Humans liked to believe themselves superior. The dominant race amongst the galaxy. It's most likely why their entire structure crumbled one human at a time, until the entire compound was destroyed and with it the city. And with it, each city on the planet one by one until the small planet was under the control of a much more striking predator.

A few more weeks passed before it all came to pass. Dr. Lark began to trust and believe Sapphire and I were his docile pets. Sapphire suffered his hands on her hide many times while underneath the surface her instincts urged her to rip him apart. We learned the schedule of the guards, and knew the weaknesses and strengths of the security. I admit, most of it was Sapphire's doing and I was good at following her direction. While technically, I was her Mother, Xenomorph's matured at a faster rate than humans. It may have been nearly a year since I had been presented with her egg, but I was still only a five year-old girl.

Sapphire broke out of her cell on her own. She found weaknesses in her cell that her blood easily melted with its acidic qualities. If only Dr. Lark hadn't believed us when we complained about how uncomfortable Sapphire was in her old cell and how she needed more time to run and grow. It was for research after all. And the old Queen was dead. If they killed the new Queen their entire operation would end.

The cell was still impenetrable, but she was good at hiding and smarter than the humans. With some strategically placed blood and Sapphire conveniently hiding so that the guards got freaked out was all it took for her to lure them into her trap and kill them. The alarms were raised about fifteen minutes after she escaped and came to retrieve me. The lights blared in my bedroom, and the other children panicked. The lights flickered off completely before the children screamed. Not me of course, I knew what was happening. The back up generator and emergency system booted up until the walls were covered in flashing red lights and warning sirens.

"This is a code red. Please report to your nearest emergency exit at your earliest convenience. I report this is a code red. All personnel not in medical and security please report to your nearest emergency exit. All others report to your stations. Thank you."

The recording repeated after another five minutes. I got up from the bed and dressed calmly and slipped on my shoes.

"Where are you going?"

David clutched at his stuffed toy with frightened eyes. "It's time to leave David. Sapphire's going to stop the bad humans."

He continued to stare at me in confusion and fear.

"You're crazy!" One of the older girls yelled at me.

My head cocked to the side as I looked at her. "If you stay here, you're going to sleep and never wake up. Or you can come with me and you won't have to listen to the bad humans anymore."

"No more doctors?" Another kid asked.

I shook my head. "No more doctors."

"We shouldn't go," a boy cried clutching his blanket when he saw a few of us readying to leave. "They'll come for us. The soldiers will protect us from the monsters."

"They are the monsters," I told him and paused looking at his ashen face. "They won't come." He shook his head and cried into his blanket.

David took my hand with frightened eyes and stuck his thumb in his mouth. Four other kids walked out of the room with me. The rest of the children, twenty-one of them, stayed and would never leave that room.

"Sapphire!"

"Mother!"

We called to one another trying to follow our telepathic bond. I could feel her satisfaction for every human she killed and the pride when she released a few of the enslaved xenomorphs. They followed her readily, and I could feel the thrill of the hunt course through her veins. She was Queen, still young and developing, but she was leading the hunt and it was glorious.

We avoided both soldiers and personnel. People were too busy screaming to care about us. When we got questioning looks, we pointed to another medical staff and claimed they were taking us someone safe. No one wanted to take responsibility for four kids when their lives were in danger.

We rounded a corner and one of the girls ran head first into a brawny looking soldier. He and his partner stared us down. They were covered in sweat and his partner looked terrified. When the lights flashed I could see there was blood splattered in small flecks across their uniforms.

"What the fuck are you kid's doing?" One of them snarled and grabbed at the girl whom had run into him. He stunk of fear and anger. He took in our uniforms slowly and must have recognized the significance. "You're coming with us, rats."

Rat was a common term for us. It was a derogatory comment referencing our position as laboratory experiments, or in other words lab rats.

"We can't take 'em with us," the other man prattled in nervous tones. His eyes shifted around anxiously and he clutched his weapon securely as if it would protect him. "They'll lead 'em right to us!"

The larger man holding one of the girls in our group shook her roughly by the collar. "Don't be an idiot." He pulled her around for emphasis. "We take one of these with us, we got safe passage. These things listen to the rats, they're like their dogs or something. I've seen it, they listen to commands and shit."

Dogs indeed. My fists curled at my sides in anger. We were more like wolves and I told him so.

"Wolves," the man scoffed and let the girl go and crouched down to invade my space. His breath was stale and wet. His partner wanted to move on, but the man ignored him. "Why's that eh?"

"Sapphire."

"Coming. I see you."

"Wolves travel in packs." His face transformed into one of confusion.

A low startling hiss began in a whisper and grew in volume. My face bloomed in happiness as I noticed the uncurling dark figure prowling the ceiling in the rafters. Six other similar shapes crawled along the walls sleek and predatory.

Suddenly, Sapphire jumped and thrust her tail straight through the man's chest from behind. His blood splattered in flecks across my face and uniform. His eyes bulged and he coughed and blood flowed from his mouth. He looked distinctly startled and I could not help but grin. Sapphire lifted his body with her tail still piercing through his chest cavity. She turned him to face her until he was eye level. The xenomorph Queen gave out a fierce snarl and opened her mouth to reveal her smaller mouth and pierced his head in one fatal move. She threw his body to the side with a triumphant roar.

The other man screamed as he aimed his weapon and began shooting. Sapphire hissed and shielded with me her body as another xenomorph tackled him to the ground until his fingers loosened around the trigger.

The ground crumbled near my feet and I looked up in worry. One of the stray bullets had hit Sapphire and I fingered the scrape at her shoulder. She clenched in discomfort but appeared fine. I wiped the blood on the floor instead of my clothes, watching the floor sizzle once it made contact with the blood. Having the xenomorph gene meant that the acidic qualities of the blood did not affect us the same.

The six xenomorphs surrounded us twitching their tails curiously. It was mostly playful. They were sizing us up, trying to decide if we were hive or prey. A xenomorph will respond to increased heart rate, fear, and sudden moments. You never run; you would never make it anyway. You stay and die or stay and fight to die. One of the girls turned and ran.

She did not get far. One of the xenomorph's rushed her and jumped on top of her back. The crunching of her body and spray of blood muffled her scream. I grabbed David's arm holding him still. His palm was sweaty and he was shaking slightly. Sapphire sniffed him and I rolled my eyes and pushed her away. She was purposely trying to intimidate the poor boy.

She looked at the other three children and at her group of followers. She hissed at them, and they backed off obediently. I beamed at her and she preened under the praise.

"We need to leave." I tugged David and followed Sapphire. The other xenomorph's flanked us herding us along. The other children quietly followed. They were afraid, but having been around the xenomorph's for so long, they were smart enough to know the behaviors.

"Where are we going?" I asked after a few more turns down the halls. We began to run. The xenomorph's jumped at the random humans in our way. No one tried to help us. They probably did not even notice the small children amongst the monsters.

"To get the other's." She answered after swishing her tail sharply ridding her of red blood from her latest kill.

"Other's?"

"More hive."

The thought of more xenomorph's thrilled me. How many more were there? We rounded a corner only for a xenomorph in our group to get shot repeatedly in the head and fall with a squeal. Sapphire hissed a warning and we fell back under the spray of bullets. She hissed orders to the xenomorph's and they easily obeyed rounding up the humans and slaying them.

My shoes slipped in the pools of blood as I walked past the bodies. My fingers trailed along Sapphire's hide and she leaned into my touch absently. The others raced ahead to clear our path. We walked side by side and I tugged at David's sleeve to get his attention. He snapped out of his thoughts and stumbled along. He was nervous but obeyed. If he continued in this manner he might survive.

"Where did they all come from," the oldest boy in our group whispered to the other girl.

"Why these humans?" Sapphire asked sneaking glances at the three human companions trailing us.

I shrugged, brushing my shoulder against her body. The touch helped ground us both.

"They are weak humans. Only good for breeding." One of the xenomorph's snarled.

My fingers curled and my legs stumbled over my next step. One of the xenomorph's snarled at the oldest human boy in our group and the boy nearly wet himself. I wanted to snarl at him and show him his place, but I did not know this drone and my place was by Sapphire's side. If this drone was allied with her or if they were only working together was unknown. Picking battles was a lesson wild animals learned to stay alive. I rarely communicated to the other drones telepathically.

Sapphire tensed under my hands and moved so suddenly that I nearly fell on my butt.

"These are not just humans. These are my humans!"

She was upon the drone in an instant. The drone made a weak attempt to fight back but was quickly over powered. Sapphire's claws easily slashed through the drone's hide and the drone cried out in pain. It cowed under her but Sapphire beat its head into the floor with a loud bang that echoed around us. Frankly, it frightened me. It frightened me because it meant that Sapphire did not have control of these drones and the hive we were hoping for was still a distant prospect. The drone's body slackened under Sapphire and it bared its neck in submission. I could feel the moment where Sapphire made her decision to kill it and the moment where I stopped her with a single thought.

We needed this drone. Perhaps later we could dispose of it, but right now there were far too many humans and not enough xenomorphs to kill them. We were outnumbered. I could feel her body bristle in anger realizing it was best to leave the drone alive for now. However, it did not mean she was going to let it live without threatening it to an inch of its life and letting it know who was the dominant party.

"This is Mother, above all else. She is hive. And I am Queen!"

She roared as the other drones looked on watching in interest. Battles for dominance were common in the hive. Drones always fought for the favor of the Queen, and even me, but in this moment, Sapphire had yet to reach maturity and establish herself as the true hive Queen. And I, well I may have been proclaimed as Mother, but I was still a human. These drones had not been born from Sapphire and Sapphire had been born from my flesh and blood. Therefore, she was not their Queen and I was not their Mother. However, the confusion lied in the fact that drones could not function without a Queen. A hive without a Queen was sure to perish.

The drone beneath Sapphire began to make a rumbling noise common when asking for forgiveness. Sapphire waited for me as I walked to them. Only after I placed my hand on her did she release the drone. The drone waited a moment, perhaps to see if it was really going to survive this encounter before turning around and crawling back up to its legs. We continued on as a group, strengthened, and also weakened because of the encounter.

There was only one obstacle to free the xenomorphs, and to do that we needed a passcode to get into the cell containers. Most of the structures were reinforced even against xenomorph's acidic blood qualities.

"We should get a doctor, they always have badges and stuff," the older boy commented after I voiced the concern. It was a smart idea. There were plenty of them around.

The doors to the left screeched open and humans ran out into the hall, a mixture of men and women in lab uniforms and military. The moment was almost comical with the way both of us stood looking at each other until the humans yelled and raised their weapons. The gunfire took over all sound other than the screeching from the xenomorphs as they rushed to tear the humans apart. Limbs were ripped; bullets pierced flesh and blood sprayed.

The oldest human boy in our group startled and removed the hands over his ears to point at a figure in a lab coat.

His coat was splattered in blood and burnt at the edges. Beneath the sweat and grime was Dr. Lark. He was missing his glasses and was shaking so hard, I'm pretty sure he'd peed himself, but it was undeniably the man that had tortured Sapphire and I and treated us like lab rats for the last few months. His badge and credentials were still neatly clipped to his lab coat, as disgusting as it was, and he had one of the highest security clearances in the facility.

It was with this thought that when the looming figure of one of the xenomorph's shadowed over him I screamed. Both the xenomorph and Dr. Lark stilled at once, the xenomorph in confusion at Dr. Lark in fear and most likely confusion as well. In his defense he looked like he had absolutely no idea what was going on in the world. His pallor was grey and he was shivering.

"We need him," my voice rasped as I stood on shaking legs. The remaining humans had either escaped or were bleeding out around us. Sapphire came to my side to support me. We approached Dr. Lark and as we neared, recognition dawned in his face. The xenomorph backed away with a twist of their tail and walked away on claws and legs.

He swallowed thickly and while there was shock and fear in his gaze, there was also a sense of clarity. Whether he knew he was going to die and was at peace with it, or he thought seeing us meant an escape, I was not sure. I did not care.

Once I got close enough I snatched the badge from his goat. His grab for my hand was reflexive and too sluggish to be successful in stopping me.

"What are you?" he squeaked and tried again after swallowing, "what are you doing?" He seemed more aware of the other's with us, of our small group and it looked like it made him increasingly nervous. Good, I was enjoying seeing him squirm like a bug in a jar.

I spared him a glance and shook the badge. "This is mine now." He looked like he was about to say something before shaking his head weakly. Sapphire walked up and saliva dripped from her snarling fangs. Dr. Lark stumbled away but there was nowhere to go. For fun more than anything, Sapphire snapped at him. She was giddy in excitement as he jumped when her second mouth took off the skin from the tip of his nose.

"T-take it, it's, it's yours!" he stumbled and then gasped as Sapphire wrapped him in her claw and lifted him in the air with a pleased growl. She was going to bleed him dry and rip his limbs from his body.

An idea came to me then.

"Over there."

Sapphire glanced at me and then at the chamber beyond me. The host chamber for impregnation. Realization sunk in and she purred at me and dropped him like a lead weight. She butted my chest with her head in approval and corralled the frightened doctor until he had no choice but to be lead into the next room over.

The doors closed behind him and for a moment he looked relaxed, as if the hardened and reinforced fixture between us would protect him. It was strong, and relatively impenetrable. His face changed once he realized we were blocking his only exit. He was confused as he continued to watch us, clearly having expected to be killed, until he took another look around the room. The moment he recognized the room his face dropped in alarming fear. Eggs, most of which were free from their containment in the commotion, surrounded him. I could see a few of the facehuggers scampering around the room sensing a ready host. My eyes grew wide in delight as I watched him attempt to fight them off. He slammed against the wall and I pressed my hand against the wall where he fought the facehuggers tail wrapping around his neck. His face disappeared under the facehuggers talons and his body slid down the ground in a thud. He wanted to know more about the xenomorphs and the hive. What better way to learn than to be a part of his own experiments?

There must have been at least fifty of them. All of the xenomorph drones were chained and in cages pacing wildly. They were aware that their Queen was dead. Drones did not last long without their Queen even if they were being held captive. And they knew something was going on outside.

"Don't move," I ordered the kids at my side. These drones had not been raised with a human anchor like us to form bonds.

"Stay close." Sapphire advised coming up besides me as the doors to the cages unlocked with a groan.

Dr. Lark's credentials hung around my neck loosely. The xenomorph's were agitated, but also curious seeing now five xenomorphs (we had lost one along the way) and four human children. We were easily circled, but Sapphire stood her ground standing tall on her hind legs. We had to hope they would fall in line with us, posturing was only going to get so far, and Sapphire did not have the full abilities of a Queen yet.

A large xenomorph began to near us and the others parted obediently. From her mannerism alone I knew she was also like Sapphire, she was royalty. But this one was scarred, and was obviously older. She had a deep cut through part of her face and she turned awkwardly when looking around. I wondered if the old wound impaired her vision. The scars adorning her body made her look even more formidable. I was overcome with a feeling of dread. There was not supposed to be another Queen. One of them was going to die. The hive would only ever allow for one of them to lead.

I bit my bottom lip anxiously and huddled closer to Sapphire. I tried to keep my mind quiet and prevent feeding her any of my fear and uncertainty. We could not walk away, even if I wanted to tell her that we should leave. It was a matter of pride. She could never go on if we left and I could not distract her with my human emotions.

Her touch became more uneasy and suffocating, but she did not turn me away. I could tell her instincts were telling her to separate from me to appear stronger, but she stayed by my side proudly, one human amongst dozens of xenomorphs.

"Behave."

I nearly rolled my eyes at the order. Her words served as a distraction as her cool hide separated from my body. The older Queen and her circled each other sizing the other up. By shear age and capabilities, Sapphire was going to be out matched.

"What if she looses?" The human girl in our group asked watching the events unfold. She was no doubt wondering what was to happen should this mysterious Queen win.

"We die," I whispered. It was the truth. It would be a far better death than life under Dr. Lark. I was not afraid of the prospect of dying. It was customary for the former hive members to be killed after a new Queen was born, or at least until the new Queen could produce her own drones to replace the drones birthed from the older Queen. It would not be unnecessarily drawn out. It would be a respectful death.

"I love you."

I sent the emotion along with the words at her with every fiber of my being and immediately regretted it as Sapphire's body tensed and she turned back at me in surprise. My mouth opened in warning realizing my error. My stupid human sentiment distracted her and the other Queen launched herself at Sapphire with a vicious snarl. The drones around us growled in excitement watching the two Queens attempt to tear each other a part.

The same talons and tail that had lovingly encircled my body and protected me were now deadly weapons. The change was astonishing and frightful. Never had I considered Sapphire anything other than my friend and family, but all of a sudden she transformed into a creature beyond my reckoning. She was beautiful and terrifying. In that moment, I realized why the Weyland-Yutani Corporation wanted to domesticate and weaponize these creatures. They were deadly perfection, horribly beautiful in all of their glory.

They sprang and rolled and slashed and parried. They gasped for breath every time they ran past and soon, each of their body's was covered in shallow gashes seeping blood. Sapphire panted more than the other Queen. My hands clenched at my side and I wanted to yell at her to be careful, to watch out, to survive and to live and come back to me so we could do all of the things we had promised.

A cold hand rested against mine and small fingers pried each of mine a part. David. We looked at each other and our hands clasped tighter together. It was nice to know I was not alone as I watched the most important person fight for not just her life, but for all of our lives and future.

The older Queen slammed Sapphire against a wall and Sapphire crumpled to the ground in a heap. She twitched but did not stir for many seconds. She stood on shaky legs, looking dazed. My chest grew tight and it was difficult to breath. She was loosing. Sapphire was tossed to the floor again and she hissed in pain and made a weak attempt to slash her opponent. The defensive move struck home and the older Queen looked more irritated at the scratch than hurt. There was a slight weariness to her body, but she was hiding it well in front of the crowd filled with drone's scrutinizing the fight.

Sapphire roared, and the crowd tensed. They rushed, and came together in a clash of teeth and talons. They bit and hit with vigor, gaining leverage only to loose it. Sapphire dodged the next swipe of a claw sent her way only to meet with the blow of a tail. She crashed to the floor in a heap and did not move. There was a sickening clench in my stomach and I thought I was going to be ill.

"Get up. Get up. Get up! GET UP!"

Her body only twitched and her tail coiled along the floor. My gaze narrowed to only her. She could not die; I would not allow it. The Queen raised her tail in a final move and her jaw opened wide with her teeth displayed in triumph. The drones around us were deathly silent.

With a scream I launched onto the xenomorph headless for my own safety.

The xenomorph Queen was so preoccupied that she did not see me coming until the last moment. The Queen turned her head towards me with a hiss. Her surprised expression turned to annoyance. It gave Sapphire the moment that she needed. Her head lifted and as the Queen's back turned she went onto all fours and thrust her tail at the imposter Queen. The other Queen stumbled to the ground, but not before I was thrown nearly across the room. My head hit the wall so hard that I must have blacked out. My body slumped to the ground and I lay there breathing shallowly.

Sweaty hands, human hands, lifted me up but I was not able to stand. My brain felt like it had been scrambled. My vision was blurry but I could make out the other kids huddled around me. David's hands were shaking and sweaty.

The older boy poked me and I swatted his hands away.

"Stop." I smacked my lips together awkwardly.

"Shut up," he replied opening my eyes again. "This is what the doctors do to make sure you haven't hit your head too hard." The other girl argued with him back and forth about whom knew more about doctors.

The sounds around us were deafening now. Before they were quiet and now they were loud and ferocious as the drones roared. Their appendages thumped along the floor in a hypnotizing rhythm.

Sapphire snapped and snarled with an aggressiveness I had never seen her display before. The other Queen fought back just as aggressive, but she was growing weary. Something seemed to be fueling Sapphire, and despite all of the blood and sweat dripping from her body and pooling in waves of smoke when her blood collided with the floor, she did not appear to be tiring. She was otherworldly, like a mythological creature from one of the storybooks that had been read to me at bedtime.

The other Queen faltered and stumbled. Her foot caught on the ground and her head ducked low. She hissed defensively and backed up until she was cornered. Sapphire raised on her haunches tall and terrifying. To her credit, the other Queen did not beg, but she cowered and knew the moment she had lost. You could tell in her posture and feel the energy around the room when the tides had turned. The drones hissed in displeasure at the other Queen. For a moment I felt their allegiance change and pitied the other Queen, but it was quickly swallowed by the pride as I watched Sapphire strike the final killing blow.

I watched Sapphire strike blow after deadly blow as the other Queen howled in pain until she was too weak to cry out anymore. It was a terrible sight, but I could not look away, none of use could. David was shaking against my side. Sapphire turned and roared in triumph and the other drones closed in and raised their heads up and roared in response. She swept around dramatically preening, despite her wounds, until she spotted me.

She walked towards me carefully. There was a small limp present in her gait, but she hid it well. A strong Queen was a worthy Queen. The entire hive would protect a mature Queen, even elderly, but a newly appointed and wounded Queen was still vulnerable. Strength was paramount in this moment, and showing affection for a human, no matter if I had hosted the facehugger that had spawned her was dangerous.

I had little idea of the danger Sapphire was putting herself in by approaching me and the other kids. She lowered her posture to appear non-threatening. Her head protruded as if to nuzzle me but she refrained for a moment until catching the look in my eyes. She was doing this for me. After fighting to the death to secure drones for our survival and kill the humans, her primary concern was my security.

My limbs suddenly pulled her to me in a crushing embrace. My breath shuddered as she eagerly breathed in my scent and tucked her face into my neck. Warmth immediately encompassed my body. I used her as support my legs stabilized enough to support me. The clothes sizzled and flaked off at my arms from the acidic blood seeping from her wounds. Luckily, her injuries looked shallow and did not bother her.

The drones looked at myself and the other kids with curiosity more than anything. David's hand grasped mine for a moment before Sapphire pulled me closer to her and despite my protests pulled me up into her arms and set me atop her back. I clutched at her desperately trying not to fall off and the drones gathered around us.

"Stay close," I told the other kids as we began to move as a unit. We were a sea of black wading out of the room they had been imprisoned in for so long. The kids looked at me briefly ands stayed close but the drones offered them little notice, other than to herd them along like the children they were.

The neighborhood was in shambles. The normally quiet suburban homes were crowded with people running and screaming. Homes were on fire, and the streets were bathed in blood. It was surreal watching the drones run through the streets chasing down helpless humans begging for mercy.

The xenomorphs scoured the roads and the compound. Four of the drones surrounded their small party, along with the human children. They had acquired twelve more, making sixteen human children including. One day they would prove useful, if not, they would serve as hosts.

All of it cleared away until the focus narrowed to the modest home in front of her, the one she had lived in and called home. The doors opened suddenly and her parents hurried out the door, carrying their meager belongings in the form of a few duffel bags. The most valuable possession was in her mother's arms in the form of a wiggling toddler.

The toddler's lungs were working at maximum capacity and her parents were attempting to juggle their belongings, get out of the house and calm Katie.

I had never seen my parents so frazzled, or hurried in my life. They were always put together and immaculately dressed, it's one of the strongest memories I have of them.

They turned and the moment they saw us they froze. I cannot imagine what they saw in their minds, or what they thought as sixteen children, four xenomorph drones and a young Queen stood in their driveway watching them.

Their skin was pale and their eyes were round in fear. Their breathing became shallow and the drones around us picked up on the terror. They stirred anxiously looking at Sapphire, silently asking for permission to attack.

My human mother wrapped her arms tighter around Katie. Her eyes flitted anxiously looking for an escape, only to find none. She licked her lips before speaking.

"Mikki," she croaked only I did not pay her any mind. My focus was on Katie and only Katie.

Sapphire turned her head trying to catch my gaze but I avoided her. I urged her gently and she lowered me to the ground.

My hand trailed along Sapphire's flank and I looked at the two adults in front of me.

I gestured and one of the older girls came forward, she was a teenager and one of the first that had surrendered to us willingly. She walked forwards and approached my parents, holding her hands out for the toddler.

My mother choked back a sob and my father's arms wrapped around her shoulders in comfort and protection. It was a useless action that served no purpose in the situation. Katie was clutched tighter to her breast and she looked at me and shook her head.

"Give her to me." I said calmly. "Katie doesn't want to stay with you."

"Danica," my father spoke softly. Our eyes connected and there was clarity in his eyes, like he knew they were going to die and nothing could save them. "Give Katie to the girl," his throat bobbed betraying his calm exterior. "It's time. She'll be safe with them, with Mikki."

Sapphire stood taller at my side and nodded to the human pair and curled me more protectively into her side.

"Katie is going to be safe with us." I told them with determination. It was a promise, a promise I would keep until the time came that I could not protect her any longer. It was not easy being a human in the hive.

My father pried Katie out of my mother's arms. Katie's face was red and blotchy but she had calmed considerably. Most likely she was tired from crying. My father place Katie carefully into the teenagers arms and handed over one of the bags secured around his shoulders. Katie was too big for me to carry her, but I kissed her tear and snot stained face when she was brought over to me.

"Are you going to kill us?" My mother asked. "Please Mikki, let us go. I'm your Mother, we're your parents." I looked at her not truly seeing her at all.

"No," I corrected her slowly. "I am Mother."

They cried, both of them, as they were herded into a group of other captured humans to be secluded in the hives nest to serve as hosts. I ignored their tears and felt triumphant with Katie finally at my side and all of our enemies destroyed at long last.