Chapter 7.5

Deep within the Unmarked Ruins stood a colossus built of stone and steel. Though it had lost much of its former glory, it still prevailed over the crumbling structures encompassing it. Large gaping holes exposed the lavished insides to the foreign desolation of this unforgiving world. Faint signs of residence could be found at the lower levels of the giant. As one ascended the cracked labyrinth of stairways, evidence of life became ever so more evident. Strange humanoid creatures crawled on all fours, entering and exiting throughout many of the existing gaps in the walls. Further up, the walls were no longer lined with brittle-colored stone, but of pulsating red flesh. Uncovered veins and arteries connected every inch of the epidermis, which gave the impression of a single living organism. Large chambers were hollowed out and replaced with massive throbbing sacs. Small tightly closed holes strewn the base of the flesh and opened when approached by the crawling creatures. The creatures would repeatedly vomit the contents of their pouches before leaving to retrieve more. On the topmost floor of the building held countless semi-transparent pods. Each contained a variance of humanoid shapes suspended in liquid.

An abomination created from the fusion of what seemed to be separate human beings strolled around, carefully inspecting each pod. The bulk of the creature’s mass was supported by six human arms bent at ninety-degree angles. The appendages were spread evenly on both sides of its body, allowing for maximum balance. Three torsos attached to the front of the creature’s mass, which formed a standing triangular prism. Its shoulders hoisted three hairless conjoined heads, each with its own set of facial features that differed from the rest. The creature halted to inspect the pods. With one of the four claws attached to its boney and yet strong arms, it inserted a sharpened finger into the pod.

“Injecting Sequence.”

The creature spoke. All three of the abomination’s mouth moved in unison, creating a deep and monotoned voice that combined various low pitches.

“Accelerating Growth.”

The crawler contained within the pod began to morph slowly, blisters began to swell on the crawler’s body and eventually popped.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!

The creature within unleashed a scream filled with agony as more blisters formed and burst.

“Sequence Failed. Uncontrolled Growth. Undesirable. Acquiring Knowledge. Recycling Failed Product.”

The abomination withdrew its finger. In an instant, the screeching crawler within the pod disintegrated and silence ensued.

“…”

“Resuming Priority Directive. Attempting to Contact Birth Mother.”

“Failed.”

“…”

“Resuming Secondary Directive. Connecting to Brood. Analyzing Information.”

The abomination stood completely still as it commanded unknown entities telepathically.

“Susceptible Targets Found. Four. One Male. Armed. One Male. Unarmed. Two Females. Unarmed. Analyzing Tactical Options. Awaiting Opportunity.”

“…”

“Resuming Tertiary Directive.” It advanced to the next pod. “Spinning Sequences.”

“New Strain Created. Injecting Sequence.” The creature penetrated the pod with its finger.

“Accelerating Growth.”

“…”

“Resuming Secondary Directive.”

“Opportunity Found. Initiating Aggression. Priority Target. Male. Armed. Engaged.”

“Success. Male Deceased. Crawler Injured. Wasteful. Extracting Carcass Biomass.”

“One Male. Captured. Infesting. One Female. Captured. Infesting. One Female. Escaping. Attempting Apprehension”

“…”

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!

“Resuming Tertiary Directive.”

The crawler contained within the pod began to squeal.

“Sequence Failed. Unstable Growth. Self Inflicted Wounds. Acquiring Knowledge. Recycling Failed Product.”

Another crawler disintegrated.

“…”

The abomination froze once more.

“Female Captured. Infesting. Anomaly Detected. Reproduction in Process. Hosting Unborn Organism. Intriguing.”

“Extracting Sample.”

“Extraction Completed. Returning Sample for Analysis.”

“…”

“Resuming Priority Directive. Attempting to Contact Birth Mother.”

“Failed.”

***

After several cycles, a crawler arrived and briefly began to hurl the contents of its sac before leaving.

“Resuming Secondary Directive. Sample Acquired.”

“…”

“Proceeding to Tertiary Directive.”

The abomination gently grasped the ball of flesh sitting on the pulsating ground.

“Ingesting. Analyzing.”

“Cells Adaptive. Useful. Attempting to Replicate.”

“Failed. Difficult. Will Require More Samples. Attuning Precedence.”

“…”

“Initiating Self-Analysis.”

“Inefficient. Excessive Overhead. Will Adjust Process Scheduling.”

“Readjusting.”

“Readjustments Completed.”

“Resuming Primary Directive. Attempting to Contact Birth Mother. Failed.”

“Resuming Secondary Directive. Organisms Located. Two. One Male. Armed. One Female Unarmed. Tactical Advantage Detected. Initiating Aggression. Engaged. Crawler Deceased. Ignition Detected. Biomass Unrecyclable. Unpleasant. Wasteful. Threat Level Elevated. Continue Pursuit. Female Apprehended. Infesting. Failed. Anomaly Detected. Unknown Brood Strain Detected. Attempting Connection. Failed. Priority Target Located. Apprehending Male. Crawler Injured. Infesting. Failed. Unknown Override Received. Analyzing Data. Intriguing. Will Investigate.”

“Resuming Tertiary Directive...”

The creature continued on with its mumblings and operation.