The Preserve, Monday Afternoon

[age_of_the_geek]

He was not hiding. The Brood were proud and fierce warriors and Brood!Hardison was no exception. He was simply biding his time, waiting for the transformation to complete unimpeded. The host weakened him, made him doubt and hesitate, sometimes even dared to drown out the Hivemind with his puling and wailing. It was...inconvenient. And really,

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[whoisalicewhite]

Seriously! Parker's Brood-brain would completely agree with Hardison's. She'd kept it very, very busy since Saturday morning. Maybe they could confab about that.

"I can tell you're ouuuuut there," Parker sing-songed away, wandering into the wood. Nothing to be afraid of. Anything out there should be afraid of her. "Olly olly oxen freee! Olly olly onsen freee! Olly olly olive ooooil..."

[age_of_the_geek]

Why couldn't the hosts just accept their inevitable fate gracefully and just relinquish control and go off and die? Not hang around being obnoxious all the time?

"I can still feel that one's thoughts pressing against yours!" Hardison called out from the underbrush.

[whoisalicewhite]

Pressing and twining and braiding and sometimes twirling, yup. "So! Come out and help distract her!" The Brood surged to the front for a minute when she yelled, "I haven't gotten to kill anyone yet! I've been keeping her from jumping off buildings! And taking over the Brood! And boosting all the chocolate on the Island, whatever that is!"

[age_of_the_geek]

"This one has been mewling! And whining! And crying because I chastised its mate! And because I have stayed in the outdoors all night!" Hardison came out from the underbrush. At some point, he'd lost his shirt, letting his scales gleam in the sunlight. "Such constant whining!"

[whoisalicewhite]

"Nice look." ParkerBrood agreed with itself totally on that. The scales! The shirtlessness! So pretty. And distracting! "This one found that mate later. He's at the Clinic." She pouted, rubbing at the scales along her arms. "This one wouldn't let up until we took him there. Rude." She smiled at the OtherBrood, feeling more cheerful. "You're wearing this one's mate too."

[age_of_the_geek]

"Be careful," Hardison said, pulling Parker roughly into his arms. "The mate wanted the host to go to the clinic as well, so they could remove me before the transformation was finished. That's why I had to punish him." Beat. "And also because he was a human and I wanted to."

Obvious statement was obvious.

"But he'll be useful. According to this one's memories, he knows much."

[whoisalicewhite]

"He's very sturdy," Parker agreed, stroking the scales along his shoulders. "This host gave him her Taser, and then decided to come back out to find you. The Clinic people had no idea how to stop her. Me. Us." She sneered and added, "They have no idea how to excise the Brood. We are safe. And victorious. And in space!"

That still croggled the Parker part of her a bit.

[age_of_the_geek]

And the Hardison bit once more started wailing about the unfairness of being in space and not being able to properly appreciate it. The Brood shook his head in annoyance, like he was trying to flick off an annoying bug.

"More for us to conquer," he said. "Some of our siblings must have taken control."

Sure, the HIvemind hadn't said that, but what was the other option?

[whoisalicewhite]

"And other universes," Parker said dreamily. "Invading this tiny island was a master stroke, it seems." She slid closer to him, and nuzzled his jawline. "This one's mate texted that there is now a machine to strengthen us, too. Our siblings have been very busy."

[age_of_the_geek]

"Just figures they got all the good hosts," Hardison grumbled, pressing a kiss to a patch of scales. "The only upsides I can see to having chosen this one is its proximity to you."

Awww! How...sweet?

"Are there any Queens left on the island? Or perhaps that's what this machine does?" They really should infect the mate of these two. The useful one.

[whoisalicewhite]

They should! How much fun would it be, to watch him tear through the galaxy, ripping off heads with his tentacles?

"I believe so. There must be, if we are in space." Yes, that was the logic Parker was going with there. "Ooohhh, do you think maybe the machine could turn us into Queens? I would love that! We could infect populations together!" And raise them like all little Brood should be raised... "And then we can take out the Queen that spawned us."

Or maybe not let Hardison be a Queen, so as to avoid conflict? Decisions, decisions.

(Wait, why was that a decision? They loved conflict!

...but then again, they also really loved these snuggles and kisses.)

"That feels nice. These bodies are so tactile."

[age_of_the_geek]

"The mate already murdered the Queen that spawned me," Hardison admitted. Dammit, the embryo that got that host was going to be awesome. Maybe he should just go kill that host before it had a chance to...host.

"These bodies are puny and weak and pitiful," Hardison declared, even as his hands found Parker's waist and pulled her in. "I will much prefer our proper forms when the evolution is finished."

Ignore how he was nuzzling her hair.

[whoisalicewhite]

"Much more efficient," Parker had to agree, sighing. Nibbling on his ear had no purpose whatsoever; it had no nutrients this body could process. And yet, that was what she was doing. "Also, terrifying. This body is flexible, but innately flawed."

Then again, it had lips, which made kissing down his neck a lot easier.

"We should get the mate hosted soon. Or he will attempt to stop us again." And perhaps injure himself. Or injure them. Ridiculous concept, no, no, it would just be for the good of the Brood. "...after we're stronger." No reason to make the guy the strongest one of them, or take him on before they were at their peak!

[age_of_the_geek]

"We will get strong first," Hardison agreed, running his hands along her back. Checking for...further scale growth, yes! And lamenting the lack of spines and tentacles and the like. Really. Not luxuriating in how soft her skin was or anything. "One of us will become Queen and then we will implant an embryo in him so he uses that strength properly."

[whoisalicewhite]

"Precisely," Parker hissed, with a tongue that was starting to fork a bit. "But first..."

Might as well indulge in all this tactility while they had it. Right? Right! And check for more scales, everywhere else.

[age_of_the_geek]

Oh yes. Checking for scales was of the utmost importance. They'd go get strong and continue to take over the galaxy, but first he needed to pull Parker down onto this patch of conquered Earth and--

It would be a little bit before they made it back to Eliot.