Emotional Support...Xenos? - Chapter 3

"What Do You Mean Lung is Missing?!" - Velocity

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"You cannot tell me that you don't see this connection Armsmaster."

Armsmaster didn't even bother to grunt at Dauntless' comment. Instead, he finished attaching his halberd to his motorcycle, set the charge cycle, and only then, did he turn to meet the younger man's accusing gaze. Irritating. "You will have to be more specific."

He didn't need the enhanced senses in the armor to pick up Dauntless' grinding teeth. What had the slacker up in arms now?

"Okay, let me put this in terms that even a Tinkering obsessed Tinker can understand. Colony comes onto the scene. She makes monsters."

"Creatures."

"Monsters. Lung disappears after specifically going to fight her two nights ago. Tonight she has a new monster that molts and grows to double its size once it starts fighting something! She's a wet Tinker! And she's using people as her test beds!"

Armsmaster groaned. This was becoming so incredibly frustrating. If people kept accusing the girl of this nonsense he would have to talk to New Wave directly about it soon. That would never end well, not with Carol Dallon being the one he would have to deal with. Perhaps he should see if they could get Director Armstrong transferred into the city…That man was supposed to be good with this sort of public relations thing. Perhaps he could take point on the issue?

Apparently some idiots were saying that Director Tagg should be moved down to replace Piggot. All that was going to accomplish would be to set off a war with the gangs in record time and then he would never get to finish his new project. Or his collaboration with Colony.

"That assertion is markedly untrue."

"Armsmaster I - "

"I have categorical proof, Dauntless. Stop trying to incite a panic along with half the other people in this city. Drop it."

Dauntless took a half step back and his movement froze as his helmet locked on Armsmaster. "You have proof that she's benign?"

"I've seen the central nesting grounds of her 'xenomorphs'. It's an odd name for the creatures, but I can see why she chose it. They have distinct phases of their life cycle. Egg, larval, juvenile, and adult all with a markedly different morphology between each stage. There appears to be some sort of inherent mutation evident that is introduced between the larval and juvenile part of their development, but I have yet to determine exactly how that mutation element is introduced."

Dauntless walked closer to him, moving fast enough that a lesser man would have called it a run. "And you are certain that she is not…converting capes into these new monsters?"

Armsmaster clenched his fist and practiced the breathing exercises that Dragon had shared with him. Only another 68 seconds until the charging was complete and then he could finish his patrol. That he'd had to deplete his motorcycle's boosters to get to the scene, only to find Dauntless fretting over nothing, was beyond frustrating. This was who was threatening his position? "Allow me to put this in terms that a non-Tinker can understand. Lung is 6 foot 2 inches and weighs 265 pounds before any effects of escalation set in. The larval form of Grumpy was approximately 14 inches long and weighed 2 pounds. The juvenile form was 2 foot 4 inches and weighed 26 pounds. If Colony was converting people into her xenomorphs, then she would be hard pressed to salvage even just the brain. It simply doesn't fit into the morphology of the younger creatures. There. Is. No. Way. That. Your. Nightmare. Fits. The. Facts. Drop it."

Dauntless held up his hands and backed away. "You know, if she would consent to let more people review her work then these rumors would stop cropping up."

"Do you not trust me?"

Dauntless grunted. "You know it's not that. We're all just…concerned. There have been three more of her monsters since last week and now that…Grumpy, fellow. He's just as big as Gloomy. We're worried and she's very cagey about where they come from."

"Grumpy is female," Armsmaster said. A notice flashed in his helmet finally and he nearly moaned in relief at the completion of the charge. "All of the smaller ones are male, but the larger two are female."

"Is there any difference?"

"They're larger." He paced back to his bike and straddled it. "Is there anything further? I need to continue my patrol and I've wasted enough time here."

Dauntless waved his arms around in a reasonably good impression of a headless chicken. "What?! You haven't even looked at the fucking monster! It's standing right there! You're just going to leave?!"

"No." Maybe he could get Dauntless transferred to a new city. The man had personal problems here anyway. A change of venue would be good for him. "I'm going to lead it back home. Grumpy! Follow me; we're heading back to Colony!"

The xenomorph bent down, lifting its head crest in what Armsmaster was coming to recognize as an approximation of agreement and extending its inner jaw in an abbreviated snap at the air. He flipped his motorcycle on and took off. Dauntless was left behind glaring at him while the xenomorph loped down the roadway close behind.

If only more heroes could be as agreeable to work with as Grumpy, his job would be so much simpler.

"You found Grumpy! Yay!" Taylor exclaimed as the door to the Dallon residence opened. She leaped out and threw her arms over the crouching xenomorph. It dipped its head again, the inner jaws extending just enough to tap her back before sliding back into its mouth again. The ghost of a smile flickered across Armsmaster's mouth as he watched the exchange. "Was she running around the Docks?"

"She had wandered into a confrontation between the several Merchants and Empire gang members," Armsmaster said. "Dauntless responded, but it appeared that she was able to detain most of the members by herself before his arrival."

"Aww, that's a good girl!" Taylor reached up and rubbed the top of the xenomorph's crest. It let off a low hiss which almost had Armsmaster chuckling.

Taylor frowned as she listened to the hiss. She sighed and shook her head. "No, that's fine. No need to be angry with mean old Dauntless. We'll get them next time. And hey, you got to say hello to your friend! That's a good consolation prize right?"

The xenomorph shuffled from side to side and its tail whipped in an interesting pattern. Armsmaster made a note to ask what that meant later on. "I did try to impress on him why his theories were absurd. Hopefully the rumors will start to die down now."

Taylor nodded. "It would be nice. Everybody can see that my xenos are just trying to help, right? I don't know why everyone is focusing on missing psychopaths, kidnappers, and murderers anyway, not when we have new friends helping us to keep the city safe…"

"I have long held that people make very little sense. Technology is much simpler and far easier to understand."

"Well, your tech makes my head hurt to just look at sometimes." Taylor shrugged. "But I get what you're trying to say. Thanks for leading Grumpy home. Did you want to stay for dinner? I think Mark was making meatloaf."

"Unfortunately I do need to finish my patrol. Perhaps another time."

"Okay, that works."

"Taylor? Who's at the door?" Amy Dallon's voice shouted down from inside the home.

"It's just Armsmaster! He brought back Grumpy!"

"What?! Your new pet monster got loose?! I thought this one was supposed to be smart too? Oh god, not again! MOM!"

Taylor looked back to him and rolled her eyes. "I think I need to go back inside. Thanks again, Armsmaster."

"Have a pleasant evening, Miss Hebert."

"You too! Come on, girl, let's go get you back with the others."

The xenomorph trotted past him into the home and the door shut. As he walked back to his motorcycle Armsmaster nodded to himself. "She really does have a pleasant family now. It's wonderful that they are all so supportive and worried when her creatures are lost…"

Emma stared at the TV screen, the remote hanging loose in her fingers. "Lung…she killed Lung…She…"

The remote fell, but Emma didn't even hear the ring of the plastic on the floor or see the channel flip. Instead she remembered Sophia's last text stating that she was going to 'find Hebert and take care of the problem'. She heard an abortive scream as Sophia's call cut off, a horrible hiss in the background. She felt the chill from Taylor's smile as she said 'I have new friends now and they'll protect me from you'. She saw two entities…

AN: I have a Pa tr eon and Ko-fi now! If you want to support my efforts and see some work-in-progress chapters a bit earlier as well as have a say in what I focus on please feel free to take a look. Both are under my other pseudonym 'Slider'. More descriptive links are in my profile.