As the Center fell away, I-330 jumped into the expanding cracks, following them as they ripped through dozens of timelines. She only needed one: one that connected to the universe she was looking for.

And she found that one, soon enough. It had already reached the universe, and was in the process of spreading its cracks through it. I-330 desperately looked through the emptiness around her, until she saw something falling through the Quiet: Lisa, badly injured, but still clinging to life.

I-330 called her name as she flew toward Lisa. No response. I-330 shouted “Lisa!” again, and this time she opened her eyes. It only took a moment for the recognition to hit, and Lisa shouted “330!” I-330 reached for Lisa, stretching her arm out. Lisa reached out as well, and their fingertips touched for just a moment….

Branches wrapped around I-330 and suddenly pulled her away. She didn’t even look back to see what had grabbed her at first; she struggled to break free and reach Lisa, screaming her name as she was pulled away. Even after Lisa had faded from sight, she still kept reaching, shouting her name as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Finally, she looked back to see what had stopped her and stolen her reunion. There, standing in the abyss, was the Slender Man, staring at her with its blank face, branches from its arms trapping her. A new wave of anger hit I-330, and she tore apart the branches holding her. Then she flew at the Slender Man, screaming wordless desires for murder.

***

 Aeons worth of knowledge flooded into I-330’s mind as she devoured Nyarlathotep. It was too much for her to take in all at once, and she felt as if she was drowning in in. In an instant she saw the history of every universe and everything within them, from the lifespan of a microscopic bacteria to the hunger of a black hole. Out of survival’s sake, she started pushing the knowledge down, beneath the layers of subconscious. It was almost too much for her to handle, but slowly, she locked most of the knowledge and memories of Nyarlathotep away.

But in doing so, she also locked away the strength that had been sustaining her until that point. Exhaustion quickly overtook her, and she fell, unconscious, onto the stone floor of R’lyeh.

Thus far, R’lyeh had been spared from being devoured by the emptiness around it. But when I-330 fell, the cracks began to spread across the city. Within a minute it was entirely consumed. And when the ground disappeared from underneath her, I-330 fell through the Quiet, falling until she passed through a crack in time. A crack that would send her to Fairfax, Virginia, on June 9, 2012.

***

More branches came from the Slender Man to block I-330’s path. Her left arm changed into a blade, and she tore through them, but no matter how many she cut apart, more replaced them. It was like trying to swim through a sea of trees. Through the gaps between the branches, she could see the Slender Man turn and start to walk away. She shouted at it, and started cutting through faster, determined not to let her revenge escape.

The branches continued to reach for I-330, but she refused to be slowed by them. One stabbed through her side, but she tore it apart and moved on. Another cut her face, leaving a vertical line of blood down the center, but she ignored it and kept moving on. Finally she broke through the branches, just to see the Slender Man step through a crack out of the Quiet. I-330 followed, pursuing the Slender Man into another universe.