Gone Native
Notice: It's been a long time since I've done this. This is just another side of the story – Nate and Burns and their story. Sure the story is somewhat compacted, but I was trying to focus on what Stephenie didn't, namely the more scientific aspects of it.
This also hasnt really been edited well. If there are any missed letters and so on that I've missed, it would be good to ignore them. Sorry.
Disclaimer: The Host was written by Stephenie Meyer. In no way is that my name. Harhar.
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Nate crept across the open ground towards the back of the store where the supplies were kept. He didn't know the other name for this job. One could call it stealing; the only better name for it would be 'gathering supplies'. He stopped along the side of the building and signaled back across to the other three people waiting. They nodded their understanding.
Nate trod carefully around to the back and spotted the cartons of supplies before he'd even approached. They'd noticed these easy ways to get food once on a similar trip when they'd seen the supplies being dropped off in such an obvious fashion. They might as well take advantage of it.
The other three Rob, Evan and Rachel joined him as he sorted through the boxes and they each grabbed a few handily labeled ones and sneakily crept away. They were always careful not to take too many in case the souls got suspicious, but they had to take enough.
Nate glanced back once to check as he left. He didn't notice the curious gaze of an out-of-sight Soul as he left.
---
Burns Living Flowers watched the humans, careful not to make a sound. He could tell they weren't Souls by the ways they moved. No souls would sneak around like that.
The time he had been living here, he'd been intrigued by the humans and their ways. It was unlike his time on the Fire World, and he felt his time here an there had changed him. He felt no panic at seeing these humans, just a curiosity. It made him wonder if he had chosen the wrong Calling. Perhaps research would suit him better.
Burns got up from his hiding spot and padded back inside quietly to the store where he continued his stacking of supplies. He'd taken this Calling because he'd wanted to meet new people at first, and this job had been suggested. It was true he met all sorts of people who came to buy food and other supplies, but it had lacked in the knowledge he wanted to know about this strange new world and its species.
Burns was waiting again three months later, watching a cat cross the road serenely, not a care in the world, when the dark van drove along the road at a leisurely pace and parked across the road. Burns returned his gaze back to the cat which was washing itself now, oblivious to its fate if the car had continued along that road, whether or not they had been driving at a leisurely pace.
Burns sometimes thought he would like to be a cat, they were such fascinating creatures. But the Healers had dubbed that they hadn't had that much brains to work on either, a bit like the Beasts of the Bear World. From human studies though, animals were far from stupid. They had the sort of intelligence that was more instinctive and they could be trained besides… but Souls had not that sort of patience to train animals for Soul occupation. They focused only on the main species.
Burns glanced at the van again and went inside. If his guess was right, humans were in that van.
---
"Wait." Nate stopped Rachel as she made to get out.
"What?" Rachel turned to him with a puzzled expression.
Nate gestured to the red-haired man sitting on the step watching something further down the road. Rob in the back swore softly. This was something they didn't need, but suddenly he got up and went back inside.
"I think we should do the … eh… stealing a little closer tonight." Nate murmured as he started the engine again and leisurely made a U-turn, driving back a little and pulling into the area behind the store. The boxes were stacked up again there, waiting to be sorted out. As they had scouted out, the Souls wouldn't go and take the boxes inside until the next day.
They got out of the van, careful not to make too much sound, knowing there was a storekeeper inside the store. They walked over quietly to sort out the boxes again. Pulling out a few necessities here and there, although there was only a limit to how much stuff the van could hold. Suddenly lights came around the corner, throwing all four into relief and the humans froze as the Seeker car drove around the corner. They slid into the shadows as the car stopped next to the store.
"Ah, hello!" A voice called from the front.
"What's your name?" A second voice called back as a car door slammed.
"Burns Living Flowers. This is my store. Is something wrong?"
"I thought I saw some people out the back with your supplies. Don't you usually bring them in during the day?"
The four held their breath, ready to do what was necessary to escape being turned into a Soul if they could.
"Ah, I decided to start earlier tonight. It seemed a bad idea to leave out the stock for so many hours after the reports on the news about what's been happening."
Nate blinked in surprise at his companions who seemed equally surprised. What was going on? And did that storekeeper – Burns Living Flowers – just lie?
"I see." The second voice said. "Good thinking. I was just hoping there was nothing wrong here but scared me out of my wits when I saw those people out the back. Think I might have a look?"
"I think it's better not to disturb them, sir. I don't want to get my stock muddled if they lose their concentration."
"Oh, certainly. I won't disturb them then. Have a good night."
There was another slam of a car door and sounds of tires as the Seekers drove away. Nate and his companions vanished into the shadows as the red-headed store keeper came around the corner and glanced around, puzzled.
"I know you're there." Burns Living Flowers called out softly. "May I see who I just vouched for?"
Nate glanced at Rob, Rachel, Tom and Blake. He signaled them to stay put and then stepped out of the shadows. It would be better for only one of them to be caught if Burns Living Flowers decided to hand them over to Seekers.
"Hello." Burns Living Flowers smiled pleasantly.
"Why did you lie for us?" Nate asked as he walked over.
"I didn't." Burns smiled. "I knew you were there."
Nate blinked in surprise. "I guess we weren't as careful as we thought."
"No." Burns disagreed. "I was just expecting you and I'm not like the other Souls, not really."
Nate raised an eyebrow.
"Oh," Burns smiled again. "I'm Burns Living Flowers, better known as just Burns. What is your name?"
Nate looked at him warily. "Nate."
Burns looked into the shadows. "And your friends?"
"Are you going to hand us over to the Seekers?" Nate asked sharply. "Because you might as well hurry. We'd rather die quickly."
Burns looked surprised. "No. I'm not."
Nate could believe him as Souls didn't lie, but Burns had just lied to the Seekers. Even though he had told Nate that he had known they were there, meaning he had wanted them to take the stock in the first place.
"Why?" He asked eventually.
"I'm interested in humans." Burns replied simply. He shrugged. "I may be in a human's body now, but I still know nothing about humans. And this body just seems to increase my fascination. He waved to the store. This Calling was never right for me in the first place, I just could figure out what was."
"Calling?" Nate asked again.
"Like…" Burns searched his host body's memories. "A job, I suppose. This body was a researcher in their life. A marine biologist. His memories are intriguing and his studies of animals." He smiled again.
Nate watched him. "So what do you want?"
"Will you take me with you? I am interested, truly."
"And lead the Seekers, to us? I don't think so."
"I just saved you, do you remember?" Burns smiled again maddeningly.
"I still don't trust you."
"Don't trust me then." Burns said. "Just take me with you. You can do whatever you like to me, even. I just want knowledge. Nothing else. Not lives. Besides," He said, dangling the carrot, "I have knowledge of Souls that you can put to good use. Then finding supplies would be a lot easier." He nodded to the boxes. "You can also take all these from my store."
Nate raised an eyebrow at him. "Seriously?"
"Sure."
"When did you first realise we were here?"
"Some time ago." Burns shrugged. "I have to tell you I'm meticulous with supplies. There were a few boxes of each missing, but I decided not to worry about it, since I always order too much anyway. Then one time I figured I would watch for a while and see what was going on. I spotted you."
Nate blanched. "But you didn't report us in?"
"No."
Nate considered this and then gestured his other companions forward. "Then I guess you've saves us more than once. Thanks."
Burns smiled. "No need. You can do whatever you like to me. I just want to know more about your race, your lives, everything before we came."
"You seem to have a great deal of curiosity." Rachel said as she came near.
"What can I say? It's this body's Calling, and perhaps it is mine too."
---
"What worlds have you been to then?" Nate asked curiously.
Burns shrugged. "I've lived as a Bear, a Bat and on Fire World. That was as close as I've ever been to stopping. But I wanted to experience another world, and so I came here. I was told humans are interesting, even though there were…" he frowned, "Rebels."
Nate laughed. "Is that so? I'm glad they find us interesting, anyway. I'm still not sure about this other world nonsense."
" Not really nonsense is it? I almost took a class before I went to be a store keeper. A class about the other worlds, but then I decided, I wanted t be able to experience myself and not hear second hand. Though I still wanted to stop somewhere eventually."
"Want to go back to the Fire World?"
Burns thought for a long moment.
"I think I might want to stay here, actually. There's so much to learn."
---
A few months later
"Won't they get suspicious?" Nate asked as he and Burns worked together.
Burns shrugged. It was funny how much they had grown to trust him in those few months. Burns himself had changed, personality-wise as well as anything. He'd learned all he could about humans from them although he insisted there had to be more, and then he'd told them all about the worlds he'd been to.
"I closed my shop down for a while and Souls do that occasionally. We like to go and explore for a bit too. Some go climbing, some go do other things. I suppose as long as I keep dropping in lines they won't think I've gone missing."
Nate nodded, wiping seat off his face as he dug his shovel into the ground again. As well as stealing, they also needed to grow their own things. But having Burns with them indeed changed many things.
"Nate!" Tom came running around the corner, dirt streaked across his face.
"You're back?" Nate asked, straightening. "Already?"
Tom gasped for air, then continued at lightning fast speed. "We found another group."
Nate's eyes widened and he came at a run, Burns following behind him.
"Names?" Nate asked.
"Leader's called Russell. There are about seven of them."
Seven? Disappointment filled Nate's chest but he was careful not to let it show as he felt Burn's eyes watch him carefully. Seven was still seven more people free. Seven more.
"You brought them here?"
"I wanted to ask them to join us. Strength in numbers, right?"
"Mm…" Nate replied noncommittally.
They arrived at the entrance where a group of three people stood. One person stepped forward.
"Hello. My name's Russell. This is Maria and Cindy."
The girls nodded their acknowledgement.
"I'm Nate." Nate replied in fashion. He glanced around at the small crowd. "You might already have been introduced, but this is Tom, Blake, Carlos, Ruth, Martha and Burns."
Russell nodded at each of them before his eyes fixed on Burns and he did a double-take. Before anyone could react, his gun was out and pointed at Burns. Burns didn't move but stared a challenge at the man. He seemed resigned.
"No!" Nate stepped in front of his friend.
"Why are you protecting him?" Russell asked angrily.
"He can be trusted. He's saved my life and the lives of my people many times. He's given us knowledge about Souls, he's provided us with supplies. He can be trusted!"
Russell said nothing but then yanked something out from an inner pocket. It was a flashlight. He proceeded to shine it into everyone's eyes. Only Burn's eyes reflected.
"If your eyes weren't fine, I would think I was just tricked by a bunch of souls." Russell said doubtfully.
"You checked us before we came, same as we checked you." Tom retorted.
"How do I know it's not some new technology the Souls have that is making your eyes seem normal?" Russell argued.
"And how do we know if it's not that same new technology that makes your eyes seem normal?" Nate replied.
Russell thought for a second. "Alright."
"I'd prefer it if you put your gun away."
Russell glanced at it once more before sliding it into his hidden holster. "He'll be the death of you."
"He hasn't been the death of us yet." Ruth replied. "We all had our misgivings when Nate brought him back, but Burns has proven himself time and time again. Even those that wanted to have him killed at first changed their mind now."
"Besides." Burns spoke up for the first time. "There isn't a technology which is able to change our eyes." He looked directly at Russell. "In our eyes you see the reflections of our real bodies. Without the silver, I don't think we'd be able to see. That is the basic concept of our eyes. There isn't such a cloaking mechanism."
Russell considered this. "You couldn't just use that two sided technology? The type they used to have in police stations. One side is see through, one side is like a mirror…?"
"That would work well as camouflages for you perhaps." Burns agreed. "But we would hardly want to make our eyes more reflective."
"Good point." Russell replied finally. "Alright, I believe you that he means no harm. But I still won't trust him completely." He turned. "Our base is over on that side – if you ever need us. Well," he paused. "If you go in that direction for about a kilometer you should reach us and we'll come and meet you."
Nate frowned over their distrust, but it was reasonable, he supposed. He nodded. "We extend the same courtesy." He looked over at Tom and signaled unobtrusively at him. When Tom nodded, Nate relaxed fractionally.
"Will you escort our visitors out, please?" He asked Tom. Tom nodded as Nate turned and went to get back to work, Burns following behind him.
---
"How does insertion work?" Nate asked Burns.
Burns hesitated, but he felt so much like part of the humans. There was no doctor among them anyway, noone who could complete the procedure carefully without consequences.
"They're inserted into a cut in the back of the neck." He replied. "You've seen the scar."
Nate nodded thoughtfully and Burns frowned at him.
"You mean you don't know? What did you think the cut on the back of the neck was for?"
"Hmm…" Nate murmured. "I don't really know."
Burns shook his head in amusement.
"Then it follows that they could be extracted from there? How come we don't see them in the neck?"
Burns smiled at the 'we'. "We're thin enough not to show up, besides, we extend ourselves. It's true Souls can be extracted from there."
Nate nodded. "Wow. Why the neck?"
Burns glanced at him. "I love knowledge, but I've never known the reason for this. I'm not that old, not old enough to know enough about anything. It's close to the brain for one, that could be a factor. And the spinal column."
"I suppose the insertion wouldn't be the same for each species either." Nate replied, shrugging. "Intriguing."
---
It was time again for more supplies. They'd stopped calling it 'stealing' a while ago. It was stealing in a sense, but it wasn't like the Souls wanted any payment for them. If they wanted, Burns could stroll in, take as much stuff as he liked and stroll back out again.
But Burns was like family ever since he'd joined. He'd pulled Nate out of a few sticky situations and done a lot of scouting. If Burns hadn't already been a strange Soul when Nate met him, he could swear that Burns was … well… mental, probably.
A scream rent the air and Nate only kept still out of sheer will and fear of being caught. He felt Burns start next to him.
"What was that?" Burns asked, shocked.
Nate shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine."
A girl came stumbling out, running for all she was worth as two people chased after her. Nate didn't have to ask to know who they were.
"Seekers." Burns confirmed. "We have to do something."
Nate nodded. "We need some distraction or something."
"I'll distract. You try and grab her. She'll trust you."
"Good plan."
They split up and Burns headed towards the Seekers.
"Help, sir! Please!"
Nate put Burns' voice out of his mind as he crept through the sparse brush towards the running girl as the Seekers stopped for Burns, impatiently listening, but obviously itching to continue.
"This is a serious thing, we'll be right back." The Seekers made to run again.
Nate waited until the girl was in front of him, then dashed out, grabbed her hand and spun her into more scrub, a hand over her mouth. She whimpered but as Nate looked into her eyes steadily, she stilled.
"She's gone." Nate heard one Seeker say.
"That's what I've been trying to tell you." Burns sighed. "I think there are humans down that street. I saw them there. She was probably with them."
There was a silence. It seemed the Seekers were thinking.
"It's a possibility. Humans rarely travel on their own." The second Seeker said. "Thank you Hanging Icicles." There was the sound of feet as they ran back in the direction they came.
Nate stood up a few minutes later, releasing the girl. "Are you alright?" he murmured.
She nodded mutely. He sighed.
"Hey." Burns came back over and the girl cowered away.
"He's one of them…" she whispered in terror.
"He won't hurt you." Nate said firmly, retraining her. "What's your name?"
"Carrie."
"I'm Nate, and this is Burns." Nate smiled encouragingly. "He's here to help us, alright? He distracted those Seekers so I could get you into hiding."
Carrie watched them warily for a while, still trying to catch her breath, but finally nodded.
"Are you by yourself?"
"Yes." Carrie nodded. "I've been hiding alone, there was noone else around."
"There are 24 more of us." Nate replied. "Will you join us? You'll be the 27th."
Carrie seemed to consider this. "Why not? I'd be a lot safer than if I lived alone."
"We're getting supplies right now though, so you'll have to stick with us until we return."
"Hey," Carrie smiled. "A few more hours on the streets, or even a few more days, wont hurt."
---
"So how do these work?" Nate asked, picking up a little packet of Heal. "It is darn useful."
"Basically there are chemicals in it – antibiotics, but stronger – which help to clean out any infection and clot out bleeding wounds, so on." Burns shook his head. "To be honest a lot of these overlap. Clean could clean the infection as well. Makes me think a lot of stuff is useless." He smiled. "Guess I've changed."
"Guess you have." Nate agreed. "So you use the Clean, then the Heal, then the Seal. Makes waiting to heal naturally a silly thing. Glad you thought of these."
"Health is important to Souls." Burns said with a shrug. "And if this saves lives, it worth the dangers of getting it."
"What about things like… illness, the flu? A cold?" Nate raised an eyebrow. "It's true, in face. In all those strange Sci-Fi movies. It's always the alien's lack of immunity to our illnesses and such that make them have to leave eventually, or the face that they cant handle the violence and anger of the humans.. things like that."
"Sci-Fi." Burns mulled for a moment, thinking. "This body wasn't much for sci-fi. He liked adventure stories more. Where did you hear those?"
"Movies, online."
"I doubt immunity would be much of a problem, really." Burns said. "After all, your bodies have immunity and we don't spend much time outside our Hosts bodies."
Nate was a little annoyed at the pronouns. After all, Burns was like a part of them. Right?
"It's true the emotions of this world are very bewildering though." Burns continued with a laugh. "Humans are interesting in many ways. More so than a lot of the other worlds."
"I thought you liked the Fire World."
"Yeah. But I like here more." Burns raised an eyebrow at Nate but grinned. "I thought I told you that before."
---
"How's Cindy?" Nate asked as Carlos walked through the entrance. Carlos noticeably jumped.
"Whoa, Nate. Didn't see you there."
Nate flicked a torch at his eyes. "Mmm." At the same time Carlos shone his torch at Nate's eyes. That done, Nate put down his gun and got up to stretch and Carlos continued his walk further in the entrance.
"You know there's always someone guarding the entrance."
Carlos's mouth twitched. "Yeah, but I didn't think it'd be you."
"Why not."
Carlos waved a hand.
Nate was glad to see Carlos. Carlos symbolized the joining – somewhat – of two groups. Russell had finally shown them their base and they had visited Nate's base again, this time shown the entrance properly. They had also shared supplies and Burns helped them own time in gathering supplies.
Nate was also elated that they had found another group now. The leader's name was Max and he had 18 people in total with him. There were more people out there than he thought, even though Max's group was a lot further away. Nate was sorry to see another repeat of the situation when Burns was introduced though – they had narrowly avoided another shooting. Carrie also seemed to be getting on well with the others. She and Blake seemed especially close.
Burns emerged suddenly and handed Nate something to drink.
"Thanks."
"Hey," Burns greeted Carlos as he took the seat Nate had just vacated. "How's Russell and Cindy?"
"Good, good." Carlos replied. "Russell sent me to tell you that they just found another group."
Nate blinked in surprise. "Another group?"
"Yeah. The leader's name is Gail and she has 11 people with her."
"Wow." Nate said, hope rising. "We should share this with Max too. Where's Rob and Evan?" They'd been visiting with Russell's group and providing some assistance.
"They're with Gail and some people from her group. They almost got into a sticky situation, but Russell managed to bundle them all out and into hiding."
"Good, good." Nate replied.
"Big error when Souls tried to capture your world, huh?" Burns laughed, as he sipped from his cup.
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