Parasites Love Earth! Page 2

  When she recovered from it and opened her eyes, she looked at the jar. It was empty.

  She looked around for the second parasite, but it was gone. She could find no traces of it. That worried her.

  She checked the chrono. She had to get back to the cockpit. It was almost time to hand over control to Zenia.

  ********

  After Zhanna had handed over control to Zenia, she went back to her quarters and searched again, but couldn't find the other worm. Where was the second parasite? Had it gone on to Infect one of the others? One parasite, alone, was a concern. But it wasn't powerful enough to take over someone's mind. Well, there was nothing she could do about it.

  She lay down and forced herself into an uneasy sleep.

  When she woke up the next morning, she got up, feeling no different, and took a sonic shower. When she came out, and saw the reflection of her back in the holographic mirror, she gasped.

  She had two worms lodged on her upper back. Between her shoulder blades.

  The first worm, the one that had been between her legs, had migrated to her back. And the second worm had joined it.

  This confirmed Zhanna's worst suspicion. The parasites intended to take full control of her body.

  She reached over her shoulder to try to pluck the parasites off, but felt a stabbing pain and dropped to the ground. The parasites were now lodged over the top of her spinal column and could deliver pain to any part of her body. Matters kept getting worse.

  "We had a deal," Zhanna cried. There was no answer from the parasites. "We had a deal," she sobbed.

  There was no choice now. She knew what fate was in store for her. She had a faint hope that perhaps the parasites would be satisfied once they controlled her, but she doubted it. The best she could hope to do was to slow their rate of taking control of her mind.

  She put on her uniform and went into the lounge. Zenia was there and greeted her. Zhanna opened her mouth to cry for help, but felt a severe stabbing pain, inside her head. She staggered against the wall.

  " Zhanna, what's wrong?" Zenia cried, seeing her in pain.

  Zhanna knew if she said the wrong word, that the parasites would make her head explode. "I... I just have a headache," she said.

  "Oh, you dear!" Zenia went away and returned with a pain pill. "Take this."

  Zhanna took it under her watchful eyes.

  "How long have you been like this?"

  "Not long," said Zhanna, wishing she could tell Zenia the truth. But the creature would probably kill her instantly. Could she sacrifice herself to save the crew? She tried to find the strength within herself, but a hint of the pain returned, and her courage fled.

  "Well, you just rest up. Your shift isn't for another eight hours. Why don't you go back to bed after you eat?"

  "Yes, that sounds like a good idea," said Zhanna. Back to bed. With her growing parasites.

  She did go back to bed, but only so Zenia couldn't see her sob. She knew what was coming next.

  When her turn came to take the watch, she knew what would happen.

  After the others were asleep, she felt compelled to return to the lounge.

  "Momomomom," she muttered. She had started saying that to herself, during her shift alone in the cockpit. She knew that was the first sign. The first sign of control.

  Zhanna started to feel sexual arousal again, and began to rub herself between her legs. Even though there was nothing between her legs, no creature there, she was being stimulated by the two worms between her shoulder blades. The parasites could stimulate or punish any part of her body from there.

  She started to rub herself more and more rapidly as she approached the containment door. She felt her sexual need increase twofold as she stood before the door controls. She rubbed and rubbed herself but couldn't climax. She desperately needed to--

  Zhanna opened the door. She saw the creatures in stasis. She knew what she had to do. She knew what she shouldn't do. As she rubbed between her legs, desperately trying to extinguish the burning need, she knew what she had to do.

  She put on a stasis glove and reached in. Without hesitation she took out another worm.

  Then she removed the stasis glove and closed the compartment.

  This time the worm was not in a containment jar. It was on her naked hand. An oversight? Intentional or accidental?

  Zhanna had no time to ponder as she saw the worm start to traverse to her wrist. She moved to pluck it off, but felt a terrible pain in her head. She collapsed to the ground.

  She felt rather than saw the worm slowly make its way up her lower arm, then her upper arm, then her shoulder, then to her back to join the other two worms between her shoulder blades. In moments it was in place, digging into her flesh....

  "Momomomom," said Zhanna. "Mamoonishom. Mamoonishom," she said, not even realizing at first that she was the one saying it.

  She had three parasites on her back now, and they were starting to assert control.

  Zhanna forced herself up and back to the cockpit. She searched the database for information about these kinds of parasites.

  Four. That was the number she came up with. Typically, four of the first stage parasites were needed to move up to the second layer of control.

  And she had three.

  Suddenly, the comm crackled. It was Dunlop 4, in the escorting scoutship, requesting a status report.

  "Report, Containment Ship, report," his voice said, and Zhanna realized he had been repeating his message several times.

  What to tell him? That she was Infested with parasites? She couldn't tell him that; they wouldn't let her.

  She finally activated the comm. "This is Zhanna," she said.

  "Zhanna? Why did it take you so long to respond?" Dunlop 4 asked.

  "I... I was in the aft section of the ship, checking the Containment Chambers."

  "Are they secure?" Dunlop asked, anxiety clearly in his voice.

  "Yes," said Zhanna, thinking of the three parasites on her back. "All secure. Very secure." What else could she say? What else would they permit her to say?

  ********

  Zhanna spent the next 24 hours under a cloud of dread. She knew what would happen next. She knew the aliens would take it to the next level, and begin to take control of her mind. She looked at the parasites on her back in the holographic mirror. They had seemed to grow longer, thicker. All they needed was one more.

  "We had a deal!" she sobbed. They didn't respond. "We had a deal!" she cried again.

  They didn't care.

  She settled into an uneasy sleep. From time to time she muttered, "Mamoonishom. Mamoonishom. Momomomomomomom Mamoonishom."

  The next day, when she took her shift, she knew what was coming.

  She resolved not to leave the cockpit.

  But sure enough, six hours into her shift, she somehow found herself back in the crew lounge. In front of the last containment door.

  "No," she whispered. She felt tremendous sexual arousal as she rubbed the side of the door controls. She tried to prolong it, to gently pet and caress the door controls, as if she were masturbating a sexual partner slowly, to give pleasure, but not to allow him to climax. It felt so good! She rubbed her finger up and down the door controls and shuddered with pleasure. But before long her fingers were moving wildly, brushing them every which way, and her finger rubbed the door control (accidentally? on purpose?) and the door opened.

  And then Zhanna felt the tremendous burning between her legs. She had a great need that could only be satisfied in one way. Without hesitation, she put on a stasis glove, and took out a worm. She was so far gone, that she actually tilted her head forward and dropped it on the back of her neck.

  Why had she done that?

  She had no time to consider as she suddenly felt a tremendous orgasm. She sank to her knees, barely aware of the fourth worm going to join the others.

  That night she had vivid dreams. Of pancake like creatures, thousands of them. "Mamoonishom," Zhanna cried in her sleep. "Mamooni
shom Mamoonishom Mamoonishom," she said, as she rubbed between her legs. It felt so good!

  When she woke up in the morning, she looked at her back in the holographic mirror.

  And saw a newly formed pancake like creature.

  The worms had combined to form a rider, as she knew they would. She saw it gently pulsate on her back, between her shoulder blades. She knew better than to try to remove it.

  "Welcome," said Zhanna. She looked startled. Had she just said that?

  "What are you?" said Zhanna.

  "We are part of the Hive Mind. As you soon will be," said Zhanna. It was as if two different people were speaking out of her mouth, she and... the other.

  "No," said Zhanna.

  "Get dressed. You must act normally or the others will become suspicious."

  She had no choice. She got dressed, and went out into the lounge. Zarabeth and Zenia were already there. She thought it should have been obvious to them that she had a rider on her back, under her clothes, but they were totally oblivious to it, making small talk with her.

  "You still look stressed, Zhanna," said Zenia, putting a hand on hers.

  "Everything is fine," said Zhanna, feeling a bit startled. She hadn't said that. Zhanna found that while she could talk, so could the other within her. She tried to call out for help, but found the instinct died wordlessly in her throat.

  "You still look a bit out of sorts. Would you like a full body massage?" Zenia asked.

  "Perhaps later," said Zhanna, the other Zhanna.

  Zhanna worried that once she entered the cockpit, the creature would take control of her body and do something drastic, like sabotage the life support system.

  But the creature didn't yet seem to have the ability to control her arms and legs. For now, it's control was limited to her mouth. The creature told Zhanna it wanted to look at the database of planets, and after a bit of pain, Zhanna complied. It had her sift through one after another after another, using Zhanna's eyes to read through them, but analyzing the results by itself. It gave her a jab of discomfort when it wanted her to move on to the next one. Finally it stopped at one entry.

  "This will serve us nicely," Zhanna heard herself say.

  Zhanna looked at the entry. "Earth. Semi-primitive planet, development L-4. 15 billion people."

  "Exactly," said Zhanna, relishing the thought. "Low technology means low ability to resist. And a large population means more hosts. It will be perfect for us."

  "But we are going to N9481," said Zhanna, referring to the black hole which was a gateway to Dimension 93.

  "At present."

  "Dunlop 4 will detect any change in course."

  "Thank you for being so helpful," said Zhanna.

  Zhanna winced. She hadn't meant to be. Had she?

  She was relieved not to be forced to go back to the Containment Chamber during her shift. "You're not going to make me Infect the others?" she asked hopefully.

  "No," she replied. "We must solidify our control over you, first."

  That didn't sound encouraging. Zhanna searched out information about the rider creature from the database. Her rider obligingly let her. She learned that the second stage of parasite emerged only partially mature. It could not yet reproduce or take full control of the host. But over a period of a few days, it would become more and more mature, as evidenced by the first of a series of gold rings which would appear on its edges. The amount of time it took for a rider to mature varied from host to host, but could be accelerated by... by...

  "Sexual stimulation," said the other Zhanna, smiling. "The increased blood flow and respiration also helps us grow more rapidly."

  "No," said Zhanna.

  But she didn't have any choice.

  When her shift ended, she felt the urge to cry out to Zarabeth for help. But instead she smiled and kissed Zarabeth on the cheek.

  When she got to her quarters, the creature didn't waste any time. She felt a tremendous arousal between her legs. She put her hands in her pants and was rubbing herself even as she was stripping off her clothes. It was another reminder of the hold the rider had over her. She lay in bed and started to pleasure herself.

  And pleasure herself.

  And pleasure herself.

  She spent half the night doing that. The parasite seemed to have a way of infinitely postponing her orgasm, and to keep her doing it, doing it, and doing it. By the time she was permitted to drop off to sleep, she was exhausted.

  The next morning she ate double the amount she usually did, with the parasite's approval and encouragement.

  "Hungry?" said Zenia.

  "Yes," said Zhanna, rapidly shoveling food in her mouth. She was eating for two, now.

  That night the parasite had her up half the night pleasuring herself again. It controlled her arousal, and wouldn't let her climax until she had stimulated herself for hours.

  When she got up the next morning and looked in the mirror, she saw the parasite had grown a little bigger, and thicker. When it pulsated, it seemed to move around more.

  "Mamoonishom. Mamoonishom," said Zhanna. She seemed to be saying that more often, now. More than ever her dreams were filled with images of riders, thousands of them, procreating, reproducing in massive numbers. It was starting to control her mind.

  After two more days of intensive self-pleasuring, the inevitable occurred. Zhanna woke up and felt something... different. She looked in the mirror and saw that a narrow gold band had formed around the edge of her rider.

  "Congratulations," said Zhanna. "You have reached the first stage of maturity."

  "What does that mean?" Zhanna whispered.

  "Reproduction can now occur on its own," Zhanna said, smiling at her in the mirror.

  Reproduction.

  Later that shift, Zhanna understood what that meant. She felt a... shuddering between her shoulder blades, and felt something wet and greasy, like a fluid, slide down her back. And then she felt something moving, first on her back, and then her arm.

  And then a worm appeared in her hand.

  Where had that come from?

  The rider. It had just reproduced.

  "Zhanna, it's time for you to get up now." It was a little scary hearing someone else speaking with her voice.

  "I'm talking to you, Zhanna." She felt a quick stab of pain in her gut.

  Zhanna jumped up. She immediately went into the lounge.

  "Take me to Zarabeth's door, Zhanna," she heard herself say.

  Zhanna walked over to Zarabeth's door. She heard nothing, but that didn't mean anything; Zarabeth might well be reading. Then she heard herself whisper, "Now Zenia." Zhanna moved over to the door to Zenia's quarters, and listened, but heard nothing there either.

  "Open it," said Zhanna.

  Zhanna didn't move.

  "Don't make me ask you twice, Zhanna."

  Zhanna, sobbing silently, opened the door to Zenia's quarters.

  Zenia was lying asleep in bed.

  Zhanna felt a pain in her belly.

  "No," Zhanna mouthed silently. The pain grew more intense. Her stomach felt like it was going to burst. Zhanna moved one step forward, then another, then another. The pain eased off. She held the worm in her trembling hand. She knew her rider wanted her to put the worm down, but she couldn't.

  And then... the worm jumped off her hand, onto Zenia's bed.

  Zhanna wanted to say something, to shout a warning, but the words died in her throat. She felt the pain started to increase again. Biting her lips, she backed out of Zenia's quarters. The pain only disappeared entirely when she closed the door.

  Zhanna went back to the cockpit, and sobbed there the rest of her shift.

  At the end of her shift a red eyed, Zhanna entered the lounge. She saw Zarabeth there, but her eyes were only on Zenia. Zenia yawned, stretching.

  "How did you sleep?" Zhanna asked.

  "Fine," she said, kissing Zhanna on the cheek. "Thank you for asking."

  She seemed unaffected. They were all trained to resist. Perh
aps the worm hadn't been able to take control of Zenia.

  But then, during breakfast, Zhanna saw a subtle sign that disturbed her.

  She saw Zenia rubbing between her legs, under the table. Then Zenia saw Zhanna watching her, gave her an embarrassed glance, and stop.

  Zenia had been Infected.

  ********

  " Mamoonishom Mamoonishom Mamoonishom."

  Zhanna repeated the words more and more frequently now, in the privacy of her own quarters. She couldn't help it. She just felt the tremendous urge to say it. She especially felt the urge when she stared at herself in the holographic mirror, watching the rider pulsate on her back, its gold ring growing brighter and more solid every day. The words just seemed to come out of her.

  "Momomomomomom... Mamoonishom."

  She watched as an edge of her rider cracked, and a slick liquid started to drain down her back. And then she saw/felt something slide out of it. Another worm.

  A worm meant for Zenia.

  This time, all it took was one stab of pain to get Zhanna to obey. The rider had trained her.

  She went to Zenia's quarters. Zenia was on duty now in the cockpit. But that didn't matter. Zhanna left the worm on her bed. It would know what to do.

  ********

  After Zenia was acquired by a second parasite, Zhanna knew they would be riding on her back, as hers did. She tried to comfort Zenia, tried to tell her she knew what was happening, but her rider wouldn't let her speak. She gave Zenia a look of pure sympathy. Zenia looked back at her, with confusion and pain in her eyes. Zhanna felt so guilty.

  But that guilt didn't stop Zhanna from putting a third worm in Zenia's quarters the following day. The next morning after that, when she lingered by Zenia's door, she heard, softly, from within:

  "Momomomomomom... Mamoonishom. Momomomomomom."

  Zenia was being taken. Just as she had been.

  "What are you doing, Zhanna?"

  Zhanna turned to see Zarabeth standing there, watching her. A million thoughts crossed her mind, but what she ended up saying was, "I just was wondering if Zenia is awake."