Alien Mine Ch. 14

Hi everyone

Thanks for the comments. I read them all, and your comments help me write better.

One of you asked if I planned to carry out the story to the end. The answer is yes, as long as people are enjoying the story. I will break up the tale into three parts; the one I am writing now, a second part that will occur as humans expand into the Solar System and beyond, and then the final confrontation with the Om.

I have no set number of chapters nor a set length for chapters. I typically begin writing and see where it takes me.

If you like the story, remember, a referral is the best compliment.

Chapter 14

They knew it was the Om as soon as they got close. It was in an apartment block that had seen better days, the kind that would be occupied by working families or lower grade civil servants. This was the sixteenth place they had checked, and the apartment belonged to a technician at NSA. Leslie only remembered him because he had been in the room messing with equipment and scanning for any surveillance.

"Careful," Sandy said, "we don't know what they are capable of, and you and Amancia have no backup." She, Rhys, and Kiania were still in Israel and weren't scheduled to leave until tomorrow. Nevertheless, it had been a productive few days in more ways than one. Mika's symbiont was well on its way; Rhys had been pleasantly surprised by how sensuous and apparently insatiable she was. With her influence, key new acquisitions and investments could now be completed.

Rhys didn't like Leslie and Amancia going in alone either, but they were in light body armor, and since it was after sunset, a tiger drone accompanied them as well. This is why they needed another soldier, he thought. Each of the girls seemed to have a specialty, and he needed another killer. Amancia and Leslie were good, but not like Kiania. He had been discussing it with Bob, and they weren't sure how the process worked exactly

Amancia and Leslie had scouted the area thoroughly after sensing the Om, but this was the only place that registered with them. Both of them could feel the nausea, the almost taste of the fetid air. Leslie and Amancia had dropped into combat mode as they approached the door, weapons out. Amancia was like a tiger slipping into position, ready to pounce. Leslie was instead a bird of prey, anxious to swoop down and kill.

"Patience, let's get the drones in first," Amancia said. As per Rhys' instructions, they were here to kill, not capture, but families lived on both sides, so they were limited in what they could do.

The man they were seeking barely existed as a human. Just a tiny sliver of his mind was still his own, enough so that his mind screamed silently in anguish and despair, wishing for death to come. His body had already been taken over, corrupted, and changed into something no longer recognizable as human. He was fortunate the end would come soon. The Om parasite slowly devoured the body, using the host's own tissue and organs for nourishment. Unfortunately, the host didn't last long, and this one was almost used up. The Om would have to find another soon, but this one had proven effective. It would allow it access to higher-level humans, and it had sensed the Drans symbiont in the meeting with the other humans.

Leslie felt the bloodlust rising and the urge to attack and rend as they approached. It was a strange mixture, she thought. The symbiont part of her was very aggressive, but an equal portion of her mind was cold, calm, and analytical. It was a good combination as long as they worked equally.

One of the small dragonfly-like drones cut through a window allowing a swarm of even smaller drones into the apartment. Leslie's symbiont quickly analyzed and collated the images giving them a clear view of the apartment. She almost gagged at the sight. There was the man, the NSA tech lying on the couch. The apartment was strewn with what looked like parts of small animals. A dog's head that was half-chewed, and pieces of what was probably a squirrel or a rabbit. Blood pooled on the floor, and there were red stains on all the furniture.

The man's features looked strained, the body gaunt. The pants looked soiled and dirty. "Only one of them," Amancia observed.

"Send the drone in first; we follow and kill this thing," Leslie said.

Amancia nodded, and the tiger drone crashed through the door, blowing it back into the room. Leslie ran in, rifle at her shoulder, followed by Amancia, but the man's chest exploded outward before she could fire, showering her with blood and pieces of bone. She saw something leap from the hollow body cavity and move at an incredible rate across the ceiling like a spider. Leslie didn't fire because of people living on the other side of the apartment above. The drone turned and ran to attack, but the newly spawned Om horror leaped downward toward Leslie. She dodged right instinctively, moving almost as quickly as the creature.

She could see it had four long tentacle-like legs as it flew past. Leslie turned to fire, but one of the legs whipped across her head before she could pull the trigger. Searing pain shot through her, pain more intense than anything she had ever felt before. Dazed, Leslie heard gunfire and Amancia cry out but couldn't respond; it was as though her mind was splitting in two. Leslie dropped to her knees, screaming in agony as her brain seemed to explode, and she fell to the floor convulsing.

Amancia had moved swiftly into the apartment, following Leslie. She was shielded from the explosion of body parts but saw the creature leap to the ceiling. Amancia was surprised as Leslie by the speed at which this Om creature moved but was further away and was able to dodge the first attack as the long cable-like legs came whipping down at her. As the parasite hit the floor, Amancia fired, but it was gone again, scampering up the wall with the drone close behind. Amancia glanced at Leslie, "Rhys, something is happening to Leslie!" she screamed as she dodged again to the left, looking for a shot. She could see Leslie convulsing; the Om had done something to her, but Amancia couldn't get to her.

The parasite launched itself from the upper left corner, the drone leaped, claws outstretched, but just missing it as the cable-like arms whipped at her at incredible speed. Amancia threw herself back, crashing through a wall into a kitchen in the next apartment. Chairs scattered, and people screamed as Amancia fell into the table of a family eating dinner. She fired desperately from a prone position at the Om, hitting it twice. An awful ear-splitting screech reverberated throughout the apartment complex as the parasite screamed and ran across the ceiling like a giant spider.

Amancia tried to untangle herself from where she had fallen, covered in food and dishes. A child was half lying across her while the mother desperately grabbed at him, trying to pull the child away. Amancia leaped to her feet, but the Om parasite had already moved, the long tentacle-like arms reaching around her. But Amancia's collar was gone, and she was covered in a silvery cloud. The tentacles recoiled violently as they touched the cloud, and the Om parasite screeched even louder, springing away back into the other apartment. It flailed about, the long tentacles trying to hit at the cloud that followed it. The drone pounced just as Amancia hit it with a burst of fire, tearing it apart. Remembering what the voice had told her, she grabbed a small incendiary device Thea had made just for this purpose and dropped it on the remains. Her Bob set off all the fire alarms in the apartments while sending out a 911 call. Amancia picked up Leslie and ran for the car, the tiger drone following.

"She is infected, Rhys," Bob said. "Touch her head." Amancia placed Leslie in the back seat, and jumping behind the wheel, she sped off. "Leslie is hurt; she is still convulsing! She told Rhys as she raced away from the burning apartment. Amancia spared a quick glance at Leslie. Her face was pale, and her body twitched, her voice crying out softly.

Amancia reached behind her and placed her hand on Leslie's head; it was hot, feverish. Then, something clicked in her mind; she was suddenly linked with Rhys and Leslie and pulled inside Leslie's mind. What she saw terrified her. A battle was raging inside Leslie as her symbiote tried to fight the Om infection.

"It cannot win; the virus infecting her is too strong," Bob said clinically; it will need to be destroyed.

"No," the other girls shouted simultaneously.

Amancia felt herself fall back into combat mode, and they were all linked again, one mind sorting and rejecting options faster than any supercomputer.

Rhys concentrated as they sorted through ideas,

"There is nothing; if you do not destroy your mate, she will become host to the parasite and kill the other one with her. You must command her, now, Bob said.

"No! There is another way, the nanobytes."

"You risk both of them; when the nano bytes transfer your mate's symbiont, it will open a channel for the Om; if it is not successful, you will doom both of them. The Om must not get control of a symbiont enhanced human; the risk is too great."

Rhys felt Bob activate the missiles at the base. He wouldn't release them yet, but they would be needed if this failed.

Amancia understood what Rhys wanted, and the car swerved off the highway, jumping a curb, not bothering with an exit. She brought the vehicle to a stop, climbed into the back seat, and placed her mouth over Leslie's. "Command me," she pleaded.

Rhys made the decision to risk everything. "Kiss her now; your nanobytes will make the transfer," Rhys commanded, ordering Amancia and the mysterious nano bytes. They had obeyed him before; he hoped they would again, otherwise he would lose both of them. He felt Bob's disapproval, but the same voice that had helped him in the past was there now, showing him what to do.

Amancia brought their mouths together, kissing Leslie gently at first, then deeper, her tongue pushing into Leslie's unresisting mouth. Leslie moaned, and Amancia felt her collar dissolve from around her neck, flowing into her, searching, finding her symbiont. Her consciousness shifted, and she knew it was flowing into Leslie through her mouth as the nano bytes carried it, feeding them to the struggling body underneath her. Leslie moaned as Amancia's symbiont was taken into her, replenishing her own, joining the fight against the Om virus. She struggled, but Amancia held her tightly, keeping their mouths pressed tightly together. Leslie's tongue responded to the intrusion' softly, weak at first trying to push it away, then welcoming it. Then she moaned, allowing the invading tongue access to her own.

Amancia held the kiss as Leslie responded. No longer resisting, their lips responded to each other like the intimate lovers they were. Together they fought the Om virus, but Amancia slowly weakened as more and more of her symbiont was carried into Leslie joining the battle and keeping her alive.

Suddenly Amancia's consciousness split, and for a moment, she was Leslie, screaming in agony. Her mind recoiled, but then Rhys forced her back into herself, and she was battling the Om virus again. More nanobytes flowed into Leslie to aid in the battle, and a new manifestation appeared in her mind, half bird-of-prey and half panther. Together the two of them fought a sick blackness that threatened to destroy both of them. The symbionts fought the encroaching Om disease, the battle raging throughout Leslie's body, but they were still losing. They had managed to slow the onslaught but not stop it.

"Rhys, she can't stop it. Can you do anything," Sandy asked. She felt helpless and hated it, wanting to join the fight but unable to do anything.

Rhys concentrated on the two symbionts; they were his to command, the voice had told him, and he waited for the right moment.

Now! Rhys heard in his head, and he poured himself into the two struggling women.

The two girls screamed out as the Rhys, and the others burst into their minds, overwhelming their thoughts, and energy flowed into them. It was driven by the manifestation of a giant dragon breathing fire that burned everything before it. Both of them withered under the scorching flames as a giant dragon appeared to swoop down, devastating everything in its path. The fire bathed both of them, a fiery maelstrom of heat and destruction. Leslie and Amancia convulsed as one, joined together by the nanobits, and now sharing a single mind.

Had it been alive, the Om virus would have screamed in frustration, so close to taking a symbiont, now seemingly denied. Instead, it fought the new intruder, evolving into new variants in microseconds seeking to attack, but the intrusion of the fresh minds, the flames that coursed through the Drans warrior's body, forced it back. Rhys and the other girls were there, And Sandy's sabertooth tiger joined the attack, along with the others. But it was the dragon guided by the unknown intelligence that struck at the core of the Om parasite, burning it as the head slowly turned, flames pouring from its mouth, destroying the virus, sweeping it from Leslie's body.

The two girls collapsed unconscious, their lips still pressed together, the nanobits flowing back and forth, creating a bridge between their two minds.

Rhys ruthlessly forced Amancia awake, dragging her back to consciousness. "Drive here; there will be a room waiting. Take Leslie there and wait for us," he commanded.

Amancia dragged herself back into the front seat and started the car. The hotel was not far, and at least it was a nice one.

"DC is not safe, and we need to get her back to the base. We are leaving shortly and will meet you there." Sandy said. Rhys looked tired but was functioning. "Roust the pilot and crew Kiania, let's get out of here."

***

Leslie awoke to soft lights and the feel of something lightly stroking her body. Opening her eyes, she found herself looking into Sandy's deep green eyes, eyes that looked into her own with concern. "How are you feeling?" Sandy asked gently.

"Confused, I mean, I feel fine, I guess, but what happened, where are we? Leslie started to sit up, but she felt something tighten around her, keeping her from sitting up. Hair, she thought, how strange. "Where are my clothes?" she asked.

"Relax, you were injured, and you need to stay still for a bit. Rhys and the others will be here in a second."

"What happened? The last thing I remember is deciding to go and search for the Om parasite with Amancia. Is she ok?"

"Amancia is fine; here she comes now."

The door opened, and Rhys, Amancia, and the rest of the girls burst into the room. Rhys looked at her and gestured to Sandy. The hair withdrew, and Leslie sat up, then found herself in Rhys' arms. "I am so glad you are ok," he said, kissing her gently; I was afraid we had lost you."

The other girls hugged and kissed her, then Amancia. When they touched, Leslie felt a moment of disorientation, as if she was looking at herself through Amancia's eyes. The moment passed, but Leslie knew Amancia had sensed it too. "So, are you going to tell me what happened? Did we find the Om," she said, looking around at the concerned faces.

"Yes," Rhys said, "you found it, and it found you. You were injected with the same nano-virus that nearly took me out in our first battle, but yours was apparently a more potent version. It nearly killed you. We couldn't get back to you, so Amancia kept you alive and hidden."

"How, how did you keep me alive," she said in a confused voice. Images kept playing across her mind, a body exploding, she thought, something coming at her, but it was from a different point of view, as if she was watching herself get attacked.

"Nanobytes, from Amancia. You needed help, or you would have died," Rhys said. Amancia convinced hers to help you; it saved your life."

"There was fire, a dragon I remember, and something else," she said, looking down at herself. Oh my! Leslie yelped, seeing the dragon emblazoned across her hip and abdomen. It was just like Amancia's and Sandy's, with dragon fire arching almost down to her pubic bone. Leslie ran her hand over it, feeling the heat from the flame, almost as if it was real.

Amancia smiled and hugged her, "you are just like me now; the nanobytes stayed with you," she said in a low throaty voice, her fingers lightly caressing the band at Leslie's throat.

Leslie slowly raised her hand to her neck; she could feel the warm metal encircling her throat; without looking, she knew it was just like Amancia's. Not a necklace like Sandy's, but a collar. She felt a sexual thrill shoot through her, followed by anger that Rhys had done this. It was the nanobytes, and they would help protect her from the Om, but they could also be used as a weapon against her. The mixed feelings left her more confused than ever, and she didn't notice the looks exchanged between the others.

"She hasn't noticed the real changes to her yet," Sandy said to everyone but Leslie.

"No, but we are not sure how deep it goes. Bob doesn't even know what the outcome will be. The link between her and Amancia is still there. Something happened during the battle when the symbionts combined to fight the Om virus, and then we all combined to keep Leslie alive. Bob thinks the fire, or whatever it really is, forged the combination between them. We will have to wait and see how this plays out. Amancia, are you still blocking Leslie?"

"Yes, but it's hard. My symbiont wants to connect, and for a few seconds, it was like Leslie and I were in each other's body when we first touched."

"Why did the nanobytes stay with Leslie instead of returning to Amancia?" Kiania asked.

I'm not sure; they seem to have a mind of their own. Perhaps because there was a link formed between the symbionts. The question is how strong is the link, and how long it will last," Rhys said

What do you think it means for them?" Sandy asked, casting a glance toward Leslie.

"Bob doesn't know, Amancia has been blocking it, but she can't do it forever. Eventually, she will have to drop her barriers. I guess then we will find out what it means," Rhys said, taking Amancia in his arms. "Don't worry, we are here to help, and we will figure this out together."

Amancia let herself melt into his arms. She belonged to Rhys, body, and soul, and she could feel him in her mind; he was always there since he had marked her. Leslie had the same marks that she had. I wonder what that means for her, for us. The connection with Leslie was at the edge of her mind now, and it took an effort to keep it out.

"What about the rest of us," Thea said, gesturing to the other girls. "The nanobytes defended Amancia. Can you give them to us?"

"I don't know, both times it was during a battle, first with Sandy, and this time with the Om. They seem to respond to an attack, but I don't have that kind of control yet.

"Well, I am working on a weapon to use against the parasite. We all need something to defend against that thing, especially the team we have built. I have an idea that might work; you can take a look at it tomorrow.

Leslie stood up, feeling better by the minute. "I think I need a drink, and then I'm sure there is some damage control to do. I am going to have to come with a good story for my boss," she said, shaking her head ruefully. Although at the rate things are happening, my story is going to be a whopper."

Sandy let a few strands of her hair reach out brush over Leslie as she walked by. "The connection is there; I can feel both Amancia and Leslie; what's going to happen, Rhys," she asked in concern?