Swarm Infestation [Complete]

Siren only giggled with a hand covering her mouth as they watched Emerl eat, "Oh wow, somebody was certainly hungry, weren't they?" When her guest started up her introduction, the alien could only sit there and tilt her head as Emerl's mouth went a mile a minute. Anytime she tried to open her own mouth, the other girl would just keep going and she would shut her mouth again.

"...I know we already said this, but our new friend is certainly not from around here..." Alan remarked to Aurora.

"Got that right, and it's also obvious we're gonna need to keep a close eye on her for a while. There's much to learn if she wants to make a life for herself here on Earth...," Aurora commented, "...But if what I'm hearing is any indication, she might be suited for a life out in the countryside."

Before Alan could make a comment in return, the pair noticed how down Emerl suddenly became and Siren went to her side, trying to gently rub her head to soothe her, "Hey...it's gonna be alright. You've been through so much in one day...what you need now is rest, and you're not gonna get it here on this couch..."

Siren would then attempt to help her up and guide her into the bedroom where Emerl would then be tucked in, "Now, rest, and if you need anything at all, I'll be right out here."

Emerl noticed Siren moving closer to her but she did not do anything except pull her bag of food closer to herself. Another wave of regret hit her as punishment for her reliance on her old simple lifestyle. Mauve was gone. Aurina was gone. She could not return to Swarm Tactics and she was stuck on this Dirt world. Sure it had some good things but it did not have her family and friends. It had weird things like T-16 golems without mechins and aliens... whatever those were. Siren had an idea. A good night sleep. Emerl smiled a little bit. She did not need as much sleep as Aurins but she did not protest the idea. Maybe this would all just be a dream and then she will wake up back in the guild. That was it!

Emerl got up still hugging the bag of food under her cloak and followed Siren into the bedroom. Upon looking at the bed she gasp.
"Oh no no no... I-I... I can't afford this... This bed... its too uhh... fancy. This is trick... This is trap!" Her antenna inspected the air as the girl poked blankets.
"So... so soft. I... I never seen one like this," She rubbed her hands over the bed, "Its like... uhh... can't described... A bunch of leaves but without the crunch and itch bugs... There are not bugs right?"
Emerl turned to alien half confused, half amazed.
"I would be good with just a branch or a pile of hay... Thank you... I... I... can't give you anything to cover this. I mean... well... I..."
She took out her black bowie style knife. "This is most valuable object I have... I don't think it covers all this... But noo... I dont want to give..."
Her mind quickly changed as thoughts raced through her head.
"Its trap... no... I... Do you have... noo... Argh... I am so confused. Dont know what to do."
Her face went red before she covered it with her hands. It was all just so much for her to bare, like going from the slums to becoming a princess.

Siren raised an eyebrow at her guest being so distraught at the sight of a bed. Just what kind of life was the poor girl use to? Regardless, when Emerl offered the knife to Siren the alien only shook her head with a smile, "No, you keep that. I'm not sure what kind of living you're use to, but you're my guest and I want you to be comfortable," She gestured to the bag, "Might wanna set that aside though so it's more comfortable for you to sleep. Relax, nobody's gonna touch it. You have my word,"

Seeing how anxious Emerl was, Siren went to put a hand on her shoulder, "Hey...take a deep breath...hold it for a few seconds...then let it out slowly. Keep doing that until you've relaxed a little. Trust me, it works better than you might think..."

Emerl pulled held her knife close to her chest. It was not a trap. She was safe. She took a deep breath and sat on the incredibly soft bed. It was safe. She closed her eyes and took another breath. It was okay. One finally breath gave her the confidence to remove her weaponry and place them on the floor next to the wall. Then she placed her hands on her dress before realizing something.
"I know this is weird... but are you a boy or a girl. I really shouldn't change in front boys. Mauve complains it makes me unladylike like?"

At Emerl's question, Siren scratched the back of her neck in an embarrassed manner, "That's...kinda hard to explain...but I guess the easiest answer I can give is I identify as both so it really don't make much difference. It's confusing, I know, but...it might be better if I just show you what I mean. Don't worry, I'm not gonna strip or anything but you might wanna brace yourself..."

A flash of light and floating in front of Emerl were two smaller aliens who each bowed respectfully to her, "I'm Alan, and this is Aurora," One of the aliens with the more masculine voice said while gesturing to his friend.

"We know you have a million questions right now but I think those can wait until after you get some sleep," Aurora advised their guest before letting out a yawn, "I need a nap myself anyways so we'll just close this door and give you some privacy. Don't worry, you're not being locked in or anything. Watch," Aurora used her telekinesis to close the door, "You just turn the knob and pull. That's all,"

The two aliens floated out to the living room where a pair of smaller beds were waiting, "Remember. We're right out here if you need us." Alan reminded Emerl.

Emerl squinted her eyes after hearing the answer. What did the alien mean by "identify as both." Instead of saying anything she backed into the bed crawling under the covers while stare suspiciously at the creature. Boy the bed was soft. How would she go to sleep like this. With a flash of light, everything made sense. That was until it didn't.

"You... you are 2... Oh you must be Turman with Heart. I can make two of me..." She closed her eyes her antenna started twitching. A fire burned in her stomach as she worked up the energy. Then another girl popped out of Emerl with glowing blue eyes. Emerl started panting as the drone picked it's self up. So am I alien too?
"Why you name Daughters? They don't live long... and your voice is deeper. And..." Suddenly her mouth stopped working and she felt dizzy. Her eyes closed and her antenna's twitch. A weird sweet smell filled the air. The drone turned to its master and to the two aliens.
"We understand is agree. Is too tired to go..." The drone started to tremble. Then it fell to the ground and faded away. Emerl let out a loud lawn and curled up under the blanket like a cocoon. It would be a deep sleep. Not even the cries of a roaster could wake her.

The two aliens watched Emerl go to sleep then nodded to each other and went to retire for a nap as well...

Sometime Later...

When Emerl next awoke she would likely be drawn out to the kitchen where Siren was standing at the stove, cooking eggs and ham in one pan and some pancakes in the other. The wonders of having telekinesis.

Antennas twitched around the blankets as the smell of roasting meat floated in. Emerl grabbed on to her antennas pulling them down to her face but she could not stop the smell. She rolled around in the soft bed completely engulfed in blankets. Her sleep was so good. She did not want to leave. Eventually Mauve would get her. He might even make a joke about it. He... that's right, he was not coming. Emerl picked herself off the bed and rubbed her eyes. Looking around, she saw she was still in the room. The room of that alien... or those? She was really tired last light and remember seeing two of them... maybe? It didn't matter. She had more important things to do.

with her weapons at her waist and her cloak around her neck, she followed the smell of food down stairs. Her stomach rumbled as she walked into the kitchen where the 1 alien was cooking or was it? All the pots and foods were just flying everywhere. It was pretty scary... if not a little cool. Maybe if she was younger she could admire it more. Still she could not help but quietly watch while wiping the drool from her mouth.

It was too much. She did not want to wait anymore. So she took out her bag and started eating some of the cold meat she saved from yesterday. It was not as good as when it was warm but it still was tasty. Then she moved to the couch and curled up into a snugly ball. Closing her eyes once more. She was still exhausted from yesterday. Almost dying and getting sent to a new world does that to a person..

The sound of footsteps alerted Siren to their guests' presence. They turned their head, smiling, "Hey there. Had a good nap? Sorry if I woke you. I got kinda hungry and thought I'd cook something up. If you want, I-" She stopped at seeing Emerl curling up on the couch and going back to sleep, "...Maybe later."

She covered the cooked food for later and went to sit near Emerl. She was quiet for a bit...but eventually she opened her mouth and began to sing. A soft melody that stirred the heart and would hopefully bring up thoughts of happier times. Perhaps in some small way this would soothe the poor girl's soul?

Emerl opened an eye after the alien sat next to her. It was interesting to see what the creature would do next, more interesting than falling back to sleep. However, her body still wanted to sleep. The girl let out a loud yawn and closed her eyes. Her antenna bounced around mapping the different things in the room. She was used to the smell of cooked food though it did not stop her from getting hungry. So she pulled a chewed gummy bear out of her bag and pushed it into her mouth. The alien would soon start singing. Their voice, it was special. Hearing the weird song made the girl feel bubbly and yet calmed. She could relax, yet she could not fall asleep. The sense of danger, the one that always over loomed her back home, was gone. Was this how nobles felt?

Emerl picked herself up and rubbed her eyes. She had been idle for so long. Mauve would not allow this. He would tell her to train or get ready for new job. In this world, she did not have a job. She did not have a home to save and this alien was being so nice. She had to do something. She could not let the alien do everything for her. She had to do stuff too.
"I... want to go outside!"
Emerl Jumped to her feet and looked to the singing alien.
"Cannot stay inside. Mauve would be mad and call me Lazy. I am not a Lazy!" She started stretching, "I want to fight something. Must sharpen skills. Must find new guild to join and make credits. I am good Turman, hard working Turman. I want pay Alien back for being nice to me."

"Well, she certainly changed her attitude in a hurry..." Alan thought to which Aurora could only nod.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there!" Siren would go to put her hands on Emerl's shoulders, "Listen...I appreciate that you want to repay me but first off, there's no need for that. I do what I do because I care not because I want to be rewarded. Secondly, I'm not entirely sure it's a good idea right now to go outside. People are likely still jumpy and on edge about what happened earlier today. Here.." Thinking quickly, she levitated the remote and flicked on the television.

On-screen, a young woman with dark brown hair and wearing an expensive suit was standing outside the mall, "...Police are still picking up the pieces after a violent attack was launched in the middle of this local mall. Witnesses report a large, bug-like creature tearing through the mall in search of food. A metahuman referred to as Siren was on the scene within minutes and managed to subdue the creature, though not without a degree of collateral damage. The police chief had this to say."

Now it was the police officer from before on-screen, "We had everything under control until that metahuman showed up trying to play superhero, and when we asked her to come in with the other metahuman for questioning, she basically gave me the verbal equivalent of a middle finger and flew off with the suspect. If you ask me, we need to do something before people like me and my fellow officers become obsolete...."

Siren sighed and switched off the screen.

Emerl turned to Siren after the alien but its hand on her shoulder. Apparently Siren wanted to help just help. Also Siren did not think she should go outside. Two ideas that would require separate thought. Emerl's eyes bounced around the room as she picked apart what she was hearing. Giving away free stuff. Emerl could overall accept. Siren was good and nice. If she was going to do something bad she could have done it already. Not going outside did not seem smart. She walked around Aurina all the time despite people not like her. She had ways around things like this but the alien was not finish. She grabbed this thing and suddenly a box across the room lit up.

"AYE"
Emerl rolled off the couch seeking cover. She did not know what the box was but it was loud and bright. Suddenly human voices came out of the box which enticed her to peek up.
"Siren, People in box. People in box."
Her eyes remained glued to it as she glared. The box showed the mall. Then it showed people talking about the mall.
"Mall. What is mall. Looks SIREN the bazaar we leave. Its in the box. How?" Emerl stood up, after a familiar face appeared, "DONT CALL ME BUG BOX!"
Emerl's eyes flickered red for a second. Terms like bug and pest were common derogatory for Turmans. Many Aurans would use it as a way to make Turmans not seem human. Many of her people were murdered and enslaved because of it to include her. She started panting as memories of that night where she and Mauve were kidnapped by bandits when they were very little.

She fought as hard as she could trying to free them. She endured the abuse and other things in order to stay with Mauve. When a rescue party came, she crawled to them as best she could with her broken and bruised body. Mauve grabbed her and tried to pull her to safety but the knight kicked her back into the beaten bandits and then dragged Mauve away. The knights last words, "Mauve get away from that Bug! We cant let pest roam freely in this country."

"BOX... LIES!" Emerl's eyes turned red. Energy started building up in her body her ant exoskeletons grew over her arms and legs, "Blue men weak. Blue men flee from Emerl!" Her words buzzed. She jumped onto the count standing up as high as she could from the box. It even disrespected Siren. The box could not be allowed to live. Then the box turned off. The light was gone the sound disappeared. Did it die? No, she was going to kill it.

"DARK NOT SAVE BOX."
Emerl jumped down and marched over to the device.

Siren got the feeling that maybe she should've explained what a television was before flicking it on. As such, she was forced to watch her guest suffer from another bout of negative emotions. "No, wait!!" She would rush to Emerl's side and give her a big hug to try and comfort her.

"I'm sorry, this is my fault. That box is called a television. It basically functions like a mirror but instead of showing yourself it shows you images and recordings from other parts of the world," Siren had to think of something else quick, "Think of...books, yeah! Only instead of just having to visualize what you're reading in your head you can see it happening on the box,"

Once she was sure Emerl had calmed down a little, she'd flick on the screen again and began surfing channels, "See? Television has all kinds of things for you to watch, like cooking shows, comedy, and cartoons. You can tell it's a cartoon because they look so...well, not like normal people," She'd offer the remote to Emerl, "Go ahead and give these two buttons here a try. One's for up and the other's for down."

Emerl stopped after feeling arms around her. Her eyes turned yellow before looking down. Realizing Siren was holding her, she slowed her breathing. Her eyes flickered blue before turning green.
"Mirror? Don't understand... Box talk. Mirror cannot talk. Books... I cannot read good. I know some words... not many. Tell a vision confusing. Do books call you bad names too and lie?"
Emerl folded her arms and turned back to Siren after the alien released her. Then the alien flicked the TV back on, startling the Turman. Emerl jumped behind Siren and let out a loud cricket chirp. Grabbing Siren's shoulders, she readied for any shenanigans the box pull. This time though the box started showing different stuff.

First it was some food. Then it was a guy talking and a crowd laughing. Then it was a colorful mouse being chased by a cat. It cycled through through each picture with a different thing each time. When Siren gave Emerl the remote, the girl was hesitate to do anything. Staring at the buttons, she saw a bunch of numbers a bunch of weird letters grouped together to form what she could only believe were words. She pressed a button with an arrow and the picture changed. She jumped back, surprised by her power.

What aura trick did this? The only time she seen things react like this was when a mechin did it. She gasped, "Am... I... I am mechin? Turmans cant do this."
She pressed the button again and the tv changed. SHe did it again and again. She gave a mischievous chuckled before spamming the button.
"Be punished TV. Obey Me. You under My Control. Mahwahahaha!"

At the very least, Emerl seemed happy now so Siren guided her friend to sit down again, "Just stop when you see something you really want to watch, ok? I'm gonna go warm up some food for us," The alien hummed to themselves as they headed over to start warming up some more grub. It would take time but she had a feeling she and Emerl could make this work....
_________________________

In a lab somewhere, the Police Chief, who went by the name "Mike" to those he trusted, was overlooking some sort of test as what looked to be some sort of mechanical sphere was gathering metal together and reforging it into various shapes and weaponry, using them to destroy a whole host of targets with lethal efficiency.

"Very impressive, Doctor. A few more of these tests and I think our boy here will be ready for the field." The chief remarked approvingly.

"Thank you, sir. We've programmed Charon here to be fully adaptable in combat, meaning once he's fully operational he should have no trouble hunting down either metahumans or any other matter of menace," The Doctor remarked, bowing his head, "Although I am a tad concerned about what happened there on the news. Are you sure antagonizing the very people trying to help us is a good idea?"

"We humans need to be able to defend ourselves, Doc. We can't leave everything to these metas otherwise we'll become too dependent on them and what if we need them and they're not around?" The chief logically pointed out, "Besides, me and a number of guys would like to keep our jobs at least for another decade or two."

"Fair enough, I suppose..." The Doctor spoke into a speaker, "Alright, Charon, that's enough. Return to Standby Mode..." The robot refused to budge though, "Charon? What's wrong?"

I am Charon...all Metahumans...DESTROY. The floating sphere used its power over metal to rip a large chunk of the ceiling apart as it flew into the night sky.

The Chief summed up the situation perfectly, "...I don't think that was suppose to happen, was it?"

Emerl kept switching until something red caught her eye. The character on the show wore a red coat and hat and was flying through the screen to the beat of a song. It was catchy and colorful. Emerl fell into a trace and even started muttering the song.
"Where in the world is Carmine SanDiego."
Her head bobbed with the beat and then it stopped to show a woman running from some man and brown at night. The girl was officially hooked. The only time she broke away from the TV was when she smelled food warming up. Lucky for her, a couple of chewed candy satisfied that urge and she returned to the show.