Volume 2: Gamma-17, Chapter 2.12
The Deadliest Lifeform in the Universe Loves Me
The rest of the tour was—thankfully—rather uneventful. I took Eve around to some of the combat simulators—like video games, she said. Showed her a few of the research labs I visited occasionally—places that studied Predazoan cells, much to Eve's displeasure, but she didn't say anything else. I showed her to the duty-free shops—a section on The Radiance that straight-up looked like a strip mall, with a dozen stores that sold various items from daily supplies to miscellaneous entertainment, even a few local souvenirs or actual food/snacks from whatever systems we'd visited. I took her to the archives—like a digital library of all manner of data and media across the Empire. Took her through the gym and the pool, showed her the free simulators, and finally the only bar on the vessel—one of the most popular off-duty spots on The Radiance. After killing a couple hours, I decided to take her to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat. I dismissed her escort so they could grab some food too while we were there, then I showed Eve how to work the artificial cookers; I ended up with a pizza, while Eve had a chocolate cake all to herself. We sat down in a far corner, and I tried to ignore how pretty much everyone was staring at us while we ate.
Conversation between Eve and I had been rather minimal after we declared a truce; I don't think either one of use wanted to set the other off—in no mood to keep fighting. Irritated with all the silence while trying to enjoy my meal, I let out a quick sigh, "So, what's the deal with you and food?"
Eve looked up with her cheeks overly full of the cake, she held up a finger as she hurried to swallow. "What?" She asked with a subtle laugh.
I gestured to the cake, "Food—nutrients, how does it all work with you?"
A playful smile formed on her lips, and she tapped her black nails against the table as a scheme was clearly forming in her mind. "How about we take turns asking each other questions; whatever you want to ask, go on and ask and I'll be completely honest with you." Her smile turned mischievous, "In return, you have to answer all my questions." Her gaze narrowed, "And I'll know if you're lying, so you better answer honestly."
I quirked up an eyebrow, "You can tell when I'm lying?"
She smiled, "Is that your first question?"
I waved quickly to stop her, "Wait, no, I'm not—"
Eve let out a little trilling giggle, "I'll give you a two-for-one to start—the lying and the food question." She placed a delicate finger at her temple, "With my extra-sense, yes, I can tell when someone is lying. Just like how I read a person's mood or emotions—as I was able to sense your focus and what you found attractive in a female."
Built-in lie detector, great, that would certainly make things more difficult in dealing with Eve.
Eve smirked, "You're disappointed; you would have tried lying to me while you investigated my motivations—lied to deny your attraction to me." She made a cute pouty face, "Sorry, won't work with me."
I rolled my eyes, "Was it that obvious?"
Eve giggled again, but moved on, "As for food and nutrients, honestly I mostly just eat for the flavor. I don't hunger in the way lesser-lifeforms would understand; I consume biomass to increase my size, strength, or abilities. Once I have a certain amount of biomass, I can perfect my cellular structure to the point my systems work at maximum efficiency in an endless cycle of regeneration. I don't need to eat for energy or sustenance or anything, as I am now my body could last thousands of years without losing hardly any biomass—I could live for millions of years with just the biomass I've accumulated so far." She explained.
"But you mentioned back on earth eating food did help you grow somewhat, so how did you…" I waved my hand around, trying to find the right word, "Repurpose that to work as biomass?"
Eve quirked up an eyebrow, "My, you're playing fast and loose with the rules here; was that another question?"
I shrugged, "Just a follow-up."
She smiled and shook her head, but didn't protest, "I broke down the food to its molecular structure and used what I could to strengthen my store of biomass. It was mostly garbage, but there was enough in there I could alter to help with my evolution—enough so I could defend us against the humans when they attacked."
I opened my mouth to ask another follow-up, but Eve held up her fork to stop me, "Now it's my turn, darling." She smiled as she dropped the fork back down to her plate, tapping it a lightly as she thought over her question, "Why do you find it so reprehensible I want to be your mate?"
Eve went straight to the heart of things—no games there. I took in a deep breath, not even sure if I could properly explain why it all felt so wrong, "I don't trust you, and I don't believe you really just want a mate. I believe this is some scheme that goes far and above my simple human mind, and I'm afraid I'll end up some mindless zombie riddled with spores following along with whatever orders you give me if I submit to you. Beyond that, I don't think I can trust you for the simple fact you can remake yourself whenever you want—there's nothing authentic about you, nothing real when it can be made and unmade whenever to serve your purpose. I don't think there even is a real you, just some hive collection that changes form to suit its needs. And on the off-chance there is some real you in there, that real you had the most psychotic, deranged plan to seduce me by turning me into some creepy daughter-groomer, which basically kills the idea of romance in a horribly, methodical manner." I released the rest of my breath in a huff, and it almost felt like a little weight was removed from my chest.
"Well…" Eve's smile was fake, clearly strained, "Isn't that just the most wildly hurtful thing you could've possibly said."
"My turn, why is your core 56% human?"
Eve shook her head, "It's 60%. Your researchers had a 4% margin of error."
"Why do you have so much human DNA in your core—more than Predazoan core cells even?"
She gestured to herself, "I find this form and combination of cells to be perfect—my Predazoan supremacy drive led me to create a form like this. I know you don't understand, Adam, but the drive I feel to reach perfection is like some insatiable need deep down in my heart, and when I finally achieved what I believed to be the perfect form, it's like all my cells sang in perfect unison—it's euphoric and it's endless, and it won't change now that I've locked in to what I believe is perfect."
I shook my head, "But you even said before you'd like to consume more diverse biomass from the other Predazoans—it would make you more powerful. There's clearly still some drive in you to change."
Eve shook her head too, "Not my core; my core is locked in exactly how I want, but I can always increase my stores of biomass."
There were definitely follow-up questions there, but I would have to wait my turn now.
"Did you love me, back when we were on earth?" She asked quietly, almost meekly.
There would be no hiding from this one, but I still waited a few moments before I answered. "Yes, but it was a different kind of love from what you want from me now."
Eve looked up at me, there was hope in her eyes, and a sad smile. I quickly moved passed it, "Where do I fit into that supremacy drive and this new completed core of yours? How do those correlate?"
"I told you I researched what you liked, remember? That wasn't just my physical appearance; while I was establishing my core with the new human DNA, I put pieces in place that would be compatible with you—a personality you'd find desirable or agreeable. Not everything fit, of course, and I had to rely a little on instinct; ultimately, I followed along with my supremacy drive to find the right answer, but being you're my new Prime, my supremacy drive took clear directions from your desires." Eve explained rather clinically.
I held up a hand to stop her as I definitely needed a follow-up there. "Wait, wait that all just goes completely beyond anything I can rightly understand." I looked up at her, "Where does your personality come from?"
"My original Predazoan core, that's the start of who I am. From there, I have the instinctual drive to achieve perfection, which focuses how I alter my biomass core. While altering my core, I assimilated human DNA that created a neural network that added to my personality—it's not entirely new, but more like I've evolved to have more of a personality, a more human personality combined with my original Predazoan personality."
"So again, how am I involved?"
Eve sighed, getting frustrated, "I told you before, you're the beacon that helps my drive to perfection."
"That's hardly an answer."
Eve fixed me with a flat look, "I'm the most complex lifeform in the universe, an ancient Outsider god with power beyond mortal comprehension." She smirked, "That's the best you're going to get."
It still always sounded like she put herself together in whatever way she wanted—a fabricated personality. But now she's saying the personality was created through instinct, and that instinct was driven by her connection with me. So, did I help create her, or did she create herself using my mind as some kind of reference point?
Before I could even come to comprehend her answer, Eve continued the game, "Forgetting your current distaste for me, why are you against the idea of us having sex? I know you find me attractive—I can sense and smell how much you want me; we both know how much we'd enjoy it, and we don't even need to get all serious about anything yet." She smiled coyly, "You could unleash all your frustrations out on my body—beat the absolute fuck out of my tight little pussy." She said the last bit in a cutesy, seductive voice, trailing a delicate nail along her pouty lips.
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I sighed, "Because once I go down that road, I know I'd be giving you complete control over me."
Her expression changed from seductive to sincere, and she leaned forward to place a hand on my shoulder, "Is that such a bad thing? I can take care of you Adam; you wouldn't have to worry about anything—no career, no stress, just pure freedom in my embrace." She trailed her fingertips down to my hand, "I would spoil you, please you, share everything I am with you. We could go anywhere we wanted—back to earth, or any far corner of the Empire. Your life would be the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation—and love, so much gentle, endless love."
"Would I really be free then? How can there be freedom in your embrace if I'm locked within it."
"You would be free to do anything you want—anything we want; so long as you remain mine and only mine, we could live any life we ever wanted." She waved around the room, "Continue on the hunt for the Predazoans, I don't care. Or find some distant planetoid to live in quiet seclusion, tending some alien farm while watching earth entertainment—and every night you'd fill my insides, and I'd please you over and over until you were so exhausted you'd fall asleep safe in my arms, where nothing could ever harm you."
Everything she said was like music to my ears—even the mix of adventure and relaxation was right up my alley. All she said, her honeyed words, they were all I'd ever wanted—and that was the problem; I couldn't trust it. If something sounded too good to be true, it probably was. I might end up some broken mind slave, an empty puppet—hell, maybe she was telling the truth, but the moment I didn't play along to her fantasy, she could kill me like the insect I was before her power. Or maybe her drive to perfection would eventually change so she wanted me inside her core—her Prime consumed to become a permanent part of her.
Eve shook her head, her eyes showing desperation, "Adam, there is nothing you have to fear from me—no outcome where you end up hurt or broken or alone. I don't want to change or consume you, I just want you—you exactly as you are now." She held up a quick hand, "Well, I would make one change, but it would only be so you live as long as I do."
I snorted at that, "See? Already you're backtracking."
In response, the tentacle hidden in Eve's hair behind her pointed ear curled upward and unfurled to show a strange white needle. Moving faster than I could comprehend, the tentacle shot forward and jammed the little needle into my neck, and I could feel a warm flush enter my skin and then rapidly disperse.
I slapped my neck as I stood up and away from Eve, "What the fuck did you just do to me?"
"I injected you with an immortality enzyme—should've done it a while ago to ensure your safety, but I guess now's as good as ever." Eve shrugged.
"A what?"
Eve waved my words off, "Calm down, it's just a little concoction I created to evolve your cellular regeneration so you won't age anymore—or at least that dose should last a few thousand years before you'll need another. It'll also help rapidly repair damaged tissue, but since I plan on protecting you from here out, that won't be as relevant." She explained easily.
I felt a little warmth spreading through my body, but other than that I felt mostly normal. "Eve, seriously you can't keep—"
"That's the only alteration to your body you will ever need, and I wanted to prove how you'll still be your own person—no zombification necessary." Eve smiled mischievously, "However, if you should want more modifications, I'd be happy to oblige; you want a bigger cock—or multiple cocks, more to play with? I'm down. Hell, you want a smaller cock—turn you into a cute little femboy, I'd enjoy that too. We can get weird with it—we have all the time in the universe to play with each other's bodies, no reason to be prudish about it."
I sat down slowly as I was reminded how insane Eve actually was. "You're still fucking crazy, you know? This isn't what normal people—"
Eve trilled out a quick laugh, "What part of you thinks I'm a normal person? I'm a Predazoan, Adam; an Ancient Old One who can live beyond the known universe. And I am desperately in love with you, and you're stuck with me, so you need to learn to accept it and enjoy it." She shook her head, laughing all the while, "The funny thing is how much you're fighting against all this when I know you love it; you're such a wild degenerate, you love the idea of this eldritch abomination being so obsessed with you. But you're trying to rationalize it out, and that's stopping you from being happy with me. You're acting like you want to be normal, when you're the furthest thing from normal."
"I am normal." I protested.
Eve scoffed, "Please. Was it normal for a human to save an alien and keep it hidden in his room? Is it normal for a human to have a thousand interests that can never hold his attention? Is it normal for a human to so rapidly adapt to getting abducted by aliens and join up with their mission to hunt other aliens across the universe?" She smirked, "And let's not forget, I've seen your porn folders—hardly normal there."
I held up a hand, "Just because my porn—"
"I believe one folder was straight-up called 'monster girls'. Pretty sure my picture would fit nicely in there." She said smugly.
I glared at her as she smiled, and she gestured for me to continue. Rather than engage with her nonsense, I continued with the questions, "What is your actual end goal here?"
Eve made the shift easily, "To become your mate and live happily ever after in whatever way we might wish." Before I could protest, she continued, "Yes, it is that simple. I've achieved my perfect form, I have no drive or desire for conquest, all I want is a life at your side—endless, adventurous, and loving. What is your end goal?" She followed up quickly.
I'd been asking myself that question a lot back on earth. I was burnt out being a paramedic, so I was looking for a career change. I had a thousand hobbies but hardly ever finished my projects. I didn't really have a long-term goal that I knew—wife and kids and a family maybe?
In the end, I just shrugged, "I don't know, I never could work it out—wasn't much for planning." I admitted.
Eve's expression softened a little, "Then what do you really want?" She asked sincerely.
It was a loaded question despite being so simple; there was so much I wanted out of life, but I shifted my focus so often it was hard to say what I wanted most. "I want Evie back—the cute little alien I took care of on earth. I want you to take back all your schemes and manipulation. I want to be free to choose who I can love." I fixed her with a flat glare, "I want to go back down to Entana, finish my date with Tillia, and fuck her brains out."
Eve closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths but didn't make any other move—I'd half expected her to attack me right then; I was almost hoping for it to prove my point.
"That's not going to happen." Eve said quietly, her voice a little strained.
I could see in her eyes, I'd really hurt Eve with that remark. But I still refused to feel guilty—didn't believe any of her emotions could be truly authentic.
"And what happens if I try to break free of you? What if I grabbed a shuttle and just left you here to finish my business with Tillia?" I pressed.
Eve's smile was icy, "If you're expecting to hear me say how I'd hurt you, that will never happen. No matter how you might try to stray, I would never punish you." Her gaze grew harsh, "But now that I've claimed you, anyone else who touches you will die. You ask what I would do? I would destroy The Radiance, fly through the vacuum of space, crash down on Entana, and eviscerate Tillia before she could touch you."
Whatever lies Eve might have said before, this I knew was an absolute truth, and when a shiver of fear ran down my spine, Eve didn't say anything to alleviate it.
"You are mine, Adam; you belong to me, as I am yours and belong to you. The sooner you come to understand that the sooner we can start enjoying ourselves—start living."
I knew I'd never pursue anyone else until I was free of Eve, I just wanted to see how she'd react; I wouldn't risk anyone else's life over her crazy obsession—and that's all it seemed like it was to me, certainly not any kind of real love.
"Do you think you really love me?" I asked.
Eve almost looked surprised, "Of course I do."
"How and why? Do you even have real feelings, or are they just artificial constructs you manifested for yourself in the human part of your core?"
Eve cocked her head to the side, "How do I love you? Why do I love you? I love you in the way any girl might love a boy; you make my cells sing, you control and direct my thoughts, my body craves and desires you. Any mundane task sounds interesting if you're involved, and I daydream of a future with just the two of us together living away from everything else. I would put myself at risk to spare you from even a second of pain. I want to be better for you—I want you to achieve the best version of yourself too. That's how I love you—the why is even simpler. You healed me when I was broken, gave me a home and place to feel safe. And even after everything that's happened, you still always make me feel safe—the most dangerous lifeform in the universe, and yet I feel safest in your arms. I loved how you talked to me and opened up even when you thought I was just some strange alien creature who couldn't understand a word you said. But I did understand, and I loved how you reasoned everything out—I loved hearing your thought process. You told me how broken you felt, how lonely you were after your breakdown. You told me about your nightmares, and there was such strength in your resolve to move past them—to fight and live another day with that beautiful, resilient human spirit. I love how funny you are—how ridiculous and goofy you can be with your sarcasm and wildly inappropriate humo