Kill the Sun

After Albert and Nick left the Containment Unit, Nick just looked at Albert with a raised eyebrow. "So, you just talk to them?"

Albert just laughed. "At least that's the first thing we try generally. It doesn't take a lot of resources, and it's rather quick. Might as well try this before we invest lives and energy."

"Does it actually work?" Nick asked.

"Sometimes. Not always, though," Albert said. "The thing is, the Dreamer is a Specter that feeds on mentality, which means it actually understands humans to a certain degree. It might not be able to articulate itself or learn how to speak, but it should be able to understand most of what we say."

"Working with a Specter that feeds on mentality can be a blessing and a curse at the same time."

"It's a blessing since you can almost always communicate directly with them, making most things very smooth."

"But it can also be a curse since Specters that feed on mentality are generally much more intelligent than other kinds of Specters."

"Specters like these breach almost as much as Force Specters."

"Like, there is this one Specter called the Old Lady. She is constantly in agony and pain, but she is still extremely friendly. Extractors can extract Zephyx simply by talking with her."

"I worked with her a couple of times. She's actually very easy to work with, and it is even fun at times. She is a great conversationalist, and she always shows real care towards my problems. At least when she's not wincing in pain or complaining about the darkness or her loneliness."

Nick looked sympathetic when he heard Albert's description.

But the next moment, Albert suddenly pointed at Nick's face. "That! That's what she's after. Pity!"

"The Old Lady feeds on pity."

"On pity?" Nick asked.

Albert nodded. "Yep. She grows more powerful by eliciting pity from people. By being nice to them and making them like you, they are far more likely to feel bad for your circumstances. That's why it's such a great time to talk to her."

"In like the first year of her being in the Containment Unit, she breached three times. Just for your info, that's a lot!" Albert said.

"The first one was when one of the clerks got to know her and decided to free her. Of course, a rational human being wouldn't do something like that since they would essentially forfeit their life, but Specters that feed on mentality have many subtle mental influences that can cloud your judgment."

"Naturally, when the Old Lady came out, she immediately killed the clerk to make sure that she didn't call anyone."

"After that, she tried to get out of the building, but she ran across an off-duty Extractor, who rapidly suppressed her and put her back in the Containment Unit."

"The second time was after she had worked and talked with the same Extractor for around a month."

"Back then, we saw no issues, but it turned out that the more you talked to her, the closer your attachment to her."

"So, after working with her for over a month, the Extractor essentially became her eternal servant but never showed any signs on the outside."

"Naturally, the Extractor busted her out, and the two of them ran away."

"Five people died on their escape."

"It took several days to catch them, and funnily enough, a different Manufacturer captured them, which meant that the Old Lady now belonged to a completely different company."

The next moment, Albert laughed loudly.

"And then she broke out again within a week by getting a clerk to free her again, and the first Manufacturer recaptured her."

"She hasn't broken out since then. They constantly rotate clerks and Extractors, making sure that everyone only gets to talk to her once a week."

Nick blinked a couple of times in surprise.

He had expected that, as soon as the Specters were in the Containment Units, they would remain there.

But now, he had heard of a Specter that had breached three times in a year via multiple ways.

"So, yeah," Albert said, looking at Nick. "They are easy to work with, but if you are careless even once, they will breach and cause you massive trouble."

Nick could only nod.

"And the Dreamer is one of those," Nick commented.

"Yep," Albert said. "I'm pretty certain that the Dreamer will agree to work with us, but if you are careless in any way, it will not hesitate to kill anyone to get out."

"Nick, I'm going to tell you something that my old mentor has told me. Back then, I didn't believe him, but after decades of working with Specters, I can tell you that he spoke the truth."

Albert put his hands on Nick's shoulders and looked him deep in the eyes.

"Specters can not feel happiness, companionship, or pity," Albert said solemnly.

"After decades of research performed by thousands of Extractors, we have found not even a single Specter that can feel any of these things."

"Whenever you see them being in pain or being supportive, it is only an act. They want to get closer to you in some way for some sort of gain."

"Never believe them."

"Never become their friend."

"Never try to ally with them unless you know that working for you is more beneficial for the Specter than being free. Specters will always do what is most beneficial to them."

"And even then, there are Specters that act chaotically, against their own interests."

"Every Specter is unique, and every Specter needs to be treated differently."

"Even the Blood Mosquito is contained inside a special Containment Unit. It has worked together with Crimson Fungus City for decades, but they still don't dare to let its main body out of their sight."

"Kugelblitz always has at least two level four Extractors or a level five Extractor stationed near the Blood Mosquito, even though there has been no issue with it for decades."

"That's how careful you have to be of them."

"Do you understand?" Albert asked with a serious tone.

Nick took a deep breath.

Then, he nodded with conviction.

"I will never feel empathy for a Specter!"