The Reaper Wars - The Nest Ch. 01-05

Slowly the boy nodded.

Quietly the real Alex whispered "I will... Grandfather."

Then as if they were a mirage both faded as did the room he was in. He didn't even notice, he was to busy wiping his eyes.

Suddenly out of nowhere a headache more painful than he had ever felt before slammed into him like a truck. It was more than just pain however, it was pressure. Like someone was trying to stuff a whole cargo ship into the limited space of his skull.

It was all he could do not to scream in pain. Keeping his eyes shut in pain, he dropped to his knees. As if the pain he had suffered hadn't been enough it began to intensify to a point where Alex was sure his head would explode.

Unable to keep it in any longer he screamed, and screamed. Suddenly he felt a presence touch his mind, and like that the pain melted away.

Alex slumped to the ground exhausted and confused. Knowing what others were feeling was nothing new to him. As far as he knew he had been this way from berth. But this was a whole other story. Never before had he felt something so alien. Yet the new presence radiated only warmth and understanding. the presence left his mind. Before he could digest any of the information darkness flooded his mind.

***

Miles away from the colony in a cage lay a Reaper Queen surrounded by human scientists. Were it's face not hidden one would catch a glimpse of a smile upon her face.

The smile came from the thought of what she had just done."This should prove to be very interesting."

A stinging in her side told her they had injected another drug into her. She could already feel her mind growing unfocused as it began to coursed it's way through her system. They had already injected something that had cut her off from the rest of her hive.

It had taken all she had just to find one mind she could link with, and to her surprise it had been a human."This human is different than the others. Hopefully he will come to understand the gift I gave him."

As the darkness consumed her mind her last thought was "If he survives that long."

***

Chapter 3:

Gasping for air Alex awoke in a cold sweat. Slowly he opened his eyes and groaned as the flickering light on the ceiling aggravated his throbbing head. Slowly his surroundings came into focus. His back felt stiff and to top it off his throat was raw. Reaching up he placed a hand on his head, and winced. Looking at his hands he found they were severely burned.

He stared confused at his hands, unable to remember how they had gotten hurt. Now that he thought about it he couldn't remember anything that had happened recently. His first thought was that Max had convinced him to go drinking with him again. But that didn't explain his hands.

Propping himself up on a wall he tried to figure out where he was. A quick look around revealed he was in one of the store rooms located throughout the colony. Letting a hand drop by his side he felt it brush something. Looking down he was shocked to see a Infector's body on the floor next to him.

The moment his eyes stopped on the spider-like alien he jumped back uttering a string of not too civilized curses. Not reacting to his movement or voice he realized that it was dead.

After a few seconds of staring at it his mind put two and two together. Suddenly it all came back to him. Helping the newbie with the loader, the Reaper attack, him trapped in the hall, jumping in here then something attacked his face, the dream, even... IT.

Reaching a hand up to his chest he whispered "No. Please God no."

As if fate wished to prove him wrong Alex felt something move under his ribs. It wasn't painful but uncomfortable all the same.

Absently laying a hand on his chest as he leaned back. There was no point in denying it their was a Reaper inside his chest. All his running had been for nothing, they still got him in the end. He couldn't remember how long it took a Reaper fully mature. But judging from the tightness in his chest he was sure he didn't have long.

Just then his PDA beeped. Jumping in surprise he glanced at his pocket. He had forgotten he still had it. Reaching into a pocket he carefully pulled out the device, careful not to aggravate his already hurt hands. Glancing at the display he had to hold back a laugh.

Daily assignment update . . . .

Maintenance is required on Coolant Relief Valve 6 . . .

Maintenance required in med-lab 2 . . .

Malfunction detected in Landing bay door 1 . . .

The list went on but the first two caught his eye. The first because he had been the one to destroy it in the first place. The second because med-lab 2 had an auto surgery tube. He knew because he had been one of the people who helped hook it up. They had received it a month ago in a mixed up shipment. Nobody had bothered to report it in because it took three weeks to get a response this far out in space.

It could perform all kinds of operations including the one needed to remove the thing in his chest.

With new found hope Alex stood and moved to the door. The door silently opened, and he looked out in both directions. Listing for any sign of life he made sure he was alone. After he was sure he was alone he stepped out.

He walked as silently as he could down the hall until he came to a corner. Moving as quietly as possible he looked around the corner. Just because he may not survive the hour didn't mean he had a death wish.

Seeing nothing in the immediate area he stepped out.

Turning the corner he whispered. "I missed one heck of a party."

All the way down the hall the walls were covered in bullet holes and claw marks. Parts of a wall looked like it had been melted by powerful acid. Still others looked to be blown apart by some sort of explosives.

From time to time the lights would flicker as he picked his way over and around the ruble. Despite the obvious battle there were no body's anywhere to be seen. The strange thing was he hadn't seen or even heard anything at all on his way to the med-lab. Reapers were known to disappear after an attack, but he had expected at least a few to stay. Now that he thought about it they hadn't taken anyone to be hived that he could see. It was like they hadn't known what to do so they just killed.

He crossed his arms in thought as he walked. What has them in such a state of disorganization?

Walking up to a fork in the road and Glanced at the sign. Left was labeled medical storage, right was med-lab 1. Not wasting any time he turned down the right hall.

Eventually, he stopped in front of a pair of double doors, above them, written in blue was "Med-Lab-2".

Reaching over to the door controls he pressed it. With a faint hiss the door slid open. The moment the doors opened the automatic lights flickered on. Letting out a sigh of relieve he stepped in. Suddenly something slammed into his back with enough force to knock him off his feet. The air was forced from his lungs as he hit the ground with a grunt.

Flipping over he was greeted with the black form of a Reaper. It stood over him with it's mouth open and hissing.

Closing his eyes he waited for the inevitable pain that would soon come.

After a minute of not feeling anything pierce his flesh he cracked open an eye. The zen still stood over him, but now had its head over his chest. As it stood there Alex noticed three faint scars running down the side of it's head. With one final hiss it got off him, and tilted its head.

It shook it's head a few times as if it it was confused. After a minuet more of confutation it ran out the open door.

Sitting up Alex was as confused as the Reaper, if not more. When a Reaper was about to kill it didn't stop for anything.

"So why did you?"

At that moment the Reaper inside him decided to move. He shuddered at the feeling of it wiggling around inside him.

He didn't know what that meant, but it was almost certainly bad for him.

Standing he surveyed the room. It looked like what you'd expect any normal Colony med-lab to look like. Bottles of some liquid he couldn't identify were sitting on a shelf. Clipboards hung on a wall by the door. A computer sat on a desk with a half finished email still open. All of this he ignored in favor of a window on the far side of the room. Walking over he peered through the glass.

In the corner of the next room he saw what he was looking for. A big clear tube used for surgery. Pushing open the door he entered the room.

Walking up he activated the pod. Striping off his shirt he climbed in.

A second later it scanned him from head to toe. After it had finished a message scrolled across the display before him.

Foreign object detected . . .

Remove?

Selecting the yes and setting it to remove the alien from his chest he lay back.

After injecting an anesthetic it carefully made an incision above his stomach. A robotic arm then reached in and removed the alien from his chest. The moment it's umbilical cord was severed it started to shriek ans squirm. The machine then placed it into a small pod. Just as carefully as it started the machine sealed the wound.

A beep indicated it had finished. Another message then scrolled across the display in front of him.

Foreign object removed. . .

Do you wish to dispose?

Reaching up his hand hovered over yes, but didn't press. His eyes locked on the small pink Reaper. It had stopped moving and seemed to look at his hand then right at him. Pressing its face against the glass it looked helpless as it waited for him to to decide. He didn't know how but he knew what it felt, it was afraid.

With one press of a button he could kill it, or free it. A little voice in the back of his mind whispered 'Don't do it. It's not it's fault you were its host. Don't punish it for what it has no control over, like your father.'

His eyes widened in shock at what he almost did. Sure it will grow to be a deadly alien that would more likely than not kill him at the first chance, but he would be damned if he would kill a defenseless creature.

With a sigh he pressed no. "I just hope I'm not gonna regret this."

The tube opened with a hiss and a pop. The pod opened and the baby Reaper leaped out, and scurried out of sight. Standing he took a step toward the door when a icy sensation washed over his brain, like a bucket of liquid mercury had been dumped over his brain. The sudden sensation made him dizzy causing him to loose his footing and fall. The pain in his chest was white-hot as he hit the floor. Before passing out from the pain he saw a small pink tail move behind a trashcan then darkness took him.

***

Chapter 4:

As Alex slept he was again assaulted with strange dreams. It had started with him standing in a cave of some sort. Despite the obvious lack of a light source he had no trouble seeing. The walls and floor were covered in a organic looking black substance that twisted and curved in tube-like formations. The air felt warm and humid but not uncomfortably so. All of this was weird enough but the fact that he was observing all this from at least thirty feet in the air was what had his attention.

Now that he thought about it his whole body felt off. Lifting a hand he was shocked to see not his hand but a Reaper's. Slowly he flexed the strange appendage still not sure if this was indeed his hand. Reaching up he felt his head only to find it to be smooth at least until he reached the middle from there it seamed to spread out into what felt to Alex like a crest of some-kind. He soon decided that this had to be a dream because it was impossible for him to have been turned into a Reaper. The sound of fast approaching feet drew his attention to a tunnel he hadn't seen on his left. Soon a small Reaper, well small to his perspective came scurrying in. It was soon followed by three more each larger than the first.

The first, apparently the runt of the group slipped and fell. The others soon surrounded there fallen sibling and started hissing in a threatening tone. Though he couldn't tell what they were saying but the message was plain as day. Soon each took turns jumping forward to nip at it, and judging from the pained hisses it elected they weren't playful nips ether. He almost couldn't believe his eye's they were all but torturing the little one. Alex hated bullying of any kind having been the recipient of it most of his childhood.

Suddenly he lost all control of his body. It felt as if he was just a passenger while something else took control. Against his will he took a few heavy foot steps foreword bared his teeth and screed loudly at them. The affect was immediate.

All four stopped what they were doing and looked up at him in what he thought was shock and fear. They apparently hadn't realized they weren't alone at the moment. They practically scrambled over each other to line up before him. After they had sorted themselves out in front of him all four lowered their heads. Normally he would be surprised by there actions but with this being a dream he went with it.

Involuntarily he leaned in close and hissed at the three bully's. Slowly the Reapers backed away, heads still lowered in submission. Who or what ever was in control then turned to the small one and cooed very softly as if urging it to come closer. It stepped forward, inching closer to Alex. His body then crouched low until his face level with it's.

He reached over and softly rubbed it's cheek with one hand and lifted it with the other. The moment it reached his chest it snuggled as deep as it could. Holding the young Reaper close he gave a deep, low, hum. It began to purr in response to his humming. As he held the small Reaper he could feel it's gratitude and happiness.

Suddenly the world around him began to shift and distort. Soon nothing remained but him and that too began to fade as darkness began to creep at the edges of his vision.

Alex felt himself slowly rise up from the depths of his subconscious and return to the world of the living. He had no idea what that dream had about, but it had left him confused and disoriented. Alex slowly opened his eye's and tried to sit up. He instantly regretted it as white-hot dagger seemed to stab his chest. Tears streamed down his eyes as he fell back clutching his chest. Gritting his teeth he waited for the pain to subside. In addition to the pain in his chest, his hands throbbed in time with his heart.

As time passed, he felt the pain in both his hands and chest lessen to a more tolerable level. Glancing at his hands he winced. They looked worse than before, purplish and noticeably swollen. If he didn't do something soon they could get infected. Getting sick from infection wasn't at the top of his list of things he wanted to do. Groaning he up and found he was no longer on the floor but lying on a bed. Confused he looked around, unsure where he was. To his left he saw several beds in a row leading to the far wall the room and nothing else.

How he had gotten there? Was someone else alive, had they found him and brought him here? If so than where are they now?

"Hello?" he called out.

After a few minuets of silence he decided to look for his savior. Swinging his feet off the bed he stood.

Walking over to the door Alex moved to the control panel and pushed the release. With a faint hiss the door slid open. Glancing out he wearily looked up and down the hall outside the room. Seeing the cost is clear he stepped out into the hall. To his surprise he found he was only a short distance from the med-lab he had passed out in.

His chest still throbbed so he decided to look for a pain killer before looking for who ever helped him. Turning he walked back to the med-lab. As soon as he had left the room felt like he was being watched. Alex spun around, his sixth sense telling him he wasn't alone. He found nothing amiss as he scanned the hall and yet the feeling persisted. As he neared the door to the lab he saw the door standing open.

All the doors in this area worked on a motion detection system. A control panel is used to open it but a sensor above the door is supposed to close it afterword. If there is nobody in front of the door it should be closed. But if it's open then somebody must be in the area.

Cautiously he walked up to the door to med-lab 2. Glancing around he looked to see if there was anyone in the room before entering. As far as he could tell the room was deserted. Stepping in he looked around once more to be sure he was alone and almost wished he hadn't. Over in a corner was a pile of what appeared to be snake skin.

He debated just leaving and not looking back. But his chest and hands decided to object to that train of thought. Searching the room once more and not seeing the thing it had come from he decided to take a chance.

Walking over to a set of drawers he started going through them. All he found was cotton balls, gauze and other standard medical supplies. Glancing around his eyes landed on a large refrigerated cabinet he hadn't seen before on his left. Then again he had been a little preoccupied when he had first come through here.

Smiling he walked over and peered through the glass. It didn't take long to find something he recognized, Morphine. Unfortunately the cabinet was locked. Breaking the glass was out of the question with his burnt hands. He didn't feel like looking around with the hope the key was just lying around somewhere. That didn't leave him many options.

Letting out a sigh of frustration he kicked a small trash can across the room. "That's just my luck, I find the painkillers, I need only to have them denied by a stupid lock."

The feeling of something staring at him suddenly grew stronger. Alex turned around, and found himself face to face with a Reaper. Screaming out in surprise he jumped back tripping over the trashcan he had kicked earlier. Squeezing his eyes shut he waited for the inevitable pain the fall would inflict on his still tender chest, but it never came. Opening an eye he saw to his amazement the Reaper had stopped him falling by wrapping it's tail around his waist.

Slowly it set him down on the floor and then did something that shocked him beyond words. Stepping back it lowered it's head just like the ones in his dream.

Looking back at alien alien he tried to figure out why it was acting so strange. All together it was about the size of the average Reaper. It's skin was pitch black with the exception of these blue streaks that ran along the elongated head and down entwining around the tube-like things on it's back. The entire body was covered in a skeletal looking exoskeleton. The lone segmented tail with its sharp dagger-like blade was wrapped around it's feet.

Moving slowly he got to his feet. It remained where it was hissing in low in a non-threatening way. In fact, it seemed to be waiting. Something in the back of his mind told him it didn't want to hurt him.

Slowly he lifted a hand he reached out towards it. He held his palm open and fingers spread. He hoped he hadn't lost his mind but his gut said he wasn't, and he always listened to his gut. He tried not to jump as something smooth and slick pushed into his hand.

Sucking in a breath he gasped as he was yet again reminded of his hurt hands.

Seeing his discomfort the creature moved toward him. As it reached him it lowered its head and sniffed his hand as if it knew that was the source of the pain.

"Damn it! If only that stupid cabinet wasn't locked." he said glaring at the cabinet behind him.

Alex watched as it stood and walked over to the offending object and examined it. A sound like something hacking up a hairball came from the Reaper before something thick and yellow flew out it's mouth and splattered onto the lock. It then stepped to the side and looked at him.

Raising an eyebrow he asked "Feel better?"

The sound of something sizzling had him looking back at the cabinet in surprise. Right before his eyes the lock and all the metal around it had been eaten away by the yellow goop.