My Father; Alien Host, Destroyer.

i remember how it started a little too well for my own mental health.

but first, a little background information for those who are reading this. hopefully you'll gain perhaps some of the most valuable knowledge i've ever known. i'll try to keep this story short for you.

in case you don't recall yourself, there was a tiny war. humanity engaged itself and some alien species in some crazy series of battles neither side wanted to engage in. i don't know the specifics of how it began, the politics and consequences of it on the larger scale are beyond me. but i don't suppose it matters all too much, since we won.

outside earth, in nearby space between the planet and the moon, the alien ships appeared after being nothing but mysterious blips on our scanners for about a month. they passed by at what we'd consider a normal pace for passing ships of our own. but after about 2 days, a couple more showed up, and then more and more and more. until there were easily about forty of them. i don't know who fired first, but i do know that humanity had used far more firepower than necessary. it was overkill to an extreme. those vessels we had destroyed were left in space. we never even touched them. the government banned anyone from ever going within four meters of them, and said that anyone who did would be summarily executed. they warned civilians that they would know who went near them based on scanners they left floating near them in vast number.

about eighteen days after that, a massive ship came out of nowhere, speeding toward our home planet. before we could blast it, it entered the atmosphere and actually tried to land properly, but it couldn't slow down fast enough. it slammed into some tall buildings near my home city, and got stuck inside. there were minimal casualties. luckily, the structures had been updated and added to, so structurally, they were still sound. so even with the giant ship, there was no risk of callapse.

that's where it gets weird, and coincidentally also where my personal story begins.

the government sent their most skilled scrutinizers, to go in and find out what happened. the official record says that the ship was entirely void of life forms. nothing was picked up on scans, none were found when they entered, nothind was in the computer system. it was just a ship that crashed into our city. nothing but the ship.

finding nothing of value on the ship, the government called on families like ours; families in need of money. they knew honest jobs were growing more scarce in the last decade, so they contacted families receiving assistance and offered them a deal. all we had to do was bring in parts of the ship to be recycled into other materials, and we'd be paid a flat salary for that particular day. they set up centers around it and everything. we eagerly accepted the offer, as many others did. so every day, my dad and i would climb into that busted up, beaten ship and yank out anything of substance we could find. all we left behind were metal plats and wires. the government would have their own workers take care of that when they cut the whole hull and bring it down.

but it was a fun job, i have to say. unless i was getting paid to play hologames all day, this was the best job i could imagine. i made decent money, i learned a lot about technology, i got to spend time with my dad; but most importantly we were saving up for the twins' future. my mom stayed home with them. we didn't want them getting hurt on the ship, and honestly, we're not so good at interacting with them. they're weird little ones who refuse to listen to anyone but Mom. but i digress.

after about a year, most of the ship had been entirely stripped down. all that was left were what we think were medical devices. but because of how weird they looked, the majority of people wouldn't touch them. except my dad. he was trained to be a medical officer in the military, but was injured before he could enter active duty. it was just over the line of what was acceptable for a discharge, and he got no choice. they offered him nothing. i was a child back then. i remember him saying not to hold it against them, that they were just following the rules, and that you have to pick your battles. i was bitter about it for much of my childhood anyway.

but now, almost halfway through my twenties, we walked around the ship, searching for parts to scrap, like we'd done for what felt like eternity. it was early dusk and the holes in the hull seemed larger that day. i felt like i could see a little more of the city than usual from there.

we stepped into the lowest deck heading towards the back of the ship on its left side.

i shined my light on a console that looked like it had been taken care of already. but my dad decided it deserved a double check. he started moving things around to get to it, and when he got inside, he saw something. he dug for a bit, but finally got to it. surprised nobody noticed what he did, i moved closer. he held it up in my light, and it was a small, thin rectangle. the wey he held it, it looked maybe half a centimeter thick, half a centimeter wide, and five centimeters tall. with two fingers, he held it up in my light, and we noticed that it was coarse and had minor protrusions on the sides. it had four small blinking green lights placed seemingly randomly on the sides.

then i heard a click. i saw a puff of green gas come from the object, and my dad fell over. as i rushed to his side he groaned "step back! we don't know what that was, and i don't want you poisoned by weird alien technology we can't handle." reluctantly, i did step back, but kept my eyes on him the whole time. after about two minutes, i saw the weirdest sight. the object he'd been holding was still in his hand, but a part of it broke off. then that part morphed into a tiny bug-shaped... thing. it was blinking, and from where i stood, was in the form of a very small tick. it ran up his arm and burrowed into it before i could even say a word!

i sprinted to my dad's side and told him what i just saw. he said he felt nothing, and on his arm were just the usual, light freckles. no scar, no mark, no raw skin, no slit: nothing. the little object he'd been holding suddenly vibrated, and he looked at it. the other lights slowed their blinking, but remained in sequence.

my dad and i looked at each other and agreed that this device needeed to be turned in before we took my dad to a hospital to be checked, and kept under close supervision. so we climbed out of the ship, made our way to the elevators in the building, and went down. we skipped the usual exchange centers in the area and went straight to the high security goverment building in charge of overseeing everything done with the ship. ultimately, that building is where everything from the ship goes to be studied and broken down to see if we can learn anything from it. so far everything had been less advanced than our own tech. but i felt like this piece may be different.

we handed it in at the front desk, and told them what happened.

they sent a guard with us, to be kept by my dad at all times. he escorted us to the hospital, where the doctors found nothing, even with high precision body scans. we were sent home, and the guard followed. his name was Mac. turns out he and my dad went to the same high school and were only a few years apart in age. small world.

we get home, and my mom hadn't returned yet with the twins. she'd taken them to be tutored, as they were struggling in 3rd grade. who struggles in school at that age? i speculate they have some learning handicap, but Mom says they simply don't focus. whatever, point is, it was just me, Dad, and Mac. we began getting setting up a room for Mac, since he was ordered to stay with us for at least two weeks, and report in every few days on anything unusual that may happen due to the object we found.

and that's when the world came crashing down on me. suddenly my dad turned to me and asked me to grab a pillow for mac, as we had not set up the guest bed in a long time. i walked off, and in the time it took me to return with a pillow, Dad had snapped Mac's neck! I saw his limp, lifeless corpse on the floor, and smelled death for the first time. it reeked. i looked at my father, too stunned to say a word. he stared at me for a moment, then got one of those looks on your face that you get when you remember something REALLY important to you. then he spoke. he spoke in a weird droning version of his own voice. he exclaimed to me "you are the one named Eric, are you not?" he awaited my response. i took a lifetime to nod. "confirmed, you are kin of this body i inhabit. it had taken me until now to figure out your language. peculiar, as it usually takes me much less time to comprehend one after i've taken a host, but no matter. allow me to explain myself. please, sit. i know your simple, fleshy bodies become fatigued somewhat easily."

I was shaking like i never had before. i sat and glanced at Mac as i did so. was i next? was the thing inside my dad from the ship going to decide i was as easily disposed of as the soldier? what would happen when mom came home with the twins? a hundred other questions like this ran through my mind until Dad spoke again in that low, dull voice...

"i assume you found the 'empty' ship we left floating in space?" i nodded and worked up every ounce of will in me to say "sort of."

"explain, Eric."

"well, the ship entered our system one day, and tried slowing down, but it crashed into a structure here. humans have been stripping it down for parts ever since. you were on it, how don't you know?"

my dad grew a mildly frustrated look on his face, but calmed and said "i understand. the shipboard computer must have failed. there were no lifeforms operating that vessel. we had used it solely for jumping from planet to planet."

sensing my fear and confusion deepening, he began to give me some background information of his own. "ah, allow me to elaborate on my origin. my species has a name you aren't capable of speaking. your anatomy does not allow you to even make the sounds required to say such words. but what we're called is irrelevant. it's what we do, what's just begun now, that is important. though, i suppose in the larger image, i'm wasting time explaining to you, as well. but no matter, we have all the time in the world. quite literally! since i basically decide how much this world has left."

I sat, processing. i sat, worrying. yet again, he spoke. "my species is one of very few numbers. we have the form you saw crawl into your home's patriarch because of a few reasons. first, we find it the most efficient form to take. in your human measurements, it uses about two watts of electricity every couple hundred thousand years. so we could float in space, without lightspeed drives, for nearly forever, assuming we have an energy source to recharge from on the rare ocassion we run low. second, our world was falling to ruin from politics and disagreements. the leaders of our planet found this the safest means of continuing our race. third, adjustment was welcomed, and we did not lose ourselves in the transition. we transferred the conscious minds, whole, of the most powerful and intelligent of our race into these bodies, sending out less than a hundred, from trillions. a shockingly small number, yes. but despite our technological superiority, creating these complex nano-structures to interface with ANY other living creature was one of the last challenges we faced. which brings the fourth reason we're in these forms. fun, as you call it. like i'd previously said, our race was desperate for a challenge other than being the ultimate persuasive force, politically. you have devices to simulate war, fantasies, and other scenarios. we felt simulations lacked proper interactivity and accuracy, as one must program functions in to those entertainment systems before they can be used. reality is always here and has infinite possibilities! our challenge on every planet we visit is to ruin it in new, creative ways. we score ourselves accordingly and report to each other after every such occurrance. grim, perhaps. but if no other race will ever reach our level, what purpose do they serve? what is the point of allowing them to exist? they're just using resources we could better use ourselves. are you understanding, young human?"

i was absolutely befuddled. horrified. i was just short of frozen in terror. my dad, or the thing controlling him, rather, sensed these feelings in me. once again, he spoke while i was unable to. "i see you understand and believe me, despite your desire to believe this is not your fate. i apologize, i usually do this sort of thing with more tact. the first explanation and interaction with another sentient being is often the most entertaining on the whole planet. this one proves unsatisfactory, i'm afraid. as for killing that one there, he had a weapon capable of killing my host. he had to be neutralized. lucky for me he was so trusting, having attended educational facilities with your patriarch." he shrugged his shoulders. "now, i'll give you a chance to run, but i must kill you, as i will do to everything else on this planet in due time. now would be the time to begin, as i've already begun... shall we say, upgrading, this host body. a head start would be only midly beneficial to you, but it proves to add a little flavor to the encounter."

as soon as he stopped talking, my body was on autopilot. i sprinted for the door. i had no idea where i was running to, but eventually found myself at the base of the building with the ship in it. i ran inside, desperate. maybe i was hoping the alien race had foolishly included a device to defeat them near where they were hiding.

by now i was a bit winded. having run a few kilometers, i breathed heavy breaths as i waited for the elevator to carry me up to the floor we use to access the ship. i pushed myself inside and scrambled to the console we had found. i took a moment to rest and looked out the gaping hole i had noted earlier that day. the sky was mostly empty, save for an air shuttle or two. the stars looked beautiful, to use a common term. i looked up at the stars with the new knowledge that there were threats out there we had never encountered before. i now knew of a race more dangerous than any we'd ever met. we'd had the good fortune to never war with most races we met, save for an ornery few. but we always won. this time, i was fairly certain we wouldn't. this was beyond us. they knew what they were doing; they were good at it. but i couldn't let the pessimism set in. i had to do something, anything, to prolong my life and at least try to get my dad back. if i die, i want to die knowing i did everything i could.

i reached into the console and ripped away wires, circuits, and other pieces of the system i didn't even recognize. i found nothing. i sat down and sighed. what could i use to disable the thing? at least see if dad's still in there? aha, an EMP. i ran all over the ship, finding scrap that went otherwise overlooked. in any other situation, these were useless, even to scrappers. i threw together a junky little device with maybe a couple meters' range. i noted my cellular device in my pocket, soon to be fried as well. a small price to pay, i figured.

i could hear my dad's possessor calling for me from the upper decks. i hid. he came down and began looking for me. he got nearby fairly quickly, and i suppose he had some sort of life form detector now. he got within range of my EMP and i fired it. i peeked out and didn't see him. then i feel a tap on my shoulder and go stone cold. i'd never felt a chill in my spine quite like the one i did the moment my father's hand grabbed my throat and lifted me by it. but then he stopped. he set me down and when i turned around i saw him looking at his own hands.

"Eric... what happened to me? what's going on?" my father's synthesized voice inquired. With misty eyes he stared at me. he was in pain. both emotional pain and physical pain. "Dad... the little thing you found... it sprayed you with some gas and then- " he groaned. I stood at his side and saw his moment of realization. "Eric, that thing you saw go in my arm... it was real, wasn't it? oh god, what did it do to me?" he screamed. "I feel it. I sort of understand only the smallest bits of information. I know what it did. It's coming back to me." He sighed as he sat down in a nearby chair.

"The gas was to disorient me and kill off a large portion of my immune system so it could do... this." he said, gesturing to his body. "they get inside and hide while reading the brain for any information they could use to more effectively and efficiently wipe us out. That EMP. That was smart. I'm proud of you." He said looking at me like I was one of the world's great wonders. "Smart, but it wasn't enough. I don't know how to beat them. The machine in me has protection against it. It's just not good yet. It will change, adapt. It's rebooting right now, and when it's done, it'll be better than before. It will anticipate more of your options and be prepared. I love you son. Don't trust me for a second once that thing gets back in control. I can't even fight it. It... shuts off my brain or something. You've got to do something. Keep our family safe. Even if you yourself can't do anything, maybe someone else can. Get help from anyone who's willing."

I hesitated to get any closer to him. I took a step forward and he cried out in pain. A moment later, the alien was back. It looked at me with a hint of amusement. The man that is no longer my dad chuckled and said to me "clever trick. most species we come across never even think of electromagnetic pulse generators. but you made one yourself from scraps. surprising, but not nearly effective enough. a simple reboot put me back in working order. As i can sense, your patriarch warned you of your impending doom. next i'll get you and the rest of your immediate family under my thumb, as you humans say. i'll use their connections with other humans to spread, create more drones. they may be weaker and take longer to progress to maturity than i did with your patriarch, but will happen nonetheless. If I had to guess how to break a spirit, I think it's safe to say this is how one should do it."

Again, it chuckled and i welled with anger. Fury and hatred flowed through my veins like magma in the Earth's crust. But I knew not to attack directly. I had to keep a level head, so i eventually get a chance to unleash my retribution at some later point. It would come.

Just as I began contemplating my options, it spoke once more, saying "ah, my prey approaches. this is most fortuitous!" and within seconds i heard my mom's voice calling my name. shit. No, no, no! why did she come here???

The machine stepped aside, and without thinking i ran to find my mother. when i did, three levels up, she talked first. "Eric, the neighbors stopped me before i got in the house and said they saw you running in a panic towards here. what's going on?" she asked, with more than a little concern. "it's going to be very hard to explain, but you need to go. NOW. it isn't safe here, just take the twins for ice cream or something"

she turned to leave and was suddenly hit with a puff of gas just like my father had earlier that day. she passed out entirely. i knew what was coming next, but i didn't expect it to happen the way it did. crawling towards her, i saw not just one, but four mechanical ticks. i managed to step on two, but they were unharmed and the whole troop of them made their way to her body. they burrowed in and she woke merely seconds later.

"i'll go get ice cream with the girls, yes. good idea, son!" she said in a slightly happy, dazed tone. she appeared to be quite dazed, but i tripped over my own feet when i reached out to stop her. when i caught up to her she had collected the twins from the elevator waiting area, and was just getting in. the doors closed as i slammed into them, and attempted to pry them open. having failed, i turned around to see the first machine standing in front of me. i sprinted past him (it?) back into the ship. i had no idea what i was going to do now. i sprinted from room to room, deck to deck, hoping to find something, anything to help me.

No such luck. i find myself in a room i'd never seen before. i'm contemplating my options with my back against the wall, metaphorically speaking. i hear heavy footsteps approaching. then, in the door are my parents' bodies, no longer theirs. they just stare at me with malice the only discernible feature on them. I sigh heavily. I had to figure something out, quickly...