Chapter XII
Chapter XII
“Lieutenant Talian, status report on The Caliban if you please,” Captain Hazalk ordered as he settled more comfortably into his chair.
“The Caliban has made planetfall, and our extraction and recovery teams are making their way to their various targets. Sergeant Verilo and his team has already made it to the crash site and has reported that the site is currently infested with what appears to be the native populace, while Sergeant Casianon is still on route to signal site beta,” the lieutenant said as she input a few commands into her console.
“Hmm... That could prove problematic. Order Verilo to observe for now, at least until we get a measure of these creatures. What of Sergeant Inaz?” he asked as he stroked his mandibles.
“Team Zen reported that they traced the personnel locater to a cave in the woods at the foot of the mountain. They are awaiting your orders before they enter, though Sergeant Inaz wanted you to know that something didn't feel right about the situation. He also said that the locater's signal isn't transmitting an IFF that he recognizes,” Talian said as she swiveled her chair to face the captain.
“Throw the marker's signature and data onto my datapad. I want to see it myself,” Hazalk said as he picked up the datapad sitting on his upper right armrest.
Hmm... definitely marked as a friendly, though why does the information on the IFF say classified? In fact, all I'm getting is a name... the captain thought to himself as he perused the nonexistent information on the datapad.
The name didn't tell him a whole lot, but it did tell him enough to know that he needed to call in someone with a higher pay grade before he sent his soldiers into danger. “Agent Ilisk, this is the bridge. We've been able to track down the only survivor of the crash. My men have gotten close enough to receive IFF information, but haven't made contact with the survivor yet due to the nature of the IFF he received; everything but the name is classified. Would you care to explain?” Captain Hazalk said after pressing down on the intercom button at his armrest.
“What is the name?” he heard the spook say over the intercom.
“'Subject-38,' hope that means more to you than it does to me,” Hazalk said.
“It does. Captain, you haven't found a survivor, rather you have found one of the experiments that the science team were working on. Please transmit the information to me, I need to have a look at it,” Hazalk heard the spook on the other side say.
“What kind of experiments are we talking about here? You haven't exactly told us what we're dealing with here,” Captain Hazalk asked, apprehension creeping into his voice as he sent the data to the spook.
“One second captain, let me decode this first...” he heard in response.
The silence seemed to drag on forever, only further compounding the captain's growing concern. Finally, the intercom buzzed to life again. “Um... captain, due to the nature of the information that I've received, I feel that it is necessary to warn you about extracting this specimen. Be sure to alert your troops of this as well. The experiment that you've located is a highly unstable, yet highly valuable genetic and cybernetic augmentation experiment. The subject is designed to strike terror into whatever it is unleashed upon, so be sure to warn your soldiers.”
The captain's heart sank when he heard this. “Anything else we need to know before I send my troops into the lion's den?”
“Yes. The creature is extremely fast, extremely strong, can see in the dark, and will most likely become irate as soon as it sees your soldiers,” Ilisk said in a matter-of-fact voice.
“Why would it attack us on sight? Isn't it programmed to not attack allies?” the captain asked, a little confused at what he was hearing.
“While the creature is usually more restrained, its MC unit is currently either damaged or missing entirely. It is running off of its... base programming, and will most certainly view anything with our particular morphology as a foe,” the agent said evasively, clearly not wanting to reveal anything more than that.
“What do you mean by 'base programming'? Shouldn't the scientists who grew the thing have conditioned it with a 'base programming' of not attacking any Krin it sees?” the captain asked flatly.
“I'm sorry captain, but I really cannot tell you more; it's above your pay grade. Be sure to warn your troops to watch out for the claws, but try not to kill it. More money went into the development of that thing than what you and your crew will make in their entire lives,” Ilisk said dismissively.
Captain Hazalk rolled his eyes at this, then shut off the intercom. “Lieutenant Talian, patch me through to Team Zen. Put their armor cams up on the view screen as well, I want to see this terror that the science team managed to cook up.”
Talian obediently did as instructed, and almost immediately the view of the planet below, complete with its physics-defying orbiting star, was replaced with four different viewpoints of a vibrant, green forest. “Sergeant Inaz, you are clear to engage,” Captain Hazalk said.
“Engage, sir?” the sergeant asked, clearly confused at the nature of the order.
“The target inside is one of the science team's more twisted experiments. Usually it's on some kind of leash, though right now its leash is broken and it isn't going to be very hospitable towards anyone. Expect it to be fast, strong, and very, very lethal,” the captain clarified.
“Yes sir. Anything else I should know before me and the boys head in there and kick its face in?” the sergeant asked coolly.
“Yes, try to keep it alive, expect it to be asleep, and watch out for claws,” Hazalk said dryly.
“Yes sir. Okay boys, shut your yaps and be quiet. Don't want to wake the poor baby, now do we?”
After receiving confirmation from each of his soldiers, Sergeant Inaz led his troops to the base of the cliff that the cave was situated in. The cave's narrow entrance and higher elevation made the feat of entering difficult for a Krin in full battle gear, but the extraction team still somehow managed it without much fuss. The cavern's much larger interior gave the extraction team plenty of room to maneuver, which would only serve the extraction team if they actually got into a fight.
However, as the captain watched, he couldn't help but feel increasingly uneasy about this whole thing. He wasn't sure why, but something about the cave just seemed... off to him. The cave just didn't look like the sort of place that a ravenous beast created by a Krin science team would hole up in. For starters, the creature had made some kind of bed out of animal hides. Not to mention that there also seemed to be a firepit complete with a wide assortment of cooking accessories nearby.
Something here doesn't add up... he thought as his soldiers made their way deeper into the cave. Maybe it found the campsite of some poor native and decided to help itself? There certainly seems to be enough skin and bones to suggest that. Looks like the previous owner was some kind of primitive trapper...
The captain shook his head to clear it of those thoughts as his soldiers made their way deeper into the cave. No time to think about that now, just keep your eyes open, he thought to himself. The cave looked almost unnatural, due mainly to the flickering green quality of the night vision that had been enabled on the armor cameras. Silently the soldiers rounded the corner, quickly bringing to view the mutant that had come to call this place home.
It was hard to make out. It seemed to be lounging in a bubbling pool of water, completely unaware of its surroundings as a faint snoring sound could be heard through the camera's speakers. Silently, each of the soldiers raised their weapons, removed the safeties, and opened fire on the creature.
Captain Hazalk couldn't believe his eyes with what happened next. Somehow, against all odds, the creature became wide awake, jumped straight out of the water, and managed to dodge each and every stun blast as it dived for cover. The thing moved so fast that Hazalk couldn't even make out its form or shape. He thought it was probably bipedal, and it seemed to only have one set of arms, but other than that he wasn't sure what he had seen.
“What the...”
“Did you see it move?”
“Stay sharp! It might be fast, but if we keep it pinned down, we can catch it. Light it up!” Sergeant Inaz said, taking a couple of steps forward as he started to unload his weapon on the rock outcropping that the creature had taken cover behind.
However, just before the soldiers opened fire, the creature jumped from cover, screeching at the top of its lungs as it barreled towards the oncoming wall of blue.
It was truly a terror to behold. Pale, damp skin. Black soulless eyes, and arms and legs that seemed to go on forever. It seemed to have an emaciated frame which belied a speed unmatched as it dodged each of the stun blasts headed its way. Captain Hazalk could only watch in horror as it closed in, its mouth opened in a snarl as it reached out and ran Sergeant Inaz through with its foot long claws.
Captain Hazalk heard his soldiers swear as the sergeant flat lined, clearly shaken at what had happened. “The sergeant's down! Switch to plasma, light the monster up!” he heard Corporal Vizalz scream.
The others did as ordered, but the creature didn't even pause for a second. The captain could only watch in horror as the creature snarled at the three remaining soldiers, then proceeded to use the broken body of the late Sergeant Inaz as a shield. Round after round struck the corpse, only to be absorbed by the combat armor that Inaz had been wearing.
After a few seconds of this, the creature started to press forward, throwing the dead sergeant at the three remaining soldiers. The camera feed became jumbled after that, giving the captain only a faint understanding of what happened next.
Two things he did know, though. Private Juli was down, and Corporal Vizalz had gotten a lucky shot off as the creature had made a break for the cave entrance.
“Quickly! Secure it while it's stunned!” Hazalk ordered as the corporal got to his feet.
“Yeah, I'll 'secure' it...” Vizalz said, taking off his helmet as he calmly walked towards the sound of the screaming monster.
“Vizalz! Put your helmet back on. Vizalz!” Vizalz didn't respond, though, seeing as how he had removed his helmet, and therefore his way of receiving orders. Hazalk hit one of his armrests in frustration at this, swearing as he did so. “Private Golin, Vizalz has taken a leave of his senses. Stop him from killing the creature.”
“On it...” came the slurred reply. Hazalk noticed that Golin's camera seemed a bit shakier, making him wonder at what had happened to the young private during the scuffle. Best not to worry about that now. Just pray that he'll be there in time to stop Vizalz from killing his career... Hazalk thought as he watched the corporal take a bead on the trembling beast underneath him. Hazalk heard Vizalz sigh in satisfaction, his breath quickening as the monster closed its eyes in resignation. “Take this, you murdering piece of-”
Then, just before he pulled the trigger, Vizalz's camera went out, as did the audio and the entire readout of his suit. Golin's still seemed to work, though the sight it revealed was nothing short of horrifying.
Private Golin seemed to be frozen in shock as he watched lightning ground itself into Corporal Vizalz, frying him from the inside out. The crack of thunder was so loud that it blew out the microphone on all of the cameras and helmets, effectively muting everything that happened afterwards.
Golin rushed forward as Corporal Vizalz tumbled out of the cave's entrance, the world oddly muted as he stumbled to the cave's entrance. He then laid down on his belly as he crawled out of the cave, pulling himself into a position where he could see what was happening.
Underneath him there seemed to be some sort of armored, winged equine. It seemed to be reaching out for the crippled creature, almost as if it were trying to help it. “Private, if you can still hear me, remove the native from the picture. Don't say a word, the freak lightning blew out your microphone, so we wouldn't be able to hear you anyway. Just kill the native, stun the creature and drag it and your own butt back to the landing craft,” Hazalk ordered the private.
Hazalk watched as the monster pointed up towards the cave, almost as if it were warning the equine about what is about to happen. That can't be right... Hazalk thought as another puzzle piece fell into his lap.
His thoughts were interrupted, though, as the equine looked up in alarm, just in time to see round after round of plasma strike it repeatedly in the face, back and wings, scoring hit after hit...
Only for each blast to dissipate as the armor that the native wore glowed brightly. Before Captain Hazalk could even comprehend what he was seeing, though, Private Golin seemed to pitch forward, hurtling head over heels until he had struck the ground next to the fallen corporal. Captain Hazalk opened his mouth to call the fallen private, but stopped when he saw that the private's heart had flat lined as well.
Hazalk just stared at the monitor for a few minutes, his mind in shock at what he had seen. “Sir? What just happened?” Lieutenant Talian asked shakily.
Captain Hazalk didn't answer at first. Instead, he stood up, straightened his coat, and pressed the intercom button on his armrest. “Agent Ilisk, meet me in my ready room in thirty minutes,” he said, as if nothing had happened. He then made his way to the lift, stopping just before he opened the door to turn and look at his Lieutenant. “I don't know what just happened Talian, but that wasn't a mindless terror weapon gone crazy. It was clever. It fled at the first chance it got. It attempted to warn the native before Private Golin fired, showing that it somehow made allies, despite everything going against it. In effect, it and its allies just obliterated an entire extraction team, all because we were under the assumption that it was a mindless, rogue terror weapon on a rampage.”
“If it isn't that, then what is it?” Talian asked quietly.
“I don't know, but I intend to find out,” Hazalk said as he left the bridge.
* * *
“What do we have?” Doctor Tender Care asked as she entered the operating room.
“Multiple third-degree burns across sixty percent of its back. The wounds appear to be similar to Dragonfire in nature, though not nearly as severe as some of the cases we've seen,” Nurse Life Line answered as she pushed the light closer to the creature's back. “Most of the muscle and skin were eaten away by the fire, but the organs and bones appear to be largely unaffected. We just finished cleaning the wound when you arrived.”
“Very good. What anesthetic is it on?” Care asked as she started a level three medical scan.
“Demon's Bane, though the sergeant who brought it in told us that he used a painkill stick on it a few hours ago,” Life Line answered.
“That shouldn't complicate anything. A painkill stick's effects only last for about an hour and a half, so we should be... good...” Care trailed off as she finished the scan.
“What seems to be the problem, doctor?” Life Line asked.
“I finished the scan, but I'm having trouble interpreting the data. From what I've been able to gather, the creature seems to have two sets of DNA,” Doctor Care said, shaking her head a little.
“What will that mean for regeneration magic?” Doctor Stout Heart's voice came through from observation.
“I don't know. To my knowledge, this sort of thing has never happened before, so there is no precedence for it,” Tender Care said as she began to cut away the charred flesh. “We don't even know how it will respond to regeneration magic, much less how having two different sets of DNA will affect the process itself. Our magic has to use a patient's DNA as the blueprint for everything it does, so I can only imagine what the spell will do. Will it latch onto one over the other? Will the magic cause the two to battle, killing the host? Or will it cause the patient to split into two separate entities? Tartarus, we're trying to use magic on an alien entity, any number of things could happen, each one more horrifying than the last.”
“For what it's worth, the bodies that we examined only had one set of DNA. This creature seems to be exactly identical, so why would it have two?” Doctor Heart Beat asked from across the operating table.
“Not so, Beat. This creature isn't exactly identical. The ones that you and your colleagues examined were all dead. They lacked souls, and a soul can have powerful and far reaching effects on such things as polymorphic magic,” Doctor Level Head said from observation.
“You will have to forgive me doctor, but transmutation isn't really my specialty,” Care said as she used her magic to stem the bleeding.
“It is mine, though, and what you just described is a symptom of a polymorphed individual,” Level Head said.
“Doctor Head, if you are telling me that this thing has been hit with a transmutation spell, then you are sorely mistaken. The medical scan returned a negative for any binding magical auras holding it in this form, so it couldn't possibly be that,” Doctor Care said as a nurse used a sponge to wipe away the sweat on her brow.
“Not by magic, no. However, we are dealing with an alien species that has already shown the ability to implant a variety of artificial devices into a living host, while making them work perfectly with the physiology of said host, all without magic. Isn't it possible, then, that they have discovered a way to change a living creature's DNA without magic?” Doctor Level Head asked.
“Then why would he register two different DNA strands? If non-magical means were used, we should only get one,” Doctor Beat asked as he aided Doctor Care in her blood clotting spell.
“Not necessarily. When a specimen is under the effects of a polymorph spell, its DNA completely changes to match the new body it is given. The specimen's soul still remembers what it was, though, which is why a medical scan reveals two sets of DNA. A level three medical scan spell returns both physical and spiritual data, on the off chance that the patient is currently suffering from a shadow magic infection,” Level Head explained.
“So one set is the patient's changed DNA, while the other is the patient's remembered DNA? What will that do to the regeneration spell?” Doctor Beat asked pointedly.
“In the case of polymorphic magic, the changed DNA always wins out over the spirit DNA. This, however, is a completely new scenario. We can only speculate on what might happen were we to apply regenerative magic. For all we know, we might make things worse for it,” Doctor Level Head said as he leaned back.
“Nevertheless, we must try,” a new female voice said from observation. Doctor Care instantly recognized the voice as Princess Luna's, though Care was far too busy to even contemplate a bow at the moment.
“Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, it is an honor to see you here,” she heard her colleagues in the observation booth say.
“No need for formalities. You are correct in your deduction, though. The patient's current form is not his natural one, which will present some complications when applying regenerative magic. However, we must try, seeing as how we have no one who is able to donate blood or skin to aid in his recovery,” Celestia said.
“She's right. I'm applying the magic now; I'd rather feel bad about something I did than something that I didn't do...” Doctor Tender Care said as she charged her horn.
Hey there! I'm back with another chapter! This time we get a glimpse into the minds of those who were sent to 'extract' Alex.
Yeah, I know that a large portion of this was a retelling of what had happened during the previous chapter, but it was necessary for the progress of the story. We needed to see the people behind the monsters. Antagonists aren't very fun if they are reduced to nothing but "bleh! I'm evil because reasons!"
Also, I know this seems to be a bit exposition heavy, but honestly I've gone through eleven chapters with very little exposition. It was long overdue and very necessary.
As I've stated before, 3-dimensional characters are where it's at, and a story is only as good as its characters. ALL its characters, especially the villains.
As for why the aliens have American army titles, I learned a while ago that the enjoyability of a fic is inversely proportional to how many new words you introduce. Sure I could have made up titles, but I think it better if they are names that you guys can understand and relate to. If it makes you feel better, you can imagine that the titles got translated to their English equivalents when their language was translated.
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5231272 I think it would of been a fine plot point, I just thought it was introduced too soon. But I will stick with it for sure.
Standard titles makes perfect sense, really. It is a known fact, after all, that in Warhammer 40,000, no one in the Imperium actually speaks English. However, English is used as a stand-in for Low Gothic (just as Latin is used for High Gothic).
As you said, when you have to memorize a bunch of different words, it can negatively impact your enjoyment of something.
Well done indeed good author. Revealing that the antagonists aren't all just evil d-bags has gotten me far more invested than typical cookie utter villains ever could. I can't wait to see how the recovery leader reacts to the whole abduction/mutation business, especially considering how he seems like a decent guy from what little we know of him. I didn't expect any of this and I thank you for it.
I actually liked this chapter a good deal. I thought the military commanders attitude was appropriate most of the way through. It will be interesting to see if the entire alien species agrees with what the higher ups did. I was thinking that the commander might eventually become an ally, and was a little surprised with his order to kill the local.
5251173 His decision to kill the local will be explained later. Its part of his orders, which we still haven't gotten to yet.
The possibility of him regrowing his human parts is interesting, but if the regenerating tissue has to push the surgically implanted parts out of the way, that could get pretty gruesome.
It sounds like the aliens' default assumption is that the locals are "subhuman" - the ones at the crash site were described as "infesting" it, for example. So while the commander may have a reasonable side to him, I wouldn't count on it too strongly. "Good" can be so tremendously complicated sometimes.
Looking forward to seeing how the regeneration magic works out. Throwing some science against the wall there. :)
5251217
Interesting.
Why wouldn't they be? Why do some people do that? Translate most of the stuff by default and then leave a few things untranslated because reasons?
This twist adds a new dimension. A good one I`d say.
Is there any artwork for what Alex looks like?
That's almost a smart CO.
Wanting to know WHY he sent his subordinates to their deaths.
ALMOST.
5251223
As a scientist, the fact that the grunts seem to be working off of the assumption "science is evil/the R&D department is full of evil geniuses" makes me grumble a lot, but considering this is an assumption made by the general public even in the real world, I understand it.
Ask me why people who are against animal testing are evil/stupid/misguided if you want a wall of text! It's fun!
Anyway, by the behavior of the Captain, it seems like experiments of the type that have been done on Alexander are actually illegal, in whatever Cosmic Federation the aliens are a part of.
That would mean, however, that the usefulness of humans as living weapons is extremely high, and that whatever procedure has been done to Alex cannot be performed on wolves, lions, cows, sharks etc, suggesting that it is Humans in particular that are extremely effective as living weapons.
I can think of a couple of real-world scientific reasons this might be the case; should I write them in a comment, or would you like me to send them to you via PM, or?
5251347 I'm also a scientist, so this mindset makes me grumble alot too, but it is still a very common mindset, which is why I used it here. People don't trust what they don't understand, making those that do understand akin to wizards (don't believe me? talk with my room mate about math sometime. you'll be branded as a dark sorcerer).
also, the reason for humans as living weapons is coming up, just keep an eye out for it. Hint: The biggest one is going to be our most defining trait.
That is an interesting and unexpected twist. Though I'm unsure why why the four legged aliens retrieving their misplaced human chimera project from a world they definitely noticed was unusual because it was both populated and had a peculiar star, wouldn't have taken the time to notice that the native population of that planet was also four legged like themselves, and clearly intelligent enough to build castles and cities and things.
5251364 They did notice that, we just haven't seen very much of them yet. As I've stated in the author's notes, this is just a taste of what the aliens are like, so while you have been given some details, others are still in the dark.
5251362
We breathe oxygen?*
No, wait, we have incredible stamina for our size?
Or we have slightly hyperactive scar tissue, meaning we can heal quicker and faster from a lot of injuries?
You know what, it's better if you don't answer so no one gets spoiled :-P :-D
*semiserious suggestion, since oxygen is so reactive it makes sense for it to be used as a weapon by aliens who don't breathe it.
Okay, so the depraved science organization responsible for mutilating Alex like that and the grunts tasked with retrieving him are on two different reasoning levels, and apparently morality as well.
No matter. They noticed the wool was pulled over their eyes for the mission, but Hazalk ordered his underling to kill a Royal Guard, a good guy that he hadn't seen lift a metaphorical finger against a Krin, all the same. Until more details come up, I'll just see them as a slightly different HECU.
5251377
I would think it would be our self preservation. People have been able in the past to perform super human abilities especially in life or death situations.
We are also stubborn bastards.
5251403
Sea cucumbers will puke up their own guts in order to distract a predator so they can safely flee. I'd say they've got us beat on self-preservation :-P
Also, heroic self-sacrifice is considered a big virtue in humans; a father doing a suicide attack on a sabre toothed tiger so his family can survive is very brave, but is not the epitome of trying to keep living at all costs.
The thing about being stubborn bastards, though, is a subset of having absurd stamina; there is a hunting tactic, called persistence hunting, where people would simply walk up to an antelope, which gets scared and runs away, and then the human just...keeps walking up to the antelope, never letting it rest, until the antelope dies of exhaustion after fours hours of nonstop jogging later (which is a thing humans commonly do in marathons).
Oddly enough, we're the only primates who are able to do this!
It has to do with the fact we can sweat! Something we actually have in common with horses... 5251362 which is interesting, suggesting a possible point of commonality.
Anyway, the wiki article says persistence hunting has been used even against cheetas with success, which is hilarious :-P
5251370
Erm... what??? :-P
Great chapter! I'm waiting desperately for the next chapter!
5251441
Electricity moves from "high voltage" to "low voltage" (ground). You usually don't want to get in the way.
5251457 Plus pegasi can totally manipulate it using their storm lord powers.
Awesome Chapter! A shame it didn't show up in my favorites for some odd reason.
Well this is an interesting turn... Cant wait to see where this leads.
Dangit you just had to make some of the bugs sympathetic didn't you? I was all happy that some of the monsters got killed but nooooooo you gota go and make me feel sorry for them!
Dang you and your good writing!
I enjoyed this chapter, Nuff said
5251362
A lot of it also comes from the stereotype that, to many scientists, knowledge trumps all else. Petty things like "morals" and "empathy" are cheap and transitory in the face of knowledge, and if one or a dozen people (or species, or whatever) have to suffer for the good of the rest, well, that's just the price we'll have to pay.
It all comes back to the age old debate between the good of the many versus the good of the few. Is it justifiable to sacrifice the one for the good of all? Or does his right to life stand equal to the rights of the many and prompt the search for a different, more difficult, solution?
Clearly, in this case, the Krin science team chose the former, while the Equestrians will always choose the latter. It will be interesting to see where the rest of the Krin side when the facts come to light.
5251441 I think it's supposed to say "watched lightning ground itself into Corporal Vizalz". Basically, the electricity used the corporal as a makeshift grounding wire.
5251362 I'm going to guess it has to do with some combination of our high levels of stamina and critical thinking skills. Only problem I have with my theory is that a computer would be much better at both of those things; so why create a biological killing machine when you can make a robotic one?
5251484 really? that happened to you also? that's odd...
Huh... This update didn't show up for me on my favorites list. Wonder why?
Good quality as always.
this is just getting better and better with every update
5251645 I really don't know how that happened, all I know is that it isn't my fault.
5251362
The near-constant state of war that gives even the most peaceful civilians some basic idea of "how not to be seen"? The fact that we live on a Death World where everything is trying to kill us and eat us, kill us and eat our food, kill us just to get at the same food, or eat us without killing us first just to mix things up a bit? The fact that we can and have adapted to every environmental niche capable of supporting a mammal our size and then ruthlessly expanding that niche until we dominate the ecosystem? The fact that we're ornery, mean-tempered SOBs who can and will go berserk if given the right circumstances, becoming a merciless killing machine that is immune to pain and only stopped by massive amounts of body damage and/or blood loss?
Or is it because of delicious cake?
5251860 I'll give you a hint: it's the reason why we are the dominant species of the planet, why we aren't all tiger food, and why I find the idea of zombies (not a virus that causes zombies, but zombies specifically) completely nonthreatening.
5251484 5251645 5251656 Yeah, same here. it's a bug/glitch/whatever that's been here as long as I can remember (shortly before Tracking and Favorites were first combined). Sometimes it's just a chapter here or there, sometimes it's the whole flargin' story, but they always show up in the feed...
5251860
Definitely because of the cake.
5251875
Especially Dead Rising zombies, they are the most non-threatening zombies I've seen so far. They can't even climb a car.
5251875
Our brains, then? Hm. So they were just looking for a backwater species no one in their neck of the woods would recognize that they could turn into mind-controlled sapient missiles.
Yeah, **** them.
Cool story so far. Looking forward to this one. Its been a while since I've bumped into a interesting story.
You've got a new follower!! 
OOO looks like a conspiracy inside a conspiracy! I echo some other comments that the experiments done on Alex were unethical or even perhaps illegal in the eyes of the Krin, and it seems that once some of the aliens learn the truth about it, they won't be happy. It's a big difference between 'we made genetically modified fighting creatures from scratch' and 'we abducted a sentient lifeform and changed them against their will.'. For one, I will be so happy if that's the case because a species as a whole can't be evil or good, there's going to be some good folk among the jerks!
Pinkie pie outtah visit Alex in the hospital and give him a cake cause he needs it. Burns suck so much X<
On another note, humans are pretty badass by themselves. I mean, we evolved from predators that would just calmly walk after prey until they dropped of exhaustion. Our endurance is incredible. Human mouths can cause several deadly infections, imagine if a human bit a pony here? Not to mention we regularly ingest poison (alcohol) for fun and eat stuff like ghost peppers, because we can. We can survive any non fatal injury, things like a broken bone could send a horse into shock and kill it, but people? Naw just wrap that shit up and it'll all be fine. Lets not forget about people that has said 'screw pain' and performed surgery on themselves. Our best trait? Ingenuity. That's why we went to space.
The Krin didn't need to modify humans, humans are pretty awesome and deadly all by themselves. We are pretty much Terminators.
5251656
5251887
You have to enable "email updates" manually in your bookshelves. That includes Favorites.
5251925 It's our ingenuity and drive. You put a human being on a deserted island with no kind of survival training what-so-ever and come back in five years. You'll find a house, garden, a domestic animal or two, and a rather well off wild man shooting arrows into your chest for leaving him there in the first place. We just aren't as easy to kill as our physiology would suggest.
5251433
I find it amusing that you bring up persistence hunting, because we aren't only persistent but also difficult to kill.
5252455 Look at the author's notes during the chapter where Carrot Top and Written Script talk to our friend.
Don't tell me that humans did this to him.
5252892 um... no. Have you read it yet? Because the answer is alien abduction.