Chapter two

General 'Pinpoint' Towns

Dunes of Shakuras

2145 hours local

I took off the face shield of my Zone Trooper's uniform and took a breath. Nope, there weren't any toxins that I could detect, and I wasn't dead, so the atmosphere must breathable. As we walked towards the Protoss main base, I had an uneasy feeling about this situation.

It was quiet, TOO quiet. I was about to voice my opinions of this, when I heard a quick, sharp psychic voice shoot though my brain. "Drop your weapons, Terran!" I took a quick look around, and I saw nothing at all. No, scratch that: I saw a blur of motion, but I couldn't see any more then that. Energy from some kind of invisible weapon crackled in the air, and we still couldn't see anything. Cloaking, I thought.

We did, and a hard, metallic something collided with the side of my head. I fought against the waves of pain and darkness, but I failed.

I woke up on a hard, smooth floor. Almost like marble, but when I opened my eyes, I saw that it was actually some sort of metal. Feeling the bump on my head from where I was hit, I muttered: "I'm getting too old for this shit."

Maybe a few years ago, I could have taken that hit, and woken up with nothing more then a slight headache, but I was getting older, and getting older meant I was getting slower and weaker when it came to me actually going into combat.

I still did from time to time, but I usually wound up afterwards with something sore and aching. I was better off just sticking with my laser development then fighting personally. It was one of the things I couldn't accept: keeping my hands off my old job.

Anyways, I got up, groaned for a while, and then slowly stood to attention. When I was fully awake, another psychic voice went through my brain. "What brings you here, Terrans?"

Unlike the first 'voice', this one sounded older. Not like me, but ancient; as though the person using it had been alive for centuries. It 'spoke' again.

"I see you would rather have introductions first. My name is Zeratul, acting Matriarch of the Dark Templar."

We all nodded, and gave introductions. As we did so, I felt something probing my mind, and I tried to shut it off. I had training against Yuri's psychic powers, and I knew how to prevent him from getting into my head. But that's when I'm ready for it, like when I'm about to go onto a battlefield that has Yuri Clones or Psychic Towers on it.

Eventually, the probe left my mind and Zeratul said: "I see, yes very well. Bring all of your forces here as soon as possible. The Zerg are once again attacking Shakuras, and this time, I fear even the power of the Xel'Naga Temple will stay their broods."

We got our forces set up and after a few short hours, we were ready for almost anything.

Veronica Barnes

Zerg Hive Cluster, Shakuras

0301 Hours Local

It was pretty quiet, so I decided to get some sleep. Sleeping close to the front lines in full battle gear isn't too comfortable, but doing this allows me to be ready in a matter of seconds as opposed to minuets if I wasn't.

As I was sleeping, I guess that's when they hit. Since I was asleep and the alarms didn't sound, I didn't wake up. At least, I didn't wake up until that stinger went into me. I shot awake and tried to grab my gun, but I was paralyzed! Looking around in fear, I saw one of the creatures already identified as a Zerg Matriarch --a more powerful version of the normal Zerg Queen-- starting at me with its large dark red orb-like eyes.

All I could do was stare in horror as the Matriarch started to cover me in this sort of slime-like substance that began to harden as soon as it touched me. Eventually, it was so thick around my entire body that it formed almost a cocoon. Once the darkness was complete, I heard: "Soon my child, you will be reborn into the swarm. You will be my next agent of the Swarm…"

I don't remember much of what happened next, other then the pain. You can't even BEGIN to imagine the pain. I couldn't see WHAT was happening to me, but it felt like something was forcing its way into my skin!

After a while, I started to forget who I was. The pain… the voice… it all merged together treating to strip me of my sanity and leave me just a husk for these… THINGS. I wouldn't let it happen!

Twisting in my cocoon, I found that the effects from the stinger were gone. I could move again! Not that there was much room to move around in, but I HAD to escape! Making a fist, something shot out of my knuckles, and then those things shot out with tremendous force, shattering the cocoon, and giving me more room tom move.

COME ON! I thought as I forced the small hole bigger. Don't give up now!

You fool. That same deep voice said. No Zerg can escape my will. Return to your chrysalis. You are not ready yet.

SHUT UP! I roared mentally. I'm NOT going to end up as your slave like Kerrigan! I was stunned. I knew the name of the Queen of Blades, but I had never seen her, or even HEARD of her before. What was happening to me!?

No time to worry about that now! I thought, panicked. My fingers grabbed the hole of the cocoon, and I pulled up with as much force as I could muster. I heard cracking, and eventually its walls split open and I found myself staring right into the Dark Templar's Sun. the light was blinding, but I welcomed it. At least for a few minuets before I started to free myself more completely.

Once I was free, several things about my size if I was lying down scuttled over and picked up the pieces of the cocoon. Once they were finished, I looked at them, and they suddenly stopped. After blinking a few times wondering what they were doing, my vision instantly went into one of them.

I stumbled back, tripping over my new six legs, and I stared at the human that was in front of me, almost in a trace. It was a female, and I could see every detail of her face; long blood-red hair, tan skin, green eyes, and the soaking wet military uniform.

I was looking at a face that I had seen my entire life: my own.

I shot back into my own body, and the thing on the ground went back to its duties. I knew what that thing was: a Zerg Drone. I turned tail and ran as fast as I could. I had to make a shortcut right through a Zerg base, but they didn't seem to notice me, or care.

Eventually, I made it back to the front lines of the Soviet base, and I saw Elena Michaels. She was also in the navy like I was, but as a Carrier Pilot with the Shcnee Squadron. We were more or less friends, but if Clayton, her RIO and boyfriend was around, he'd usually just glare at me until I went away.

Seeing that he wasn't around, I slipped past a Gattling cannon and a laser cannon that were placed in close proximity to each other and I started running towards her. As I got near, she looked up as if trying to find somebody, but I knew that wasn't the case. Elena was a Werewolf, and as such, she had better smell then most humans, so I knew she was scenting the air.

I took a few sniffs of the air, not expecting to smell anything, but I recoiled when I smelled Elena's wolf scent! Elena turned towards me, and I felt the colour drain from my face. She rushed at me, and I just reacted.

I somehow managed to punch her, and she hit me, but I strangely didn't feel much of anything. She held her hand for a moment, and then I saw that claws were starting form on it. I reacted again, and the things on my knuckles popped out again. I was shocked to realize that those were some kind of spine! They were about 8 cm long, and they looked hard, sharp, and slightly wet from something.

She was about to swing her clawed hand at me, when I heard the psychic Yuri call out into my head: "Report to medical. NOW."

Elena stopped for a second, obviously confused as to whatever Yuri's message to her was, but she stood down, and decided to escort me to medical. As we walked there, she kept glaring at me not saying a single word. We walked in, and she turned around, leaving me with the doctors there.

The doctors took X-rays, and checked the machine as soon as the images came back. They showed me, and my eyes widened. According to those, I had NO bones anymore with the exception of the ones in my ear! The rest of me was some kind of exoskeleton. My hands showed that something almost as hard as metal was embedded in-between my knuckles, and near those were some kind of gland that wasn't there before!

The medics said that they'd like to keep my there for a few more tests, and I had accepted. Whatever was done to me was looking downright weird at best, and outright nasty at worse.