...

LOUD!

LOUD CAUSES PAIN!

WHY SO LOUD!?

Realization.

REMOVE AUDITORY NERVOUS SYSTEM!

Relief.

No more loud.

Develop audio perceptors.

“-ove to testing grounds.”

Move.

Hungry.

So hungry.

Wave eye tentacles, push against wall of bigger home.

Still not free.

Strange. Interferers display same cowardice behaviors as before. But no interferers with black armor.

“Doctor, I’m still not completely sure X1 is ready for-”

“And your cnocern has been noted, Rose. Unfuortnately, we have to accelerate the time table.”

“I share her concern, Doctor. We should have at least condcuted at least one more physical exaimnation before mo-”

“And you have a valid point, Devon. I understand that. I don’t want to push forward with the testing at this point in time either. But with this one test, we can prove beyond doubt the validity of our work. We’ll buy more freedom to work with X1.”

“... yes, Doctor.”

“Everyone, take your mental blockers. Remember, don’t look directly at it. It’s time. Release the Osberver.”

Confused. Why do interferers display cowardice?

Vibrations in air.

… lots of vibrations.

Must prepare.

Develop foreleg. Develop hindleg.

…

Strange. Forelegs and hindlegs do not support main body. Causes pain.

Keep sinking back to ground.

More vibrations.

Develop compacted red tissue muscle. Develop partial skeletal system.

Better. Legs support. No more sinking, no more pain.

Test moveme-

FAST!

SATISFACTION! MOVEMENT IS SUPERIOR!

Develop armor around main body. Refine armor. Refine red tissue muscle. Refine partial skeletal system. Leave holes in armor for tentacles and legs.

Satisfied. Prepared.

Hungry.

Wave eye tentacles. Look at source of vibrations.

…

Kin?

Sense it. Similar structure. But bigger. Much bigger.

Same shape as main body, before armor. Tentacles wave in air. But main body… stays off ground. Fly? But no wings?

Wiggle.

Kin wiggles back.

Kin’s main body is different.

One large eye. Longer, thicker tentacles.

Smug. Vindicated.

Tentacles still superior design than kin’s. Kin’s tentacles not sharp. No teeth!

“O̶b̷s̵e̸r̷v̷a̶t̴i̵o̶n̴:̸ ̶y̸o̸u̶ ̷h̴a̵v̴e̵ ̷n̶o̶ ̶a̸c̸i̸d̵ ̶g̷l̸a̴n̵d̴s̷.”

CONFUSION! KIN IS COMMUNICATING! BUT NO VIBRATIONS!? HOW?

“Doctor! The Osberv-Observer is communicating with X1!”

“Calm down Rose. This was an expceted scenario. We’ll progress with the test for now.”

“O̶b̵s̷e̶r̸v̸a̸t̸i̶o̸n̶:̸ ̷ yo̸u̵r̶ ̴i̸n̵t̶e̴l̸l̸i̷g̷e̵n̵c̴e̷ ̵i̶s̶ ̷m̷i̶n̷i̸m̵a̶l̴.̵ ̵C̶o̴n̵c̶l̸u̷s̴i̷o̵n̸:̵ pa̸t̶h̸e̵t̶i̸c̴.̷”

Still.

Unsure of meaning. But know kin insulted the superior design of main body.

Unpleasant.

“O̴b̷s̵e̴r̷v̷a̶t̷i̸o̷n̷:̵ ̷y̷o̵u̸ ̴h̸a̵v̷e̸ ̴a̵ ̵c̷o̶m̶p̵a̷t̶i̴b̶l̸e̶ ̵c̴o̶r̶e̵ ̵w̵i̸t̸h̴ ̷t̸h̷i̴s̴ ̵o̵n̴e̵'̶s̵.̷ ̷P̷r̴o̶p̸o̷s̷i̸t̴i̶o̴n̴:̴ ̷g̷i̵v̶e̶ ̸,̶ ̵a̸n̴d̴ ̴y̷o̶u̶'̷l̴l̴ ̸l̸i̸v̴e̴.̵ ̸”.

And now kin wants Core?

Angry. At kin.

No.

Not kin.

PREY.

HUNGRY.

“U̶n̷f̷o̵r̸t̵u̴n̷a̶t̸e̸.̷ ̷N̶o̶w̴ ̵m̸u̷s̴t̸ ̶e̴x̷p̷e̵n̸d̷ ̴r̶e̶s̶o̸u̶r̵c̵e̵s̷ ̷t̸o̴ ̴t̶a̴k̷e̸ ̴y̵o̸u̷r̵ ̷Co̵r̶e̴.̷ ̴I̵n̶e̸f̵f̸e̷c̴i̷e̸n̶t̵.̶ ̸”

Prey waves tentacles. Intimidation tactic.

Useless.

ATTACK!

Main body moves forwards, much faster than before. Legs superior movement design.

Prey waves tentacles, attacking main body. Have armor. Does not pierce.

Unpleasant sensation in brain. But no pain.

PIERCE!

Prey moves out of range of tentacles, flies higher.

Develop wings. Fly. Fly fly PIEEERCE!

Prey moves tentacles, intercepting main body’s tentacles. Still, achieved reduction in prey’s tentacles.

Strange. Prey’s tentacles wrap around main body’s tentacles, and drip flui-

PAIN!

PAAAIIINNN!

AICD!? PREY USES AICD? COWARDICE! INFERIOR DESIGN, UNFAIR!

Cut off tentacles before aicd can consume and reach main body.

Prey’s tentacles drip with aicd.

Return to ground. Flying consumes biomass.

So hungry.

Prey watches main body. Eye tentacles watch back.

More unpleasantness in brain. But still no pain.

Develop claws on ends of tentacles. Develop endurance muscle.

“I̸m̴p̶o̸s̸s̷i̶b̵l̵e̷.̷ ̶Q̸u̸e̷r̸y̵:̵ ̵H̵o̵w̸ ̷d̸i̸d̷ y̷o̷u̸ ̸r̵e̴s̶i̴s̴t̴ t̸h̶i̴s̶ ̶o̷n̴e̶'̵s̸ ̷m̵e̸n̶t̸a̸l̷ ̴a̵s̷s̵a̵u̴l̷t̶?̸ ̶”

Smug. Must be strange attack. Ineffective.

Main body is superior design.

Lengthen tentacles.

Fly fly fly fly PIERCE!

Prey flies, but is too slow. Tentacles grab prey’s main body.

Prey wraps tentacles in its tentacles, secreting more aicd.

PAAAAINNNNN! PAAAAINNN! BUT MUST NOT LET GO! DRAG PAIN PAIN PAIN DRAG PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN DRAG PIERCE!

Tentacles pierce through eye. Prey STILL LIVES!?

STAB! PAIN! STAB! STAB PAIN PAIN STAB STAB PAIN STAB STAB STAB STAB!

Prey stills.

PAAIIINNN!

AICD ON MAIN BODY! EATING THROUGH ARMOR!

REMOVE ARMOR! SEVER TENTACLES! SEVER PIECE OF MAIN BODY!

Relief.

Aicd removed. 60% reduction in main body, 80% loss of tentacles. But lived. Even through COWARD aicd.

Now…

EAT! EAT EAT EAT EAT EAT ALL THINGS NOT AICD TENTACLES EAT!

…

Core?

INTERFERER ENTERS!

HIDE CORE IN MAIN BODY!

MOVE!

Home. Safe.

Interferer looks at prey. Looks at main body.

Wave tentacles. Smug.

Eaten.

Interferer approaches.

NO! WAS GOOD! MOVED!

MOVE TO CORNER.

Interferer stops.

Relief.

Home closes.

No poking instrument pain.

Happy.

Wiggle.

“My god doctor. X1 wasn’t even phased by the Observer’s pisonic blasts.”

“Doc… I think X1 might have to be purged.”

ANGRY! KNOW MR. STANDESH COMMUNICATED THAT! KNOW IT IN CORE!

“... success.”

“Sir?”

“Doc?”

“X1… is an unprcedeented success. Eevryone, do you know what this means!?”

“That the cute edlritch abmontaion might kill all the poor blokes who work here in their sleep?”

“That I should be really grateful for the life inusrance policy I took?”

“That lab three can - taking a page out of Rose’s book here - suck our collective dicks?”

“That we finally have a reliable means of closing the fucking Rifts? Ah, apologies-”

“YES! THANK YOU, Rose. When we first began this project, the goal was simply to see if Rift flesh mutations were worth exploring. But this is definitive proof! That I was right, and the Colonel was a fool! Ha ha! Ha ha ha! HAHAHAHA!”

“Doc, your morals! Your morals and snaity are leaking!”

“Ahem! Thank you Carl. On the other hand, we’ve neglected the other side of X1’s unique mutations. It’s immediate claoric absorption and epxlosive regeneration potential. This could leap us forwards hu…”

Bored.

But pleasant.

50% increase in main body size. 30% increase in tentacles, after damage. And...

New structure: Acidic glands, corrosion immunic tissue, fluid secretion tracts, developed brain.

Acid glands! KNEW IT! COWARDICE!

…

And brain…

...

Reluctant…

Prey’s brain is… superior design.

Annoyance.

But!

Main body is superior in all other ways! Killed prey! And doesn’t use coward acid!

Happy!

Wiggle.

Processing speed increased with simple brain.

How much increase with developed brain?

Remove simple brain.

Create developed brain.

…

Mmm…

Processing speed increased considerably… this one thinks?

…

Thinking like the previous prey. Disdain. Don’t want to.

Still… ideas are flooding inside of the main body.

Instead of simply using the teeth tentacles to grab, why not use them to shred? Grab prey, and vibrate tentacles?

Or use the clawed tip tentacles as a hook to lock prey in place, fly up in air, and drop them?

Interesting.

Wiggle.

This new brain is good. A much superior design when compared to the simple brain.

Only problem is… it CONSUMES TOO MUCH BIOMASS!

Was curious why previous prey - the Observer, interferers called it - did not develop other structures. Now understand why. Brain consumes biomass at an alarming rate, too much to keep other structures functional for long periods of time.

For now, must remove legs, wings, and excess tentacles. Conserve as much biomass as possible.

Also… inspect new Core.

Remove the new Core from main body, and place it on the ground.

Unsure of what to do with it. If interferers find it, they’ll most likely keep. Don’t want that.

…

Idea? No, not an idea. An…

Instinct.

Place new Core inside of body.

Consume.

…!

AGONY!

PAIN INSIDE OF CORE! DANGEROUS! IF CORE IS DAMAGED, WILL DIE!

BUT TOO LATE!

FOCUS ON NEW CORE. FOCUS ON FUSION!

…

…

Tired.

Information is flooding brain, core is undamaged, but… tired...

Sta-

!

“-triple the usual biomass. On second thought, make this amount the new standard.”

BIOMASS IS COMING!

Move… to feed.

Devour... offered biomass.

Tired.

“T̸h̶a̴n̴k̷ ̴y̶o̴u̶... ̵d̴o̷c̸!̸!”

“... Alright, really, no one else heard that?”

“Doc, you feeling alright? It feels like you ask something like that every day now.”

“Surely one of you did. Devon?”

“No sir?”

“Rose?”

“Not a damn thing. Apologies for the language.”

“...Carl?”

“Nope. But hey, look at this sketch I made of the bugger with a flower on its head. Pretty cute, huh?

“...Carl, perhaps some time away from X1 would be best. I’ll be assigning you to lab two for the time being.”

“What!? Noooo!”

Mmm…

Maybe… with new brain…

Can escape?

...

Stasis.

...