(OK, everyone. This idea has been sitting in my head for over a year now, and I need to get it out there. I refuse to let this just sit there in the back of my mind any longer. It is starting to get annoying. So, please enjoy. If there is something wrong with it, like something I missed or got wrong or something like that, let me know. As for our starting point, it's just after Zeratul first discovered the hybrid near the end of Brood War. There are spoilers in here, so if you don't already know this, don't read it. You need to have already beaten LotV to read this. That's how many spoilers there are.)
Prologue:
After arriving on the dark moon, Zeratul had seen with his own eyes Protoss and Zerg alike trapped in stasis cells. They were exposed to a series of tests and experiments for years now, and signs of stopping were nonexistent. However, there was still one last cell Zeratul needed to see. In a way, he had hoped it would be Artanis in there, yet also not. He was afraid his friend had been subjected to what the others had been exposed to. But he would also be overjoyed to see his friend again, even if that were the case. He did pray it wasn't like that though.
The last cell had been very well guarded. The Terran had bunkers at the entrances, missile turrets close behind the perimeter, and men close to everything. Even so, Zeratul had his own forces ready. More than half of them had been taken from the Terran through mind control, thanks to his dark archons. He had taken siege tanks, science vessels, and even a couple of battle-cruisers. Along with the forces he brought, he knew he would be able to break through if he played his part right.
The battle-cruisers were the first to attack. Utilizing their yamato cannons, they easily destroyed 2 bunkers, and a missile turret. The siege tanks moved forward, and took their position just in front of the battle-cruisers. They switched over into siege mode, and started blowing everything in front of them. The enemy decided to take the offensive, and charged out towards them. Unfortunately, that would be a big mistake. Once they were out of range of their nearby detectors, Zeratul struck, and they fell with one swift blow. But Zeratul wasn't everywhere at once. The enemy got close enough to begin shooting. The tanks were taking damage a bit too quickly. By the time Zeratul ended the last one, one tank had fallen, and another severely damaged. The battle-cruisers had moved again, and began blasting everything in sight. Every enemy within the base had started rushing out there to try and stop them. Zeratul, using this distraction, slipped past them and made his way to the last stasis cell. When he got there, what he saw was nothing he would have ever expected.
"I've never seen a subject like this before." He said.
"Test subject 29 classified. Protoss-Zerg hybrid in perfect cryo-hybernation. Psionic emanations minimal." The computer explained when Zeratul got close.
"No." He said. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Magnificent, isn't it?" A dark voice asked. Zeratul started looking all around, but didn't see where the voice was coming from.
"What? Who are you?" He asked.
"I've had many name throughout the millenia, young prodigal. You will know me best as Samir Duran." The voice continued.
"Kerrigan's consort. Is this part of her twisted schemes?" Zeratul asked, with a slight amount of venom in his voice.
"No. Young Kerrigan could not have engineered this grand experiment. Although her rebirth into the Zerg Swarm has sped up my progress, I can assure you that this endeavor is quite beyond her narrow understanding." Duran explained.
"If you are not her pawn, then what are you?" Zeratul asked, starting to get a little angry with what he was looking at in the stasis cell.
"I am a servant of a far greater power. A power that has slept for countless ages, and is reflected in the creature in that cell." Duran said.
"Have you any conception of what you've created here?! Do you have any idea what this – this hybrid is capable of?!" Zeratul almost shouted.
"Of course I do. This creature is the completion of a cycle. It's role in the cosmic order was preordained when the stars were young. Behold the culmination of your history." Duran said with pride.
"All I behold is an abomination." Zeratul said in disgust.
"Your violence, young prodigal, is typical. As is your inability to comprehend the greater scheme of things. You can destroy all of the specimens here. It will do you no good. For I have seeded the Hybrid on many, many worlds. You will never find them all before they awaken... And when they do... your universe will be changed... forever." Duran finished. Zeratul could no longer listen to this. He was furious that his brethren were used to create this creature, but now he was terrified. Duran had intentionally created this hybrid, knowing the destruction it could cause.
With that, Zeratul felt he had no choice now. Igniting his psi-blade once more, he attacked the stasis cell, and killed the hybrid inside. Even if the fight had ended while he was speaking to Duran, he felt as if he could still hear the screams of death loud in his ears. He felt his heart pounding in his new-found fear. He didn't know what to do with this knowledge, now that he had it. He started to simply walk away with thoughts of the future flooding his mind. He wondered what would become of his brethren if this was allowed to continue. But he also knew trying to destroy the hybrid would prove to be futile. Seeing as how he only stumbled on this one by complete accident, he doubt he could find others. Not to mention that if there were truly as many as Duran said there were, then he would only be wasting his energy for nothing. He wondered if it was truly hopeless to even think of stopping this.
As he walked, the mind controlled Terran started to lose consciousness. Their minds were unable to handle the strain the dark archons put on them. The Protoss forces that came with Zeratul followed him back as he kept moving. However, if Zeratul had stayed, he would have noticed Duran is much closer than he previously believed.
Below the stasis cell Zeratul destroyed was another laboratory. This lab is where hybrid experiments took place on the planet. The surface was only used for holding cells. The subjects within those cells would have been dragged underground for tests at a later date if they weren't already. Inside this underground lab was another hybrid Duran was developing. But for some reason, this one was different. It was believed to be something more. It held not just Protoss and Zerg DNA, but it also held Terran DNA. Yet, it was still incomplete. Although when it reached completion, it would appear Terran, it would be far more powerful, and serve as another loyal hybrid warrior. That is what Duran was seeking to achieve, but something was just missing. He had sent out teams of men to try and find this missing piece. They had been gone for almost a full year now, and still had to come up with results.
"The fool cannot comprehend what we have started here. What he has seen is only the beginning. It will take time, but the hybrid will be complete before too long. And all things will know their power." Duran said to no one in particular. He looked at his hybrid once more. "I will wait centuries more if I must, but we will finish our work here."
"Sir. The team you sent out has finally contacted us. They wish to speak with you. They believe they have found something." One of the many scientists said.
"Very well. Patch them through." Duran ordered. The scientist did as he was told. Duran walked to the communications room, and stood there waiting for his message. He only had to wait 1 minute for his team to reach him.
"Sir." The man said.
"Have you found something we could use?" Duran asked him.
"I believe so, sir. We have found a planet that is filled with Zerg." He said.
"Zerg? We already have more than enough Zerg to experiment with." Duran said.
"Sir, I'm afraid you don't understand. These Zerg are different. They are not like any other creature I have seen so far." The man added. This intrigued Duran, if only for a moment.
"Go on." He told the man.
"These Zerg seem to grow stronger after defeating an enemy. It would seem they are similar to wild animals, but once they catch their prey and consume it, they change." The man explained.
"How so?" Duran asked.
"They grow in strength, sometimes in size, and sometimes in appearance as well. They are capable of evolution and adaptation on a level far higher than any other creature I've seen. They are capable of a lot on their own. Perhaps we could add them to our experiments. If our hybrid had this same ability, then with each victory, they would become stronger, faster, and more powerful in every way. What do you think, sir?" The man finished. Duran thought about this for a moment. These Zerg are capable of more than any ordinary Zerg, and a chance like this may never present itself again. However, it sounded a bit too good to be true. If they were capable of so much, then why hadn't they known about them sooner?
"Bring me a few specimens. I would like to see them for myself. Keep them alive for now. If what you're telling me is true, then perhaps we have found our missing piece for our hybrid here." Duran ordered.
"Understood. We'll do our best." The man said. Then, the communication was shut down. Duran walked out, and back to look at his hybrid. It had yet to take form, but the DNA strands were ready. Everything was ready to create this warrior, but progress was continually delayed because of their situation. Duran wanted something more for his creation. A hybrid with a human appearance alone would be able to do much more, but that just wasn't enough. But Duran suspected he may have already something about these Zerg.
"Perhaps Amon did not change all of the Zerg as he had planned to. No matter. They will be put to good use. If they are capable of what he seen from them, it will only make our hybrid experiment even stronger." Duran said to no one in particular. He knew that if this worked, his hybrid would be stronger than he thought possible, and nearly impossible to detect as well. But there were several complications with this one specimen alone. Then there was the fact that it wasn't ready to begin forming yet. Additional specimens may add to those complications. Duran was aware of this, and silently hoped that this would work at least once, if nothing else.
6 months later:
The hybrid experiment has progressed, but not a much as Duran had hoped it would. Many of the issues they ran into had been solved, but there were still far to many of them to begin. Not to mention the man who contacted Duran back then had yet to return, or even report. With everything happening the way it was, Duran was stressed, and very irritable. In this time, he nearly killed almost all of his scientists several times over. He wanted to complete the experiment, and finish the hybrid. At this point, he was willing to do anything to get the results he wanted.
He knew it would be a challenge to create a hybrid like this, but he didn't realize it would be this difficult. An ordinary hybrid alone was difficult to forge, but they had already figured that out. Even then, it still took time to ensure the hybrid was stable. This creation that Duran had designed was another category of challenges in itself. Nothing but useless equations and hypothesis upon hypothesis as to how to work around one issue before moving on to the next. Countless simulations and smaller experiment to test the bonding process of the different DNA strands, and they were still not finished. All of this and more is what stressed out Duran to this point.
As he makes his way to the laboratory to check progress on his hybrid once again, he starts glaring at every person he passes by. Naturally, they back away from him out of fear. They knew that he could, and would, kill them in a heartbeat anytime he wanted. They also knew better than to get in his way when he was like this. It wasn't the first time either.
"How is our hybrid coming along?" Duran asked as soon as the door opened.
"We've been making progress, sir." One of the scientists said. Duran walked closer to him, and looked at the data in front of him. A lot had changed, and everything looked a bit more solid. "It would appear that any snags in our research have stopped for a while. Our pace has quickened quite a bit recently. At this rate, we may be done a little ahead of schedule." He finished. Duran let a small smile creep onto his face.
"Excellent work. Perhaps now, we will obtain the results needed for our hybrid." Duran said, finally feeling some of his stress fade away with that one piece of news. This calm moment of his was not to last, as a marine walked through the door.
"Sir. The team you sent has returned not even a few minutes ago. They asked to see you as soon as possible." The marine said. Duran turned, and walked right past him, as if he didn't even slightly matter. Duran made his way above ground, where his team was waiting for him. As soon as he saw them, he also saw the creatures in cages, fighting to get free. He noticed that they truly did resemble the Zerg everyone knew, yet at the same time, they were very different.
"Sir." A marine said as Duran began to approach. "We have captured as many specimens as we could afford. We lost quite a few good men in the process, but I believe it was well worth it, considering what we caught." He added. Duran almost didn't pay attention to the marine. Instead, he mostly stared at the creatures before him, and how many there were. There wasn't a lot of them, but there was more than enough for experimentation.
"Impressive. You and your team have done well. You may go now. I will send others to bring these creatures to the lab down below." Duran told the marine.
"Yes, sir." The marine said to Duran. He then turned to what remained of his team. "Alright, boys. We're done here. Take a break, and await further instructions." The marine ordered his troops. They all stopped what they were doing almost immediately, and began to march down below. The marine Duran addressed soon followed them.
"You know, I thought your kind went extinct after Amon's plans had begun so long ago. Perhaps your survival was a good thing after all. Now we can put your DNA to good use for our hybrid." Duran said to the caged creature in front of him. It roared in his face, leaving a few strands of drool on him. Duran didn't even flinch when it did this, and wiped it off using his sleeve. He then smirked at the creature, and started walking back down to the lab.
1 year later:
"The calculations are complete. We are ready to begin synthesizing our hybrid." One scientist said. Duran was there, watching them as they continued their work. Ever since these seemingly unknown creatures were brought to the lab, the scientists had to re-work almost every single calculation, hypothesis, DNA combinations, and so on. Duran had given them a very difficult task, but he didn't care. All he wanted at this point was to see his work completed.
"Excellent. You may begin at any time." Duran said, proud that they had achieved what he had asked of them.
"Yes, sir! We'll begin right away, with your permission." The scientist said.
"Granted." Duran said, nodding at the same time. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, this hybrid would finally be made. The scientists started inputting their data, and a stasis cell further below the surface was activated. All of the DNA collected would finally result in Duran's greatest creation. A hybrid, unlike any other, will soon emerge.
2 years later:
Duran had just disappeared, but in his place stood a man named Doctor Emil Narud. No one really knew why Duran just stepped away like he did, or how he even managed to. However, Dr. Narud was recommended by Duran to take over. With this in mind, no one questioned it. Narud, as a fellow scientist and researcher, did everything he could to speed up the process of finishing the hybrid. Its form was complete. All that was really needed was to wake it up, and therein lies a huge risk.
This hybrid isn't like any other creation beforehand. How it will react is unpredictable, and it could very well destroy the facility. Everyone was terrified to go anywhere near it. Some because of its power, others because of the fact that it's a hybrid, and a few that say it reminds them of Kerrigan. Everyone, except for Narud.
Narud stood up from his spot in the lab, and made his way to the elevator. He got inside, hit the button, and descended into the place where the stasis cell holding the hybrid was kept. As the elevator went down, Narud just couldn't wait to see this hybrid. This would be the first time he has seen is with his own eyes. He began to imagine what it looked like. Before he could get a clear picture though, the elevator stopped. Narud opened the door, and walked straight towards it. He couldn't believe what he was seeing at first.
This hybrid certainly had a humanoid form as was intended. This hybrid was male, young, and looked to be a promising specimen. The armor-like carapace that served as his skin truly did resemble Kerrigan's own Zerg form somewhat. His legs bent as if he were a Protoss. He had grown a tail similar to a Hydralisk. He had wings like Kerrigan, but his were smaller. Not by much, but they still were. They were also between his shoulder blades, and had skin between the bones, similar to bat wings, or Mutalisk wings. That, and he had 4 instead of just 2. At the top of each wing was a sharp claw just like those of a Zergling. His fingertips had extended into claws as well. These were far sharper than any other Zerg claw. Each claw went almost 2 feet long, but could easily be retracted, and completely concealed. His face had the same sort of mandible mask a Hydralisk had. His face was human, save for that one detail, so he didn't look disfigured. This mask covered his mouth and nose perfectly. There was a nearly invisible line in his skin from his bottom lip down to his chin, reaching even further and barely stopping once it reached his neck. This meant his jaw could split in 2. His hair was currently the same as Kerrigan's, but only shorter, and flowed a bit more freely. It reached down as low as his eyes, but didn't completely cover them. His eyes were still closed, so nobody knew how they looked, or what color they were.
Narud smiled once he took in this creation. He didn't expect anything like this. So simple, yet far more powerful than it appeared to be at a mere glance. Narud moved closer to the stasis cell, and began one last analysis on the hybrid inside before awakening it.
"Test subject 13Z currently in stasis. Psionic emanations moderate and increasing. Current condition is stabilized. DNA sequences show Protoss, Zerg, Terran, and unknown DNA strands." The computer stated. The number of experiments they created was great. Experiments 1-100 all ended in failure, then experiments 1A-100A were the same, and so on. So far, 13Z was the only one that remained stable and intact. As for why so many in only 2 years, that is only because most of them didn't make it past the first stage of creation.
Narud started typing on the computer in front of the stasis cell, and began the process of waking it up. The stasis cell began to lose power, and the hybrid fidgeted a little from this. Narud was about to open the cell, until he heard growling. He looked away from the computer, and back at the hybrid. He saw 13Z was fidgeting a lot. Then, its hands suddenly tensed up, and the claws scratched the cell from inside. Its wings began to fold, and the claws looked ready to pierce something. Finally, its eyes shot open, yet Narud didn't flinch.
Its eyes were just like that of a Zergling. No white in its eyes at all. There was only a glowing blood red, and a vertical slit for its pupil. It stared at Narud for a moment, and wondered where and what it was. Narud knew 13Z would have questions, seeing as it is part Terran, and waited for it to ask, should it actually decide to do so. But 13Z said nothing, and only stared straight ahead. Now, even Narud was starting to feel a bit unnerved by this. Finally, Narud saw 13Z raise its right hand, and he backed away almost immediately. His guess was correct, as 13Z went to impale Narud, and its arm shot through the cell as if it was nothing. Narud knew he would have been killed if he hadn't moved. 13Z would have ripped out his heart, seeing where those claws ended. The alarm began to blare, and Narud made his way to the elevator. The last thing he saw before the door closed was 13Z ripping apart the stasis cell with all of its claws, including the ones on its wings.
The elevator began going straight up to the top. The alarm kept blaring and everyone was beginning to panic. They knew 13Z was awake. They were trying to evacuate, or rather, trying to survive. However, halfway to the surface of the dark moon, the elevator suddenly stopped, and the electricity went out as well. Narud moved around, looking at his options for an exit. All he saw was the door in front of him, and the emergency exit above him. He was about to open the door, until he heard something on the other side. He leaned against the door, and listened.
"13Z cut the power!" The first man said.
"What?! How?!" The second man asked, clearly panicking.
"That hybrid is smarter than he looks, considering it only woke up a few minutes ago. Find it, and kill it!" The third man said. Then, they all heard a hiss. It sounded like a Hydralisk was close by, but they all knew better. 13Z was close by, and Narud heard it as well.
"It's close!" The second man nearly shouted.
"Damn! Safeties off! Shoot to kill!" The first man ordered. Narud had a feeling those men were dead, and stopped listening. He went for the emergency exit above him, and climbed up to the top of the elevator. He grabbed the doors leading to the next floor, and opened them only a little bit. However, the door was opened the rest of the way by a couple marines.
"Come on!" One of them said, holding his hand out for Narud to grab. Narud did just that, and let the marine pull him up. "That hybrid is tearing away at the facility. It's already made quite a bit of progress at that. Our only hope is to leave the planet while we still can." He continued.
"This hybrid has exceeded my expectations. I suppose it was a foolish thing to hope it would awaken peacefully." Narud said.
"It's not your fault, sir. Let's just get out of here." The marine finished. Narud nodded. Before any of them moved, they all heard screaming from down below. Narud already knew what that was. 13Z had found its prey. Knowing it was just beneath their feet, they all ran as fast as they could to the nearest set of stair, hoping to reach the surface before 13Z.
Beneath where Narud and the others were, the 3 marines were all standing back to back. They were waiting for 13Z to show itself, so they could shoot it right away. Their guard was always up, but they didn't realize they were already dead. 13Z was using its claws to crawl across the ceiling. Slowly, and silently, 13Z made its way directly above the 3 marines. 13Z hissed again, and the marines nearly jumped at how close he sounded. Their fingers were almost squeezing the triggers, nearly prematurely firing a few bullets into the walls. 13Z hissed once more, and the marines started shooting down the halls.
When they stopped, the first marine went down one hallway to see if he hit anything. The second marine had the same idea, and went down a different hall. The third marine was terrified, and couldn't move. 13Z moved just a little closer, and dropped down in front of him. The marine let out a short scream, and pointed his gun almost immediately. He shot at 13Z, but the bullets just dented its skin, before just falling to the ground. When he ran out of ammo, he only saw that he did absolutely nothing to it. 13Z only stared at him, reading his mind, and stealing whatever intelligence the man held.
The marine was paralyzed with fear. 13Z walked up to him slowly, and just stared him straight in the eye. For a moment, the eyes of 13Z changed, and looked human. The only thing that reminded the marine of what they looked like before was the irises of its eyes. They were still that intimidating blood red. Then, 13Z quickly rammed the claws on his left hand through the man's throat, the claws on his right hand through his head, and his wings claws into the center of his chest almost at the same time, signifying it was done with him. The marine couldn't even scream in pain. He saw the eyes of 13Z once more before he died. They had returned to their normal state.
The other 2 came back, and saw 13Z and their companion impaled on its claws. They looked at each other, then back at 13Z. It looked at the other 2 men, and threw the corpse at their feet. In their new-found rage, they began shooting at 13Z. They only met with the same results as their companion did. 13Z began walking over to them. For every step they took back, 13Z took 2 steps forward. As soon as they ran out of bullets, 13Z was standing right in front of them. It didn't even bother looking into their minds, and jammed 2 of its wing claws into the first marine's throat. He tried to scream in pain, but only gurgling noises came out as he began to slowly choke on his own blood. The second marine pulled out a knife, and put every ounce of strength he had into stabbing the hybrid in the head. 13Z saw this, and grabbed the man's arm with one hand. Then, it twisted his arm, and used its free hand to cut off his entire arm. His screams were heard throughout the entire facility. He dropped to his knees, and clutched socket where his arm used to be. He looked up at 13Z once more, then passed out from both the blood loss and the pain. 13Z knew he wasn't dead, and went to finish the job. It used its tail, and sent it through the marine's head. It pulled it back out, and ran off down some random hallway.
Narud and the others with him at that time had heard the entire situation, since it happened just beneath their feet. Narud was only impressed at how easily 13Z handled everything, yet also terrified as well. The others were only scared out of their minds of what 13Z was capable of. Narud knew this was only some of its physical capabilities. It had yet to unleash it's Psionic abilities.
This hybrid was created for the sole purpose of acting as a leader for the other hybrid scattered across the galaxy. Not only that, but the potential of 13Z was greater than even Kerrigan's power. If 13Z had a second purpose, it was as a means to end Kerrigan for good. It was these sort of thoughts that plagued the minds of everyone in the facility. With fear as their motivator, they continued running for the surface, desperately trying to survive and see tomorrow. But with every scream, every shot that was fired, and every corpse now laying on the ground bloodying the floors and walls, 13Z was only getting closer. From its actions, it was clear that 13Z would not be stopping anytime soon. Everyone knew this as well, and wouldn't stop for anything. Men, friends, and even brothers and sisters were abandoned because of this fear taking hold. And those who were abandoned were added to the list of prey 13Z has claimed, and utterly ripped apart. The last thing they all saw were those piercing, blood red eyes that just seemed to look directly into your heart, mind, and soul before ripping them all out.
Narud, another scientist, 3 marines, and a ghost were soon all that were left. 13Z had killed all the others within minutes, and its hunt was still not complete. They were only 1 floor away from reaching the surface, but 13Z was very close behind them. Whenever they rounded a corner, the man in the back caught a brief glimpse of 13Z coming down the hallway they just ran down. It was following them, and it was getting closer with each passing second.
"We're almost there! Just a little farther to the stairs!" The ghost shouted. He turned around to look at the others, but didn't expect a certain sight. 13Z was only inches directly behind them. "Move!" He added. The others started sprinting, but the ghost stayed behind. 13Z didn't try to chase the others. It stared at the ghost standing in front of it. The ghost did the same at first, but that quickly changed. He reached for his belt, and pulled a grenade off. Then, he threw it at 13Z. It looked at the grenade, then it exploded right in front of its face. The ghost thought he killed the hybrid, but when the smoke cleared, he saw he was very wrong. 13Z was still standing, as if nothing happened. However, it now had some burn marks on it. They was small and scattered, but they were still there. Those burns healed almost right away, and 13Z tilted its head to the side.
"Is that it?" 13Z spoke for the first time. "Is that really all you got? I expected more out of you Terran. Guess that was just wishful thinking." The ghost just stood there, dumbfounded that 13Z actually said something. 13Z then moved directly in front of the ghost, grabbed him by the head, and held him up in the air. The mandibles covering its face moved to the side, revealing its mouth. Then, the bottom jaw split in 2, and the ghost stared in fear, not knowing what was going to happen next. Finally, 13Z bite down hard on the ghost's neck, ripped off a chuck of flesh from his body, and swallowed it whole without a second thought or hesitation. The ghost screamed, but only for a few seconds, before death claimed him as well. With him gone, 13Z pressed on.
Narud, and the others were now running up the stairs. They were all so close to the surface, that they were practically racing to be the first one to get there. With their current situation, that wasn't too far from the truth. But before any of them could even think about what became of the their fellow ghost, one of the 3 marines was suddenly grabbed, and thrown off the stairs. He landed nearly an entire floor down, and ended up in so much pain from that alone, that he could hardly move. The others called out to him, but he couldn't hear them at the time. He could only hear his heart pounding, and feel the amount of pain he was in.
He turned his head to the side, and saw 13Z slowly walking over to him. The others saw 13Z, and left the marine there to die in their desperation to survive. 13Z placed its foot on the marines head, and started applying pressure. Eventually, 13Z had flattened the man's head, crushing his skull and everything inside. 13Z looked up and moved for the surface, knowing that's where the others were going.
Narud and what remained of the men had at last made it to the surface, where a drop-ship awaited them. There were 2 marines, and 2 ghosts guarding the ship, in case 13Z got there before them. They ran straight into the drop-ship, but looked back, and saw 13Z closing in on them. The men guarding the ship started shooting at it immediately, but that didn't slow down 13Z in the slightest. It changed direction, and closed in on the men. The drop-ship started to rise off the ground during this time. With all entrances and exits closed off, the guardsmen were to be left behind, while the others escaped. While 13Z was busy killing the guards, the drop-ship had begun to get some distance from it.
13Z charged the first man in the meantime. The man backed away from it, but 13Z only drew closer at a very quick pace. The very second 13Z was within range, it reached out with its claws, and cut the man's gun in half. He stood there for a brief moment, trying to process what it just did. But that brief moment was just that: brief. 13Z, in that moment, impaled that man with the claws on its right hand. The claws went in-between the bones, and around the heart. The man looked at where he was impaled, and began to wonder why he didn't die right then and there. The others stood there, afraid for their comrade and curious as to what was now happening. Before the man could look back up at 13Z, it retracted its claws, gripped the man's heart, and literally tore it out of his chest. The man dropped dead, and the others screamed in horror and disgust. 13Z stared at the organ in its hand for a moment, then swallowed it whole.
The others quickly shifted from sickly looks to fury and rage seconds after 13Z murdered the man. They began to shoot as if there was truly no tomorrow. But they got the surprise of their lives when the bullets actually stopped inches away from hitting 13Z. The men looked on in shock, and fear gripped them once more. The bullets had a feint glow matching the eye color of 13Z. It looked at them with a bored expression on its face. It even moved the mandibles away from its mouth and nose to show the men the expression.
"Do you really believe anything you do will make a difference?" 13Z asked them. "Everything shall turn to eternal darkness. This is only the beginning. This is what you all signed up for. Accept it, and pay with your lives." After 13Z finished, the bullets turned, and went right into the men who shot them. The men were peppered with their own ammo, and died fairly quickly. 13Z only looked on in amusement. It only saw Terran as prey to be hunted at this point. Realizing this, 13Z realized the job was still not finished just yet. It looked over, and noticed the drop-ship the remaining people got on was some distance away. 13Z only smirked at this, thoroughly enjoying this hunt.
Narud and the few remaining survivors could hardly believe they got away from 13Z. Narud was still afraid of what was to come. He knew 13Z wasn't done yet, but was unsure if it would be able to reach them where they are now.
"Once we get some distance from the facility, where that hybrid is, we'll be able to leave the atmosphere safely." The pilot said.
"How did this drop-ship even get here anyway?" The scientist asked.
"When the alarms began to blare, an emergency SOS signal was sent almost immediately. I'm just glad our guy got here in time for us to escape. I wish I could say the same about the others." 1 of the 2 marines said.
"Hey, I was just passing through on way way to pick up a package from another facility nearby. You were only lucky you managed to live through that." The pilot added.
"…13Z isn't done yet." Narud said with a grim tone of voice. The others looked at him in disbelief.
"What are you talking about? There's no way that hybrid can reach us up he-" The second marine never finished, as something hit the drop-ship, causing it to lean forward a bit.
"What was that?!" The scientist yelled out in fear. Narud already knew what it was.
"13Z." He simply said.
"Are you bullshitting me?! There's no way that hybrid can fly!" The first marine shouted. But he was proven wrong, seeing the door next to the pilot's seat open, and the pilot himself thrown out said door. He managed to hit the autopilot before he was thrown out, so the drop-ship would remain in the sky. But that doesn't mean the people inside would be safe. 13Z came inside, and shut the door again. It walked to where the others were, and stared at them for a few minutes.
"Eat this, freak!" The second marine shouted, and started shooting.
"Stop!" The scientist shouted back at the marine, but it was too late. The first marine joined in, and began unloading his rifle at 13Z. But just like the guards, the bullets stopped only inches away from 13Z. This time, those bullets dropped to the ground after floating there for a bit in the 13Z's psionic grasp.
"Weaklings like you have no place amongst us. Death is too good for you, but there is nothing else to do to you, so I'll make this nice and painful." 13Z said. It used its psionic abilities, and lifted the marines in the air, and brought them close to itself.
"Burn in hell, you son of a bitch!" The first marine said in anger.
"Sorry, but that's your job." 13Z said smugly. Then, it revealed its claws and started cutting at the man's stomach, only allowing the claws to go an inch or 2 deep, and slowly getting deeper with each swipe. The man screamed in pain with each swipe, and 13Z was genuinely enjoying this. The other 3 watched in horror as the man was cut up, and 13Z had a crooked, hungry smirk on its face while doing so. Narud wasn't just horrified at this. He was also impressed with how strong 13Z turned out to be.
"Stop!" The second marine shouted, finally getting out of his fear-induced paralysis. 13Z stopped, and looked at the other marine.
"Very well. He'll just bleed to death in a few minutes anyway. But since you're so impatient to wait your turn, I guess I'll have to come up with something special for you." 13Z said. It put a hand up to its face, and stroked its chin in a mocking fashion. "Oh! I know!" 13Z added suddenly. It dropped the first marine from its psionic grasp, and extended its claws to their full length. Shorty after, it looked like electricity, that was strangely colored the same blood red as its eyes, started arching across those claws. Then, psi-blades of pure psionic energy formed around its hands. 13Z looked at those new psi-blades, and sent them into the marine's body. He screamed out in pain like his partner did. The searing pain now coursing through his body almost made him pass out right there.
Narud couldn't believe what he just witnessed. 13Z created those psi-blades without any need for armor, or technology. It was done simply through some slight creativity. The scientist was ready to jump out of the drop-ship, and plummet to the ground below. He thought it would be a better death then meeting an end because of 13Z. From the looks of things, jumping out was a mercy he just couldn't pass up. The scientist ran for the door by the pilot's seat, and opened it. He jumped out without a second though, and 13Z only shrugged, not caring what he just did. The man was going to die either way.
"What kind of monster are you?" The marine asked, only hanging on by a single thread.
"I'm a hybrid. Nothing less like you are." 13Z said. It ripped the psi-blades back out, and cut him in half with one of those blades. The 2 halves of the body dropped, and Narud was now all that was left of the facility and its people. 13Z turned to look at Narud, and stopped sustaining the psi-blades.
"What are you going to do to me?" Narud asked.
"…Nothing." 13Z said. "This was just for fun, really. To see what I could do, see the power I possessed, and the killing part was also kind of entertaining."
"But you're not going to kill me?" Narud asked.
"Why would I kill the man who created me in the first place? It would seem somewhat bitter-sweet, don't you think?" 13Z responded with its own question. This only confused Narud.
"Even so, now all data from the facility has been lost, along with any remnants of witnesses to the event, save for me of course." Narud said.
"Yeah. It's a small price to pay, but it was very well worth it. So, I'm supposed to be a leader of some kind? And kill this Zerg that looks a bit like me?" 13Z asked. Narud was shocked at first, but soon realized that 13Z was in his head.
"Yes. That is your purpose, and the reason you were made the way you are now." Narud stated. "You possess the DNA of Protoss, Zerg, Terran, and a fourth creature as well. Among the stands of Zerg DNA are bit of Changeling strands. They should allow you to change your appearance to look like a normal Terran, but nothing more I'm afraid."
"Good enough. So…" 13Z started, but began to change. Its tail wrapped around its waist like a belt, and its wings folded. The wings then went around its arms, 2 above the shoulders and 2 below, and formed an 'X' in the center of its chest. Finally, the skin began to change. The armor-like skin was soon repressed, and replaced with somewhat pale Terran skin with slight muscle underneath. The tail and wings faded in, and were completely concealed underneath the Terran skin. Its eyes had shifted to that of a Terran as well, but the irises remained blood red. Its hair was replaced from the Zerg version, similar to what Kerrigan has, to normal pitch black locks of actual hair. Its knees changed, and bent like that of a Terran. Finally, the mandibles bent down, and wrapped around its neck, concealed like its tail and its wings. All in all, 13Z looked like a normal human being now. It just needed some clothes now. "When do we start?" It asked, ready to kill at a moments notice.
(Finally got that out of the way. I feel a bit better now that this isn't sitting in the back of my mind anymore. Please leave me a review, and ask me any questions you may have. See you next time.)