Release the Younglings

Warmth.

Floating.

The fleeting and similar thoughts of its siblings.

The minds of Mother and Father.

The presence of Elevated Ones.

The watchful eyes of Warriors.

It floated. Suspended inside its warm world, a single pinprick of primal awareness in a galaxy of the same. It knew nothing but its warm world. It knew its siblings were also in their own warm worlds. It felt the presence of others, members of Hive and Nest, tending to it, to them, but it did not sense what it was waiting for.

It didn't know what it was waiting for, but knew it would know when the time came.

It floated. Inside the perfect darkness of its warm world, it knew not the passing of time. It could not know if merely moments had passed or many thousands of cycles. It also didn't care. It knew that when it was needed, it would know.

It didn't know why it was needed, but knew it would know when the time came.

As it floated, it suddenly sensed two of its siblings leaving, taken by an Elevated One. It felt nothing, not sadness, not loss, not anticipation or joy. It knew that when it was time for it to leave, it would know.

It didn't know when it was to leave, but knew it would know when the time came.

As it floated, it sensed the presence of Warriors amongst it and its siblings, ensuring that they were not disturbed until they were ready for their host. It knew not why it had a specific target. It just knew that it was instrumental to the growth of the hive.

It didn't know who its target was, but knew it would know when the time came.

It floated... there. A call. A melodious and whispering call, knowledge seeping into primeval sapience: The Voice of Mother, telling them their tasks. It would not be long now before it would leave the comfort and safety of its warm world and enter a new one.

It twisted and turned, assimilating the new information Mother had given it, writhing with anticipation as it felt its purpose was drawing near.

It writhed, knowledge totally alien and yet completely understood floating through its mind... suddenly, a growling voice, instilling fear and yet with protective overtones. Brooking no failure, and yet laced with anticipatory pride. It pierced through its mind like a knife, filling it and its siblings with determination. Father's Voice. It was time. It and its siblings now knew what, why, when and who. They were ready, and then, with one last growling push from Father, it surged upward.

As one, the hundreds of eggs split open and released the creatures within. Witnessed only by the silently watching Drones, they flowed like a reverse waterfall up the stairs, through the empty hall, and finally out the door held open by Na'ti, who had a smile on her face as she watched the culmination of the past days' work scurry past her on their way to set in motion something incredible.

At the edge of the property, the wave, nearly invisible in the weak moonlight, split into two. The smaller group dispersed themselves throughout the neighboring buildings, finding their way into houses through open doors, windows, chimneys, any means possible. Quickly and efficiently doing their work to transform the surrounding area into the first nest, and the beginning of the Hive. By morning, the area will have been completely transformed underground, a complex network of tunnels dug, with hidden access ways throughout. By the time the sun would rise on the next day, while the area would look the same on the surface, the area surrounding the house that belonged to Jess would be deadly to any who entered, being quickly captured and whisked down into the tunnel network before being restrained in preparation for transformation. But that was for the next day.

After the initial split, the majority of the creatures scuttled down the nearest storm drain, before making their way towards the city center. There they would split again, this time into three groups, one headed for the hospital, one for the fire station, and the last for the police station. They would also take anyone they saw on their way, ensuring the alarm could not be raised until it was too late.

As each group approached their designated target, they began to split off, until the last of the groups finally exited the sewer system near the brightly lit hospital.

They knew they would have to wait, to allow their brethren time to ensure that no hint of their attack was given before it was too late for those they were sent to take.

As they waited in the darkness, occasionally one of their number would leave, seeing a target moving towards them and heading off any potential for alert.

Then it was time. As one, they surged forward, a wave of darkness moving across the brightly lit area in front of the building. Just before they hit the main entrance, they split into three once again, the two sides, larger than the middle, breaking off and suddenly crawling up the walls of the building, looking for ways to get inside, while the smaller group in the middle surged inside.

It was like something out of a horror movie; before anyone in the lobby had a chance to do anything, they were attacked and silenced, their bodies convulsing as they were transformed. The remaining number made their way into the hospital proper, some occasionally breaking off as they detected viable prey. This scene was repeated over and over again throughout not only the hospital, but the police and fire stations as well. It was a perfectly executed attack, not one hint of their passing was seen, and not one person was able to escape and warn someone else.

Soon, the first Drones were coming to and beginning to receive their own instructions from the Imperials, and they split into two groups. The first group at each location began to tunnel their way not only towards the nest, but also to the other locations, thus allowing easy and undetectable transport of new victims from each location. The other group began making their way towards the hospital in order to transport all those who weren't transformed to the nest's network.

By the time the first vestiges of light were showing over the city, each and every one of the creatures was dead, having successfully transformed some unsuspecting passerby or first responder into a Drone, and though from the surface the town still looked the same, underneath ran a vast network of tunnels dug by using the highly acidic properties of the blood of the drones to quickly melt and reinforce the stone, dirt and concreate that the tunnels ran through.

Now, suspended in various large underground caverns, dozens upon dozens of hospital workers, patients and random individuals, who had the misfortune to go where they shouldn't have, awaited their turn to be transformed. Some hung limply, either **** or too scared or resigned to do anything, but others struggled, straining against their bonds in a **** but ultimately futile attempt to escape. While prowling around through the various tunnels, silent but watchful Drones patrolled, making sure nothing threatened the plans of their Imperials.

While they initially rested, neither Wey'land nor Yu'tani were out of commission for long. In fact, it was just under four hours later that they were awake once more. After giving their young the information they needed, they discussed the plans for the next day, before quickly realizing a flaw in their plan, though luckily it was one they could rectify easily enough. Yu'tani pointed out that even though they would have eliminated the three most important buildings, they wouldn't have any Ovomorphs with which to take over the citizens when they came out of the shadows the next day. Wey'land acknowledged her point, and they spent the remainder of the night doing much the same as the night before, but with an unforeseen, but certainly welcome surprise.

For reasons neither knew, the size of the clutches that Yu'tain was producing were four times larger than they had been, and the recovery time was only a quarter of the previously needed time as well, and the egg count quickly rose. By the time the sun was peaking through the curtains, they had amassed thousands upon thousands of eggs, easily enough to take over the entire area, and then some. However, the nearly constant egg laying had its effect on Yu'tani, and she slumped onto the bed, exhausted, after laying her last clutch. Wey'land gently tucked her in, before going down and into one of the innumerable entrances to the nest's tunnel network, A'da at his heels, while Na'ti watched over her Mistress.

As he went, he stopped every once in a while to personally change a woman he particularly liked, turning them into Praetorians under the command of A'da, who took to her role of general like a fish to water, and was soon issuing commands to her subordinates in preparation for the take over. It was only around an hour later that one of the newly created Praetorians returned and reported that the town was beginning to wake up, and that this would be an ideal time for the strike to occur.

Wey'land nodded his head, and using his mental link with all those under his control, commanded his newly bolstered **** of Drones to begin making their way towards the various exits hidden around the city in preparation for his command to begin the invasion.

He couldn't help but give a menacing grin as he heard the sounds of marching Drones accompanied by the skittering of Ovomorphs as they moved as one fluid unit towards their assigned points, the bulky and gleaming crests of Praetorians leading their squads with proud steps.

"Soon," he said to A'da, anticipation and bloodlust leaking into his voice, "soon the world above will know nothing but terror, and we will start creating something here that will be remembered and endure throughout the rest of time."

A'da looked at her Master with admiration in her eyes, the conviction of a true zealot believer shining through them. "And no one will be able to stop you and the Lady in your goals, Master."

Wey'land nodded, but his eyes hardened as well. "Yes, that reminds me, A'da, send for you old friends, I have need of them again."

A'da nodded, and before long two Drones stood before Wey'land, awaiting his orders. He spoke tersely and briefly, not wasting any time on giving them any more than the basics, knowing they would take some time to get to their objective, and he would brief them in more depth once he had taken this first town. They growled their understanding of his orders, before dashing away, back towards the desert where they had first encountered the Imperials.

Wey'land had already put them out of his mind, focusing on the here and now. Using his mental link with his children, he pushed, making sure that his growling voice overshadowed anything else. "Today, my children, we begin our conquest of the world of humanity. We will take from them land to call our own, to make nest, and Hive. To spread, to thrive, in what most would call an inhospitable place. I know better. I know that through my leadership, carried out by my Praetorians and acted out by my Drones, we can make a lasting mark on this world! Now, my children..." Here he used his spoken voice, laced with primal anticipation, bloodlust and rage, to growl a single word heard by all in the subterranean nest, and many of those above, though to them it was a mere rumble of the ground, "ATTACK!"

Hey all, JokersToTheLeft here, with another reminder that the genius who created this story and is so generously letting me play in his sandbox has a discord for people who like the story to discuss stuff they like or would want to see with fellow Contagion enthusiasts, not to mention getting to ask us authors a thing or two as well, who knows, we might even take some of your suggestions and incorporate them into our branch.

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