I didn't want to fight him. I didn't know what had happened to me. I had grown about two feet in height, sprouting a tail that matched my new eight-foot figure. And I could see so much clearer than before. As I looked around, I could see every living creature around me. Their size didn't matter. It had to be their heat signatures, a thermal vision of some sorts. I had access to it in this form. All the grass and trees that I recalled seeing before dulled in comparison to the animals around us. But something was odd. If I was picking up heat signatures, then Castrealm wasn't emitting any heat. The way I saw him was different. His smell, the pheromones he emitted, told me where he was. In fact, I don't think I was actually 'seeing' much with my eyes. Sure, I could see Castrealm, but only because he was standing in front of me. No, the rest of this sensory information was coming from the smells in the air. The shadow of the night didn't matter, I could see everything. I hissed at Castrealm, listening to what my body told me to do.

Submit.

He hissed back, brandishing his inner jaw at me. It opened its mouth and gave a cry of its own. Imagine seeing that for the first time. He tackled me and we began to strike each other. I was stronger now, much stronger. I picked him up and slammed him into the ground by his tail.

Submit!

He didn't give up. Assert my dominance? I mounted him and began punching the smooth helmet like structure that was now his head. Strike. Strike. Strike. Wrapping his tail around my neck, he threw me off of him. Rolling along the ground, I composed myself on all fours. I opened my mouth and let out a loud hiss, my inner jaw chomping away at the air. I needed to fight smarter. I was in control here. I ran at him on all fours. About five feet before him, I rotated counterclockwise, using the momentum of that movement to strike him hard with my tail. Before he could collide with anything, I started moving again, chasing his body mid-flight. As he collided with a nearby tree I was already upon him. Still running, my head collided with his chest. He let out a scream. I placed one hand on his head holding him in place as I struck him repeatedly. I would kill him if he wouldn't submit. I hit him over and over and over again. I pierced his shoulder with my claws as he cried out in pain. I smacked him with the broad side of my tail. Finally, I brought the tip of it to his head, pointing the blade right at him.

SUBMIT.

His scent changed almost instantly. His body went limp, he no longer resisted me. I could feel him once again. My surroundings growing even clearer as his senses were added to my own. He was part of my hive again. I got off of him and hissed, asserting myself still, almost as if I was daring for someone or something else to challenge me.

"Subject 121 revert back to your natural form."

Them again. I was sick of them. I wanted to kill them all. My natural form? This is my natural form. Could I do it? I had Castrealm by my side again. No, these weren't my thoughts. These weren't rational thoughts. I focused hard on my shape before the battle with Castrealm. Suddenly, I felt myself morphing. I was back to 'normal'. I felt drained. The transformation took a lot out of me. But my head was clear now. I couldn't attack them now. I didn't know where I was, how many of them there were, or even what to do next.

"Now come back to the facility and ensure that your dog is under control."

We began the walk back to my point of entry into this forest. Castrealm was relaxed. I was keeping him that way. With Castrealm with me, I noticed things that I hadn't take note of before. With everything that was happening, I guess I didn't have the time to do so. This planet had to be pretty small. As I looked up on our walk back I could see the depths of space. Where was I? When I got back to the lab, things would be different. I wanted answers, I deserved them. After reaching the halfway point I decided to test just how much control I had over Castrealm. I gave him commands on how to move and act.

Hide.

He moved to the bushes, moving along with me but silently and out of sight. Any normal person wouldn't have been able to detect him. We were approaching a creature similar to the one I had killed before. He remained hidden and crept up on the animal. I almost felt bad for the animal seeing how close Castrealm could get without being detected. Almost. In the dark of night, he might as well have been invisible. Every movement was silent.

Kill.

And it was over. Castrealm had pounced. The animal was dead. I could sense from Castrealm the same feeling of ecstasy that I had experienced earlier. But he didn't seem as thrilled. I think what we enjoyed most was the thrill of the hunt. The fear that we could smell from our victims was what really produced that feeling of euphoria upon ending their life. I walked over to the lifeless corpse, knelt down and examined it. I felt odd as if something was missing. Paying no further attention to matters of the dead, I continued on my way while attempting to learn just how much I could influence Castrealm's actions. Finally, we arrived at the dreaded place. The double doors opened up, inviting me to throw away the little bit of freedom that I had been given. Nobody was inside, nobody I could detect at least.

"Come inside, Subject 121."

I entered the doors with Castrealm. I noticed that there were two cube-like structures in the room.

"Both of you enter that cell. It is made of a special material that neutralizes the Xenomorph's acidic blood."

Acidic blood? That was new. Wonder what other secrets they were hiding.

"Their blood is acidic? That might have been something to mention."

"You don't need to worry about it. It should have no effect on you either. You're essentially one of them. In fact, your blood should be acidic as well, though we didn't get the opportunity to test its pH levels."

Interesting. Even our blood was a weapon. I really wonder what else we were capable of. Wait a minute. When did I start thinking collectively?

"What else haven't you told me? I'm sick of jumping through your hoops. I won't cooperate any further until I get some answers."

"Have you forgotten that your life is in our hands Subject 121? That we could kill you in an instant? You are nothing more than a press of a button. That is how much value your existence possesses."

He was bluffing. He had to be. I passed their tests. I proved I could do what they wanted me to do. They wouldn't just kill me. I entered the cage, not willing to bet my life on a chance. There would be a chance to escape, but this wasn't it. The door shut behind us as we found ourselves locked in. Gears began to grind as our cage started to move. We were raised up to the main level of the laboratory. I finally got to see the faces of my captors.