Alien Worms?

It took at least a week before he stirred again and slowly came too. When it happened Elena and most of the men and scientists who had been watching over him were there, hovering around the room and watching. Most found themselves holding their breath as they did. They had tried hard over the last week to help heal him as much as they could, and now they would find out if it would pay off.

Would Hank wake up, or AL?
He moaned, slowly tossing his head and the eyes opened.

They were black, the red nothing but weak tint and they realised that meant Hank was the one in control. They were out of focus at first and Elena came to his side. Bending over him she asked gently “Hank? Is that you in control? Can you speak to us?”

The mouth opened but nothing came out, instead he nodded slightly. “Great” she smiled at the others “now what do you remember? Do you remember us?” He hesitated a while and so Elena supplied “remember me, Elena Wildflower? Do you remember AL and the invasion? Sara?”

He winced and they took that as a good sign.
“Can you speak to us?”

He coughed dryly and shook his head, hand stroking his throat. They guessed and the same man who had been with Elena when AL had come too that first time disappeared for a few seconds, returning with a cup of steaming liquid. “Herbal tea” he explained at Elena’s curious look “laced with some endorphin’s. It should help the dry throat and give them both a little strength.”

Elena nodded and took it from him. While the man gently helped him sit up she put the cup to the weak man’s lips, telling him to drink some. He gulped it down thirstily and when she tried to get him to slow down by tipping the cup back away from his lips he grabbed her hand and trapped the cup there. Drinking desperately he only let her hand go when it was empty.

Then he closed his eyes, flopped against the man’s supporting grip and managed one weak rasped word “more.” He coughed again, throat moistening slightly and managed to say again “please, more.”

“It’ll take a few minutes to prepare some more,” the man said and Elena nodded her permission. He gently lowered Hank back to the bed and disappeared again. While they waited Elena watch Hank lay there, only his breathing and occasional movement showing he was still awake. Once or twice he licked his lips trying to moisten them and after the second lot he opened his eyes again.

He seemed better able to take things in, so Elena asked her questions again. “Hank do you remember what happened to you? What is the last thing you remember?”

“I....” he started, eyes distant and Elena feared that all AL’s effort hadn’t worked.

“Take your time Hank,” the man said to him gently, looking up at Elena “he’s just coming out of shock. It will take him a while to realize he’s awake and start to act like it. He has to come out of the numbness with will alone.”

It took a few days for Hank to fully recover, but every time he came too his thoughts and eyes were clearer.
Finally one day his eyes opened to almost normal. “Hank?” Elena questioned softly, barely daring to hope.

He stared at the roof blankly for a few seconds, then blinked and looked at her. “Elena? What happened? How did we get here?” Elena couldn’t stop her little cry of joy and happiness escaping her and throwing her arms around his neck. “HANK, THANK GOD!! It worked!!”

“What worked?” he frowned as he pushed her back to look at her face. “What happened? How did we get here? The others had us.....”

“No they didn’t, Hank” she shook her head solemnly “we were here the entire time. These people are free of the worms, and those for some reason immune to their power. I was put in that room to test you. If you hadn’t of hesitated to try and ‘Union’ as you call it with me then we would have known you were one of them. If not you would be offered a position among us.”

Hank frowned “but I am, sort of.”

“I know, but we trust you so far. Do you want to join? You’re in a unique position, we could learn a lot about them from you and AL. And maybe together we will stop them and free Earth.”

Hank blanched “the Prophecy.”
“What?” Elena asked curiously.

“There’s a prophecy among AL’s people telling of an rebel and his host who will one day lead free people against the others and stop them. They would be responsible for the mass destruction of the race, but also responsible for a new breed. AL and I realized we’re the rebel and host, but we never got the rest of the prophecy.”

“Curious” the man came to their sides “I’d like to know more of this prophecy later.”
“Sure” Hank’s face went blank. The man was familiar, but why? The man seemed to realized and smiled slightly “come now Hank, don’t you remember me?”

“I.......” His eyes went red for a few seconds and then faded out again and he said almost unemotionally “Tevlin Jacobs; member of Double F freedom Force.”

“That’s right!” the man clapped his hands together.

Hank’s face went normal and he said to the man “I must thank you about what you did for us. If you hadn’t of AL and I would be one of THEM now. How can we repay you?”

“I’m glad you’re alright, we need all the members we can get. I’m the main Scientist here and Doctor.” He gave a slight smile and answered Hank’s questioning look “when I was young I didn’t know what I wanted to be, so I did courses and diplomas’ for both. As for paying me back, I only want you to get well and help us. Maybe teach us all you know about them. With both your help we could save many people from their control.”

“You’ve got it” Hank said, his eyes went red and he added in another tone “my word.”
“Stop that” Elena said, a little unnerved by the way AL just kept popping through.

“Sorry” he said sheepishly “I told AL he could have a say in anything he wanted to. I remember us almost dying and he must have healed me with your help. The least I can do is give him a say in it.”

They understood and Elena spoke again, almost apologetic “it’s just unnerving talking to you and having him pop out and back in again. We don’t know who’s really speaking; who were talking to; only by your eyes.”

“My eyes?” he frowned in confusion. “Yes. Your pupils flush red every time he speaks out or is communicating with us,” the man, Tevlin said. “Oh, I didn’t know.”
“Well now you’ll know” he said soothingly “Excuse me, I’ll just get you some herbal tea.”

“Why?” Hank asked Elena when he was gone. “Because you’ve been drinking it like crazy the last few days” Elena answered. “Days?” he frowned again “how long was I out?” Elena told him all that had happened after he had fainted from the weakness in their room then added “didn’t AL tell you this?”

“He’s asleep.”
“What?”
“He’s asleep.”

“But he was just talking to......”

“Yeah, but when you said you didn’t want him talking through me like that he went to sleep.” Hank said, “he said he was exhausted, and I could feel it. I’m tired too, but not as much as he feels. He’s got a habit of trying to keep the pain from me. First when we were put together. Second when we were hurt trying to escape the others, and then when we were in that room and I was getting weaker. It was like he had bypassed my nerves so only he felt the pain, not me.”

“That was considerate of him.”

Hank nodded “he told me once that of course he would worry about my feelings and emotions. Because we were going to be part of each other for the rest of our existence. At the time I didn’t believe him.”

“But you do now” Elena supplied and he nodded. “AL earlier told me that......”

“What! You SPOKE to Al earlier!? He was dominant!”

“Yes but he was doing it so we knew how to help you......”

Hank looked furious and Elena realized her mistake. Hank and AL’s relationship was based on trust, and he only trusted AL as long as he only was in control when Hank let him. Now he was being told that the alien was in control WITHOUT his knowledge.

“He was trying to help you” she tried to defend his reasons. “So we knew how to help you and when to, and when you were able to come too. You said so yourself, he was exhausted. He’s been spending the last week or so healing you. He has not worrying about himself or about his own sleep and his own healing, only yours. If he really wanted control of you he could have left you as you were and had control of your body as his own by now.”

“But you would know and put him, put US, with the others. If he hadn’t healed me we would both be dead now, if I die he dies.”

“If we put him with the others he’d have a good chance of finding his mate and they could be together.” Elena pointed out “instead he’s here with you.”

“The others would kill him, kill US, if they found us.”

“He could just tell them that you had an unusually strong will and it’s taken him this long to gain control of you.” Elena said “and now he has.”

“They would then put a higher on us, and he would be controlled.”
“Like you think he was doing over the last few weeks?”
“Yes.”

“What would the problem with that be?” she pointed out “he would be with his mate for the rest of their-and your-life. Look Hank, I know you don’t really want to trust him, that you’d find a reason for everything he’d do that means he is on our side, but the fact of the matter is he helped you. No matter how he did it he still did. He could have easily jumped me or anyone else here and made you rape us and gain control and make us like them, but he didn’t. If you say he was too weak to, I have only one thing to say. Doesn’t he get stronger whenever you have sex?”

“Yes but.......”
“No Hank, think about it seriously for a while.“ His eyes slowly closed and when they were almost down the red increased momentarily and he said “Thank you.”

“Thank YOU for not telling him about me, AL.” He nodded and was asleep deeply within seconds.

* * * *

A few days later he was up and around, Elena leading him towards what was to be his room from then on. He had been quiet with thought since Elenas words that day and she was feeling a little guilty for making him question himself, so was chatting away friendly beside him. They reached his room. He had a look around and as Elena was about to ask him if he liked it his stomach growled and she laughed “hungry?”

“Yeah” he said softly “I haven’t eaten since.......how long have I been here?”
“Three weeks. A few days in the room and about two and a half weeks for you to recover.”

“Then about four weeks. The last time I had an home-cooked meal was with Sara.” His head suddenly lowered. His long blond hair hid his face from her, so she couldn’t see the tears in his eyes. “What is it?” She asked in concern “what’s wrong?”

“Nothing” he said “don’t worry, just painful memories.”
“I’m sorry” she apologized “I didn’t mean to make you remember.”

“It’s all right” and he told her everything, about Sara and the King and Queen. He told her EVERYTHING he had left out the first time.

“Hey” Elena said gently, taking his shoulders in her hands and massaging them comfortingly. Like she had in the room he realized. “I can understand why you’re upset. You had to leave her there and can’t forgive yourself for it. It’s okay, I understand, truly. It wasn’t your fault, you had no choice. After all, how could you help her?”

“I keep telling myself that, but I still feel that I could have. I SHOULD HAVE done something to help her. Even AL says I couldn’t help her, his words were ‘she was too deep into it to help before that time. She just fooled you too well.’ But I still feel I SHOULD have helped her, we were supposed to be there for each other. Hell, I was there to help and protect her. That’s what being together as a couple is about.”

“You couldn’t have helped her, and it wasn’t your fault. You tried your best. If you don’t believe that it will tear you up inside.” Hank couldn’t speak, starting to sob. Elena made the mistake of moving closer to him, to his side while she massaged his shoulders. Her closeness and the movements of her hands on his shoulders brought back memories of that room and Saras’ body and he grew hard.

It wasn’t AL this time for he slept, Hank could feel him curled up inside him and felt the pleasant buzzing in the back of his mind. It was almost as if the alien was snoring with the buzz of good dreams, and somehow Hank knew that they were memories of his love.

No, this time it was Hank himself. He felt himself all ready to turn and grab Elena where she was. The fear that the previous alien encounters had left him so out-of-control made Hank incredibly glad of AL. With a chocked cry he thrust her from him and fled down the hallway, not knowing where he was going only that it was away from her. Elena looked after him, stunned for a few minutes then snapped to attention and ran after him, calling his name.

But he was gone.

Confused she walked around the centre for a while, looking for him. She would ask as she passed others “have you seen the new guy? He’s about thirty with long blond hair and black and red eyes and really skinny too?” All the answers were the same until one man she met asked, “Are you looking for the new guy?”

“Yes!” she said happily “you know where he is?”
“Yeah. Storage room 2b. Better hurry, he doesn’t look so good.”

“Thanks” Elena said and ran off towards the place the man said. She called his name several times before she was answered by a low moan of pain. “Hank?” she called cautiously.

“Here” came the weak reply. She found him curled into a ball between two crates in a corner, clutching his stomach. His eyes were wide with pain and skin as pale as a ghost, body shuddering as if have withdrawal symptoms. “Hank what’s wrong?” she asked, heart in her throat. She knelt beside him “what’s wrong?”

“Don’t know....” he gasped out “AL awoke.....Started screaming.....Pain....Can’t move...Pain” he shuddered once violently.
“Hang on Hank, I’ll get some help.” When she rose to go his left hand came up and gripped her arm hard with weak and desperate fingers “hurry, please.”

She nodded and he let her go.

When she returned she lead Tevlin and two men carrying a stretcher. The Doctor\Scientist knelt and examined him, a bag next to him on the floor. “What is it, Tev?” Elena asked him in fear and concern “what could make him go to this so quickly?”

“I don’t know exactly, but near as I can figure it’s the Endorphin’s.”
“Why? I thought they were helping him and AL.”

“They were, but sexual intercourse releases more than just that hormone into the body. They’ve both probably had too much of the same hormone. I should of thought of this. It’s made them sick. I should have added Adrenalin and some others in the lot, but it didn’t occur to me.”

“But he told us it was Endorphin.”

“Only because it’s Hanks’ knowledge of the hormones released. Not many other people know of the others.” As he pulled a needle out of his bag and filled it with something she asked him “what are you doing?”

“Giving him a sedative so he can sleep. We can then move him and see about helping him properly.” As Elena watched Tevlin grasped his wrist and moved it out, Hank’s eyes were clouding over, going blank as they had spoke and when Tevlin saw it he clucked in disapproval. “He’s going back into shock, this is bad.” And pushed the needle point into his visible vein on the inner-wrist.

Hank just blinked and didn’t move or even wince, which scared Elena.

When Tevlin pulled the needle out and wiped the blood from the tiny spot they watched the man’s eyes start to flutter and close. Just before they did they saw the entire eyes go red. The panicked look of AL that came through was enough to make them all realize how serious it was.

Even the alien entity was in pain and scared of what was happening. Calm, controlled AL was scared. They then put him on the stretcher and moved him back to the lab, laying him out and discussing the amount and what hormones to use. Elena sat beside him and gripped his arm, watching his pale face with worry; concern and fear.

When Tevlin came back she looked up, face pleading. “Can’t you do anything, Tev?! If he dies we’ll never have a chance to find out about the others and how to stop them. And they couldn’t fore fill the prophecy!!” The man looked at her for long seconds and his face suddenly went blank. Softly he said, “you’re in love with him, aren’t you.”

“I....I don’t know. All I know right now is that we have to save him. He’s an valuable assets and an noble man.”
“I’ll see what I can do, Hellena. I can’t promise anything but we’ll all try.”
“Thanks Tevlin, that’s all I ask.”
“Meanwhile stay with him and he may come out of it himself.”

Elena nodded and looked back at him laid out on the bed. She didn’t see Tevlin’s face as he glanced at her before leaving them alone.

* * * *

Days later Elena was just starting to give up when Hank moaned and came too suddenly. Excited Elena took his hand and gripped it tightly, reassuringly. Slowly his eyes fluttered and then opened, almost like he was forcing them. They took a bit to focus on her and then his voice was barely audible “Elena.”

“Yes, it’s me. How are you feeling?”
“Weak. How long was I out this time?”

“A few days. Tevlin found a way to help you that won’t make side-affects like before. You can stay here until you’re better, then we’ll move you too your room.”

“Thanks” he said weakly and closed his eyes. “That’s okay” Elena said softly as she watched him drop back off to sleep.


About four days later he was up and around again fully recovered, and after a large meal from the kitchen Elena was giving him a guided tour of the center. He looked at her in gratitude and wonder and asked softly “How can we ever repay you all for all this? For trusting us and giving us a place to live and belong in safety.”

“Just join us and help us against your kind. Help us drive them back to their own world and find a way to separate host and alien.”

“I....I, let us think about it. I might as well tell you though, the only way to separate host from alien is if they haven’t properly linked yet. But that takes less than half an hour.”

“That’s something at least. Tevlin wants us in the lab, coming?”
“Yeah, alright.” Together the two headed for the Double F laboratory.

They found Tevlin bent over a microscope and examining something there intently, so intently that he didn’t look up as they entered. As they entered Hank sucked in breath sharply and backed up a little, staring at what was there. “What is it?” she asked him when she noticed what he had under the microscope. A blood-red worm with two sets of teeth on either side. The scientist\doctor glanced up at them before returning to the microscope “it’s alright, it’s dead.”

“How do YOU know that for sure?”
“It was impaled and then frozen. No creature can survive BOTH.”

“THEY can” Hank said, almost hissing it out. “How do you know it’s alive?” Tevlin asked softly, looking at him closely.

“How else?” he motioned between his legs and continued “AL’s panicking. Besides, because of him my senses are better than yours and I can feel the power and life in it. It’s a Higher, get rid of it now! If you don’t you’ll have one of them on your hands. Get rid of it before it can recover itself, or it will get control of AL and then me!”

“But it can’t do anything to you now.”

“Damn you it’s alive, get rid or it!!” Hank yelled. His voice showed fear and anger as he slowly backed away from it, towards the door “get rid of it before it awakens!!”

“Tevlin maybe you should....” Elena started. Suddenly Hank cried out loudly in pain and clamped his hands over his ears as if to block something out. His eyes screwed up as he fought something, crying out in pain. “What’s wrong, Hank?” Elena asked in confusion “what is it?”

Hank couldn’t answer.

It was then, when Tevlin gasped and moved back, that she saw the worm under the microscope. It was moving, bending in half and then going straight, bending in half again. Slowly and painfully it started to crawl down onto the table top and make it’s way toward Hank.

“Kill it!!” he managed to scream “before it gets control of us!!”
“But how?”

“Fire, the Bunsen” Hank managed before a scream of pain chocked off the rest of his words. He collapsed to his knee’s, weaker and his screams becoming dry. Suddenly he stopped and raised his head, expression blank. Slowly he smiled, revealing newly grown fangs. He rose and started to take slow faltering steps forward-towards Elena, reaching for her.

“No Hank!” she cried in horror as he seized her with steel fingers, back-handing Tevlin across the room when he tried to separate them. Elena struggled, trying to get away, but he forced her to the floor. With eyes blank and teeth glistening with drops of the paralyze poison he grabbed the top of her blouse.

Tevlin struggled to his feet, forehead bleeding from the impact with the wall and eye already swelling from Hanks blow. He moved to separate them again, but Elena called “No! The Higher, kill it! It’s making them do this! Kill it and you’ll free them both!!”

As Hank ripped into her clothes his mouth lowered towards an exposed breast Tevlin grabbed a pair of long-necked tongs. Taking the worm in the middle with them he swung it around, the two sets of tiny teeth gnashing. They tried to get to and bite him, yet still controlling AL and Hank.

Just as Hanks mouth and teeth latched to a breast and the fangs dug deep into her sensitive soft skin, the worm was put into the flame. Elena cried out in pain as it struggled in the center, Tevlin gagging at the smell as it started to burn. But he kept it there until nothing was left.

As it burnt, Hank changed. At first his hands shook and then his body. Then he suddenly let her go and started to give off a high-pitched scream

of agony and fear. His head went back and hands to his face as he fell off her and onto his knees, hunched over. Hank buried his face into the floor, his screams becoming muffled by the cement floor.

“Hank....Hank?” was all Elena managed, reaching for him in his pain. Then she blacked out from shock and the new poisons’ affect.

* * * *