//------------------------------// // Wait and See // Story: I Am a Pet Changeling // by Queen Sanguine Dreams //------------------------------// "What's the report on that changeling building; the 'hospital'?" Bunker asked a nearby operative. She, along with several other officers, were all inside of a command tent on the surrounding edge of the base outside of Cheyenne Mountain. Doctor Vahlen and Shen were present in the tent as well, with Vahlen using binoculars to observe the structure mentioned previously. Some boxes were piled in the tent next to a white folding table holding a laptop and more than a few folders with updates on changeling movements. "Infra-red is useless and we can't get close enough without agitating the 'warriors', Colonel." The operative replied, setting down another folder in front of Bunker. "The 'Infiltrators' are the least threatening of the Queen's hive, physically at least. The Tunnelers are a close second, but I don't think anyone wants to catch a hook from one of their hooves; they dug out a foundation for that hospital in the time it takes to brew coffee." "Are their heat emissions comparable to Queen Blue Sun?" Vahlen asked, not taking her gaze away from the frantic movements of the Caretakers that were visible through small openings in the changeling 'hospital'. "So far it seems that the Caretakers are giving off the most heat with how fast they're moving. From what we can piece together, the reason our medical staff were kicked out of that building was because they were getting in the way of the Caretakers. Shortly after our staff left, the place got a whole lot hotter from how fast they're moving." The operative explained with grim tones. "I really wouldn't want to get on any of these bugs' bad side, but if that hospital gets too hot, we may have to get our people out of there." "What about the gel that you reported?" Bunker asked, pointing to a photograph of the blueish-purple gel in the center of the hospital. "The Caretakers started coating our wounded with that stuff against what our own medical staff suggested, since we have no idea whats in the stuff. It could be some kind of alien Neosporin for all we know." The operative shrugged. "At any rate, we're all standing by on your orders, Colonel." "What of the structure, Operative?" Shen asked, adjusting his glasses and browsing through additional photos. "Of course being alien, its composition is somewhat of a mystery. Would you be able to navigate in that kind of environment?" "From what Jack's team has suggested, it should be simple enough." The Operative provided hopefully. "Something about these bugs though..." "What is it?" Bunker asked, looking up from documents. "It just doesn't feel right; using force against them. They haven't harmed any of us directly. Even the infiltrators will leave us alone if we tell them to shoo." The operative explained with worry in his voice. "The warriors don't back down so easily, but they aren't aggressive either." "Colonel Bunker, there is movement from the 'hospital." Vahlen interrupted, lower her binoculars and waving the Colonel over. "What did you see?" Bunker asked, moving from the makeshift desk towards the tent's window. Vahlen handed over the binoculars and pointed out an area to observe. "Just now I saw a human figure stand up in one of the windows. With the injuries those personnel endured from the heat, none of them should be on their feet." "It could be another Infiltrator trying to look like us." The Operative mentioned, also moving towards the window. "Whenever they try it, they fall on their back from losing balance. I hope they don't figure out how to walk upright or we're going to have security problems from now on." Looking through the binoculars, Bunker spotted the person that Vahlen had mentioned. Their right side was covered in the strange goop with several caretakers hovering next to them, apparently keeping the staff member upright. Bunker bit her lower lip, "I think we should hold off for now. The changelings look like they're trying to help, though we don't have all the specifics of whats going on. I don't need to start a war between a Queen that can melt mountains and humanity." "Speaking of that," Doctor Shen intruded, "Where are we going to place these changelings now? The mountain is no longer stable from all the structural damage inflicted by Blue Sun's hive." Vahlen's eye twitched. "Does that mean our research and the artifacts recovered from the crash of Queen Catalyst are still trapped within?" "I'll check the logs of what we were able to recover in the evacuation, Doctor Vahlen. It's possible that they came along with us in the rush." The operative provided helpfully. Bunker and Vahlen shared a look of concern before the Colonel resumed observations of the changeling structure. "Well, we wait and see. I just hope that Blue Sun and Catalyst aren't having a war in that mountain." **** "You could just pick it up, you know." Catalyst snarked. "It might be a love draining plague, but if you're so inclined to save it's life, you could drag it behind you at the very least." Blue stared down at the defective caretaker, not wanting to get closer from what Catalyst had told her about defectives but also wanting to save her drone. "I can't pick it up," Blue said with a scrunched nose. "If I use my magic, the walls will start to melt again." "So kick it down the hallway or something." Catalyst suggested. "It's a drone, they're meant to take a beating." "I am not kicking my drones!" Blue protested loudly, causing Catalyst's ears to fold away from the loud noise. "So bury it here or throw it onto your back, Blue Sun. I won't stand in your way of re-birthing a defective, and I'm certainly not going to put myself anywhere near that thing." Catalyst huffed with a buzzing of her wings in annoyance. Blue's eyes narrowed in thought while moving toward the defective. Maybe if I used my magic only enough to place it onto my back, that wouldn't cause too much damage? With her horn lighting in its blueish-purple glow, she wrapped her magic around the limp drone and drifted its body onto her back. "Congratulations, Blue Sun. You've embraced death all on your own!" Catalyst quipped from a safe distance. "Now please, lead the way before that thing wakes up and kills us all." "Catalyst, my drones are not 'things'. They're precious to me, and I treasure all of them." Blue replied in annoyance, turning towards Catalyst. "You've said as much, Blue Sun." Catalyst grumbled. "Lead the way out before the mountain falls on us, please." She finished with a dramatic bow. Blue Sun rolled her eyes turning away from the golden-orange queen. "I'll have to teach you manners at some point, Catalyst." She buzzed softly. **** "Easy there, weird thing." A caretaker buzzed. "Don't walk too roughly on that side, you're still crispy." "Did you just call me 'weird thing'?" Jack grumbled. "Really?" Jack O'Neill was currently inside of the changeling hospital, under the caretaker's watch with part of his right leg covered in goop. What remained of his uniform was dissolved into a puddle of grey blob on the floor from anyplace the goop had touched. Several warriors gave what Jack assumed were stern looks, and if it weren't for the armor plating and the pointy teeth, Jack would've laughed at how serious they tried to appear. That and the fact that his side still felt like it was on fire. "Yes, we call you weird because you are unknown to us." Another caretaker pointed out, holding up his left side while buzzing off the ground. "Very weird." The other caretaker agreed. "You don't even know what I am, and you're covering me with goop?" Jack sassed. "Am I a guinea pig or something?" The caretakers blinked at one another in response before shrugging. "You say strange things." The rightmost caretaker explained. Jack scoffed, instead taking in the scenery of the building that he had woken up in. "Wait, where am I?" "Hospital." Another changeling replied succinctly. It stood directly in front of him, their hooves being larger than the other changelings nearby. "Weird creatures hurt, we fix." "Ah...huh." Jack nodded. "And you are?" "Hive adviser." It replied quickly. "Advise hive." "Yeah, I gathered that." Jack snarked. "Whats with the other people in here?" he asked, pointing an unsteady hand at the other 'beds' laid out on the floors and some attached to the walls themselves. They looked like they were capable of holding more humans with the inner mold of the bed, though some were shaped more like changeling outlines instead. "Rest; fix." the Hive adviser explained. "Dead useless." "Right..." Jack nodded, a growing headache making it more difficult to concentrate. "You should rest now. Your injuries are too great for you to stay upright for long." A caretaker insisted, joined by the other in pushing Jack towards his bed again. "You strange creatures are fragile, but strong. It is a very curious thing to us." "Yeah, well you look pretty great yourself." Jack replied, groaning as he fell slowly backwards onto the sticky bed. "Eugh." "Uncomfortable?" The hive adviser asked. "Wrong?" "It's sticky." Jack complained. "That's generally a bad sign." The hive adviser nodded. "Will consider, thanks," before quickly buzzing away. "Is that guy always like that?" Jack asked. "Guy?" Both caretakers repeated in Jack's voice. "What is a guy?" Jack managed to only shiver a slight amount at that. "Nevermind." he grumbled. **** "Are you sure you know where you're going?" Catalyst asked. "We've passed this red cylinder at least three times now." Blue Sun looked over her shoulder. "That's a fire extinguisher." She pointed out. Catalyst growled softly at the fire extinguisher, inspecting it. "It doesn't look like much." Blue buzzed in light amusement for a moment. "Why don't you try biting it? That's how you turn it on." Catalyst regarded the fire extinguisher for a moment, eyeing it suspiciously. "I very much doubt that, Blue Sun." "Oh, you've become an expert on human gadgets already?" Blue snarked. "That was quite fast!" "Well then I'll take it with me. If we're to encounter an actual fire, then I will test your assumptions, Blue Sun." Catalyst defensively sassed. Blue Sun snickered a moment before replying. "I'll let you know when I spot one, then." Catalyst, not wanting to melt any more of the mountain, used her teeth and fangs to bite off part of the metallic box that held the fire extinguisher, prying the metal away quickly until its protests gave way to a loud crunching snap as the door flew off. Pulling the fire extinguisher out of its container by the black hose, it dangled from her mouth. "What?" Catalyst asked, the extinguisher swaying back and forth. "Nothing, just good work is all." Blue replied with a smile. "Whatever, Blue Sun." Catalyst grumbled, her wings chittering with more annoyance than usual. **** "What are they doing now?" Bunker asked, looking over Vahlen's shoulder. "They don't look too happy." A small swarm of tunneler drones were accompanied by warriors and a few caretakers as they flooded from the changeling 'hospital'. They didn't travel far, however, as one slightly larger tunneler drone halted in front of the swarm and started chittering loudly, pointing their hoof in various directions as more drones went to work hammering into the ground. Large heaps of dirt flew from where the changelings were digging, causing some nearby soldiers to run for cover from the wall of debris flying at them. "It looks like they're expanding, Colonel." Shen replied, taking up the other side of Vahlen as he observed along with them. "What do you think they're building this time, a hatchery maybe?" Bunker asked. "There's no way to tell at this early a stage," Vahlen pointed out. "We'll have to prepare for any eventuality, but for now, we wait and see." **** "You, wall. Four, Pillar!' The hive adviser chittered and buzzed, directing the swarm to begin construction on the latest expansion. "No, no!" They flew over to an infiltrator that was standing in the wrong spot. "You, up!" they pointed into the air. "There!" The infiltrator was confused, but flew upwards until they were told to stop. "Good!" The adviser spun around in place, pointing towards a group of tunnelers that were standing around. "Foundation!" they then turned to a group of warriors and pointed towards the strange ones watching from a distance. "Fortification!" Finally, pointing to a group of infiltrators buzzing above them, "Observation!" "What are you doing, Hive Adviser?" The heavy buzzing of the Warrior adviser asked. "Giving orders already?" "Queen occupied. Hive must grow!" The hive adviser explained. "The hive should grow at the Queen's orders, not yours." The warrior pointed out. "Remind yourself of your place before I must do it for you." "Queen will return, appreciate!" The hive adviser replied, giving a dismissive way of their hoof to the warrior adviser. "It will be your love on the line, Hive adviser, not mine." The warrior warned, turning away. "It fine, you see!" the hive adviser assured them, turning back to their work. **** How am I supposed to infiltrate if I can't shift into these things? The Infiltrator Adviser wondered. They were staring at a fairly well guarded tent-thing in the distance with two creatures guarding the entrance. The adviser had already attempted to take on their form, but they had no luck with standing on their rear hooves. Maybe I could disguise myself as an animal? They wondered, looking around the camp and finding a complete lack of any animal to disguise as. Alright, that isn't going to work... maybe... Then they spotted it. A box. Anyone looking for a changeling wouldn't think to look for a box, would they? The adviser could shapeshift their upper body to look like a box and use their smaller hooves to maneuver around! If they were spotted, they could stop and observe until the danger went away. Perfect! With a burst of Blue-purple flame, the adviser was now a cardboard box with barely visible hooves hidden by the box's flaps. A small viewport allowed them to see roughly where they were going, and they set about testing the usefulness of their disguise. Inching along the ground and making sure to not move when the creatures were looking, the adviser sneaked their way past the two creatures standing watch, only to find even more creatures within the tent-thing. "You don't think they could be making another hospital, do you?" A balding one asked. "No, that wouldn't make much sense." The longer haired one replied, lowering some kind of device from their face. The adviser used this moment to sneak further into the tent and plop themselves down in a corner. "Why would they make room for more wounded when they already hold them?" "Maybe they're making a bed and breakfast?" Another suggested, a heavy looking one in the back. "Now is not the time for jokes, Operative." The long haired one grumbled. "We are observing rapid expansion of an alien hive, and the Queens have only been gone an hour inside of the mountain. I'm beginning to worry about their safety." "You're only worried now?" A shorter haired one asked. "I'm just glad that things haven't gotten out of control so far." "That's implying we were ever in control to begin with." The long haired one responded darkly. "From what we've observed today, we didn't have a finger of control over these aliens." "Well, that's not our ultimate goal to begin with." The balding one pointed out. "It's always been cooperation and co-existance from the beginning, hasn't it?" "That is true, though I haven't been assured that our 'guests' see things in the same light as we do. Well, both metaphorically and physically." The long hair replied. "Is this really the time for scientific discussion?" the one named 'Operative' asked. "We should be securing the area in case those drones decide our base looks like a nice vacation spot." "What happened to being optimistic, Operative?" The short haired one smirked. "Look, don't get me wrong Colonel, I like the bugs. It's just... I don't like the bugs. They're like giant beetle-moth things and they creep me out." The Operative shuddered. The long haired one harrumphed and returned their attention to the hive being constructed. "Well, that's an interesting twist." "What's wrong?" the bald one asked. "They're building up." Long hair replied. **** "No, no! Bend more! Curve!" The hive adviser buzzed, now a few stories off of the ground. "Yes!" "Hive adviser?" A caretaker asked. "Where is the Caretaker Adviser?" The adviser waved a hoof at the caretaker. "Defective." The caretaker's glowing eyes shrunk a bit in fright. "D-defective?" "Queen find." the adviser explained, still directing the other tunnelers in the construction of a rather large structure. The caretaker bit their armored lip in nervousness, looking toward the entrance to the base. "She is within the mountain?" "Queen return soon. Stay." The adviser insisted. "Throne almost finished." "As you say, adviser." The caretaker replied worriedly, their movement blurring as they returned to their work within the hospital. **** "See, look. A fire, just for you!" Blue chirped happily, pointing towards the flames barring their path as the Defective rested on her back. "I just bite it?" Catalyst asked skeptically, the red cylinder between her teeth. "This doesn't seem right." "Yep, just give it a big bite!" Blue insisted. "Wait, how would a Terran activate this? Their teeth are pitiful!" Catalyst realized, her eyes narrowing at Blue. "Are you trying to trick me?" "What? Never!" Blue poorly lied. "I am a model of innocence, Catalyst! Besides, I've had more time to study their gadgets." Catalyst regarded the inferno in front of her, noting that it wouldn't even be enough for her to bother with on her own. She supposed that Blue's hive was more vulnerable to fire, what with her own hive being inside of a volcano. "Very well, Blue Sun." She then walked to the center of the fire, idly noting a few papers that somehow hadn't been turned to ash at this point, and bit down hard onto the fire extinguisher. It wasn't long before pressurized jets of powder erupted from the cylinder and sprayed everywhere, including down her throat as she dropped the metal thing with a loud clanging. Coughing, Catalyst was too busy being surprised to notice Blue sneaking off ahead. "See! Fire's gone!" Blue called behind her. With another heaving cough, a cloud of white powder puffed from Catalyst's mouth, the rest of her body coated in white. "Maybe there's hope for you after all, Blue Sun." She noted in approval, before attempting to cough out more of the powder from her throat.