Pathogenesis: The Coming Storm
This is the first of a rather lengthy series. It has heavy dark horror elements later on. If you aren't a fan of the sci-fi horror genre, move along. If you are under 18 or you shouldn't be looking at this sort of thing, move along. If you have objections to graphic violence and adult themes, move along.
If, however, you love the idea of tentacles, alien parasites, vore, mind control, transformation, and hard-core weirdness...Let me introduce to you -- Pathogenesis!
(This story only contains mild gore and nudity. The good stuff comes after a bit of plot development.)
Pathogenesis: Chapter 1
The Coming Storm
© Searska GreyRaven
The space port's lounge was virtually deserted, except for a single Chiropteran pilot smeared with blue blood. She was small for a Chiropteran, just above five feet tall, though her wingspan was almost twice that. Her black, leathery wings fluttered against her back, more of the bluish goop dried in streaks along the membranes. The anthropomorphic bat grimaced as the dried blood pulled at her skin. She finally crossed her arms and folded her wings, choosing to look annoyed rather than uncomfortable. Not that anyone seemed to be taking notice.
The seats of the station were grey vinyl, and the token carpet spattered with a paisley pattern. A few raccoons scurried across the walkway, gesturing to clipboards and paying her no mind.
Chira shook her head, making the many earrings along its furred edge jingle pleasantly. She had been waiting for the better part of the afternoon for her ship to be refueled and repaired. She tapped her boot against the plasglass floor impatiently and glanced at her watch. The Head of Engineering had said that everything should be done by sunset, but the reddish orb was already sinking below the horizon and the raccoon had yet to make an appearance.
_ _ With a sigh, Chira left the waiting room in search of somewhere to relieve her bladder and hopefully clean off some of the space-squid goo.
The door to the bathroom opened with a sharp squeak, making Chira wince. She flicked her ears and stepped inside. After taking care of her business, she checked her reflection in the mirror. She barely recognized the bat staring back at her.
"Bloody stars, I look like hell." She murmured. Her fur was ruffled and stuck out in all directions, and was stained with blue blood. She licked her palm and tried to wash out some of the tacky gunk, but only a good shower would clean it from her fur now. With a grumble, Chira turned the faucet on and splashed water on her face. The basin came to her chest, and she had to stretch for the water.
She flicked her ears again, and the reassuring sound of her earrings echoed gently in the empty bathroom. She touched the first two earrings, near the tip of her enormous ears and smiled. The first was from her father, her Clan Seal. Her long fingers lingered on the second earring. It was her rank, Ship's Captain, and the flattened disc of metal glittered in the artificial lights. Her wings fluttered against her back. There were no words, in Common or in Chiropteran, to express her joy and gratitude for being chosen as the captain for her father's new ship.
Her smile faded. Yes, she was chosen, and promptly flew into a squid ambush. Their weapons had nearly reduced her ship to scrap and forced her to land on this backward little planet, begging for help. She was lucky that the raccoon clan that made this station was one of the neutral clans.
Chira ran her claws through her fur and managed to make herself a little more presentable. With a slight nod to her reflection, she left the bathroom and found a red panda waiting for her. His coveralls reminded her of the winter storms that blew through her homeland-all black and grey, but with a few patches of blue. The sudden reminder of her home made Chira's chest tight, and her wings fluttered anxiously until she folded them tightly against her back.
"Chira?" He asked. His whiskers twitched nervously. Chira smiled, carefully hiding her teeth. Baring one's teeth was an act of aggression, and while she was annoyed that the repairs were taking so long, she didn't want to make a bad impression. They were fixing her ship, after all.
"Is my ship ready?" Chira replied. The red panda nodded and beckoned her to follow him.
They arrived a few minutes later at the hanger. Chira's ship hovered forlornly near the back of the stall. It's once-shiny hull was now patched over with unpolished sheets of metal, and dents peppered the few parts that had been left intact. All of the colorful paint had burned off during re-entry to the planet's atmosphere. Her ship was battered and beaten, but it had survived. The red panda gave Chira a slight bow and left. A moment later, a slim raccoon entered the spacious stall, wiping his paws on a blue towel.
"Well, she isn't perfect, but she'll get you back to Chiropteran space, which is where I'm guessing you will be heading." It was the Head of Engineering. "Unless you want another round with the squids."
"Not without an army at my back." Chira muttered. The raccoon barked a laugh and shook his head. He approached Chira and held out his clean paw.
"I'm Logan, by the way. I oversaw the repairs on your ship. She's a fine vessel."
Chira shook his paw and smiled. "Thank you. What are the damages?"
"Nothing too bad, actually. Most of it looked worse than it was. A few of your sensors got fried, and the engine blew a few fuses when you were nailed with an EMP, but your defense grid absorbed most of the energy. The hull plating took the brunt of it. If you want, we can put you up for the night here, polish her up and take out those nasty dents." Logan offered. Chira shook her head.
"My people can fix the rest. As long as it will fly, I'm good to go." She said. "Besides, I don't know if I can afford the cosmetic repairs."
"Nonsense! I'll do it for you free of charge." Logan said. Chira narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Now why would you want to do that?" she asked.
"Relax, my batty friend. I haven't alerted the Council or the Galactic Bureau. Think of it as...returning a favor. It's a long story. But if you're game, I'll explain it to you over a few pints." Logan said.
Chira narrowed her eyes, but the raccoon seemed to be telling the truth. Bemused and more than a little curious, she nodded. "Alright, I accept. Now, what do I owe you for the rest of the work?"
Logan went over the work order, explaining the details as she asked for them, until Chira declared herself satisfied. Chira gave Logan her credit card, and he ran it through a small machine near the door of the stall. Logan gave some last orders to the red panda (whose name was Aurus) and escorted her out of the hanger.
"If you don't mind, do you have a shower or decon room I can use? I would really like to get this gunk off." Chira said. Logan gave her a once-over and nodded.
"Certainly. We have one in the compound for when we have the really nasty jobs, like changing contaminated fluids. It should be relatively clean."
Logan led her to the back of the main office. Chira couldn't help but notice the difference. The office was large without being too much. Soft florescent lights gave it a feeling of constant twilight. The walls were painted a cool green, and every few feet she could see an abstract painting hung like a colorful flower in a bed of pale moss. Logan opened an opaque door and beckoned her to step inside.
"Holler if you need anything." He said with a sly wink. Chira smiled flirtatiously and went inside.
The decon chamber was as cozy as the office, with the same pastel color scheme. The floor was made of faux stone tiles. Chira took off her boots and vest, and set them inside a small plasglass chamber-a mini washer/dryer unit. Hopefully, they would be clean by the time she was finished. She closed the lid and pressed a shiny red button to start the cycle before stepping naked into the main decon room. As she lay on the bench, watching the decontamination mist fill the chamber, she thought about what had happened to her ship. How could I have missed them on my radar? The squids don't have cloaking technology... Unless they stole it. The thought made her brow crease with worry.
The decontaminating fog collected on Chira's body, and in the dim light it looked as if her fur had been replaced by diamonds. Chira stood and shook herself off, scattering droplets in all directions. She resisted the urge to lick her wings and fur dry, knowing from dreadful past experience that decon fluid tasted ghastly and made her tongue numb for hours. A panel flicked to life, and several options blinked on. Chira smiled and pressed her thumb against the last choice. She wanted a real shower, and since the station had the means to allow her the option, she took it gratefully. The misters hissed to a stop, and were replaced with a gentle shower of water. Another nozzle emerged from a hidden cubby . Chira turned her back to it, and a moment later a spray of thick white foam coated her back. She turned, scrubbing the foam into her fur and she moved, and finally the nozzle retreated. The water pressure increased, rinsing her fur and wings clean. Blue-tinted water flowed down the drain, taking away at least part of her worry with it.
Chira stood under the falling water, simply enjoying the feeling of it flowing through her fur and against her skin. Too soon, the water shut off and a gentle breeze fanned through the chamber. Chira shook the excess water off and flared her wings. The wind wasn't strong enough to make her take off, but she felt the lift pull her up until she was standing on tiptoe. The fan shut off, and the decon door opened.
Humming to herself, Chira opened the smaller chamber with her clothes and unfolded them. Good as new. She smiled. They even smelled like oranges. She carefully maneuvered her wings through the large arm holes in her green vest and slipped on her boots. Chiropterans didn't wear much as far as clothing went. Most anthro clans held similar views on nudity. If you didn't need it, why have it? The only reason Chira insisted on the vest was because it had many pockets and didn't interfere with her wings.
Chira left the decon chamber feeling relaxed and refreshed. But Logan wasn't waiting for her. It was Aurus, the red panda.
"Logan sent me. There's been an attack on a base near here, and he was called in to fight. He wanted me to give you this, with his promise that, if you were able to spare the time, he would like to have brunch with you tomorrow." Aurus held out a key card. Chira took it, frowning.
"Is all well?" she asked.
"As well as it can be. We shall see. But what shall I tell Logan when he returns? Do you accept his invitation?"
Chira smiled. "If he returns, I shall." She said. Aurus grinned and nodded.
"Very well. He will probably knock around nine." After Aurus pointed her in the right direction, Chira found her room. Standard hotel fare, nothing special. She undressed and gave the bed a disdainful look. She pulled the blanket off and dragged it into the bathroom. She pulled aside the shower curtain, arranged the blanket along the floor (there was no bathtub) and jumped. Her feet snared the bar and she hung, suspended. With a yawn, Chira flicked the light off and folded her wings around her. She would get to the bottom of all this tomorrow. And, she thought with a grin, maybe get a little of Logan's bottom in the process!