Breeding Understanding

"I shouldn't be doing this. I don't

care

how critical this research is to the success of the colony!" protests Brad, the name tag on his lab coat flashing in the harsh light.

"I know," you reply, following him down the narrow corridor.

You stare at the back of his neck, a latent desire flashing through your body. "It's not as though there's much of a choice, though. If we don't do

something,

the encroaching Rift will eat us alive!"

Brad shakes his head, looking uncertain. "I still don't know. Some of our leaders think that adaptation is the answer, but playing with these

things

can't possibly be the right idea!"

"I don't know why

you're

complaining, it's not

you

who's volunteering to interface with it," you reply, glancing around the clinical room he had led you into.

Prefabricated, but functional. You couldn't expect anything more from a governmental agency, especially not out here on the rim.

Your excitement flares as you spot the bell shaped glass container sitting on the front desk, your feet scurrying across the floor.

"Is that what I think it is?" you ask, staring hungrily at the green mass sitting limply on the table.

"It sure is," confirms Brad, scratching the back of his head.

He gives you a wan smile. "I don't know why you're so eager, it's a gelatinous blob in a jar."

"That's true," you nod, "but it might be the solution to all our problems! It's a class three bio form, one of the rarest kinds!"

You frown at the man, starting to wonder why you had bothered seducing him in the first place. "Come on, Brad, we don't have a lot of time. How do I get started?"

He shrugs, setting his hands on the edge of the desk. "You have to wake it up first."

He grabs a spoon, giving the glass jar a quick tap. The mass trembles, a slit appearing along the upper edge.

A black orb pushes out between the flaps of skin, varied blue dots flowing over the surface. They align with the spot where Brad had tapped, a pseudopod lifting up to touch the inside curve of the jar.

Surprised, you watch the organism as it examines its prison, a strange noise keening through the glass. The noise stops and the pseudopod retracts, the black orb sinking back into the mass.

You lean over the top as the skin flaps begin to close, staring deep into the blue dots, looking for any sign of intelligence.

The dots cluster together in a spiraling pattern, watching you as the flaps of skin flip shut. "Interesting," you murmur. "It seems to know that we're here, at least in some respect."

"It's definitely intelligent, but it's not clear how," scowls Brad. "Let it be on record that I opposed this experiment, but you overrode my objections."

"Shut up, Brad," you growl, finding yourself strangely drawn to the creature inside the jar.

Just what was it hiding?

Leaning in close, you feel a strange trill sounding in the back of your brain. You close your eyes, remembering the midnight encounter from a week ago.

It had started with a dream, filled with dark shapes. The Rift was encroaching upon the colony, always growing. You could

feel

it, perhaps due to some latent psychic ability.

The darkness had grown hotter, stifling, whispered words in your ears, motion flashing, indistinct shapes hissing. At the time, it had been frightening, but now you suspect that it had just been trying to communicate.

You had awoken to a dim room, a low hum filling your ears. Your eyes darted back and forth, looking for the monster creeping in through your window.

There was none, because it had already infiltrated your

bed.

There came a wet heat at the back of your neck, like a kiss, then

nothing.

When you regained consciousness, you knew what you had to do. There was only one way to stop the Rift from destroying the colony. You had to

adapt.

The tiny creature hidden inside your hair bun had told you this, and you agreed with it. You find yourself agreeing with it an awful

lot

these days, but that was neither here nor there.

An urge grows within you, a tingle of excitement seizing your limbs as you stare at the jar. Your Rider had told you this, too. This was it. This creature was for

you.

Brad lets out a cry of alarm as you seize the bell jar, but it's too late. The creature demands to be set free, and you

must

heed its call!

As soon as the jar is lifted, the mass sprouts legs, floating along the table towards you. A grin grows on your face as you lift your arms, welcoming it into your embrace.

Cradling it in your arms like a cat, you stroke it softly. "What are you so afraid of?" you ask. "See? There's no danger here!"

Brad swears, backing away from you with a pale face. "I've seen what they can do, I want

no

part of this!" he exclaims in a high pitched voice.

You shrug. "You worry too much. See? It

likes

me!"

Leaning in, you give the precious organism a small kiss. A wet squelch burbles from its body as it flattens out.

You give it a pleased grin, the expression freezing on your face as the alien eyeball rolls open. It sees you. It

knows

you.

Your heart jolts, and suddenly the organism has vanished. You turn your hands back and forth, staring at the floor. Where had it

gone?

"Look!" hisses Brad, pointing at your neck. "What is it

doing

to you?"

You frown, tapping your foot against the floor. "Are you trying to frighten me? Everything feels fine. It just jumped away or..."

Click.

Something wet rams into your skull, and your eyes roll up into your head.

The spike of pain turns your brain off as you tumble to the floor, losing all awareness of your surroundings.

You have been embraced by darkness, a murky atmosphere pulsing around you. In turn, you embrace the comfort it gives you, bliss surrounding your form.

The pulsing pain fades into the background noise, buzzing along with all the thoughts you no longer want to consider.

You are alone with the darkness. You are alone with

bliss.

Sudden physical motion tears you away from the quiet joy, waking up your frontal cortex. You blink, staring up at a concerned face.

You take in a deep breath, waiting for your double vision to resolve. You have a headache, the pounding pain digging into your skull.

You groan, pressing a hand to your forehead. "What happened?" you whisper, trying to get a grip on reality.

"It

ate

you," Brad hisses, his hands clenched against his sides.

You can see the naked fear on his face and in his tight shoulders, but there is also curiosity in his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" your murmur, massaging your temples.

Your hands work backwards, dropping into a thicket of whirling tendrils. A shock of surprise knocks you out of your lethargy, and you gulp, truly

feeling

the tightness around your skull for the first time.

"Brad?" you ask, your voice elevating in pitch. "Is that alien...

on

me?"

"That's one way of describing it," he says faintly. "Do you have a mirror in your bag?"

You nod dumbly, feeling the tightness around the base of your neck. Something is gripping your jawline, making it difficult to speak. Swallowing again, you feel around your throat.

Sure enough, there's more fleshy strands there, tickling your fingers as you nudge against them. You furrow your brow. It almost feels as though you're wearing a knit garment, drawn tight against your skin.

You work your jaw, feeling an odd warmth clamped over your ears. You can still hear clearly, but

something

has been jammed into your ear canals!

Your worries rise, then fall again, swept aside by curiosity. The organism was warm,

comforting,

even. You feel safe in its embrace, ready to face the Rift on your own terms!

Standing up, you burp, waiting for a headrush to subside. You twist your neck, feeling the alien flesh around your throat. It was oddly spongy, but not unpleasant.

Your anticipation grows as Brad rattles around in your purse, looking for the mirror. What you are about to see will probably shock you, but you are prepared for it.

Indeed, you are already starting to feel

protective

of the strange organism, setting your hand on the back of your skull and giving it a soft squeeze. In response, small cilia suckle on your fingers, tickling you.

You sigh, becoming impatient. "Come

on,

Brad, it shouldn't be

that

difficult to find!"

"I'm sorry, it's just the shock of seeing it engulf you that's making me clumsy," he apologizes. "Ah, here it is!"

He flourishes your small hand mirror, shuffling over to thrust it into your face. You take it, an instant grin seizing your mouth as you admire the alien's purplish green body.

It had somehow expanded to

swallow

your head and neck, the bulging, round eye sitting right above your forehead. The blue dots had collected near the bottom, spearing you with its loving gaze.

You bite your lower lip, wiggling with pleasure. The small brown tentacles projecting out from the sides of your head wave in return, greeting your countenance.

"Isn't it

beautiful?

" you exclaim, admiring the waxy texture of the alien's skin.

No,

your

skin, as it had somehow melded its body onto yours.

You lift your hand, tracing over the bumpy surface in wonder, giggling as one of the tentacles curls around to grab at your finger.

"What are you

doing?

" asks Brad, his face pale. "Don't you know what it can

do?

"

You stop playing with the eager tentacle, letting out a long sigh. "I don't think

you

understand, Brad. If we don't learn to embrace these aliens ::our Masters::, then we'll

never

be able to handle the Rift!"

You fold your arms, arching your neck to get a better feel for the armored skin that has bonded around the base of your throat. You feel strong,

invulnerable

with this extra protection, though you feel sad that it cannot cover your entire body. A complete

suit

of the stuff would be

amazing!

Perhaps the alien ::your Master:: had something else up its sleeve?

A sudden headache pounds in your skull. You groan, pressing your fingers into your forehead.

The pain instantly fades, an image emplaced by your new friend ::Master::.

There is a dark opening, barely distinguishable from the background, but you recognize the location. Your breath hisses between your lips.

"I know where we have to go," you say suddenly. "It's near the Rift."

Brad puts the mirror down, a look of horror on his face. "Anything close to the Rift without protection experiences extreme disassociation and suicidal thoughts. It's

madness

to get close without support!"

"And yet, we're going to do it, because if we don't, the encroaching Rift is going to drive us all insane

anyway!

"

Brad settles down into a chair, an obstinate look on his face. "I won't do it," he declares. "I once took an alternate path during a hike that took me a little too close to the Rift, and found myself face down in a stream. Can you imagine, almost drowning in a practically dry creek bed?"

"Come on, Brad, it's for the good of the colony!"

He shakes his head, the naked fear radiating off his frame. "No. Absolutely not.

No.

"

You sigh, letting your arms drop to your sides. "Well, I'm going to go whether you come or not. This alien on my head should help to dull the effects of the Rift, and I'm curious to see what it wants to show me."

The alien ::Master:: stirs in your brain, pleasure trickling down your spine. The urge to

go

becomes more profound, and you sway on your feet.

"You can stay here if you like, but I want to see it

now.

"

Brad settles back heavily, giving you a piercing stare. "If you really want to do this, then I need some time to get some equipment together. This isn't like taking a walk in a park, we need

protection.

"

You grit your teeth at the urgency that coils around your legs. What he's saying is totally reasonable, but you can't help yourself. You want to go

now

::obey::!

A wave of nausea rolls through you as you push back the demand. "Fine, but there will be no delays! We need to understand what this means!"

The chair squeals along the floor as Brad jumps to his feet, a grim eagerness taking hold. "We're going to need helmets, psychic filter masks, and an emergency beacon," he mutters, turning to head towards the rear of the room.

You skip along after him like a schoolgirl, your gaze fixed to the back of his neck. Wouldn't it look nice if a new friend ::Master:: was attached to his skull?

***

Your breath hisses through the mask as you scan the terrain in front of you, seeking the silvery traces of alien activity.

The alien organism ::Master:: leaps against your forehead, and your vision clicks, a hidden line jumping to the forefront.

"Over there!" you hiss into the pickup, pointing towards your left, away from the tracked vehicle's beaming headlights.

Brad shuts off the vehicle, shaking his head as he grabs a lantern. "I still don't think that this is a good idea," he says, his voice crackling through the radio.

"I'll probably be fired for this, or

worse.

"

You ignore his whining, following the silvery traces over a low hillock. The creature ::Master:: clenches around your skull as you lay your eyes on the Rift, spiky strands of purple crystal clinking against each other in the wind.

It was the sound of madness, which the psychic filter in your helmet was meant to prevent. The hollow sounds were a little spooky, but strangely enticing ::wonderful::.

You study the demarcation between the swampy ground and the purple crystal forest. Here, a series of buzzing poles had been jammed into the mud, tilting at haphazard angles.

This was the colony's first line of defense against the Rift, generating a resonance that retarded the spread of the crystals. However, the purple sheen around the base of the devices indicate that they will soon be swallowed up by the faceted forest.

You stare out at the sharp sea, idly watching the light being reflected from surface to surface. It was pretty, but

deadly.

Automated equipment could be used to clear an area, but it simply couldn't be done fast enough to make a difference. Humanity's remaining time on this world was limited.

Unless...?

Your mouth gapes into a grin, pleased at the way the organism ::Master:: strokes your skull. That's right, if you spend more time communing ::obeying:: the alien, you were sure that you would find a solution!

A hand touches your shoulder. "Stop staring at it," growls Brad. "Nothing good has ever come from being mesmerized by the Rift!"

Hasn't it? You frown, staring deeper into one of the larger crystals. After a long moment, you blink, turning away. For a brief moment, you had thought that you had been here before, but that was

crazy,

wasn't it?

The organism ::Master:: shifts on your skull, and the faint memory vanishes. It doesn't matter, really, you just need to see ::enjoy:: what's waiting for you inside that burrow!

Brad hands you a lantern. "Come on," he sighs. "Let's get this done before the Rift drives us

both

crazy!"

You step down the other side of the hill without comment. He was speaking only for himself. Your brain is feeling rather clear, lucid and directed.

You must follow the alien path, discover what your friend ::Master:: wanted to show you. Only then would you be complete ::obedient.::

Your feet brush past sickly bushes on either side, their leaves taking on a purplish tinge. This was a harbinger of what would soon come, the crystal matrix growing to envelop all life in this little terrestrial pocket you call home. ::As it should.::

It was rather arrogant to think that things would turn out any differently here. There were many examples of human terraforming that had resulted in disaster, both for local ecosystems and the humans trying to live off it. This was simply a more

extreme

scenario.

The only way forward was for humanity to learn to live

with

::embrace:: the Rift!

How, exactly, would that happen, though? The psychic filters only worked up to a certain point. Eventually, even the most stalwart mind would face its breaking point.

Not everyone would agree to experiment with alien organisms ::lovely Masters:: like you would. There had to be another answer!

The fragile leaves crackle against your legs, the edges fragmenting into purple shards. This area was already being converted by the Rift into more of the strange crystals.

You slow as you approach a glowing rod at the boundary, feeling a perverse urge to grab the shaft and throw it away. To let the Rift spread, transform,

consume.

You shake your head, and the impulse fades. Taking in a deep breath, you turn towards Brad. "How are you holding up so far?" you ask, noting the way his knees are wobbling.

"I'm not feeling any strange urges...

yet,

" he reports, bending over to run his fingers through the crystal shards created by your passing.

Lifting his hand, he studies the flecks of crystal. "Very pretty for something so deadly," he grunts, letting the pieces fall back to the ground.

A sudden hunger surges within you. "Hold up, I think that my alien ::Master:: is trying to tell me something."

You bend your knees, eyeing one of the larger pieces of broken crystal. Picking it up, you stare into its depths, trying to understand what the creature ::Master:: is trying to tell you. The way the light bends inside pulls you deeper.

The hunger roars in your chest, breaking the trance. You shake your head, wondering if that was a sympathetic reaction, caused by the creature ::Master::?

Acting on a hunch, you lift the crystal to your head, letting one of the tentacles grab it. A wave of relief washes through you, a feeling of satiation lifting you back to your feet.

"What did it do? Did it eat it?" you ask, staring at the fascinated expression on Brad's face.

"It

engulfed

it, placing it like a crown jewel just above its eye," replies Brad. "It's almost like a decoration!"

He takes a step forward, staring at the top of your skull. "I wonder what would happen if we gave it more?"

"There's no time for further experimentation," you hiss. "Look over there!"

You lift your hand, pointing at the craggy crack you had suddenly spotted in the ground. The earth had been disrupted, some of it freshly overturned. It appeared as though some beast had scratched out the crevice with an enormous claw.

Or something inside had dug itself free!

You shudder ::giggle:: at the idea, wondering what you had managed to get yourself into ::something

amazing!

::

Brad strolls up to the edge, peering inside. "I'm glad I brought those lanterns, it's pretty dark in there."

He cocks his head. "The passageway is large enough for us to stand up in, at least."

There's tension in his shoulders. "This is a bad idea. We should put together a full research group and come back in the morning."

"By that time, the Rift will have encroached further," you point out. "How difficult would it be to convince them to come this close to the crystals with no clear benefit in sight?"

Brad chokes back a laugh. "You're mentioning all the downsides of

our

outing, but I agree with you. I would probably be shot down."

That's right. This was your only opportunity. You had to seek out what the alien wanted to show you. You had to

know

::

obey!::

Hefting your lantern, you slip past Brad, your footsteps sinking into the disturbed soil. The slope trends downward, sinking ::rising:: along with your heart, a sense of foreboding ::excitement:: growing.