Volume 2: Gamma-17, Chapter 2.8

I never thought of myself as a dumb person but wouldn’t go around bragging I was smart either—above average, I’d say that description fit me quite well on most things.

Here, I felt quite dumb.

“What the

fuck

is going on?” I demanded.

Eve giggled in that trilling way she did back when she was in her old form, but there was a hint of flirtatiousness now. “You foiled my plans, clever boy.” She leaned forward and patted my cheek playfully, “I knew you were smart, but didn’t realize how perceptive you are. Oh well, with everything else going on it’s probably best to get everything out in the open now.”

I felt a flutter of fear in my chest at her words, “What plans?” I asked, wondering if I was just some dumb pawn in the Predazoan strive for supremacy.

Eve’s playful smile quickly vanished, “Adam, you

never

have to be afraid of me.” She placed a delicate hand on her chest, “I promise with everything that I am, I will

always

keep you safe—trust that if you trust

anything

in this universe.”

All the pretty promises in the world couldn’t completely alleviate my fears, not until I got a proper explanation. “What

plans

?” I pressed.

I could see a little frustration in Eve’s eyes—upset she hadn’t eliminated my fears. But she decided to move on, and her expression relaxed into the playful smile once again. “Shall I start at the beginning?”

I found it difficult to fully pay attention when the most beautiful female in the universe was standing naked before me. I’d been around the block a couple times—hell, I was interrupted from getting laid just a few hours ago. But something about this woman’s outrageous, perfect body made me feel like a nervous teenager again. “Would you mind covering up first?”

Eve’s playful smile grew, and she started very slowly gyrating her hips, “Why? I know you like it.”

I nodded, “That’s precisely

why

I’d like you to cover up.”

She giggled again, “Very well.” She said simply, and in a few moments, snaking tentacles wrapped around her, and in less than a second she stood before me in a form-fitting dress that was some mix of a latex body suit and a princess gown. “Happy?”

I ventured a look down to see a plunging neckline that showed off her tantalizing cleavage and a tight dress that couldn’t hide any of her wild curves, “Sure.”

She giggled again, putting a delicate hand to her mouth to stifle herself in a disarmingly cute gesture, “Care to sit while we talk?” She asked, gesturing behind me.

There was a black, leathery couch that seemed a match for our old, regular couch. There were a few snaking black tendrils leading from the couch to Eve’s cocoon—it was a biomass creation; she had more control over her biomass than I ever thought possible, to the point of creating furniture. Another thing she’d kept from me.

“Very well.” I sat down on the surprisingly comfortable fleshy couch, and Eve joined me, sitting closer than I would’ve liked.

She placed her elbow against the top of the couch to rest her fist against her head, looking at me with an almost dreamy expression. She didn’t say anything for several minutes, content to stare at me all the while.

“The plan?” I urged.

Eve smiled and finally leaned away, “Right. After the Predazoans escaped from NX-947b, I crash landed on earth. Regardless how I actually got there, the normal lifecycle of a Predazoan is to consume local biomass until we can establish proper camouflage and then move forward with our drive to perfect ourselves.” Her smile brightened, “But then I met you.”

I nodded, “And you didn’t consume me.”

She shook her head, “I don’t think I could’ve anyway when we first met; I was so small and weak with almost no additional biomass. I was honestly at your mercy back then.” Her expression softened, “And that’s exactly what you offered me; mercy.”

“And that’s why you didn’t kill me?”

She nodded, “My mind was weakened after the loss of so much biomass, so my perceptions reverted to a more…

primitive

consciousness. But I still had those vague memories from my past that only gained focus as I grew stronger, and the mercy you showed me was the first kindness I’d experienced in my entire life.” She placed a hand on my shoulder, “You took care of me Adam, and for that I knew I would

never

hurt you—never

betray

you.”

I turned back to the bay door to see as many researchers as possible had collected to watch what was unfolding—Doctor Kianna and Doctor Gorgam front and center. I ignored them and turned back to Eve, “Then you started growing and taking that more humanoid form. Was that you trying to establish camouflage by mimicking the locals?”

Eve shook her head, “No, that was just me imitating you—trying to grow a form you would like. The biomass I gain from food is rather minimal, but it did somewhat improve my intelligence and strength, but not significantly. Still, even in that rudimentary form, I was just so happy to be with you back then—I would’ve been fine with such a simple existence; it was strangely refreshing reverting to that simple consciousness.”

I crossed my arms, “Yeah, we were happy.” My gaze darkened, “And then my own government attacked us.”

Eve sighed, “Yes, sadly to disrupt our quaint little life.” She smiled at me almost apologetically, “However, I was glad to finally consume some real biomass; it allowed me to evolve and remake myself as I truly wanted.”

I nodded along, trying to remain detached and not think too deep into what all Eve had done, “You consumed the human biomass and added it to your core. The researchers were surprised how you changed your core to incorporate so much human DNA they’d said.”

Eve nudged closer to me on the couch, “I did it all for you.”

“

Me

?”

She nodded, “Surely you’ve felt the bond we shared back on earth? Both of us broken and putting each other back together. I couldn’t fully comprehend it back then, but now my intelligence has properly evolved, I understand what’s shared between us. And I wanted to make myself more human for you—to grow even closer to you.”

“You wanted to be

more

human?”

Eve looked into my eyes, her expression serious, “The Predazoans remake themselves in whatever way they deem perfect—that’s our instinctual drive. For some, that means assimilating massive amounts of biomass to become living planets exactly as the researchers speculated. Others might want to evolve to the point they can leave this dimension behind—become Outsiders. For me, my perfect form was remade for you…” She placed a hand on my cheek, “My perfect form is as your mate.”

My brain just about shorted out in that leap in logic. I held up a hand to halt her nonsense, “Whoa, wait a second; the almighty, perfect lifeform considers her pinnacle of evolution as my

mate

?”

Eve moved forward again, moving my hand and placing her own on my chest, “Adam, you

changed

me on earth—permanently. Back on NX-947b, all my sisters were connected by the Prime—she was like our matriarch. We never would have been able to escape without her influence that facilitated our cooperation. But my connection to the Prime was severed when she opened the warp channels.” She shook her head, as though she couldn’t fully understand the words herself, “But now, it’s as though you’ve taken that place—you’re my new Prime.”

I pulled away again, “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Eve leaned back too, “You know how the Predazoans are like an individual hivemind—all our cells working as a colony of trillions of individual bodies in perfect harmony. For us, the Prime was like a beacon that could call out to the collective hivemind. It wasn’t commanding, and there certainly wasn’t any form of control, but there was some influential focus that reorganized the hive to an even more perfect unity.” She looked up at me, “You are that beacon for me now—you aid in my drive for perfection.”

I held up a finger as though to protest, but had no idea what I was going to say. She wanted to be more human because I was like some beacon for her to focus her drive to perfection on?

“And what am I supposed to do with that?” I asked.

She chuckled and shook her head, “Nothing—you don’t need to do anything. My strive for perfection is guided by you; I will alter my form in ways that will make you happy—that’s what makes

me

happy, that’s my goal, my drive.”

It was all starting to sound really weird, “So you remake yourself to fit whatever way I want? Are you just some…

slave

to my desires or something?”

Eve laughed harder at that, “You’re not some end-all commanding force, you know; you’re a beacon—you hold no authority over me. I strive to make you happy, and will alter my physical appearance to please you, but I’ve already remade myself into the person I want to be—the perfect combination of human and Predazoan. Obviously I have my own thoughts and desires—my own personality.” Her smile turned smug, “That’s why I threw my little tantrum down on Entara; regardless what

you

wanted, I was going to have

my

way over yours.”

I quirked up an eyebrow, “Because I was about to have se—”

Eve cut me off quick by placing a delicate finger to my lips, but her expression alone would’ve stunned me to silence; that hatred and anger was back on her face, and now she was in this adult form, it was much more obvious—way more frightening. “Don’t say it.” She said darkly, a low growl rising in her throat.

“Eve, I—”

“I will kill

anyone

who tries to take you from me. You are mine and mine alone—you

belong

to me.” Her lips peeled back to reveal her fangs had lengthened, “You’re lucky I do not kill that girl who put her hands on you now; I will only spare her life because I was foolish to try and follow along with my original plan, allowing opportunities for some

whore

to try and lay their hands on my property.”

I could hardly understand what all was going on, but I still had my questions, “Eve, what fucking plan?”

Eve’s expression was still hard and hateful, but I saw her slowly relax as she returned her focus to me, and she let out a deep sigh to release her built-up tension, “After consuming the human biomass, I had the intelligence to understand what happened between us—our bond. But I knew you were frightened by what you saw—when I killed those humans. I couldn’t just turn around and suddenly show you my new intelligence and declare you my mate; I knew all those changes would be jarring, and what’s more you would correlate any professed feelings with the deaths of those humans. No, I was content to play the waiting game.” She turned to me with a mischievous smile, “I planned on growing up before you, slowly, letting you think my increased intelligence was a natural progression. I would slowly start using actual words—English at first, so we could communicate our own special way. And I would have you teach me more—teach me Imperial Common too. Once you saw my intelligence developing, I would slowly develop my body too. I would grow from my cute childlike form to some pubescent teenager, with budding curves that would slowly attract your attention. I would act hormonal and all too—maybe have you catch me masturbating sometimes. You’d scold me at first or have an awkward talk with me about my desires and changing body—ever the parent with me. But I’d be growing rapidly before your eyes, and pretty soon you wouldn’t be able to stop your eyes from wandering. I’d tease you, seduce you, you’d push back—insist we shouldn’t cross that line. Eventually we would, of course; I would grow to the form you see before you now—your every desire in a woman realized, the pinnacle of sexual perfection. You’d probably feel guilty the first time you laid your hands on me—ashamed my parental figure touched me in such a way. But that would be the point; any fear you’d have felt before in seeing me kill those humans would be gone as you felt a sense of control over me—a reestablished dominance. It would hurt you at first, but eventually there’d be an equality established between us; me, the vicious killing machine stronger than you could ever imagine, and you, the father-figure who groomed me into your perfect sexual plaything.”

My jaw dropped at her confession—I was at a complete loss for words. Hearing her cold, calculating strategy to seduce me—she sounded like a psychopath!

“Your plan to seduce me…was to trick me into

grooming

you?”

Eve sighed, “See, you’re upset. It would’ve all been fine had it gone according to plan—but then they kept me locked up here on

The Radiance

, and that stupid red slut made her move on you first.”

I got off the couch and started pacing away from Eve—from the

monster

Alpha-03.

“You’re insane—you’re fucking insane!”

Eve just chuckled—unconcerned by my outburst, “Oh stop darling, don’t act like you aren’t flattered I’d go to such lengths to claim you.”

I turned back towards her, “I’m not your fucking

darling

!” I snapped.

In response, she smiled, and her dress melted away into the couch, revealing her perfect naked body once again. She crossed and then re-crossed her legs in a showy way, flashing and then covering her tight, hairless slit, “You’re not going to be able to resist me, I hope you understand that.” She gestured to herself, trailing a hand down her chest and grabbing a large breast in one hand, spinning her fingers in a flourish to show it off, “I

know

I made the perfect body for you—researched what all you liked, even probed a little into your mind. This form was made for you, and you’re going to fuck it—you’ll

beg me

to fuck it.”

“Probed my—you can

read minds

?”

Eve waved it off, unconcerned, “Not like you imagine from your comics; it’s a rather limited sense. I can feel your focus and emotions, but I can’t hear any of your thoughts or words as you might think. While we watched all that earth media, I could sense what you were most attracted to—what your mind focused on whenever you viewed an attractive female.” She smirked, “And of course I had a look through your porn folders.” She stood and gave me a spin, “What do you think? Outrageous curvy alien goth princess; that does it for you, yes? The perfect mixture of innocent and sexy—adorable, yet lust-evoking.”

I turned away from her perfect body, “You’re fucking

crazy

.”

“You keep saying that darling.”

I turned to her with a furious glare, but she just smiled that playful smile, rolling back and forth on her feet, spinning her enticing hips in a slow circle. “There is no way I’m going to be your—”

ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel~fire~net

“Just think about it, Adam.” She interrupted easily, “I could make you submit so

easily

, but I won’t. I could fill your brain with spores, your blood with hormones, I could directly inject your cock with some concocted aphrodisiac so you couldn’t even

think

about anything else but sticking it in the nearest warm, wet hole. But I

promise

you I won’t. I already told you I had a plan to seduce you so we’d be on more equal footing for the sake of the relationship, but that’s well and gone out the window. Now, I’ll continue with open, honest seduction until you’re ready for me—I’m fine to wait.” Her expression darkened a little, “Just understand you can’t have anyone else—

ever

.”

I was about to just reject her again, but I realized it would be dumb to repeat myself against deaf ears, instead I decided to ask something else, “Why me?”

Eve cocked her head to the side, her expression displeased, “And why not you? Do you think you are unworthy of my love and affection? I tell you this, you are more worthy than anyone in the entire universe.” She held up a hand, “I will say I’m sorry you had to learn about all my…

machinations

in such a way, but I promise you my feelings are genuine. The bond we share is real and unbreakable; you are my Prime now—my beacon to perfection. You forget now because you’ve been frightened, but once you remember what we shared—how little Evie snuggled with you on the couch, watching silly earth entertainment, you will come seeking my embrace—and I’ll offer it freely without even so much as an ‘I told you so’.” She scoffed, as though irritated, “‘

Why me

’, he asks, as though he can’t feel how my heart burns for him…” She said mostly to herself.

I had no idea how much I could trust of what Eve said; she admitted she’d been playing some long game to earn my affection and turn me into some creepy groomer, so what if she was still playing some game? What if she was manipulating me for something entirely different—what if she was just straight-up acting as a honeypot? She knew I had the failsafe with me—I could destroy her whenever I wanted.

And yet, I couldn’t help but feel I never would; despite the monster Eve turned out to be, I couldn’t forget the cute little alien I’d taken care of back on earth. Question was, had any of that been real?

The tentacles spun around Eve, and once again she was dressed in that latex-princess gown of hers, “Now, if you’re quite done with the questions, I should like to have a conversation with

The Radiance’s

command council, because if you think I’m going to allow you back down to Entana without me, you would be

sorely

mistaken.”