Legion

by Devin Cain

  I surely hit the jackpot if I managed to get up to tier two and got to mix around with their properties and positioning.

  "Say, are there any parasites that can integrate with ships? I mean, you’re created from Lucifer’s rib. Any others out there like you?" I asked curiously.

  "Yes, but not to this extent. Their ships are ‘partially’ alive, while I’m fully sentient. I feed on materials and regrow, while they need to be repaired by hand."

  "Hmm. Can you scan Beta and the ship that rammed us? See if anything looks interesting to you? Something I could offer you as a token of, let’s say, loyalty?"

  Devil went silent for a while. Gremory looked up at me inquiringly, as if I had the answer to every question.

  "Yes. This ship is one of three sister ships hanging around Beta. The other two aren’t finished yet, even less manned. Maybe we could eat all three and transmute the ship Armament?"

  I liked the idea, even though I had no idea what it meant. If Devil was to become my home, I wanted it to become one tough bastard.

  "I’ve decided on our course of action, in that case. Once the first ship is clean, you can go ahead and eat it. Gremory can clean up the remaining ships and prepare them for you. Once that’s done, we can go down and visit Beta. I guess the planet is quite rich with valuable materials."

  "Hah, you have no idea. Just the queen could upgrade you to tier three if you managed to eat her. By my approximation, there’s at least a score of awakened Gebradim down there, as well as the captured livestock."

  "Huh? Livestock? You mean like cattle and stuff?"

  "No, he means other races. There’s a Human colony down there. It isn’t that big, only about a thousand of them. But there’s food and other materials down there we could use for our people."

  "So, how many people can fit on the ship as is then?" I asked thoughtfully.

  "We have a capacity of six thousand. Without repairs, that’s down to four thousand. If we managed to upgrade by eating all three enemy ships, we might get up to ten thousand."

  "And how big would the compartments be? I don’t want people living in two by two boxes. Can you switch the amount of room they’re allocated?"

  "I can. But it takes a lot of planning. Once I start, it can’t be stopped, even if I crush someone to death with my walls."

  "How long will it take? From start to finish, I mean."

  "For what capacity?" Devil asked.

  "Hmm, what do you think, Gremory? Eight thousand?"

  She shrugged.

  "I would keep it at six thousand. A lot of the species held down there aren’t compatible with Humans. And once we conquer Entraxila, we won’t need all the room. It’s a waste of materials. Better yet, five thousand and add to the exterior with the rest. Create more gun batteries, better shielding, a second engine bay, and another training room. The one we had was destroyed. We need an enormous cargo bay as well for all the ammunition, the food, and other supplies. I think you should leave this better to Kris and me," Gremory proposed.

  I nodded, impressed by her way of thinking.

  "Agreed. So, can you tell me one more thing, Devil?"

  He let out a low sounding yawn and snorted, or at least I thought it sounded that way.

  "What?"

  "Got any update on Levi and Samson?"

  "Hah, funny that you ask. They’re going at it in the research bay, fucking like bunnies and doing what the two of you did earlier under the shower."

  I blinked, trying to understand what he just said. They just awakened and were going at it already? Now that’s quite—ballsy.

  "Can you put it up on a screen or something?" Gremory asked. "I’m curious how that’s working out for them. She’s like three heads shorter than him."

  In all honesty, I had to admit to being as interested as she was.

  "Suit yourself," Devil replied as a video stream appeared on our wall. True to his words, the two of them were stark naked, and Levi had planted herself atop the man. However, they were both partially transformed by their parasites.

  "Ohh! That’s fucking gross!" I exclaimed. "How the hell does that even work? And why are they like me when awakened, and not like Gremory?"

  "Questions and more questions. How the hell should I know? You were the first, shouldn’t you know? And besides, Gremory’s Armament awakened naturally, more or less. You ingested a parasite."

  "Alright already, you snarky bastard," I snapped and sat upright. "Gremory? Care to join me down there?"

  She shrugged.

  "If you let her play with us next time, sure."

  We made our way to the research bay, which wasn’t that far out. It took us about five minutes at a steady pace. The distance wasn’t at fault, but the bustling Humans were. Many handshakes, slight nods and whatever passed for good manners later, we finally stood in front of the door where we found the doc, Heather, and Gene listening in to what was going on inside.

  "What's up," I asked, stopping right behind them. The three yelped, caught off guard and red-handed.

  "Commander, it’s so good to see you," Ashiala said hurriedly. "As to what’s up, well, the two awakened and were extremely-- horny for some reason. They’ve been at it for over half an hour. I think this is their fourth time or something."

  "And you never thought about informing me?"

  Ashiala shrugged.

  "I got too excited. Sue me."

  "Whatever. Let me hear what’s going on," I said, walking past her. Just when I put my ear against the reinforced, metallic door, Levi let out a scream. It sounded weird somehow, but whatever. Who on this ship could remain normal after mutating?

  "Devil, take over but let me handle them," I whispered.

  "Whatever," he replied and activated the mutation process on my whole body. "You owe me," he added as my arms changed, followed by my chest, head, and legs.

  "Me too," Gremory chuckled, kicking in the door. "Surprise, motherfuckers!"

  Chapter Eighteen

  Samson’s shiny, bronzed skin glowed as if he was radiating-- something. Levi’s skin, in turn, was as dark as night and released a dense cover of darkness some inches around her.

  "Really? Motherfuckers? Is that how you greet a friend?" Samson asked as he twisted his head and looked right at us. Levi squealed and got off him, jumped three times and rushed me.

  "Boss! Oh, oh, oh! Tell me you killed those nasty fucktards!"

  "Umm, you mean Cafka and his sons?"

  She nodded frantically as her outer layer started retracting, leaving her skin bare for all to see. She didn’t seem to notice, but once the doc came waltzing in and scowled, Levi looked down at her body.

  "Ahhh! Idiot! Why didn’t you say I was naked?" she asked and turned to Samson. She shuddered, twitched, and dropped on her back when she saw his prominent member. Gremory darted in and caught her small frame, and placed her atop of an examination bed.

  "Shit. I was afraid we’d have to beat the two of you unconscious or something. How anticlimactic," I joked.

  "Sure, sure. As if you could!" Samson roared offering me a big hug. I wasn’t comfortable with his junk rubbing all over me, but I decided to endure the gruesome moment.

  "Put something on, will ya?" Gremory said, studying his naked body. "Or I might give you a replay."

  I slapped her ass and got in between the two.

  "No, you won’t. You already had your fill. So, big guy, how are you feeling?" I asked anxiously. I wanted to know what his thoughts were and how everything looked like to him, and if he was still in the right state of mind

  "Devil made contact with us and streamed what happened since we got boarded by the Gebradim scum. If he hadn’t, I might have gone into a rage and smacked someone very hard. The feeling of waking up as a monster wasn’t something I’d expected to experience last time we saw you."

  I nodded, understanding what he’d gone through.

  "Imagine having to do that, but twice."

  "Wait, don’t tell me-"

  "Yep. D
evil is a part of me, along with another parasite called Khepri. I ingested him accidentally when I ate the other guy’s brain."

  "Oh, that’s so cool. Can I get a second as well?"

  Gremory pushed past me, a scowl plastered to her face. She looked ready to beat us both.

  "The two of you think this is funny? There has never been something even remotely like this to our knowledge! Don’t take this so easily you damned testosterone-filled males! You’re supposed to be fucking happy to have survived the transformation at all! And you!" she rounded on Samson. "You got the strongest defensive Armament available, so don’t be so ungrateful!"

  "Oh," he replied. "I’m sorry if you had such an impression. I think I was just overwhelmed and stuff."

  "Hey big guy, I got a job for you," I butted in saving the guy from Gremory’s wrath as I pushed her aside gently. "Once Levi is awake, do you want to go test out your new powers on the other ship?"

  He grinned, slamming his fists together.

  "If you teach me how to transform, hell yeah!"

  Gremory palmed her face and shook her head.

  "You’re hopeless!" she yelled and slapped both of us a couple of times.

  "Huh? Where am I?" Levi groaned as she came to her senses again.

  "Hey, babe!" Samson said much louder than was healthy in such a small room, "We’re going to assault the enemy ship with Cain!"

  "Ohh! Count me in!" she squealed as she got up. "Umm, can I get something to wear, though? I’m not quite comfortable with everyone staring at my boobs and-- stuff."

  "Or lack thereof," Gremory murmured as she threw one of the smart-suits at her before leaving the lab with a groan. "And don’t die!" she yelled before storming off.

  "What’s with her? Didn’t do your job? If you want, I can do it for you. There’s enough of me to go around, baby!" Samson roared in laughter.

  I punched his shoulder much harder than I should have. He yelped in pain, but I didn’t apologize.

  "Only if I get to do Levi," I replied. "Besides, what’s with the mellow attitude?"

  "Fuck, no! He tore me apart like a fucking rabbit!" Levi scowled for a long moment but winked soon after. "What? It’s not my fault I’m burning up from the inside. Being mellow is the least of your problems."

  "Are you guys for real?" the doc asked, shaking her head. "You survived something that shouldn’t be possible. What’s with the laid-back attitude? Surely something in your heads went ‘kaput’ during your-- carnal moments?"

  "Doc, thanks for the help, but I’ll take over for now. Come on you two, gotta get you in gear."

  "Wait, we’re not done yet!. I got tests to--"

  "Later, doc," I replied and pushed her gently aside. She let us pass with a majestic scowl on her face.

  Both enlisted and civilians alike made way wherever we went. We tried not to look too intimidating, but Samson had become a genuine monster of a man. Secretly, I enjoyed having the big guy in my company, if nothing else but for the wide-eyed stares and yelps.

  Once we arrived at the bay where I held the speech earlier, I attacked both of them without warning. My right fist connected with Samson’s jaw and sent him flying while raking my left claw across Levi’s chest. The gash that appeared was pretty nasty.

  "What the fuck?" Levi cried as she looked down at the wound. She dropped to her knees as barely visible black tendrils started spreading across her abdomen. "What the hell did you do, you bastard?"

  "That’s one of my two skills. I can inflict decay on my enemies whenever I penetrate their defenses. Both of you are tier one and can choose a skill as well."

  "Just one?" Samson asked, still lying in between the crates.

  "For now," I replied as I knelt beside Levi.

  "And how about you heal her," he hissed once he got up. "Or I’ll beat you up."

  "Yeah, yeah. I’m special, suck it up. Now, whisper the name of your parasite and tell me what you have for options. I want the three of us to become one unit, one mean fighting machine. For that to be possible, we need to coordinate our skills," I said, putting my claw up against her chest.

  "Get this… off me already! It hurts!" she cried again as she clawed at my metallic arm.

  "Devil? Can you recall the decay?" I asked.

  "Sure, but it will hurt you in the process. I don’t think you’ll be able to cause decay for a day or so."

  I groaned. It was stupid of me to go ahead and do it without asking him first about the skill effects on allies, but at least she could be treated.

  "Go ahead," I replied and winced as the pain transferred to my body. Levi started breathing normally again, got up, and smacked me across the face.

  "Bastard! That hurt!" she hissed, got up, and ran to Samson. "He’s a bully!" she said, pointing at me.

  "But also our benefactor. Maybe you could forgive him this once?"

  I sighed.

  "You need to stop thinking like a Human. It’s quite obvious that you aren’t one anymore, so, go ahead and talk to your Armaments, then tell me what kind of skills they offer on tier one," I said and leaned against a steel beam behind me.

  "You shouldn’t be so hard on them, boss," Khepri said, startling me from my thoughts.

  "Hey, you’re back!" I replied happily. "What took you so long?"

  "Might as well tell you, since I can’t hide it from him much longer," Khepri said with a mental grin. I couldn’t see him, but their feelings fully transferred to me.

  "What’s that?" Devil asked. "What the hell are you two whispering about?"

  "I’ve built a failsafe using my own life. It’s a counter to you, Devil. In case you get any stupid ideas which could entail the taking over of our host or something similar, I’ll kill us both. I like our host, and would like to see how far he can take us, but not if you keep radiating murder and death like a madman."

  "Whatever. You might as well take care of the pain for him in that case," Devil hissed.

  "Already did. You forget one thing, ancient one. We’re tools to be used as our host sees fit, not the other way around."

  I could feel Devil stir inside, getting ready for a fight. But Khepri wasn’t backing down and instead, she pushed with what power she had against the brute.

  "Enough. I’ll need you both once we’re in the enemy ship!" I snapped. "I got more important matters to deal with than your hurt feelings."

  "Hey Samson, do you think he’s gone mad? He’s been talking to himself for a couple of minutes now," Levi said. Samson shook his head slowly.

  "I think that’s us in a couple of days too," he whispered, but I could hear them clear as day.

  "Come on, the enemy could invade again while we sit around doing nothing. And I have no fucking idea why they haven’t done so," I murmured.

  "Spaceship Devil to Cain! Anyone there?" Levi joked as she prodded my chin.

  "Cut it out you little nympho," I said, slapping her hand away. "Tell me what you got."

  "Alright. I have two choices," Levi replied. "I’ve gained the ability to create a sniper rifle, like, a big nasty thing from what Nyx showed in my mind. The first skill allows me to use anything for ammunition, while the second creates a shroud of darkness around me. Or should do so, theoretically. And I’m no nympho, mind you!"

  "I see. And how much ammo can you carry around like this?"

  "About thirty normal rounds and ten high explosive ones," Levi replied. "And if I choose the first skill, I’ll never run out as long as I can get my hands on some metal."

  "Good, that’s good," I whispered thoughtfully. "See, if Nyx had been invisible earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to find her. But if she didn’t have the unlimited ammo skill, she would have run long out before I arrived. I don’t know, it’s hard to decide on this one, Levi. What do you think?"

  She shrugged.

  "I guess since Samson will be at the frontline most of the time along with you, so my position will be at the back, right?"

  I nodded.

  "Unless someone happens to cat
ch you off guard, you should remain hidden most of the time," I said.

  "Figures. But look at it this way. If we fight on Beta, I can’t make bullets from the sand."

  "No, you can’t. But look, you can switch between the skills every 24 hours. We should plan our fights accordingly then. Why don’t you go with bullet making since our fight will be on a spaceship? Once they're taken care off, you can switch to cloaking before we attack the queen. Sounds good?"

  She nodded.

  "I guess. Still, I have no idea how to summon the rifle. Any suggestions?"

  "All I do is to imagine for my arms to change, and they do. Try that if you will. Imagine a kick-ass sniper rifle appearing in your hands. Or ask Nyx for guidance. Now, how about you, Samson?"

  "I also have two choices. One is a full-on defense skill, that makes my skin so tough that it’s almost indestructible, while the second is a sort of attack skill. Gather energy in your hands and slam them together to form a shockwave or something like that. I wasn’t paying attention."

  I rolled my eyes but knew very well that both of the skills were formidable. His absolute defense was tough, and the attack skill he used, spread through the whole training bay.

  "I don’t know. You’re another hard choice. If you get surrounded by a dozen of those nasty bastards, they can pummel or shoot you to death while you chase one of them around. The second skill hits crazy hard in a large area, though."

  "Yeah, my thoughts exactly. I’m tough as is I guess. Atlas keeps telling me how high up there he is in raw power and durability, so I’ll go with the attack skill for now."

  I nodded appreciatively, just as a flash of light blinded me momentarily. A gigantic rifle appeared in Levi’s tiny arms, threatening to pull her off balance.

  "Atta girl!" I exclaimed and helped her steady the behemoth of a cannon. "Now, how about you shoot something and create more bullets from those crates over there," I proposed and nodded for her to move out of the way. "Samson and I need to have a dance."