Alternative Stories

(Let's give this a try.) I muttered as I was about to finally test out my second Gift.

[Shouldn't you wait until she is discharged from the medical bay?] Goldy asked and I paused at that.

I was currently a little impatient but sighed nonetheless. (...Fair point.) 

And so I waited and waited...and waited. (Fucking finally!) I yelled as I watched her walk out of the room she had been in for the past hour or so.

(Now then, time to check out this ability of mine.) I smiled internally only to stop in my tracks awkwardly when I realized something.

[It's time for another round of "how long will it take you to activate your Gift?" Truly, this is an amazing show.] Goldy hummed mockingly. 

(God damn it all!)

[Before you start, let me go grab some popcorn real quick.] And so I spent several long hours trying to figure out how to use my damn Hive Possession Gift, all the while a certain asshole ate his food in the background.

Thankfully it didn't take anywhere as long as it took for me to learn how to use my Hive Dominance Gift, in fact I actually figured it out after only three hours of boring work this time! I know right, what an achievement, I truly am a genius that can't be compared to normal mortals, and I definitely wasn't screaming in frustration the whole time, nope, I would never do such a thing.

Anyway, sarcasm aside once it was actually activated properly things got really weird and incredibly disorienting real quick. I couldn't help but marvel at how odd it felt to experience this ability first hand. It was honestly like one person with two controllers trying to play a co'op game on a split screen all by themselves.

I could still feel my real body however, but it was as if my consciousness was ripped between the two of us. The smaller of the two halfs stayed in my original body while my main consciousness moved into Roseanna's body. Surprisingly however Roseanna's consciousness was still there in the back of her mind just greatly suppressed. She could actually still think and see what was going on but was unable to control her own form.

"This...this is weird." I muttered as I walked through the hallway I was in. "I'm definitely going to need some time to get used to this."

"Anyway, this place is pretty interesting, I feel like a kid in a science fiction store." I muttered as I glanced around with interest.

I continued looking around while muttering to myself only to notice something as time passed. "Why are they all looking at me?" I asked confused as I noticed several bizarre looks that were being sent my way from time to time.

[You're speaking out loud to yourself and acting like a clueless idiot.] Goldy said and I could practically feel his grin as I froze up like a statue.

"Oh shit!" I whispered before covering my mouth. 

Seeing that I was still getting looked at by those around me I tried to diffuse the situation. "I mean...hello?" And I failed miserably and only ended up embarrassing myself even more.

(Why didn't you say anything before now?!) I yelled in my head as I turned around and walked away with a slightly reddened face.

[Because it was very entertaining to watch.] The dick head chuckled in amusement at my embarrassment. [Also don't blame me, it's your own fault for talking to yourself like a crazy person.]

(Screw you!) I hissed internally while also making sure that I wasn't speaking out loud this time. (I was already awkward as hell when it came to talking to people even before I came to this damn place, fucking hell, it's gotten even worse now that I've only had you to talk to for the past couple days.)

[Hey, I'll have you know I make for great company.] He huffed, sounding somewhat offended.

I was about to continue arguing with him when a cold pale hand landed on my shoulder. "Hello Miss Roseanna, I do hope you are feeling well, do you need assistance?" I had to stop myself from freaking out when I noticed who exactly the hand was attached to.

"I a-am...I'm fine, really, thank you for your concern." I stuttered somewhat as I looked into the mechanical face of what I assumed to be a synthetic.

"Very well, I will be around if you require further assistance."

(God damn those things are creepy as all hell...) I muttered as I walked away while trying my best to ignore the hollow and dead eyed look I was getting from the pale skinned synthetic. (I've always hated mannequins and porcelain dolls, so that bastard really freaks me the fuck out.)

[I'll remember that.]

(Please don't.) I shivered before a question entered my mind. (Would my Hive Dominance Gift work on a synthetic or other such machine like life form? Not that I want that abomination around but still.)

[No, Hive Dominance can not take control of entities that do not have a consciousness of their own, they must be an awakened being.] He yawned as he continued to explain. [And before you ask, an awakened being is a name given to a creature with its own soul, a being with its own desires and instincts, no matter how small those may be.]

Now I was interested. (So plants count as "awakened beings" too?)

[Yep, basically anything that is considered truly alive.]

(Good to know...)

(Anyway, I guess I should start talking to people now.) I mused as I glanced around. (I need to be careful with how I ask about certain things though.)

[Why don't you just ask that little puppet of yours? I mean she can speak to you through telepathy now.] Goldy suggested causing me to freeze in place for a second.

I honestly felt like slapping myself at that moment. (I...I didn't think about that...)

[That's because you're a simple human being and I'm something far more amazing compared to your small insignificant self.]

(Hey!) I growled but had no further comeback, as such I just decided to move things along. (Whatever, let's just focus on the task at hand.)

The conversation with Roseanna was awkward and unpleasant to say the least, not to say she held any kind of resentment towards me for what I had done, however that is exactly why I found it slightly, well...disturbing. She had this odd and creepy devotion, like a cultist who finally got to speak with their god, so to put it simply, it wasn't fun for me at all.

Moving on however, Roseanna filled me in on various things, like important and key facilities of the station. She had also told me that the station was created for one singular purpose, to experiment on and weaponize xenomorphs, the last part being basically impossible in my honest opinion. One of the most interesting things I learnt however was about the planet below. I actually ended up learning most of its history from her as she was all too happy to tell me.

After a while I decided to look around the station, I was curious as to its lay out as well as the technology that it held within. I definitely wasn't just doing this because I was getting super uncomfortable with all the praise and worship I was getting from Roseanna.

[Now isn't that just a pretty sight?] Goldy suddenly mused as we walked past a nearby window.

(What?) I muttered confused for a moment before he responded.

[Over there.] Sadly however there was a small problem with this.

(You know I can't see where you're pointing right? You're literally just a voice in my head.) 

[The window...] I could almost feel him rolling his eyes at that.

"Hmmm?" 

Looking out I saw something, something rather mesmerizing to say the least. A planet made of a mixture of red and blue, one singular massive continent adorned it with scattered islands all around. The crimson land mass was contrasted by the shimmering blue ocean that covered around sixty percent of the planet's surface. It was oddly beautiful, made even more so by the presence of the two moons that orbited around it.

"This could actually work..."