Meretrix discerns that the mass had been hovering over Central Africa for nearly 2 years, completely motionless, having appeared to have simply flickered into existence at some stage.
The terminal near the stairwell that entered into the complex comes on again. "Yes, I can hear you. Do you need something?" the voice asks Samson.
As Silas heads down the tunnel, which appears to open outwards before enclosing on itself again several times along his way, he notices that the air is slowly becoming warmer and warmer. Additionally, he notices that the walls are covered in scratch marks, although some of them appear intelligible on closer observation.
Secundus 1 and 2 are on route to the mass and the others. They both feel as though something is calling for help.
Solomon's Gungnir strikes a hole clean through the mass, as the rest is bisected by Sieg before being thrown away, heavily damaged, by Abarim's enhanced strike and John's telekinetic whip. At the same time, Jakovich's hook appears to meld with the mass on contact, causing a large chunk of it to be pulled away with him as the rest of it starts rapidly flashing various images and colors on its surface. What exactly they entail is hard to make out, even for those closer, but everyone who sees it feels their brain start to bleed as it happens, appearing to be suffering an extremely potent seizure of some kind.
Crunkle discerns that the mass has a form of rudimentary "intelligence" that primary exists in the forms of completely unconscious instincts, as it has no mind with which to control them, appearing similar to pre-programmed responses to actions that all it knows of is that it has occured. Due to this, it has no sense of pain or emotions to speak of and, most interestingly, doesn't truly sense anything around itself and merely "acts" as it is directed to with no care towards what it is doing.