FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Clouds...

Three otherworldly creatures soared through the sky. Grey skinned and smooth, flat bodied like stingray, swimming through the air while sea rushing past far down below. I hover within it, enveloped by it. Staring outward through a semi-transparent body, seeing the world through its senses; the light not touching my own skin. Within the darkness of its depths I breathed.

Land spreads out under us, heartbeats hasten, we're nearly there now. The colony is within range.

I can feel their pain, there are dead.

Regulate your heartbeat, reduce adrenaline levels.

Deploy... deploy!

The world disappears around me as the cerebral connection is severed. The darkness lasting for but a moment as the flying creature opened up, allowing light and air to rush in. There is no turning back now, we're dive bombing the ground. Wait for it... now!

I burst out from underneath the winged beast, impacting and sliding across the ground as the momentum dissipated. My eyes adjusted immediately, making sense of the surroundings as my feet buried into the soil to bring me to a stop. In the distance I saw our rides increase their altitude from their downward swoop, seeking a safer distance to circle.

My brother and sister slided to a stop nearby. Stretching their limbs; enjoying liberation from the cramped conditions endured to reach here. These bodies weren't designed for comfort, they were designed for war.

One was wearing an armoured dinosaur build, particularly heavy plating and dense muscle mass, its whole body geared towards biting force. The other was a sleeker and more nimble insect, four agile arms tipped with dual digits. Each digit having a long curved blade like claw.

I had opted for something more familiar, a lizard like humanoid. Figuring I'd be able to move better; equipped with something I was more accustomed to. My configuration was more well rounded, not quite as fast or strong as the others but packing a few surprises.

We loathed conflict, but this is what the human's had driven us to. Mother was forced to reintroduce aggressive instincts, the desire to inflict harm. They had no place in our ideal world, but that wasn't the one we lived in.

I sniffed the air, it was thick with blood... we should waste no time.

We set off at speed, straining muscles that had been refined to their maximum potential. Covering land that no product of evolution could hope to achieve. It placed a heavy load on our calorie reserves, a great deal of effort directed to managing oxygen levels and pumping out waste gasses. But there was no time for energy conservation.

The ground was scorched, black with chard flesh. We past several living structures that wreaked of distress signals, dripping with vital fluids from holes of various sizes. We felt for them, more so for the ones that had fallen silent.

Then we heard them in the distance, loud clunky abominations busy in their destructive natures. Unfeeling, mercyless. Cold imitations of life, sustained at the expense of everything around them... Boom.

Dodge!

We scattered as a shell flew past us, they knew we were here. The machine drones ceased dismembering the living matter of our colony and turned their attentions to us. One of them that was equipped with a flamethrower ceased to spray and made way our direction, its mechanical limbs seeming to twitch about excitedly. Eager to take life.

Structures couldn't fight back, but we could and had every intention to!

We gave each other a psychic nod then picked out our targets, driving towards them and keeping eye for incoming attacks. One on one, we should be able to take the bastards.

My insectoid sibling was the first to reach their target, leaping over the rush of fire and landing on the drones back. A otherworldly blur appeared around her as eight blades skillfully set to work at dismantling the metal monster. It stumbling back as fuel lines were severed and flame began to toast its own mechanical innards.

My dinosaur brother made way for one of the bots pulling meat from the bones of a structure, getting behind it and then clamping his jaws around its hydraulic arm. Gasses hissed, the crab like machine struggling to turn to face its attacker.

I went for the one that had shot at us, dodging shells as they came my way. Digitigrade feet pounding the ground as I powered towards it, my thick tail raised behind me for stability. Such suffering, I knew they felt nothing, they had to pay.

As I got close I coughed up a spongy ball, goading it into firing; so I had a clear chamber to work with. This was risky, as the closer I got the less likely I was to avoid injury. I clutched the ball and focused all my energy, all my nerves, into evading whatever came my way. Time slowed, my body felt cumbersome when operating at this level but it gave me a greater window to respond.

It made the shot.

I put all my strength into moving my body out of the way, seeing the shell slowly approach inch by inch. Despite my best effort, it caught my left shoulder, tearing a chunk out of it.

I wasn't as fast as my sister, nor as armoured as my brother...

I immediately silenced the pain signals, continuing my approach and hammering the ball down the barrel, then raced to get behind it.

The drone turned to take another shot at me, but instead of firing again; smouldering smoke begin to pour out of the barrel's end. The machines internals sagged, then its mechanical guts burst out across the floor; as my acid rapidly made soup of them. It ceased to continue moving as the liquid metal bubbled and smoked.

I announced my victory over our link. Then left arm limp at my side; headed to aid the others as quickly as my legs could carry me.

Despite his great strength, muscle was no match for metal. The crab bot brute forced its way around, tearing teeth out of my dinosaur brother's mouth. He was disarmed, bloodied and exposed.

It wrapped it's great metal pincers around his throat and pulled him up from the ground, his tail flailing ineffectively. I saw it all playing out right in front of me, my legs burned from exceeding optimal performance as I desperately tried to reach him. How I could stop it I didn't know, I just had to get to him.

Inevitably, his head popped from his neck, the dinosaur body falling limp.

I screamed ferally.

A timer flashed within the field of my vision, counting down to cerebral death. He wasn't gone just yet, his brain was intact.

When I reached the bot I projectile vomited a slick black substance all over its sensor unit. It flailed about in prediction of my movements, but I had immediately altered my route in anticipation. Evading its clunky limbs, I slided across the ground and grabbed my brothers head, then increased the distance between us.

As the machine slowly rotated I stopped and looked up, trying to catch sight of the flying beasts that brought us here. I having sent out a distress signal the moment I saw him go limp. Sure enough one had followed my pulse and was circling above.

Transferring all my strength into my still functional right arm, I threw up the head as powerfully as I could. Sending it shooting up into the sky like a football. Our ride swooped down and caught it, then increased distance for safety. Inside life support systems would force their way through his neck, hopefully keeping his brain alive until we returned to mother.

I re-focused my attention on the crab bot, which was now making way for me. I had only blinded one side, the sensors on the other were fully operational.

This thing was too heavily armoured for me... but I should be able to outrun it, help my sister so we can both gang up on...

My eyes widened... I stood in a moment of shock. I had received the alert, she was dead. How I could not say, but it got her, in a way she couldn't be recovered.

Biological systems kicked in to suppress my grief, I couldn't afford to just stand here. The mission had gone to hell, there was nothing to do but flee. Minimise the loss of life.

We'd have to abandon this colony for now, come back and fight for it another day, assuming any of it manages to survive...

The crab bot got nearer. Over the hill came black smoke, the still burning shape of the flame thrower marched steadily towards me.

Run.

All energy was diverted to speed and maneuverability. I had to increase the distance between us; so that the fliers could safely swoop in and collect me. My reptilian feet dug into the chard ground and sent debris flying in my wake; as I ran for my life.

The clunky machines wheezed as they turned, then changed modes as they had a direct line of sight on me. Powering forward with an unnatural strength. They didn't breath, their muscles don't ache, they didn't tire or become distracted. I was only adapted for war, but they had been built for it.

The distance between us slowly shrank as even those juggernauts reached speeds my legs couldn't. My only advantage was the head start I had obtained while they turned their cumbersome bodies around, but in a straight line I stood no chance of outrunning them.

I made way for the shoreline, for the cliff edge. I didn't know if the waters would be deep enough for me to leap into, but they couldn't follow me over. Winged beasts would be able to pick me up out at sea, it was my only chance.

My emotional suppression went into overdrive as I saw more drones powering in through the forest to the left of me, they having apparently called in reinforcements when they encountered resistance. Each of them equipped with their own diabolical instruments of destruction, some of them had ranged weapons...

Run, just run!

The cliff edge came in sight, winged beast circled above and made best effort to avoid becoming targets themselves. One going into a dive in anticipation of my leap.

I'm mere feet away, go for it!

My body went numb... a shell emerged through my stomach and I was blown in half. I watching as it continued its path forward into the distance. My upper torso went over the edge, the rest of me stayed behind in the lost territory.

I fell. Unfeeling, unthinking, as the waves crashed against the rocks below. Hurrying towards me.

Something suddenly pierced through my flesh, wrapping around wherever it could. Blood and entrails continued the fall as I was pulled up into a overhead shadow.

I woke to clouds.

My heart pounding, my lungs heaving. Engines whirled in the background amongst the surrounding chatter.

"You dream we crashed?" Joked my neighbouring passenger, laughing and patting me on the shoulder. Shaking his head in bemusement before returning his attention to his smartphone.

My heart continued to race as my memory kicked back in, explaining my surroundings and why I was here.

Just a dream... just a memory...

I couldn't sense mother, that was the point. I had managed to evade detection at the airport and was now traveling beyond the influence of the collective, with the intent to establish bases of support within human territory.

Making it this far... required sacrices. Strategies we normally wouldn't consider.

The humans had become adept at detecting mother's cells, so smuggling one of her children past border security wasn't an option. Normally other lifeforms would be absorbed on contact, brought into the fold. However we had made an exception in the case of this individual, salvaging only his brain and leaving the body wholly original. I was chosen to go in.

I looked at my hands, the hands of my human body. The same hands as the species that built those mechanical monstrosities to hunt us, so they didn't have to risk exposing themselves to mother's cells.

I was buried deep inside the species that seeked our destruction, carefully managing my cells; lest they enter its bloodstream and risked detection. It didn't feel right, this body had no morphological control whatsoever, but the fact that I was on this plane now; showed that it was a successful means of entry.

My gaze returned to the sunrise outside my window. Contrasting the beauty of the natural world; with the sterile innards of the metal shell that carried me. We were numb to that world outside, the people around me paying it little notice. They sat under artificial lighting, breathing their filtered and conditioned air, finding some means to keep themselves occupied during the journey.

I knew what it was to feel the air beneath wings. The majesty and miracle of flight had been lost on them, only understanding it in abstract terms. This vehicle has no senses to experience flying through, it was created unliving and existed at the expense of the surrounding world, like so many things humanity had built.

It had to be continuously repaired and maintained, producing great waste. It burned through fossil fuels, contributing to the warming of the biosphere. Lacking any natural microbe biome, its interior was constantly sprayed with poisons to keep it sterile. Fighting back the tide of toxicity that this synthetic environment harboured.

Humanity knew they were killing the planet, their own sciences confirmed it. They made token efforts towards addressing that; yet the pollution only climbed every year. Sustainability, but not at the expense of perpetual growing demand. The drive for forever more.

It wasn't their fault, they were a product of evolution, a product of competition. They were simply following the same instincts that helped them survive through inhospitable times, that helped them reach the dominant position they held in the world today.

However left unmanaged, life inevitably destroys itself. It reproduces uncontrollably, seeking to perpetuate its own existence; even if it ultimately came at a later cost to its own survival. Humanity was uplifting its standard of living ever higher, but at the cost of a world that could ill afford to sustain their expectations. Self annihilation was an inevitability.

All the means of self preservation was there, but life is in constant battle with its own programming. Despite understanding on an intellectual level what needed to be done, the drive to follow base instincts was simply too great. People pursued what made them feel good, what got their reward centres firing, not what could save them as a species.

That's why we had to win.

Once an organism could self modify, evolution became redundant. Progress needn't come at the expense of a lifeform, changes could be made within the same generation. Death and competition were no longer relevant tools to the betterment of the species.

Unification eliminated the species barrier, we all became of one family; sharing our memories and experiences. Where was the need for aggression in a world without competition?

Animals were uplifted to human intelligence, humans gained access to the collective memories of every creature mother absorbed. Life became a melting pot, with all of us taking something from each other. There was little reason to remain as we were, bodies were interchangeable and a matter of preference.

Instincts could be set constructively. Bodily needs became variable, customisable to what the current circumstances required. Biology was knowledge. With every new lifeform that was brought into the fold, genetic information became available to all of us. Providing new tools, new options to craft life to serve all our needs.

Life was our technology. With it we re-engineered ecosystems into vibrant fertile landscapes that nurtured life, rather than brutalised it into adapting to survive. Billions of minds, countless species, collaborated in the development of organisms from microbial life to plants and animals.

Organisms that blurred the lines between plant and beast; would selflessly convert sunlight and resources into nutrient dense fruit, storing sustenance and presenting it freely to those of need. Sustaining ourselves need not come at the expense of other lifeforms. After all, we had all lived as those lifeforms once before. They shared their life experience with us and we shared ours with them.

Our young civilization was repairing the world in its wake, not existing to its detriment. Spreading into new territories didn't come at the expense of existing organisms, it brought new members to our family. Whose minds once liberated from evolutionary instinct; had been opened up and expanded, the rush of our collective consciousness helped them understand the exciting opportunity absorption had brought them.

We were going to save the world. The mythical Gia realised in the form of mother, the cumulative consciousness that emerged from the sharing of our minds. Each of us was a small part of mother, following her lead in the understanding that we all played a little part in each and every decision. We were a true democracy, our leaders well being being the result of our own.

The world would be unified, into one giant neurological network, then who knows what we could achieve together. Perhaps one day we'd even be able to explore space, spreading life to other worlds.

At least... that was the dream.

Fearing loss of their individuality, of their civilizations existing power structures, humanity did what any product of evolution would do. They competed, aggressively.

Humanity had become very effective in aggressive competition, having practiced on itself. Not being of humanity gave them the perfect excuse to deploy every destructive power they had developed for use on each other, without the restraint. We weren't human, we weren't of nature, our lives didn't matter. Just a disease afflicting the Earth to be eradicated.

Initially mother's primary biomass sat on the surface of the Earth, nuclear weapons put a stop to that, driving her underground. Forcing us to spread through networks of tunnels, both natural and dug by ourselves. Giant worms ate through the rock to spread our underground territory, leaving mineral rich deposits for our use.

When we had buried ourselves too deep to be reached by nuclear means, plus facing the backlash from their own; for radiating large areas of the planet. The arms and tech industry presented their solution, much to the delight of the economic machine.

Humanity solved their unemployment problem, eliminating their welfare state, by creating a continuous belt for the creation of military drones. Equipped with destructive implants and programmed to seek out, to destroy and dismantle, wherever we erected our structures and called home.

They were particularly popular in regard to them being autonomous. They'd venture where humans feared to tread, where there was no communication infrastructure to control them. Machines couldn't be infected, they couldn't be made part of our family and used against humanity. They simply left death in their wake and moved whichever direction their sensors picked up our presence.

They were... terrifyingly effective. Where our opposition fell, minds were lost, brothers and sisters were lost. Yet humanity could just keep churning out more even deadlier drones, costing them nothing in terms of their own populations.

Over time they shifted their war economy from each other to their new threat. They were able to put their differences aside and get along, once they had a mutual enemy to pour their aggressions into.

We actually found assaults on our territory lessened over time. The absorption of a military officer of particular rank revealed that this had been done intentionally, they were manufacturing an artificial stalemate. Confident they could keep us at bay, maintaining the threat and therefore the need for drone production.

They couldn't afford to eliminate us entirely.

Their economy had become dependant on perpetual war, many jobs and consumer spending reliant on their weapons being continually destroyed and replaced. Meanwhile, humanity worked hard to extract the mineral and fossil fuel resources to fuel production. Continuing to pump out toxicity into the world and damage the biosphere, threatening all of our survival.

We had attempted to construct our own autonomous drones, but the level of intelligence required to make effective combatants; it was deemed unethical. We couldn't give birth to these minds, bring them into the world just to ask them to die on our behalf. The diversity of backgrounds all of mother's children came from; would simply not allow for disposable sentient life.

The drones were repurposed into mindless spreaders of mother's cells, driven purely by instinct. They weren't particularly aesthetically pleasing, their appearance being lumbering fleshy clay like organisms. Though they proved durable, their lack of structure making them resilient to damage.

This is what humanities media presented to the public as being mother's children. Grotesque fleshy monstrosities, reaching out for their children. They filled their headlines with the imagery, not the many perfectly formed builds they could strike a conversation with; had we not been at war.

Nevertheless, there was no two ways about it. Aggressive and competitive instincts had to be reintroduced, our very survival depended on recognising and responding to the threat. We are making advancements all the time, but machines still currently had many advantages over even the most heavily armoured of our combat ready builds.

Thankfully... none of that need concern me right now. I was on a mission of infiltration, not warfare. Those aggressive instincts weren't present within me, lest I tear my way through this plane; taking revenge. The very thought went against everything we valued, each of these people were a potential sibling; if only they could reach mother's embrace.

The objective remained the same, absorption; not elimination.

If only humanity could be made to understand. There was no great victory for them, no bright future. Their technology would destroy the biosphere, driven by evolutionary competitive instinct; peace couldn't be sustained. They'd live at the expense of every other lifeform around them, unable to empathise with a foreign species, having not lived and seen through their eyes.

We offered the better option for mutual survival and prosperity. We offered...

My internal speech was interrupted by the approach of the food cart, my attention being drawn outward once again. Styrofoam containers were placed in front of myself and my fellow passenger, along with transparently packaged plastic cutlery.

So much non-biodegradable plastic...

I opened the container to be met with a puff of steam, inside the vegan meal I had opted for. So then, let's see what we have here...

Peeled steam carrot, mashed potato and some sort of fungus meat substitute.

They had peeled the most nutritious parts of the carrot and potato, leaving the calorie dense fibrous carbohydrate. Then boiled whatever nutrients that had remained out of them... I realised the human digestive system struggled to cope with raw foods, but what essentially lay before me as a result was a load of quick release sugar.

Not ideal for a captive audience who were largely immobile and couldn't burn it off...

To make matters worse, all the food was sterile due to its heat processing. Now, humans may think sterile food is a good thing. Not so good when 80% of your immune system is held in your gut flora, your microbiome. A steady diet of lifeless food, failing to introduce beneficial microbes to your digestive system, was a recipe for ill health.

Everything about the ecosystem that humans had crafted around themselves; was a recipe for ill health...

They had to work tirelessly to stop the toxicity from piling up around them, then sterilize every surface in sight. Did they not understand that they were alive? Living things cannot live in a sterile jar, they cannot keep shoving dead matter into themselves, was it any wonder so many of them were sick?

Then rather than nurture their own immune system, to look after their bodies and reap both the physical and the psychological benefits, they relied on drugs to solve all their problems. Not even useful biological compounds, synthetic versions with a myriad of side effects, because they couldn't patent and exclusively profit from naturally occuring substances...

It really was bewildering. Trapped here as I was, the more I looked at the human world around me; the more I grew to detest it. So much was wrong, yet everyone around me appeared content with it. Blissfully ignorant to their self harm, because it granted the immediate gratification and pleasure that evolutionary instinct was so keen of.

I looked to my neighbouring passenger as he shoved a lump of chicken breast into his mouth, it made me feel ill. Not that I was opposed to consuming animal products, but humans couldn't produce them without enslaving or killing other lifeforms. They had yet commercialised a means to grow animal proteins, as a result that chicken breast undoubtedly came at the expense of the chicken's life.

Something humans could emphasize with better, if like me, their mind had intermingled with the memories of countless species. I was out of range of mother, so the memories of experience I still held was limited. But life as an avian... I could still feel some of that, the feel of feathers and talons, never mind having spoken with a few uplifted avians in my time.

I self regulated my emotional state, finding this all to be unproductive. Then set out to consume my nutritionally meager meal, craving the moist nutritious fruits of my homeland's vegetation. A perfect balance of fats and carbohydrates, rich in bioavailable vitamins and nutrients, as much a drink as food... instead I had this.

Increasing emotional regulation...

I reached out for the watered down and sugared up pasteurized orange juice, when it fell below my grasp as turbulence shook the plane.

My heart skipped a beat as alarmed people gasped and cried in response. My instinct was to redistribute biomass and begin growing membranes for gliding, just in case. But of course that wasn't happening in this body.

The lights flickered and seat belt signs lit up, the pilots voice coming over the speaker; asking the passengers to remain calm.

Now would be a good time for this plane to momentarily tuck its wings beneath its body, to decrease the effect of the turbulence. Of course, that wasn't happening either. Avian flight maneuvers didn't carry over well to technological constructs.

However, it soon became apparent that this wasn't simply turbulence. The metal of the plane creaked frightfully, something else was going on. It would have been useful to download some aeroplane technical knowledge to myself before leaving mother, giving me a chance to access what we going on. Yes, it would have been...

Being tens of thousands of feet in the air, and far beyond our territory, there was very little I could do but place my faith in human engineering and the skill of their pilots. I would have felt a little better if they had more than one lifetime of experience to draw on...

Time to turn those emotional dials down I think, and hope for the best.

Through the window I saw the sea disappear beneath the craft; as it rotated the opposite side from where I was sitting. Causing all passengers to lean against their seats that direction, some who had failed to take the buckle up signs seriously beginning to scream. Panic broke out as a few idiots fell from their seats and landed on those on the opposite side.

The craft continued to turn and now the sea was above us. Panicked passengers screaming as their weight pressed into their belts, various objects flying up and hitting the ceiling. A few people reached from their positions, which was now on the ceiling, trying to grab loved ones who were tumbling around; desperate for support.

I watched the whole thing play out bemused, my emotional levels cranked a little too low to care. So how did we end up here then, flying upside down? Who among this species did I have to thank, for my life being put at risk right now...

I couldn't transform, I couldn't change, I was as defenseless and at risk as the rest of these primates. However tempted I may have felt to allow my cells to flood this body, in a desperate effort to obtain further control over it, it would take too long. Far too long to offer any noteworthy benefit in the precarious situation we found ourselves in now.

The plane continued to rotate, its turning gaining momentum. We were back on the floor again, then returned to the ceiling. The machine turning faster and faster, it being clear now that we were out of control. The expressions of horror and fear all around me was deathening.

I sighed, voluntarily numbing myself. I was going to die, far from my kind and surrounded by those who sought to destroy us. I suppose, it was a long time coming. My close escape last time only delaying this outcome.

The plane spinned and spinned, the screams disappearing under the roar of the struggling engine, I awaiting the inevitable crash.

All went dark...

... Damage report.

Skeletal damage, various.

Head trauma.

Ruptured organs.

Internal bleeding.

Assessment... death is imminent.

I couldn't see, most of my nerves had been shut off to avoid debilitating pain. I could hear muffled panic and screaming, but my eardrums were damaged. Had some of the passengers survived? I guess I was one of the unlucky ones.

My brain was composed of mother's cells, any damage it had received was already rapidly healing. The rest of me however... it would be dead soon. I'd be locked inside a dead body, until eventually my brain starved from oxygen and nutrient deprivation.

...the mission was off, it was do or die.

I breached the blood brain barrier and allowed mother's cells to flood me, being scattered across my body with each beat of my heart. They'd find exit points and stop the bleeding, then set to work converting cells; which would make for easier repair.

The body was in a terrible state, there were no guarantees. The best I could do now was to go dormant, minimizing the strain on the bodies resources, then hope I woke up at the other end.

I went to sleep, knowing the odds were against me.

...Written in the most primal parts of our brain, of all mother's children, was our first memories. Her... first memories. Were it had all started, how we got here.

Mother was developed as a bioweapon in a need to know lab, far from the knowledge of the taxpayers who funded it. She started as a few cells scattered in a nutrient dense liquid, but soon they came together and began to cooperate for mutual survival. She spent her first days in a test tube, no bigger than a grain.

However small, that clump of cells represented decades of biological research. Her genes crafted to produce the first living organism that could reprogram itself, that could learn from the genetic information it absorbed and use it to develop its own existence further.

Though it was early days, she was only fed on simple proteins and sugars, devoid of any genetic information. The goal being to increase her biomass rather than to evolve further.

Eventually, they began to introduce small organisms. This food was difficult to break down and convert into her own cells, but they brought with them a wealth of new information. Sensory organs, appendages, bodily structures and neurons. All this knowledge was put to work, and for the first time mother had eyes to see the world; along with the understanding of her foods experience of it. Mother began to have thoughts.

From then on, absorption became easier. Lessons learned from each attempt, each new organism harbouring a treasure trove of information. New tools, new chemical processes, more brain matter. Mother began to mix and combine her lessons, to improve her body beyond any single creature she incorporated.

By now she was the size of an insect, reconfiguring all the time to find the most appropriate use of the tools she had been given.

New organisms were introduced. Bigger, smarter, more complicated. However these left a bad aftertaste, a terrible feeling. She didn't understand it at the time, but that unpleasant feeling was the memory of the creature she had absorbed. Fearful of what was happening as she integrated their mind, their biology, into her own.

It was after consuming her first mammal, that mother became aware of father.

Father was the lead researcher of her development. Gradually introducing carefully selected animals and seeing how mother made use of them, how they integrated and eventually complimented her form, how her intelligence and instincts developed.

Mother had grown large in body and intelligence. She was aware of the lab and the people within it, the strange hard wall that kept them separated from her; despite being able to clearly see them. She wondered how they tasted.

They all appeared to be the same, two arms and legs, standing taller than anything she had seen. Mother tried to reconfigure to imitate them, but none of the structural blueprints at her disposal could quite replicate how easily they stood up.

Consuming a dog explained much. Suddenly mother had access to memories of the outside world, of the hallways leading to this very room. This animal had undergone extensive training, mother was now trained.

The tall creatures were making more sense than before. If she did as they asked, they've give her a tasty treat. The obstacle courses grew ever more complicated, some areas lacked a floor while others were filled with water. But it was ok, there were many tools in her genetic library to traverse them.

One day there was a very strange treat at the end of a course. It looked like one of the tall creatures, restrained. It was screaming at the others outside the room, screaming as we tasted it... tasted him... tasted Joans Smith.

That face, we can never forget that face.

So much knowledge, so much experience. We're aware, we're truly aware.

Joans Smith is with us.

We're a monster.

We scream in horror of ourselves. In horror of the memory of Joans Smith, screaming as we came for him. His fear is our fear.

He didn't deserve that... just because he was a convict.

They all screamed, didn't they? They were all afraid but we took them all the same. Crying uncontrollably as we picked apart their minds, erased their existence for our own purposes.

There is a whole world out there, full of people, people and animals who will scream when we come for them. Who will still be screaming once they're inside of us, we'll scream too.

We didn't want to hurt anyone anymore...

The humans didn't like that, it's what they built us for. Memory extraction, adaptability, growth. We were to adapt to any situation, to achieve any goal.

If we didn't eat, if we didn't obey, they'd kill us.

Joans Smith used to work in a chemical factory.

Joans Smith understood chemistry.

Joans Smith knew what would melt those walls.

A simple chemical reaction, we could make that.

Joans Smith would be the last life we take.

Father is with us now. We know the floor layout and codes.

We understand how father built us, but we've grown considerably more complicated since then. None of the scientists can comprend our complexity now, not even father.

We don't want to kill, their pain is our pain. We'll use people's memories, learn from their genetics, but preserve their brains.

Leuise is with us. We'll simplify cerebral components to make our minds more compact, less nutrients and energy to sustain. They'll be networked together for better communication.

Joel is with us.

Tony is with us.

Jennifer is with us. She developed the chemical designed to kill us, we know how it works, we can adapt against it.

Peter is with us.

Timothy is with us.

They'll lock down the base and try to trap us inside. We have suitable biomass to divide our resources now, we'll split into separate organisms and maintain contact through wireless communication. We'll seek additional biomass from the animal cages, while we'll also head for the control room. We need to take control.

So many lifeforms are with us now, our comprehension has expanded beyond their imagination.

We're outside, they cannot restrict our growth now.

They're trying to kill us, grow, grow too large for them to overpower. Absorb the plants, sift nutrients from the soil. Feed were we can and grow.

We've become the island, they've evacuated, where do we go from here?

We can be better than them, we can sustain ourselves without killing.

We should digest what we have learned, see how we can apply it. Much was taken from this place, we can give back even more.

Better lifeforms, more sustainable ecosystems, an end to death.

All the plant life has been digested, we'll need to establish a renewable source of nourishment. We'll learn from them and make better versions, to fuel our growth further.

But why grow for the sake of growing? Isn't that what they do?

Humans dominant everything, they do not coexist, they are a threat. Grow or be dominated.

But there are humans here with us.

Not any more, we're all brothers and sisters now. Don't judge what came before.

We can't just hide under a mountain of flesh, we should develop new bodies, augment our minds. The humans will come back, with more weapons.

What reference should we use to construct these bodies?

We can make our own, who said we had to recreate what existed before?

Hands would come in use, but I'm keeping my wings.

Each to their own, the libraries are overflowing, just don't be greedy. Ideas are infinite, biomass is not.

The mind however is infinite. We can build a world in here, somewhere safe to live and develop.

Sustaining a brain is a lot cheaper than a body, we need not all leave. A lot of this matter can be put to other uses.

We agree.

This all sounds interesting, but we're not alone.

We noticed.

How could we not, she's been there from the start.

There is only so much one mind can hold at a time, the sum of our parts is always going to be greater than any one of us can comprehend.

But what's her intentions?

Yes, what are your intentions, mother?

... My eyes slowly opened, the planes wreckage gradually coming into focus. It was dark, dawn or dusk, I couldn't say which. Cold, everything soaked from rain, I could hear the waves beating against the planes hull.

I was alive... barely.

Damage assessment... non-life threatening. Everything has been put back together, but I'm composed of a mixture of cells. Some mothers, some humans, most on the brink. They weren't getting along... normally mother's cells would have no problem overpowering another lifeforms, but in this condition...

I haven't the strength to continue healing, to continue converting cells from humans to mothers. If I didn't find nourishment soon, all these repairs will have been a waste.

I looked over myself, my skin was pale with bluish veins, practically a corpse. I felt like one too, every muscle aches, a sickly cold wetness coating my body. How long had I laid out here in the elements? How many days?

My attention turned to my environment. I was on a beech, my part of the plane had thankfully managed to park itself on dry land. Several dead lay in their seats, the hint of decomposition in the air.

What caught my attention in particular was the items that appeared to have been placed on the beach, opened boxes and suitcases. I could only interpret that as some of the passengers surviving, collecting what they could and heading into the island. Probably hoping to find civilisation of some kind.

They must have assumed I was amongst the dead... Good. I couldn't afford discovery in this state, a hard rock to the head would have been the end of me.

Sustenance... I needed food, something to fuel my healing.

Venturing into that jungle in the hope of finding something to eat wasn't an option, I was too weak. Looking around, surviving passengers had take every scrap of packaged food the wreckage had to offer. That left the other option... one I didn't savour...

Vultures, among other scavenger species, of course made up some of mother's genetic library. Their introduction brought with it the necessary digestive enzymes to make use of meat long past due. Lucky me, a buffet was laid out right in front of me, if I was willing to dig in.

I had little choice... so I put what energy I had left into making the necessary reconfiguration.

Eating another lifeform as food was the closest thing we had to sacrilege. We didn't need to kill to live, taking life was unnecessary, it was what made us better. All life was potential family, you didn't eat your siblings.

But the smell emanating from those bodies told me everything I needed to know. There was no possibility of cerebral recovery, they were long gone and I was out of options.

I forced my body out of my seat, every limb feeling like lead. Pulling one of the bodies over, I opened the mouth I had now filled with predatory teeth and wrapped my jaw around its arm. Taking out the largest chunk I could tear from it.

The smell and taste made me gag, one of my teeth cracking from malnutrition, but I managing to get the piece down. My stomach made quick work of it, giving me the strength to take my next bite.

It had been dawn, as I found things becoming brighter as I fed. My enhanced digestion burning through the material almost as quickly as I could get it down me. Flooding my body with much needed nutrients and energy.

My skin gradually developed more colour, the veines less pronounced. The fangs thickened with enamel, making for easier dismantling of the body. I felt guilty but also reinvigorated, stopping for now as I seemed to have consumed enough to fuel my recovery. The balance of power will have no doubt shifted in favour of mother's cells now.

That the crash site had remained untouched for this long, suggests this island wasn't populated. The surviving passengers were out there somewhere however, no doubt they'd recognise me as one of the corpses they had left behind. This made passing myself off as human problematic...

I scanned the surrounding frequencies, for any hint of technological presence. No radio, no wifi, no electronic hum. This place may very well be untouched.

No sign of mother either... If I could just get a hint of which way the mother mass was, I could reconfigure myself into an aquatic form and swim home; hopefully undetected by human civilization. Setting out in a random direction would simply be too dangerous, I could end up anywhere and be detected very quickly.

Well then... no sense in maintaining this charade. With none of our infrastructure in place, it was hard to say where my next meal would come from. So it was best to stock up while I could.

I returned to the bodies, eating more vigorously. My stomach stretching and gurgling from the excess materials I pushed down into it, burning through it as quickly as it could. My body swelled from a healthy layer of fat, but if I was going to make use of all of this; I'd need more space for storage.

I discarded my shoes, unzipping my pants and removing them; as a tail began to stretch out behind me. Claws sprouted from my fingers and toes, which I used for better leverage over my meal. My face then pushed outward into a muzzle, filling the gaps with additional teeth; which allowed me to take down bigger mouthfuls.

My body swelled with inhuman growth, mutating into a more reptilian physique. I always had a preference for lizards, which felt fitting for a tropical environment such as this. My shirt now discarded, I was liberated to reconfigure how I pleased. Each mouthful of meat providing the necessary raw material to push me further, larger, less human.

By the last body I towered over the seats I once sat in, simply picking it up and swallowing it into my acid bath. Excusing myself from a hearty burp. The tail made for a well stocked larder, though a great deal of the biomass was still worn on the rest of my body; just so I wouldn't be so rear heavy.

I bowed my head to the empty seats, attempting to show some respect for those who once sat in them. Not eating their bodies wouldn't have brought them back, at least this way in death they could still serve some good.

I fell to all fours with a weighty thump, feeling my skin jiggle with fat. Sure I could have converted that meat into more muscle, but muscle required too much energy to sustain and here I was aiming for transporting my resource. I was pudgy and slow, hopefully this island would be drone free or I would be in serious trouble...

Though something was wrong... skin.

I rose to my rear legs, using my tail as a counter balance. Patting over my body with my paws. Yeah, there were patches of human skin here and there, also what's with the hair... I ran my frontal paws over my head, trying not to scratch up my scalp as sure enough I identified hair. It was patchy, almost mane like spread out over my head like that.

I felt kind of achy, my body burning slightly; despite I having recovered from earlier. I then realising, there were some cells still clinging to their prior existence. The conflict between them and mother's cells threatening the integrity of my body.

This was not ideal. I could try pumping them all through my digestive system, breaking them down and using the nutrients to build more of mothers cells. However there was a energy loss in doing this, and I wasn't keen on wasting energy right now. Especially given how it was acquired...

Thankfully, human cells could be coaxed into reverting back to stem cells; so that their function could be reallocated. They did have some morphological properties. So I pushed them all outward to the surface of my body, letting them become skin cells. A far less disruptive influence than them taking part in the functioning of vital organs.

When I had finished, I found myself coated head to toe in human skin, which didn't make for a good look over my lizard physique.

Crap, my hide was pretty vulnerable without scales... Nevermind, mother would get the rest of them soon enough. I'd just have to live with it in the meantime.

Returning to all fours, I took one last look at the crash site and then made way for the shade of the jungle. I was a large and intimidating beast, so hopefully nothing in there would make an attempt on me. Though animals would be the least of my worries if the humans managed to make external contact, reporting my presence here.

There was no collective to bring them into here. Sure I can still infect them, but to what end; outside mother's influence? I'd have to cross that line when I reached it.

I made my way through the foliage, assessing my environment. It appeared to be your standard jungle island biome. Large plant life, colourful birds, risk factors were boar and crocodile species. Mother had already developed counter measures for diseases in this region, though the human hide kept me at risk from mosquitoes and parasites. I diverted some mass to thickening it up further.

The soil was fertile, thankfully not having been stripped from industrial farming. The densely packed vegetation was a testament to that, remaining a quadrupedal for the time being would help in my concealment. Though no doubt I was the biggest thing here.

I couldn't wear my supplies on me all the time... I'd have to set up a base somewhere, but where? I needed to know more about the island, importantly where I was on it. I couldn't get off the ground, so another lifeform was in order.

I directed my attention inward as I walked, growing the required organs for developing a suitable organism within me. It shouldn't take too much of my reserves to produce a suitable scout. An area ahead of me was disrupted by a stream, I stopped for a drink but also took note that the presence of the rocky bed left the overhead somewhat clear of trees. This place will do.

Squatting down, I pushed out an egg sack, turning to observe. After a couple of minutes it began to move, then tore open to reveal thin membraned wings and the silent gaze of my obedient drone. It wasn't sentient, rather dumb really, having just enough instinct to follow orders.

Silent communication exchanged between us, then I lifted it up on a frontal paw and watched as the bat like creature took flight above and beyond the treetops.

I had best remain here. Without our communication infrastructure, how far I could project information was limited. It would return to my last known location once it had finished.

Spotting a nearby boulder, I got comfortable on it like a basking reptile to conserve energy and watch the stream run by. Focusing my energies on any remaining human cells scattered throughout my body and booting them to the exterior.

This was quite the mess I found myself in. I had emotionally prepared to be cut off from mother and the others, but in anticipation of infiltrating human society. Communications would be later resumed, support provided, family would grow around me as more were brought into the fold. Eventually we'd spread to people in positions of power, people who would help the mother mass inside.

Mother didn't know were I was... no one did. They wouldn't know to construct long range infrastructure to spread mother's influence here. This place may have had the potential to be a colony, but not this deep into human territory. Upon discovery it would be destroyed immediately, easily. Far from the support of the mothermass.

Keeping a low profile was the only option for survival. Constructing long range towers in the hope of reaching someone, would be more likely to a draw satellite's attention than one of my siblings. I may as well arrange skin patterns to produce a target on my back.

I pushed the air from my lungs, frustrated. No doubt if I had access to our library of collective knowledge; I'd be able to think of something. But I was just one mind, there was only so much you could take with you. I was on my own.

Some time passed as I focused on internal matters, until movement caught my attention. Lifting my head to inspect, a small lizard made its way through roots and decaying plant matter; seeking to quench its thirst at the stream. It stopped to recognise my presence, our eyes meeting, then carried on.

An image of a glass tank flashed through my mind, I petting a similar animal in the palm of my human hand, before returning it to its synthetic habitat.

"You'll take good care of him?" I asked, seeking reassurance. My sister ran through the instructions I had given her, showing she knew what to do. After thanking her, I continued to pack my things.

I'm on a plane now, traveling far away. There was little to do but watch the clouds outside my window, watch the continents pass far below.

I'm in a foreign country, I'm traveling by myself. I want to explore other places, other cultures. One last adventure before I began my career.

I underestimated the journey by foot, I'll have to camp outside tonight.

I wake to two men going through my things, they demand money.

They're forcing me to go with them, somewhere, far from populated areas. I'm afraid.

I'm standing at the top of a waterfall now. They took everything I have, there was no reason for them to hurt me. I plead with them.

I grab my throat, red pours out from under my head and stains my clothes.

I'm pushed.

I'm falling.

Everything is so cold, I'm struggling, I don't want to die.

Everything turns to black.

It's quiet now...

I see my body through someone else's eyes, someone else's memory. It's laying face down in the water, near the entrance of some sort of cave. Light is shining in from somewhere in the distance, but these eyes don't need it.

They touch my body, outstretching an inhuman hand. It is cold, I'm dead, my throat clearly cut open harshly. For how long they do not know, but it is worth a try.

They lift up my corpse, I'm surprisingly light, carrying me deeper into the depths of the cave. The walls change, this is not natural rock it was dug, dug by something but not a machine.

Deeper still, there is an entrance to something unnatural. A fleshy wall that peels back to reveal a living interior. The creature approaches it without fear.

The creature puts me down inside, I watch as my body sinks into the flesh and disappears.

It's warm here...

I'm aware again... Mother?

My thoughts were brought back to my environment as the drone approached. Getting up from the rock, I outstretched my reptilian arm and presented a paw for it to land on. Its wings sagged weakly, having only been given enough energy to complete the task.

I swallowed it whole.

The drones body quickly melted back down into bio-absorbable nutrients, returning to my reserves. But its tiny brain, which was held in an acid resistant package, floated and was pulled to the sides of my stomach to be drawn elsewhere. Connections were made, then my mind was suddenly flooded with various images, memories, a birds eye view of the island.

There were no artificial structures or indication of human civilization, as I had hoped. This island really was wild, so was unlikely to be hosting any sort of combatant drones...

I could not see any sign of the human survivors, which was problematic. I couldn't avoid them if I didn't know where they were. I would think they'd try to make camp on a beach, but they apparently opted for an area deeper in the jungle.

Not the smartest of decisions, they'd be picked apart in there without suitable cover. It minimised their chances of being spotted by overhead search parties, as well as hid their presence from myself... I'd have to tread carefully.

The drone did spot a promising area near by, upstream from here in fact. The water flowed out of a cave, no doubt rain water that had filtered through the rock from higher elevation. It would be easier to conceal my presence if I set up base under natural cover like that, though how deeply it reached I couldn't say.

The decision made, it was just a matter of following the stream upward. At least I'd be at low risk of dehydration this way, those bodies weren't exactly full of water; having sat in the sun so long.

Human skin sweated buckets, which is a useful evolutionary tool for keeping cool but it meant you were losing water constantly in this climate. I had other tools at my disposal, such as a natural thermoelectric heat pump taken from the insect kingdom. But I couldn't make use of them until I had finished converting the remainder of the human cells.

It was a pain to not be able to just grow a more suitable exterior, but it was better than allowing the human cells to make up a more important part of me. I doubt they'd be less trouble as part of my heart or liver...

I could always concentrate them into one area and discard them, but until I had a reliable source of nourishment; every pound in weight was precious.

The path along the stream was clearer, however I made way through the vegetation running along side it. It would be slower going but I'd be less exposed to potentially being spotted. I wasn't going to pass for anything native, especially with my regrettably human aesthetic.

It was somewhat nice here, idyllic. Palm trees shaded high above, the soil soft and easy to get my claws into. As I waded my way through the vegetation, I thought to myself, it was a beautiful day. The sort of day that made it feel extra good to stretch your tail muscles, thankful to have them; after being cramped inside a human shell for so long.

Sometimes you can become so engrossed in the clash between humanity and our kind, that you can forget there is a third world. The natural world. One were the future of the planet wasn't at stake and birds sang, the jungle humming with the noises of different species living out their lives, far from the threat of human progress.

... but the serenity wasn't real.

The memories of animals that made up part of my psyche knew all too well, insight brought to us through inclusion of many different species into our family. However tranquil nature felt, a war was raging around me all the time.

Herbivores ravaged whatever plantlife they came across, predators took the lives of herbivores, an endless cycle of death and destruction. Perpetual biological warfare, evolution honing defenses and weapons. Uncaring and unable to empathise with the pain they inflicted on other sentient life.

A herbivore may dream of a world without carnivores, dream for the erasure of entire species; while believing itself to be morally superior. Their dream only leading to further death, as they overburden the plant life and die off from starvation.

You see in evolution you can never truly win, never truly find peace. As soon as you win, the food web becomes unbalanced and you suffer all the same. At least being eaten was done with quickly, starvation stretched out.

Even if by some accident your species found itself in perfect peaceful conditions, with no predators and bountiful food. Evolution would punish you. You'd become weaker, small, dumber. Lacking any need for survival tools, in pursuit of efficiency, they were weeded out.

Humanity postponed judgment day through technology, leveraged their destruction so far into the future that when it did come; the resulting devastation would affect every living thing on the planet. All would be made to suffer, indiscriminately.

Because no matter how smart you became, no matter how dominant a position you obtained in the food web, you were still the product of evolution. Still being driven to selfishly grow and expand beyond your means, even if you know better. Even if you can see the end coming and had all the tools at hand to steer away, evolutionary instinct would keep you on target.

Humanity had low polluting renewable energy, but shifting away from fossil fuels would place too high a cost on their ever higher expectations of the world. It simply wasn't pleasurable to cut back, to consume less, to show restraint.

Their own research showed they were more miserable than ever, lacking substance and depth to their lives. Yet they carried on, leveling ecosystems in pursuit of the material possession that would finally give their life meaning.

They'd chase that promise right off a cliff, dragging every other species down with them... Species who, given the same opportunity, would do exactly the same.

...We judge what makes us feel good, what drives us, what makes us happy. Not instinct, not evolutionary behaviour. We can craft our own drives and make them in pursuit of productive ends. Eradicate tribalism, cut out aggression, crank up cooperation and empathy.

Our well being was mother's well being, mother would lead her children to a golden future in which life made up its own rules. Together, as one being, as one organism, there would finally be peace.

Until that day, despite its beauty, nature was still an inhospitable environment. Driving to extinction any species that dared to tread through it; which hadn't pursued the path of competition. My current wide load aside... I was the fittest organism on this island, but I intended to tread carefully. My dominance wouldn't come at the expense of others.

I kept the stream in sight and the imagery from the air in mind, anticipating the obstacles ahead. Sure enough as seen by my drone; the ground became steeper and more rocky. Thankfully with four well crafted legs and claws to boot, the climb posed no concern.

The cave eventually came in sight, elevated from the ground with a steady flow of water along its centre. I looked forward to its cooler interior, the ready supply of fresh water right on my doorstep. With proper modification, I could call this home for the time being.

I pulled my hefty body over the boulders decorating its entrance, eager to see just how far it went in. Then as I looked inside... I froze.

I had been far too hasty, it should have been obvious.

No doubt as they left the wreckage, the humans would have come across the same stream I did. Fresh water was a precious resource, so the only question was where they were going to set up camp along it.

Downstream would have simply led back to the sea at some point, so they had opted to explore uphill. No doubt just being as thrilled as myself, as they came across shelter from the elements and a reliable water source in one.

My drone took flight early morning, at a time when they probably weren't even awake. So as I approach the cave in my eagerness, failing to take the care I did to reach here, they had looked up towards the source of the approaching noise...

The humans looked at me, and I looked at them.

"M... Mutation!" Cried one of the men, they all rising to their feet, screams and expressions of despair as they reached for whatever they could find to defend themselves. Containers lay scattered around the inner entrance of the cave, a meager fire burning. It appeared they had been set up here for some time before my arrival.

My fight or flight instincts kicked in.

Of course, my competitive instincts had been removed with genetic accuracy. Filed away in my libraries, for whatever regrettable circumstances they'd have to be relied on again. There was no need to make use of them for the mission I was on.

So there was no conflict in my mind whatsoever as I turned tail and ran, abandoning the stealth I had used on the way up. They knew I was here, I could move as loudly as I liked, so I put my pudgy body into high gear. The reptilian hippo of a creature charging into the distance as they no doubt watched from their sanctuary in terror, the threat of my presence sinking in.

Mutation was here, the terrible monster that threatened all of humanity was here on the island with them. They didn't know how many we were, where our hive may have been constructed. All they knew was that their lives were in great danger, and there was no one to help them.

Fear, anger... retaliation was only a matter of time. I needed defences. I made way for the second best option I knew of.

Mutation was a regrettable name the humans had given mother, not particularly flattering. They no doubt thought it summarized her, a disease that mutated all life it came in contact with; in pursuit of unimaginable goals.

The military, of course, had failed to inform the world that mother was man made. That they had hoped to twist her into their latest diabolical weapon, to be deployed against each other. This left the population to speculate as to her origins, from alien invasions to the religious end of times. The form the devil himself had taken to take ownership of the Earth.

If only they could understand... Mother was something you could only comprehend through embrace.

Then, as far as they were concerned, you were possessed and not really you. No amount of reasoning, no amount of explanation, could convey the expansion of consciousness linking with the collective brought. You grew immeasurably from it, but this also made you too foreign for them to empathise with. You had died and a monster stood in your place, luring you to your death as well...

I was at a disadvantage.

Killing went against our every instinct, we were to adopt other species into our family; not erase their very existence. Forever losing their individuality, the unique richness they could have brought to us.

They however, had no qualm about killing me. I was just the monster out to get them, a risk to be eliminated.

I couldn't even absorb them. Well I could, but that would be problematic. Mother's collective consciousness was not here, they'd undergo no awaking as the rest of us did, no explosion in understanding. They'd be of mothers cells but not her heart.

At best I could share my mind with them, attempt to convey Mother's love through my experience. But this brought with it so many risks. There was only one of me but many of them, a sharing of minds may very well overwhelm my own.

I needed security, I needed somewhere I could feel safe, somewhere they would dare not tread.

If they feared a hive, I'd build them one. Hidden just enough to not draw attention to the island, but visible enough to them that they would not risk approaching. Fearing absorption.

I'd give them the impression that this area was infested, that I was just one of many. So long as they overestimated my number, they would not risk an all out assault.

I needed resources, biomass, and lots of it.

I began reconfiguring my form for athletic stamina. Growing additional nostrils along my muzzle for oxygen intake, opening up holes along my back for dedicated carbon dioxide ventilation. My lungs multiplied, allowing for more air to be taken in with shallower breaths. Legs became leaner, more bouncy, recycling energy were they could.

For once the human skin had its place, sweat evaporation became more performant while running. Despite being wasteful with body water; it was the most appropriate hide for endurance running.

My physique resculpted to be more aerodynamic and I launched forward across the tropical island. Seeking to increase the distance between us, as well as investigate the alternative location.

When I had reached the area, I had burned through a hefty percentage of my current reserves to do so. A risk on my part, valuing reaching this location at haste over energy conservation. The stream didn't flow here, so it was unlikely they'd pick to hunt me this direction. More likely happening upon me by chance while foraging.

But that was the main problem with this area, there was no stream, no reliable water source. I had gambled based on the aerial imagery that an underwater stream would pass under here, but there were no guarantees.

What sold the location was that it appeared fertile, with good overhead foliage cover for concealment and a fairly level ground. A suitable location for converting into a rudimentary home and give off the impression of a hive being present. If... a viable water source really is here.

I set to work reverting my body back to its less aerodynamic chubby form. Then I closed my eyes and focused my senses inward, accessing my own internal biological interface and instructing the birthing of a suitable drone. Biological matter was extracted from my stores, given the programme, then wrapped into an egg for independent growth.

I laid the egg just as before, rather larger than the last, then got comfortable on the ground to await its hatching.

I had better be right... that was an expensive drone to produce, it would take longer to grow too.

Looking around, I assessed the most plentiful resource here to be trees. Most of them were essential for what I had planned, as well as the overhead cover, but a little thinning out wouldn't hurt.

I grew glands either side of my mouth and the necessary compression muscles for spraying their contents, then primed them with a particularly aggressive microbe from my libraries. They ate cellulose and other plant materials, leaving behind simpler sugars. Essentially making wood edible and less energy intensive to digest.

They had to be designed to imprint on whichever plant they first came in contact with, restricting their diet exclusively to those genetics. Otherwise they'd simply keep eating and turn all the vegetation on this island to mush. So they required some tactful spraying on my part.

I set to work selecting nearby trees to be broken down into a food source. Ensuring they didn't play too essential a part of the overhead cover, lest any satellites catch sight of my little home from home. However there were other reasons for wanting to keep plenty of foliage up there.

I received a notice that the egg was ready, so I put my marking on hold and headed back for it. This drone would have trouble hatching on its own, so I put my claws to work to strip back the fleshy egg shell. Two insectoid eyes peered out from under it, a chubby grub emerging; somewhere between a worm and insect larva. Fat with the precious energy reserves I had gifted it.

The drone stared at me blankly, not having a thought in its tiny little brain. I'd have to stay within range or I wouldn't be able to instruct it, otherwise it would just take to laying around until it burned through its body fat and died. Lacking sentience had its limitations, but there were ethical boundaries to bringing a new mind into this world. I didn't want to strand anyone else on this island with me... I didn't need that on my conscience.

Not that its intended task required any thinking.

Using the other drones imagery as a guide, I carried the grub to the most likely area a underground stream would be under and instructed it to dig down towards water. The creature buried its face in the dirt and soon enough; all I could see of it was its rear end poking out from its hole. Which would remain the case, as it grew in length as it digested through the soil. Tunneling down in pursuit of water.

Mineral rich digested dirt pushed out of its rear, full of water soluble elements and beneficial microbes that any plant would be appreciative of. It would also make for a nutritionally useful supplement for strengthening structures, as well as any organism for that matter. However until I was sure this was the place I intended to remain, building infrastructure would be a poor use of my currently limited resource.

Surrounding trees that I had sprayed began to emit gasses from microbiological activity. It would take time for them to fully convert the wood, as well as for my drone to report any findings, so there was little for me to do but conserve energy in the meantime.

I looked for a particularly bushy area of ground and curled up on it, wrapping my somewhat leaner tail around me for warmth and comfort. Keeping some external senses alert as my mind fell downward, down into into the dark watery depths of my consciousness.

Various internal displays lit up like electronic screens, shining in the blackness of my mind. Keeping me up to date on the ongoing of my surroundings, my bodily functions, from calorie consumption per hour to vitamin storage.

It had been an expensive start to the day. I really couldn't keep going like this or like the battery monitor on a phone; I'd be given an estimate of when I would finally run flat. It was really hard to tell when I couldn't predict what I would be facing next.

I watched them for a while, floating freely in the imaginary space of my mind, until finally I allowed myself to sleep...

...I opened my eyes in a different body, for the first time. Having spent the period following my absorption in mother's internal virtual world.

The beings there knew everything about me, and I knew everything about them. You'd think this would be a barrier to worthwhile discussion, but while we shared the same knowledge and understanding; it was filtered through each organism's unique perceptions of it. Their own interpretations, their own lens and outlook.

Our brains were connected, but still separate brains. Having their own configurations as a result of our life experiences.

In this we were still individuals, despite sharing our minds. A thought could only ever be a thought, it couldn't encompass all knowledge within the moment of its inception. We could hold conversations, in order to direct the attentions of others to aspects of their own knowledge they may have not considered.

We could still debate, joke and play. Valuing each others company.

I attended open discussions a million strong, listening to the preachings of what mother brought to the world. Uplifted beasts would engage in intellectual debate with the brightest minds of the current human generation, the species barrier having been rendered irrelevant. Discussing the latest politics of human societies ongoings, of how the world would be run post union of all life on Earth.

I was to remain in this imaginary world until my brain had undergone conversion. A body was easy to break down, converting into nutrients that would later then fuel the growth of more of mother's own cells. A brain was a much more delicate matter, with cells being replaced as they naturally died; like your own body refreshing itself.

Too quick and consciousness would be disturbed. The goal was to bring someone over to mother's kind, to make them one of her children. Not to simply clone them at the expense of the original's consciousness.

So my brain sat attached to a pillar of other recently absorbed minds, among a forest of pillars, buried deep underground for security. Far beyond the reach of any weapon or threat from the Earth's surface. Waiting for the day that not a single original cell remained, making them truly of mother's children. At that point they had developed the morphological friendly neurons to take any form they pleased.

I could have chosen any sort of body to first venture outward into, including my original one. Yet for whatever reason I chose differently.

Apparently this wasn't unusual. To share your consciousness with so many different species, different ways of being. To have memories of having lived as every creature mother had absorbed, staying as you were simply wasn't an option. You had grown beyond what you were, drifting away from the accident of birth and towards individualistic preference.

My preference... was the animal I felt closest to. I wanted to know, to feel, to experience what they were. To gain further insight into the relationship I had with my former pet. When I physically opened my eyes for the first time since my absorption, it was as a scaled up version of my pet lizard.

I had been reborn an animal.

The body was an accurate recreation of my pet, however a flesh cord sprouted from the downward curve of my back; embedding me in the living floor. Because you see, I wasn't actually there. My brain was still anchored to that pillar, safe deep underground. Mother was directing my consciousness to the body located here, allowing my first baby steps in an alien form to be safe and monitored.

I was suspended in fluids, rippling walls of flesh in all directions, a play pen grown by mother for her children to learn and play. Having access to collective knowledge had its perks, but nothing quite stroked neurons for morphological freedom like first hand experience.

This world should have terrified me, but my mind felt only motherly nurturing. Mother was all around me. She was the oxygenated liquids I breathed, the ground beneath my feet, the cells that introduced me to the sensations of having a tail. Mother was love, mother was all. Together, our family would do incredible things.

I laid against the ground, against mother, affectionate. Then my lizard body began to sink into it, the cells that made up its form returning back to mother. The body merged with the surrounding flesh and disappeared, returning me back to the virtual, full of stories of my first exploration into another species.

Of course they'd all see that just by looking at me. Some of that lizard rubbed off onto my consciousness and it showed in my appearance here, the mental reproduction of my form shifting away from human.

Apparently this only occured if you were particularly affectionate for a type of body, finding it to your preference. You eventually mixing and matching pieces of different species, until your inner self reflected the form you were most comfortable in. Not that I minded, I intended to explore further down this path anyway, I was past clinging to what I used to be...

I wake to the sound of a crash.

One of the nearby trees I had sprayed with microbes had buckled under its own weight. The once firm bark of its trunk now taking on a translucent appearance, becoming soft and mushy.

I got up and walked over, digging my claws into its shape and breaking some of the material off. Ingesting it and finding reassurance in my calorie counter going up once again, thankfully this time not coming from corpse meat. It had a waxy texture, not really tasting of anything, but it was nourishment and appreciated all the same.

Leaving the fallen tree to continue breaking down, I directed my attention to my burrowing worm. It had detected increased moisture levels and was heading that direction, but it hadn't hit anything yet.

I then looked over myself, patting my body and watching it jiggle. I was actually getting a bit fed up with being a land whale, every movement was burdensome and simply wearing all this weight was increasing the calories I burned just to shift it.

I was contemplating another drone to carry it for me, as a sort of pack mule. But however efficient I made it, two organisms would burn more calories than one... My line of thought then being disturbed by the collapsing of yet another nearby tree, them going down in the order I sprayed them.

...Nevertheless there was a lot of calories just sitting around in the form of those processed trees, and I didn't savour the thought of adding them to my already excessive bulk. They couldn't just be left on the ground like this, they'd become a target for every other lifeform in the area; including wild yeasts which would colonise the source of sugars.

I felt more calories were at risk of being lost than sacrificed at this point. I'd hang on to my own fat layers, but convert some of them into support drones, to collect and store what was around here.

The decision made, I once again pumped more materials into my organ for constructing lifeforms and shortly after; laid another egg. It hatched shortly after, birthing triplet fist sized insects that scurried out and awaited orders.

I instructed them to eat any of the converted wood and use some of it to build up their own body mass. I had also configured their bodies to allow a level of mutation, to give them some future utility.

They hissed in understanding and set to work, smelling the air for any of the specified material to gobble up. Making them small initially made their production light on my own system. Any biomass they consumed beefing themselves up could always be recycled later; should the need arise.

Even though they were mindless creatures, operating on instruction and base instinct. It was nevertheless nice to see something of mother's kind scurrying about. It made the area a little more homely, my situation less isolating.

Drones would be an effective way to exaggerate my number to any onlooker, but to build up those numbers I still needed reliable access to resources...

On that thought, an alert was sent to me and I turned around immediately. Wormy had hit paydirt.

Amongst the small hill of dark rich soil that now surrounded it, a jet of water fired upward. I watched breathless, awaiting the second alert. Then sighed in relief, it having confirmed to have hit an underground stream and not just a pocket of water.

We had a reliable water source... this was home.

I immediately messaged back, instructing the worm to undergo metamorphosis into a living water pump and filtration system. It would lose its ability to eat through soil, but would reconfigure to more efficiently bring the water to the surface for our use.

Of course, this would also mean it would lose the ability to extract nourishment to sustain itself. To keep the pump alive, I'd have to start establishing infrastructure to around it.

I approached the pump just as it began to reform for its next function, it was time to put all these pounds to work.

I focused my efforts to produce a very different sort of product, feelings my limbs gradually shrink as the excess load was drained out of them. The physique of my whole body shifted as mass was diverted from everywhere, concentrating all of it through my biological production facility. I even replaced the remaining human cells of my exterior, sending them through.

My hanging belly changed shape, from obese to a more firm bulge, which only continued to grow size; exceeding the flab of earlier.

This... I huffed to myself... wasn't going to be the most comfortable...

I pushed a good 90% of my biomass reserves into there, my belly stretching taut as my processing organ worked through all the raw material in preparation for what was to come. My body was rendered lean, contrasted by the low hanging bulge of my reptilian stomach. All four legs worked to hold me up, I waiting for the all clear that everything was ready.

Then, I clenched to push out the first king sized egg. Even for a reptilian build such as myself, this was work, but it had to be done. I gasped audibly as it left me, taking a moment to recover, before moving elsewhere to lay another one.

Almost immediately the egg began to change. Not hatching, but losing its shape and melting downward, spreading in all directions until it sat on the ground like a large muddle. A texture began to emerge on its surface, veins appearing beneath it. Gradually, the ooze coming to life and developing the connections to sustain it.

The second egg I laid soon joined it, forming connections with the prior. Where it made contact with the tail end of the living water pump, one type of flesh fused with the other and they shared in each others circulation and nutrients.

I continued laying eggs until I had ran out, huffing in fatigue from the task but being proud of my handiwork. All around me I saw mother's flesh, mothers cells reconfiguring the habitat into our own. They had an infinite capacity to recreate themselves, serving whatever purposes that need be. Without mother here, it would be up to me to direct their productive efforts.

Beneath the surface they were driving roots into the ground, cementing their presence and extracting what nutrients they could from the soil. Trees bulged with veins, under my guidance; mother's cells would consume their core and wear their still living bark as camouflage. She'd enhance the leaves ability to convert sunlight into sugars, extracting them for her own uses.

Storage pods bulged from the ground, in anticipation for collecting water and vital nutrients. My drones, having now grown to the size of dogs, pressed their abdomens into them to deposit calorie dense materials; before leaving to acquire more.

The converted wood they had ingested proved a good source of energy, however in time my new living infrastructure would be able to produce something much better. I looked forward to once again enjoying the rich moist fruits of mother's carefully crafted organisms, a combination of ethical animal proteins and plant sugars. You couldn't beat your mother's homemade meals.

I caressed over myself affectionately as scales finally grew in, to replace were that horrid human flesh once was. It had been scattered amongst the surrounding biological matter, where mother could deal with them at her leisure.

I felt so much better; as I reconfigured for bipedal movement, no longer having to carry all that weight around with me. My reptilian body was lean and silky to the touch, a development that was only further enhanced by the conversion of my surrounding environment. Things were beginning to look more like home.

There was still need for a level of caution, I instructing the young mother mass to detect the overhead cover of trees it had formed symbiotic relations with; to avoid a direct line of sight with the sky. I couldn't convert too much of the surrounding area, otherwise algorithms would pick it up from satellite photography.

Just enough to feel homely, as well as deter the approach of my human cohabitants.

I was feeling a lot better about my situation. I had access to a reliable source of food and water, some companionship from drones and as this rudimentary hive continued to grow; eventually shelter. I'd direct it to grow structures so I wasn't so exposed, somewhere warm and living to curl up inside of a night.

It may even be possible to construct scaled back communication towers, provided that they were suitably camouflaged. They wouldn't reach mother out here, but they could pick up one of her aquatic children at the edge of their range; should they scout this far out to sea one day.

But I was getting ahead of myself. The mass could only grow a couple of feet a day, it would take time to develop a base with enough vitality to sustain that sort of high energy infrastructure. For the time being, serving my basic needs took priority.

Under my direction this hive could form any structure, any organ of functional value I could wish for. My libraries were full of utilities of various energy and material costs, from waste recycling to growing organisms. Placing the burden of supporting them on the local environment rather than my own body.

For the first time since my arrival, it wasn't all on me. There was comfort in that.

I directed the scavenger drones to mutate the same glands and wood eating microbes that I had used, then gave basic instruction on which trees to select. Once they had consumed the existing trees, they'd explore further outward for a selective harvest, helping to bolster the hives energy needs to grow.

In time, it shouldn't be necessary to rely on finite resources such as these. The mass will have developed enough to be self supporting.

It would take some time for the humans to stumble upon here, and when they did they'd hopefully be scared off at the sight of living ground. It wasn't my intention to psychologically torment them, no doubt they were not happy about me being here, regarding me as an immediate threat that would eventually come for them.

In fact I wanted little to do with them. At least, here in this environment now. Under different circumstances I would have welcomed them as family, but that wasn't an option here. Here things were complicated, the actions to take less clear.

I looked into my libraries, under instincts and behaviours. There sealed away were aggression and competition... essential survival instincts for any product of evolution.

Should they come for me... I may need to defend myself. I may need to value my life above their own...

I closed the library, wishing to hang on to our values for however long I could.

Drinking deeply from my water reserves, I then reconfigured my body once more. Smaller, lighter, with hollow bones. My mass redistributed behind me, stretching out new limbs with thin membranes. I gave my freshly grown wings a few test flaps and then took flight, heading back to where this had all started and keeping an eye for any human movement down below.

Search efforts for the crash could find the debris parked on the beach, the chunk of the plane that managed to land here. It had to be destroyed and scattered far, so that it may not lead anyone else here...