began to spread out through the bug god's abdomen and he let out an immense sigh of joy. They had done it, they had managed the impossible... and now Cilehe understood himself a bit better. Perhaps his father had not been disgraced by his being different, perhaps he was afraid of being supplanted as the true ruler, but there was no chance of that now.

Cilehe reached up and gave his mate's cheek a tender pet as he disconnected their bodies from one another. The celebration was complete. There could be no more delays to his grand plan. Cilehe turned to face the open door of the warehouse, raising an arm. Cilehe's scorpion spawn crawled out of every crack and orifice, spilling around their feet before lifting them up. The two were carried out of the warehouse and rose up higher to the rooftop above their lair. Cilehe began orchestrating the insects all around, using his arms like a conductor. It didn't take long for citizens to start fleeing their houses, screaming as they were inundated. Ants would fill one house, spiders another, roaches and beetles and pill bugs making their move.

It felt good to chase the pests out of his territory, but to Cilehe it was more. He was asserting a territory, a starting point. He shuddered as he felt some of his kind attacked suddenly with fire as the humans began to turn on the swarms, but with one wave of his hand the scorpions moved after their targets. The fire only licked across their shells, unable to harm them before they started their next defense. Clouds of foul smelling green fog began to spray out of Cilehe's larva, forcing the humans to flee in coughing fits, pulling back more and more.

---

While the gyrocopter was equipped with a headlight and running lights, Nico was relying on more sophisticated navigation equipment to guide him. Ecto-goggles had been mounted into his helmet and he'd tapped into Gray's modified search parameters, enough to see indicators guiding him toward the abnormal pockets of sound near the waterfront.

"Nico, I think I found something in the archives that might fit." Grayson's voice came over the radio. Nico tapped his mic button.

"I could use some intel for what's coming up." Nico agreed.

"Back in ninety-seven, the New York GB dealt with an Incan lord of evil, an insect spirit named Cohila. He was able to take on a human form and almost irrevocably transformed one of the staff into a bug to mate with before his capture." Gray said.

"But captured is an operative word there..." Nico replied.

"Yes, that's true, Cohila was captured... But I cross checked Cohila's name between Zumdinger's guide and the international university database. There are some legends that Cohila had a son, Cilehe, but he violated his father's wishes and expressed deviant behavior. Because of that he was banished far from his father's domain, never to be seen from again..." Gray explained. Nico grimaced.

"Okay, now it sounds like we're in a bad Godzilla movie... The Ghostbusters versus the Son of Cohila!" Nico said dramatically, "What behavior was so deviant for a lord of evil that he got banished?" Nico asked out of curiosity.

"He... was only interested in male mates." Gray replied. Nico groaned.

"Oh come on... A demon bug prince can't even come out of the closet without getting kicked out of his own family? That's harsh, man, way too harsh..." Nico shuddered.

"Cohila might have gotten his own karmic revenge... Zumdinger's says that the method they used to banish Cilehe was turned against Cohila himself and they both were put into indefinite hibernation." Gray replied.

"Okay, that sounds pretty important..." Nico replied hopefully.

"It's a back up plan. Cohila was trapped with a disc trap, but if that falls back we just need a suitably charged 'sun stone'." Gray replied.

"I don't think that's something I can pick up at any pawn shop..." Nico replied.

"I'm thinking based on the stories and where these spirits originated that it's magnetically charged tourmaline. Eli's going to drop me off at PSU and then meet you once you find our target." Gray replied. Nico, however, was staring straight ahead at two very bright red dots in his goggles. As his eyes focused, a display came up showing a wasp and a moth monster.

"I think you may need a faster plan. I've got two bugs coming right for me." Nico said before he pulled the copter to the side, sweeping away from the bugs that were charging at him - and they weren't alone. Hundreds of real wasps and moths were fluttering in their wake, led on by their generals toward the defense of their king.

---

Cilehe's swarms had moved house by house in terrifying efficiency. Humans had fled their homes in frightened droves, spilling into the streets in pure chaos. Those that had made it to their cars were trying to drive out, but the throngs of people choked off the flow. The crunch of the insects beneath the car tires was audible, spurring on only more attacks. The tenor of the screams changed from just distress from there being insects to the distress of bites, nips, and stings. It was like a strange song to Cilehe, knowing that he was going to achieve more than his father ever had... but in that strange music, there was one sound he wasn't familiar with... It was harsh and abrasive, rising up and falling down... it was a siren.

Blue lights cut through the dark of the night as the Ecto-11 navigated through the escaping throngs of people, and as the humans saw the white explorer and the vivid red and white Ghostbusters emblem on the doors and the hood, they weren't as scared anymore. The screams started to change from fear to defiance, though the insects were making a good stand as well. Cilehe could feel the change and he knew these were the ones the strange boy had been talking about, the ones he supposedly couldn't defeat... But Cilehe would not give up, he would not turn and run based on speculation.

With a flick of his clawed hand, Cilehe sent his larvae after the beacon of hope. They careened and crashed over one another, filling the alleyway and then the street beyond. The crowds that had started to get hope screamed again as they saw the display and began backing up. In the car Eli's stomach clenched.

"I really hate this, I don't want to run over so many bugs..." Eli murmured. Gray looked at the coming swarm with panic for a moment before he leapt over the passenger seat and crawled to the back, reaching up to fidgeted with the control panels for the roof mounted equipment. Eli gaped as he heard the panels pop off and bundles of cables come spilling down. Eli glanced over his shoulder quickly, "What are you doing?!" he asked. Gray said nothing, pulling out his knife. He cut through some of the wires, an act that sent out a small spray of sparks.

"Try not to touch anything but the steering wheel and the pedal." Gray said before he touched the wire to the car's metal pieces. The headlights flickered as the scorpions closed in. Gray moved around the back of the explorer, using electrical tape to hold the exposed wires in place. Eli kept moving, though he cringed more and more as the scorpions came towards them. A wall of the bugs rose up, ready to engulf the vehicle, but as they came forward the scorpions split apart around the car like a wedge being driven into wood. They circled around the back, trying to advance, but failing.

"You need to tell me exactly what you just did!" Eli said excitedly.

"It's mostly just an electrical current traveling through the metal body of the car, but given that the source of the electricity is the lepton collector, electron neutrinos are in the mix as well... It's sort of like car armor. I wish I would have thought of this before." Gray murmured. Eli slowed the Ecto a bit as the scorpions ceased their attack, pulling back.

"Is that armor good for anything, or just ghosts?" Eli asked.

"Mostly ghosts, but it can zap a lot of things, why?" Gray asked.

"I think we're about to-" Eli stopped as dark flecks started landing on the windshield. More and more were landing, squirming around. Eli reached for the windshield wiper.

"No, don't, those are-" Gray was interrupted as the windshields started batting the stink bugs around. Some were smashed, others merely panicked, and all started secreting a potent oily liquid. The smell started coming in through the vents and was almost worse than skunk spray. Eli reached to shut the vents as much as he could, but was already too late.

"I hope Nico is having better luck..." Eli murmured, slowing the car to a stop since they couldn't see where they were going.

---

Learning to fly the gyrocopter had not been an easy task for Nico, but his current predicament was testing the very limits of his abilities. The gray craft dodged to the side as the giant wasp man moved for another strike, managing to use his claws to slash out one of the operating lights on the wing. Nico had to correct again as the moth man tried to latch on the other side. Nico grunted hard, sweating up a storm.

"Guys, I'm not sure I'm going to be much help up here unless all you need is a distraction!" Nico called over the radio. The response was crackling, obviously trying to cut through a lot of interference.

I'm not sure we're any better off right now. We're trapped in the Ecto at the moment." Gray answered back.

"Well, I'll see what I can do to get back to you guys. Give me a minute." Nico said, trying to think. He reached and lifted his goggles, looking at his instrument panel. While he'd stuck to the original design for the most part, there were a few features that he and Dakota had insisted on installing. With a few switches flicked, two tiny ports opened up in the front of the craft and a tank started gurgling behind Nico.

With a sly grin, Nico flipped the goggles back down and tied them into the new subsystem. A crosshair appeared at the center of his vision, though it remained directed near the front of the craft no matter where he looked. Nico banked to the left suddenly and opened fire.

Compact balls of slime erupted from the ports, raining out like bullets. Most went sailing away into the night, no doubt raining down on unsuspecting households and the river below, but a few managed to hit their targets. The moth was hit first, the slime coating and hardening on his leg and part of his arm. As it hardened, it restricted mobility and made it harder to maneuver. The moth started struggling more, allowing Nico to land several more shots before he had to dodge out of the wasp's way. Nico panted as he managed the narrow miss, though he started to shiver as he felt something on his skin. Tiny legs were crawling up his sleeve. The jolt of pain that came next was unmistakable. Despite the pressure of the air from the rotors, several wasps were starting to land on him. Nico tried to shake them off without losing control of the copter, but he kept firing despite the pain of a few more wasp stings.

The slime rained out, some of it clipping across Stahl's wings. The wasp man grunted, suddenly falling several feet before he recovered. His buzzing just felt off though, his wings trying to compensate. Both sides had been wounded, but the winner was still up to anyone.

---

The dispersed population of the neighborhood nearest the industrial blocks had been torn. Some had run for downtown, hoping to find shelter. Others had remained in confusion, but still more were enraged by the bugs swarming them and the Ghostbusters. The Ecto had been engulfed despite its defenses, covered from hood to trunk so thickly that only a few glimpses of the bright blue lights managed to escape as they tried to infiltrate every duct, every vent, and every crack.

"Damn dirty bugs!" One middle aged woman shouted, unreeling her hose before turning it on full force, spraying it at the car. The water managed to slick several off and soon other neighbors were joining in. Inside Eli had managed to get teary eyed from the stink bug smell, but at that point it wasn't going to get any worse. He turned the windshield wipers on and doused the glass with the cleaning fluid.

After a night of silence, and then the sounds of pain, the little bit of hope that caught in the air was enough to catch Rerun's attention. The time wyrm had been snaking his way through the night trying to find his friends, but now he honed in on the sound. As he approached, Rerun was horrified to see how covered the Ecto was, but he wasn't ready to just give up. His powers had been taken from him, but he still had hope. The time wyrm peeled his green t-shirt off of his body and tied it around his face like a bandit mask to try and filter out some of the smell before he dove forward.

The crowd gasped as Rerun appeared, but he came up behind the ecto and started scraping the bugs off, casting them aside. The neighbors were startled and then hesitantly approached, trying to do the same. As the sheets of bugs rained down from the doors, Eli and Grayson climbed out, coming around the back of the car.

"No more misters nice guys." Eli said. Gray looked up at that.

"I don't think that's a thing..." Gray replied. The two smirked, though they froze as they reached the back of the Ecto. Rerun threw the back hatch open and pulled out the equipment rack. After hastily untying the shirt from his face and sliding it back on, he tugged one of the proton packs up and slung it over his shoulders, carefully trying to wrangle his wings through the straps. It wasn't an easy task, but once the pack was in place he looked at his friends.

"Have to... save Seth." Rerun said. Gray's eyes went wide at that. It was the first time any of them had heard Rerun speak. If Eli's eyes hadn't been watering from the bug smell, they certainly were now. He sniffed a bit before he nodded and grabbed one of the proton packs himself.

"We're going to get him back." Gray replied, grabbing a third proton pack. The three were suited up In less than a minute with their straps in place. Gray looked to the others and gave a nod.

The neutrona wands were pulled from the packs, and the units were switched on. The deep resonant hum built from the initiation, climbing to the steady pitch that they had all become accustomed to. The red lights blinked on the disc generators at the base of the packs and white light leaked from the grills on the blasters.

"So, any last sage words of advice?" Eli asked as they moved forward. The bugs started to move toward them again, but Gray opened fire. Red, orange and blue light whipped around like uneven lightning before hitting the concrete, cutting into it and melting the edges.

"Today we're exterminators... Ghosts, bugs, you name it." Gray replied.

"Any strategies?" Eli asked.

"You find a bug, you put it in a trap. That sound is still being emitted. Without it, his influence should fade." Gray said.

"And... Rerun, are... are you okay?" Eli asked. Rerun looked as though he was blushing a little, his cheeks turning purple.

"Not... now." He said softly. Eli looked meek at that but nodded in agreement. The three ventured in deeper between the warehouses, preparing to face whatever was coming.

As they walked, Eli heard a familiar thwick sound. He looked up, realizing someone had deployed a slime tether. A moment later there was a flurry of them as six, seven, then eight tethers hit the roof. Eli followed them to the other end, seeing a wasp struggling against the increasing pull of the lines. His wings fluttered in useless resistance before he slammed into the roof of the building. Every so often Stahl's wings buzzed again, trying to pull him up off the ground, but he had been trapped.

"We're never going to hear the end of it that their new toy works." Gray said. Eli smirked at that.

"How dare you tread so brazenly into my territory..." The voice was deep, bitter, and held just a bit of a Latin American accent. The busters looked up, seeing the red scorpion king... and by his side was a huge blue herculean beetle with features far too reminiscent of Seth. Grayson took a step forward.

"Are you Cilehe, son of Cohila?" Grayson called out. The scorpion beast raised his tail slowly.

"I am...." Cilehe replied.

"You are in violation of human law, customs, and decency. We request that you return the people you have taken to our care, and choose your form of dormancy or we will be forced to take action against you." Grayson called out. Eli had to admit, he was a bit impressed. Gray didn't break out the diplomacy for just any ghost.

"You wish for me to return to my sleep, to my prison? You couldn't expect that to work..." Cilehe responded with a smirk.

"You took him... You took my friend." Rerun hissed, floating forward. Eli nearly gasped at that. He hadn't seen Rerun so angry before.

"You... are not like these others... What are you?" Cilehe whispered.

"This is your last warning. Give back Seth." Rerun replied. Gray was feeling concerned about this. After almost two years they were hearing Rerun speak for the first time, and he as sounding like a bad ass.

"You have no power here. My kind will out last the fall of the world. You can only accept the inevitable." Cilehe replied.

"Accept this!" Rerun replied before he let loose. The proton stream erupted from his wand, arcing out toward the scorpion prince. Not wanting to leave their team in the dark, Eli and Gray opened fire as well. The streams danced out, cutting through sheet metal before finding their target. Cilehe let out a roar of anger and stumbled back, but to their surprise the beetle moved in front of the blast.

As the proton streams hit Kon's blue armor, it split apart an danced around like sparks across aluminum foil. His armor was nearly impervious to the blasts. Cilehe used the moment of confusion to send waves of his spawn toward the busters. Eli dove one way and Gray the other, but Rerun stood his ground.

Wasps stung the time wyrm's tail, beetles pinched his flesh, stink bugs rained down at him from above but still he kept firing, trying to navigate his way around Seth. As big as his determination was, though, it wasn't until slime pellets came raining down from above that Rerun felt like he had a chance. Several more tethers anchored down all over the area. Some hit cars, others the manhole, but finally the moth guardian came crashing down, pinned to the ground in a web of green.

Seeing his two flying guardians defeated, Cilehe unhinged is jaw and looked skyward, letting out a deep and resolute roar. It wasn't just a declaration of frustration - it was a command. Every bug that had wings to fly left the ground and trees, heading straight upwards. The wind and currents formed by the gyrocopter were hard to navigate, but spurred on by their supernatural master, they made progress. Some of the bugs even pushed off each other while others created temporary wind barriers.

Nico again started to feel the clambering of bugs across his already injured flesh, but as alarms started to go off he realized something worse was going on. Fuel pressure was dropping, battery power was becoming intermittent, and then the engine sputtered and cut out entirely. The rotors on the top and rear of the copter slowed down, leaving Nico's fate to gravity itself. Nico cursed, feeling the wind rushing up around him - and thankfully catching the grey wings of the craft in at least a limited fashion.

With what little guidance Nico could manage, he sailed past the industrial district, moving quickly toward the ground. He debated his options; landing in the river would guarantee safety for himself, but could make recovering the craft and any of its equipment nearly impossible - or landing on the street out of a fluke chance. Nico gave a coy grin to himself, knowing that Eli or Gray might choose the safe path... but he had to take the risk. Nico held onto the stick tightly, trying to flick the switch for the tail propeller's backup power. It choked and sputtered before turning a bit, giving Nico just a little play.

There was a lurch as the rear wheels caught a house roof but the copter rolled over before coming down , grazing shrubs. Nico winced, but the copter landed on all three wheels and rolled down the street, slicing through mailbox stands with its wings before coming to a gradual stop. Nico sighed with relief, leaning back in his chair. His experiment had been a partial success, though it was clear that the gyrocopter would have to be a last resort when facing any ghosts with an equal footing.

Nico reached up to unhook his helmet and set it aside, though he froze as a strange chirping sounded from near by. Nico slowly turned his head, looking around the copter, seeing the nearly eight foot tall mantis guardian. Nico's eyes widened as he reached down on either side of the seat, grabbing a mini-pack and proton pistol from one side and a disc trap from the other. He lunged out of the gyrocopter as a green bladed arm came down, slicing through the metal of the cockpit.

Sparks erupted and several wasps crawled out of the cut fuel lines, freed by Daguan. Nico jogged away from the craft, clipping the micro-pack to his belt, using his left arm to slide the disc trap to the magnetic mount on his combat vest. The trap locked into place and Nico brought up his proton pistol, opening fire. The jagged stream danced around before hitting Daguan's armor, though it sparked and shorted across the armor before dissipating.

Daguan crouched down before leaping toward the Ghostbuster, arching through the air before landing right at Nico's feet. Nico spun to the side as a mantis claw came down, then bolted the other way to avoid the second. Daguan advanced forward, stabbing down relentlessly. Nico kept trying to evade the attacks, but he knew he needed something else to assist in his fight. The proton streams were blocked by the armor, and in all chances there was still a human soul inside the changed body.

As the Ghostbuster struggled to figure out an option to defeat his opponent, he yelped as the split tip of one of the mantis blades caught his wrist, bringing it - and him - down to the ground. Nico slammed into the cement, a bit stunned by the impact. The half man, half mantis gazed down at him with impunity before its other blade moved for his throat, pinning him in place. Nico grunted softly, trying to continue breathing despite the constriction.

Whether it was the limited oxygen or a natural threat reflex, Nico could recall a portion of his eighth grade biology class. They had studied the Mantises briefly, and one part that had stunned Nico was its feeding habits. If the prey did not resist, it would be eaten alive. If it fought back, the head was the first target. Nico struggled with the conundrum, especially as the mantis mandibles started to chitter and drool, but something had to be done.

It was impossible to be sure he was getting the settings right, but Nico's free hand found its way to the micro-pack and adjusted the controls before he fumbled for the proton pistol, bringing it right up to Daguan's underbelly. Without hesitation, Nico pulled the trigger. Green and teal energy particles sparkled in the muzzle housing before the stream tried to escape - with no success. The energy was trapped between the shielding of the muzzle and the reflective properties of the exoskeleton.

Feeling nothing more than a slight pressure on his abdomen, the Mantis brought his mandibles down, trying to slide them over Nico's head. Nico closed his eyes as the drool leaked into his hair, but he kept the trigger down. The energy built and built, the pistol rumbling in Nico's hand before there was a sudden explosion. A bright green flash spread out beneath Daguan, launching the Mantis high into the air, arching through the night. Nico yelped, feeling the mandibles slice his cheeks as the bug came off, but then a second time because the Ghostbuster realized his vest was on fire. Nico promptly rolled over, trying to extinguish it before he sighed with relief at having worked his way out of the problem.

---

The battle near the river front had intensified, Cilehe pulling out every trick he could manage. Waves of his larvae swarmed toward the busters before being blasted back. As they recovered, more of their pungent odor was released into the air, making it hazy and hard to breath. Grayson had pulled his shirt up over his nose, but Eli's eyes were watering as he fired through the cloud. Cilehe growled before he unhinged his jaw once more, but this time started to emit his spores.

"Wide stream!" Gray shouted. Eli and Gray both clicked their blasters, the glowing white tip sliding further out from its housing. It took Rerun an extra moment to figure out the controls, but as Eli and Gray opened fire Rerun was only a step behind. While Cilehe's guardians and his grown spawn could resist proton streams, the wave of yellow, red and white light swept out through the air, catching the tiny pill bug like eggs.

The crowds at the periphery of the battlefield screamed and exclaimed in shock at the display, but soon they were cheering as they realized the busters had spared them from whatever attack the insect king had attempted to unleash. Feeling the energy of the crowds, Grey knew it was time for a little psychological warfare.

"You won't win against us, Cilehe!" Grayson called out, knowing it might infuriate the ghost further but also make him more careless. The words rang in Cilehe's ears, reawakening his worst fears. He turned, looking at the human leader but Gray focused his charge again, sending a blast right for Cilehe. To Grey's chagrin, Seth stepped right back in the way of the fire, letting it dance across his chest. Cilehe felt words bubble up to his mouth before he even realized he was speaking them.

"I know how to save him... Who can restore him..." Cilehe muttered by instinct. It was a last resort, a long shot. Gray stood there, swallowing as his proton stream snapped off and the pack hummed down to a holding tone.

"You... couldn't. Not in that short of time..." Gray said softly, disbelief flooding him. Cilehe felt a bit emboldened by that.

"I have lived for centuries, feared and despised by humans and my own family alike. I am now a king... Do you deny the chance that I might know?" Cilehe asked. It was a terrible bluff, something he couldn't back up even if he wanted to.

"What do you want... in exchange?" Gray asked. The people from the neighborhood that had gathered gasped and murmured at that. No Ghostbusters would make a deal, would they? They looked at each other uncertainly at that.

"You let me go... Leave this place... I will travel far away, and then I will give you the information you wish..." Cilehe said. Gray shook his head.

"I can't do that... Even Seth's life... Even my love for him... can't be given in exchange for the human race." Gray whispered.

"Shut up!" Rerun called out, to Gray and Eli's immense surprise. Rerun was floating there with tears in his eyes, "We have to be willing to do anything for our friends... To face any obstacle." Rerun replied, "We'll let you go, but first I get to say goodbye." Rerun said. Cilehe looked at the time wyrm suspiciously.

"Leave your weapon there..." Cilehe said. Rerun looked at the scorpion for a moment before he laboriously unhooked his proton pack and set it down on the ground. Rerun didn't look at Eli or Gray as he moved forward toward the beetle, his solid white eyes looking into Seth's solid yellow ones.

"Seth, I know you are lost..." Rerun began, each word sounding deliberately chosen and untested, as if English was a second language, "But we will find you... We will bring you home." Rerun said, floating right in front of the blue shelled beetle. Cilehe said nothing, feeling as if he was on the cusp of a cheated victory, though he didn't trust these humans at all. Rerun looked at Seth before he closed his eyes and leaned his head forward. As Rerun's flesh touched Seth's exoskeleton, a flood of information spilled into his mind.

Seth saw his childhood room with the heavy tapestry curtain and the drawn on puzzles, he saw his closet and his carpet, and he saw Rerun... He felt the cold wind as they flew to the portal and walked on a dead world in a dead universe. He saw himself growing up, struggling to come to grips with what he had seen. He saw his rebellious phase, and he saw his eventual balance... Seth saw everything, but not from the frame of his own memories. He saw it all through Rerun's eyes. He had been watched over his whole life. The yellow faded from the beetle's eyes, returning to those of a human. He looked at Rerun as the time wyrm pulled his head back. For a moment the two looked eye to eye before Seth nodded.

Wordlessly, Seth stepped out of the way. Rerun hoisted his shirt up, revealing the trap that was hidden beneath. The cord was looped around his neck like a necklace, and he reached up to squeeze the foot pedal with his hand. The striped doors snapped open and a white cone of light erupted outwards. The cone crackled with power like lightning as it engulfed Cilehe. The scorpion growled and clawed at the ground, but his body was stretching out toward the trap, compressing as it got closer and closer.

Cilehe struggled with every inch he lost, but in his mind he thought back to that strange boy... He said that loss was inevitable, that he would never win against them... but if he said what he had said, there would be another chance. Cilehe slowly let go, choosing instead to bide his time and prepare for revenge against these humans. His body reduced to little more than red light, disappearing into the trap. Normally the doors would have shut, but it was almost as if the device knew its work wasn't yet done.

The waves of human faced scorpion larva began to move again, but this time the thousands of creatures swirled around, pulled in as if they were connected to their master magnetically. The bugs swirled and spun before they were slurped up into the trap, spiraling in until every last one had disappeared.

A scraping sound came from the gravel next to Rerun. Both Rerun and Seth looked startled, but then his huge form moved again, sliding toward the trap. Rerun's eyes widened more, realizing the trap was starting to pull at Seth. He grabbed a hold of the foot pedal and tried to pry it back up. The trap shuddered as the cycle was interrupted, but Seth slid another foot towards it before Rerun got it back up. The doors snapped shut finally, the vortex contained. A wide, flat red light illuminated at the far end of the trap, indicating that it had been filled to capacity.

All across the neighborhood there was an explosion of movement. Insects had flocked to Cilehe from miles around and they had all been released from his spell. Bugs flew off in every direction while others burrowed and scurried. The neighbors screamed and grunted, trying to duck out of the way of the swarms. As they dispersed, Cilehe's secondary effects started to vanish without his presence.

The interior of the warehouse lost much of its webbing. The broken eggs disappeared, though the decomposition to the building remained. On the roof, Joaquín moaned as his body reverted. The way his abdomen deteriorated and faded away and the wings retracted into his back, he felt exhausted and invigorated at the same time. His fleshy human fingers dug at the rooftop, already missing his claws.

Agustin was in a similar state, reduced to his naked human form with slime tethers stuck to his shoulders and legs, pinning him to the ground. Without his fuzzy moth coating, he was already feeling quite cold. Jonah appeared from a garbage heap, moaning and naked, but Seth stood where he had been next to Rerun. Rerun gasped as the herculean beetle's blue armor startled to crack and molt, falling away from Seth's body and turning to dust... for the most part.

While Seth's chest and stomach were uncovered by the shedding of his insect shell, it seemed his compromised body wasn't going to let go of all the changes. The plating fell away from his legs but he kept a pair of bony spikes on each knee. The blue part of his leg armor fell off, but his feet looked as though they were in hard, sharp black insect boots. Once more his fingernails remained long, curved, black and sharp and the tips of his ears had a blue tinge to them. Seth looked at Rerun with an expression of pure exhaustion before his eyes shuddered shut and he crumpled to the ground.

"Seth!" Rerun exclaimed, moving to try and catch him. When that failed, Rerun resorted to scooping his friend up. Gray rushed toward the two to help.

"Did... Rerun just talk?" Nico asked softly. Eli spun around, relieved that Nico was already... or at least alive. Nico's arms and cheek were swollen by the number of wasp stings and he had countless cuts, scrapes and bites across more of his flesh.

"Oh god, we better get you to the ambulance love..." Eli said.

"Is it that bad?" Nico asked. Eli bit his bottom lip.

"You'll be alright, let's just see if an epinephrine pen helps..." Eli said, looping his arm in Nico's to drag him toward one of the five ambulances that were pulling into the neighborhood in response to the calls from the dispossessed citizens.

---

The ecto-containment unit had never sounded better. The hum was steady and constant and a pearly yellow-white glow came up through the floor grates, washing against the painted white cinder block walls of the basement level. Seth sat cross legged on the floor, wearing nothing more than a loose pair of basketball shorts. Gold beetle wings still extended from his back and his flesh transitioned from tan to black at the ankles, leaving his feet insectoid. Even his irises had remained yellow, though most of his other features had returned to normal.

Seth's eyes drifted up to the large, fire engine red containment unit before him. He took in its vaguely trapezoidal shape. The device had always given him an odd sense of comfort before. It was so elegant. Even the line bisecting the front circle, the way it came across and then angled up into another trapezoid shape before leveling off again... but now it felt different to him. Seth didn't move as he heard feet coming down the metal stairs, but Gray slowed to a stop, holding the full trap in his hands.

"Is that Cilehe?" Seth asked softly, still not turning to look. Gray hesitated.

"Yes, it is." He replied.

"Are you going to put him in the tank?" Seth asked. Gray shook his head even though Seth couldn't see.

"No. What he knows is too important, but this trap can't hold that much energy for long. I'm going to transfer the contents into the super-slammer trap which will buy us a week. During that time I'm going to go to New York and talk to Doctor Griffin and Professor Jackson... I need to get their help on your condition, and see if they'll declassify the schematics for the Entity Projection Unit so we can talk with Cilehe while he's captive." Gray said.

"What if it's too late? What if I'm already dead?" Seth asked. Gray looked stunned at that. He came the rest of the way down the stairs and set the trap down on the table, moving over to crouch in front of Seth.

"Don't say that, that isn't true at all..." Gray whispered. Seth looked up with his tired, yellow eyes.

"I could feel the trap pulling me in. If it wasn't for my armor, the proton streams probably would have snared me. What if I died a while back, but the rest of me just didn't get the message? What if-" Seth was interrupted by a kiss. Gray held it for a long moment before he pulled back.

"This is just like you being sick... It's going to suck, but after a while you'll get better. I won't rest until that happens." Gray said.

"Including a trip across the country." Seth smirked softly, looking at Grayson for a moment before his eyes fell to the ground, "And I should probably stay here since New York is still spook central."

"That must be why they make the big bucks." Seth chuckled. Gray reached up and pet Seth's cheek.

"I promise... I'll save you." Gray whispered.

"In the mean time, though, we're going to have to figure out a better house arrest for me. Tracking devices, everything." Seth said. Gray nodded.

"After what we managed with the Ecto, I'm wondering if there's a way to make a faraday shield you could go to if something weird starts happening." Gray said.

"You mean a faraday cage?" Seth asked. Gray grimaced, having avoided that particular phrasing on purpose. Seth gave Gray a dopey smile, "It's alright, I think it's a great idea... But Dakota and Nico should be able to figure that out, you don't have to delay your trip."

"You're sure?" Gray asked. Seth nodded.

"I'm sure. I know you'll figure this out." Seth said, pulling Gray into a hug. Gray sighed with relief and rested his head on Seth's shoulder, but Seth looked back up at the containment unit, wondering if his ultimate fate would be the same as so many of the ghosts he had captured.