Rocket Raccoon

When Stars Collide

By Jeremy McLaughlin

Prologue

A heavy pulsing filled the walls of the large chamber. Each pulse was accompanied by thump that sounded almost like a heartbeat. It was warm and humid in the chamber, almost unbearably so. The only light source was a dull red glow, coming from a large Quantic Heater set in the middle of the room.

The walls were lined with a fleshy biomass. Through the skin, thousands of dark veins webbed out, carrying blood and nutrition to the entire mass with every pulse. Then heartbeat. The smell was not unlike fresh blood, fresh gore. It was thick in the hot air. A clear liquid dripped like sweat from the fleshy biomass. It made the floor impossible to walk on for most, but not Alexandra.

Daintily she stepped around the fleshy branches, they had spread out from the biomass and now gripped the floor, clung to it, would be a more accurate term. Her bare feet squished down on the slick ooze, but instead of slipping and sliding, it firmed up and helped keep her footing. As if the mucous knew her and wanted to help, wanted to keep her safe. A pulse, a heartbeat. When she'd made her way through the room and around the heater, she stopped at the largest amount of biomass.

It had grown and formed to be unlike all other mass in the room. It had a mouth, or more accurate a giant slit that ran up and down it's entire length. Periodically it would snatch a quick breath, then pulse, then heartbeat. It had been the original, the first of the biomass that had been planted against the wall. Nurtured and loved as if it were Alexandra's own child, not just her own child, but her oldest child. She treated it as such, as if the thing would grow to take her place in the galaxy. The heir to her throne.

Many times she would come down to feed it, talk to it, sing to it. Waiting for it to grow strong and help her gain her true ambition in this Galaxy. This visit would be no different. There was always a little sadness to share at these visits. For if the statistical numbers were true, it would be a century before her child was big enough to leave the nest. Alexandra couldn't let this stand. They only needed a little more power before they could take on Earth and it's mightiest heroes. A few more planets that they needed to feed on before they could move towards the buffet of Earth. That was where the power they needed would come from.

"Hello my child, Mommy is sorry she is late." Alexandra shifted around the metal stool that had been brought down earlier in the process.

It had been there so long that the slime had fused it to the metal floor. Alexandra gracefully swept up her black gown and sat down on the stool, folding the rows of fabric as best she could, letting her feet sink down into the mucus, feeling it lap between her toes and up her ankles.

"Mommy didn't bring anything for you to eat today either. I am so sorry sweetie. We are a day out from our next targeted place. Once there we bring you a new stock of fresh foods." Her voice cooed at the giant mass.

As if it heard her, it pulsed, it heartbeat. A loving smile traced her face. She wanted to reach out and touch it, let it know that she cared, but her form was filthy. She couldn't risk it, no not it, her child from becoming ill with whatever sickness this body had. Since she assimilated with this body, it had been growing weak. No matter how often she fed, all of her energy was leaving her. It was a terrible thing to be an immortal in a mortal body. Feeling the body slowly dying around you. It was like being given all the cosmic powers in the galaxy and only having a second to play with them.

Her child could sense that she was tired and sad, it pulsed again, another heartbeat. "Oh child I'm alright, you just worry about getting stronger." It had worked, she started smiling again.

There was a soft sound of humming coming up behind her. Alexandra knew what it was, she knew who it was and saw no reason to turn around.

"Why do you come here Artemis?" Her voice was cold to him.

Artemis hovered behind her in his great bowl like chair. There was hardly anything left of him now. His bloated face had melted away into a pile of hoses and wires. Just calling him Artemis was a huge stretch now. But it was one that the organic machine liked though. The floating bowl moved closer.

"My love..." His voice sounding nothing like it had, it was robotic and liquid in sound. "Why do you come here. I asked for you to visit me in our chambers."

"Artemis, for the last time. There is no our, us, we. I am not your dead wife. I've told you this countless times, why do you pursue me so?" Her eyes never left her child's pulsing face.

"You promised I could be with my wife again, if I gave you the stone. It's been three long months, I think it's time for you to live up to your end of the bargain." One of Artemis's robotic hands reached out to stroke her face, but she pulled away.

Alexandra felt a heat coming to her face, a small shard of fury moving through her. "I told you Artemis, I lied. I told you exactly what you wanted to hear to get you to help me. Why can't you process that? For an almighty computer, you're so stupid."

Rage swept into Artemis's robotic voice. "I'm not a computer, I'm a man. A feeling, loving, compassionate man."

Now Alexandra looked at him, a cold fire in her eyes. "Feeling, loving, compassionate, I think not my fat useless calculator. You betray everyone you knew and loved, for a fleeting moment to spend with your wife again. But wait you betrayed your wife as well by desecrating her grave. Sounds cold to me, like something a computer would do."

There was a wince on the hose and wire face of Artemis, black goo started dripping from where his eyes would have been. "I sacrificed everything for you. This was my chance to have my wife back, to have my family back and you ruined it."

Alexandra shifted, her body fast and agile despite her weaken state, sending a long claw into the meaty midsection of the floating blubber bowl. "Oh no! I duped you into believing me. It was all my fault that you didn't have the fortitude to just carry on." There was a teasing, chiding tone in her voice. "It seems to me that the only person to blame is you, for being weak."

Artemis rumbled, his scream pitching high in a squealing robotic screech. "I will destroy you, I will burn this pathetic science experiment to the ground, I will spit on your name, I will have my revenge. Gul'loth your legacy will be one that ends at the hands of a cold, puny computer. They will laugh at your pathetic existence, just as they will laugh at mine."

Alexandra hissed and flexed her muscles, they rippled under golden fur. With one heavy push, the hover chair spun closer to the wide mouth of the biomass. As if the mouth knew that it's mother was trying to feed it. It opened it's mouth into a gaping black void. Rows of impossibly long pointed teeth lined the folds. A long black sinewy tongue lashed out and wrapped around Artemis almost non existent neck, pulling him into it's mouth. The fit was tight, but with a heavily sicking slurp, the chair was gone, Artemis was gone. Alexandra was alone in the room quivering. A smile pushing to her lips, she loved to watch her baby feed. The biomass throbbed hard and a healthy heartbeat moved through the entire branch work of it's being.

Then there was a hum, a hum of a happy child, it was on a frequency that an average person couldn't hear, but Alexandra heard it. It made her heart swell, tears welling up in her eyes. The power surge the biomass put off when it consumed Artemis was astounding. It had visibly grown in size just since she'd entered the chamber. Alexandra was overjoyed by this change of energy in the room. She flung herself at the mass, pressing her body against the slick flesh. Slowly she nuzzled it with the side of her face, her fingers moving out to caress along the webbing veins as if she were petting a giant dog. The humming grew deeper, more affectionate towards her.

"Oh my beautiful baby, I'm so proud of you. Grow big and strong so that we may conquer this wretched galaxy. Do it for mommy." She pressed her lips firmly to it's side, when she pulled away a long slick string of mucus connected them.

Alexandra wiped her mouth with the back of the arm of her dress, as she stepped away. "You rest now sweetie and I will be back tomorrow with a fresh supply of food."

Alexandra shifted and made her way back through the room, careful to avoid stepping on any fleshy tendrils. The door slid open and let her out into the cool, brightly lit hallway. A short thin Agent was standing by. It was almost impossible to tell which Agent it was when they had their helmets on. Alexandra regarded him with a nod, which he returned.

"Thank you for waiting my friend. Let the crew know that Agent 0 has met with an unfortunate accident. I will be assuming control of this mission." Alexandra started down the hall, her slick feet slapping against the cold metal floor.

The small figure moving behind her, having to run to keep pace. "As you wish my lady." His voice projected a surprisingly deep robotic tone.

"From now on, you will be my Agent 1. If there is anything I need, you will be responsible for attaining it for me." Alexandra stated as she stopped in front of the door that led into her chambers.

"Thank you for this opportunity my lady." The dark figure saluted her by pressing a closed fist to his chest.

"The job is high risk, but also high reward. If you fail, I will feed you to my child." Her voice was cold, but not nearly as cold as her eyes.

"I understand ma'am. Should we stay our current course?" His voice was unfazed by her threat.

"Yes, and once we are done cleansing this planet, set a course for Earth. Make sure that the course intercept every planet that is directly between us and Earth." Her voice was spaced as if she were thinking of something.

"Cleanse as we go? A fantastic idea ma'am. I will make it so." With that the small figure turned and scurried off.

A smile moved to Alexandra's lips as she stepped back into her chambers, closing the door behind her. Everything was set in motion now, thanks to the untimely demise of Artemis. It had been an unfortunate accident that he succumb to her violent rage. But it was unavoidable. No one threatens her children without repercussion. At least she could take solace in the fact that she wouldn't have to hear one more proposition for her to join him in the bed chamber. The very idea of even having Artemis touch her was nauseating.

Alexandra started a bath running, making sure the water was hot. Almost too hot, but it was how she wanted it. She stripped out of her ruined dress, kicking it aside. The command to send them to Earth might be premature, but if her prediction were correct, they would gather enough power on the way there to make a dent in Earth's defenses at least. Much like a snowball effect. All thought, worries, or cares all drifted away as Alexandra started lowering herself into the hot water. This was going to be alright, she mused to herself. The plan was going to work, no doubt about it. Soon destiny was going to be in her hands.