Existence Is My Woven Tapestry

"So do you mind explaining as to why you called me here?" Steven asked, his demeanor casual and relaxed which was a stark contrast to Crimson who sat right opposite to him. She had yet to touch her food while Steven slowly nursed his black coffee in his arm.

She hadn't spoke after placing her order. "Who was the one who placed a hit on the client? Who vouched for him?" Her tone shaky and raspy. "It was a third party, a stray operative from the East with a shady company in their hands. To which he's pleased with your success."

Crimson's face contorted into disbelief . She didn't recall eliminating Solon. As a matter of fact, she recalled passing out in his suite. "I didn't kill Solon so how the hell is he dead?!" Steven seemed baffled with this piece of information. "My men confirmed his death, drunk and fell from the highest floor of Five Stars Bliss Hotel."

"Though some are skeptical of this death, there isn't much to to work with to prove that someone was behind his death so don't worry. After all you never worry about your clients after killing them." Steven took a light sip of his coffee before lightly twirling it in his hand.

"No, he's not dead. I don't know who your men found but that's not him. He poisoned me, tortured me and another operative for the Golden Lantern sent to kill me. He toyed us with our own arsenal." Her demeanor started to unravel, beads of sweats forming on her forehead.

Steven had never seen Crimson this distressed which made him pause. "Here, a photo of his dead body." Steven slid his phone across the table showing Solon's corpse. His body twisted in unnatural ways, bones poking all over in his pool of blood however what unnerved Crimson was that he still had a soft smile.

"I- NO! THAT'S NOT HIM! I'm sure of it!" By now her voice had boomed all over the diner but luckily there were no people around to cause a scene. An awkward silence drifted aimlessly through the air as Crimson's hands were curled into fists.

"He's dead Crimson." Steven urged as he looked at Crimson like a psychiatrist patient. He was baffled as to why she was so reluctant to believe that her target was dead. "I cut neck back at the suite, he didn't even flinch, shattered his spine and carved his back like a canvas and he healed right through all of it. I'm telling you that's not him."

At this point Steven was done with Crimson's throes and theatrics that she put up. "I don't care whether you believe it or not. Just know that you mission is done. Maybe you can take some few days off to regain your cool cause you're all over the place." His comment snarky and she felt it.

She looked at her own hands, the evidence was right in front of her that the monster that had terrorized her was dead and yet here was throwing a tantrum that he wasn't. It was out of characters for her to be shouting and hollering like so. 'Maybe I'm simply losing my sanity.'

She thought to herself as she calmed down. The peace didn't last long before the television boomed to life. The reporter relaying the state of the world.

"It would seem that the Fracture Plague is now airborne and affects all kinds of mutants. Any exposure to air is highly discouraged as the Golden Lantern is taking in mutants for shelter. As for the Fractures above, it would seem that they're growing bigger and bigger with no end in sight."

"Some individuals have stated Thay they've seen other beings in the cracks but this has yet to be fully investigated. Regular humans are incentivized to stay indoors regardless of whether the immaterial wisps causes any form of damage to them or not. Stay tuned and stay safe."

The television cut to static however Steven shifted his attention back to Crimson. "How are you capable of walking around so freely? Most mutants don't even take three steps outside before they start bleeding out of every orifice in their bodies." With another gulp, he finished his cup of black coffee.

"I- I don't know myself. I just have these dreams and... A creature from beyond the void. So many teeth, the eyes, the flesh, the blood..." Her body shuddered at the thought. Steven thought that she was fully delusional, lost in her own world. "I think that you take some time to rest." His tone flat as he rose to his feet.

Crimson looked outside to see the fracture grow by the second and in a split second, her reflection was replaced by the monster she had dreamt off. "There! Did you see it?!" Steven who was donning his coat looked outside to see the norm. "See what, your reflection? You definitely do need a break."

The two made their way out of the diner. Crimson hadn't touched her food, the air around her getting more and more unstable. For Steven, it was the equivalent of watching someone go insane in real time. 'Maybe this happens to the mutants who aren't affected by the plague. Insanity.' He thought as he opened the boot of his car to reveal a slick briefcase.

"Here, for your successful mission. One hundred million dollars in cash. You don't have to take another mission for the rest of your life and in your case, it would seem that that is the better alternative." Crimson held onto the briefcase however her mind was elsewhere. Lost between the fabric of reality and illusions in her own mind.

Steven noticed her pause to which he cleared his throat startling her. "Well enjoy your holiday Crimson. And try to relax, you've earned it." Steven hopped onto the driver's seat and sped off leaving Crimson alone clutching to her briefcase. She made her way to her car, a sleek red luxurious piece of art to which she sped off.

Her mind would alternate between what she recalled seeing and what Solon told her. "Is this his decoration? Driving me to the brink of insanity?" She muttered beneath her breathe as she parked her car in the driveway.

Hopping out, she made her way to the living room to which she crashed hard onto the sofa. Giving out a sigh, she stared hard at the ceiling, recalling how she was slowly losing her mind. Every single time she would close her eyes, images that seemed burnt into her retinas would show the being from the void beyond urging her to stay awake.

Much as she wanted, she couldn't help herself as she fell asleep.

***

"So far twenty million mutants have already met their demise and the number still keeps on rising." The voice was grim, staring at a center figure in the room. Deep within the underwater seabed, a Golden Lantern facility remained untouched from the fracture plague.

At the center of attention sat Darius Rucker, the only golden mutant on tee planet. Ophelia claimed her own life and Cyrus was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his own grounds. Darius was deep in thought, wondering what he would do.

Evacuations of mutants had been global, taking them to safe zones however the plague spread faster than the lives they could save. Not to mention some weren't so co-operative to be rescued. Citing that it was an antic pulled by the government and the Golden Lantern to rope in mutants and have them curbed.

Videos of mutants dying on the streets were rampant, grief taking hold of the entire globe as factions and organisations cracked under the pressure. The Dark Hold that initially had the advantage over the Golden Lantern was now in shambles.

The power vacuum maddening individuals to claim the spot turning it into a game of blood and death in the cause of power unaware that there were bigger problems to deal with. It was clear to say that the world was coming to its knees, waiting to meet it's end.

"Our scientists still haven't deciphered as to what the plague actually is and why it only affects mutants. The matter it's composed of is hard to grasp as it easily reverts from gas to solid randomly. Even controlling this at extreme temperatures has proven pointless. A cure cannot be synthesized from what he can't understand."

Another voice rang through the air, their bodies were holograms seated in a meeting with Darius the only one present in flesh. "It would seem that we can only watch as this world comes to ruin." Darius murmured beneath his breathe.

"It would seem that strange bodies have been sighted at the fractures. We have a constant surveillance on the fractures however we have reason to believe that these bodies belong to organisms. The movements we're picking up are way too erratic for now, more time is required for a proper analysis."

The former voice spoke once more. The air was tense as they all imagined what this meant. The chance of otherworldly creatures running amuck on earth could cause chaos. If they were friendly then it was great but if they were hostile then they were at an extreme disadvantage.

"We can only hope that these creatures are passive." Darius looked at the source of the voice. "Hope? Hope isn't a strategy Senator. If these creatures are aggressive then I fear that we've already lost." As much as he wanted to look on the bright side, that didn't mean that he would ignore the possibilities of the situation devolving into chaos.

At this point it felt like biological warfare and they bore the damage. With mutants unable to fight, humans facing otherworldly threats by themselves and emerging victorious felt more like wishful thinking. They had no clue what they were up against.

"If the crack was small, then it could be contained and regulated, any creatures that would have crawled out would have been cornered with ease however the situation is that it's us who are cornered. We can only wait for what's to come." Darius went on. Each and every person in the room had power in their own right and clever individuals in their own way.

They knew that despite Darius coming off as pessimistic wasn't out of choice but fear. Fear of what they had to face was something even they couldn't foreshadow, only wait. "I'll mobilize the state troops and the army. Have them on standby." The Senator stated.

The rest conversed about the cracks and the possible impending war. Darius on the other hand seemed lost in his own world with his hands cusped and his fingers interlocked supporting his head. 'Ophelia, is this what you were afraid of?'