A/N: Hello, everyone! This is DaedricEclipse here with a new chapter for Assimilation! I hope you all enjoy it, despite how long it has taken to actually get the motivation to write it. Any and all flames will be ignored and/or used to fuel the pits of Tartarus. Also, the Adam in this story is NOT the same Adam as the one in the movies.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Thing. The Thing and all related content are copyright and property of John Carpenter and Universal Pictures.


Contact. The sound of the canine monstrosity yelping in pain as the metal pipe cracked its skull filled Adam's ears. He opened his eyes to see the Dog-Thing skid across the snow, coming to a stop about 7 feet away from him. The young scientist immediately took advantage of the distance between him and the Thing and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

As Adam ran away from the compound, he scanned the horizon for any sign of shelter from the harsh Antarctic wilderness. He knew it was only a matter of time before hypothermia began to set in, and then he'd be dead.

He caught a glimpse of something vaguely humanoid standing in place on the horizon, seemingly staring at him from afar. Before Adam could get a better look at it, the figure dipped below the horizon and out of his line of sight. Every fiber of his being was telling him that it wasn't a good idea to try and see where it went, but he ignored his gut instinct and walked as fast as he could in the direction of the figure. He had one good reason for following what, for all he knew, could have been a Thing; a reason that he would risk his entire life and safety for.

It was wearing a coat.


It was a few hours of walking and following the figure's trail before Adam finally arrived at a small compound with an 8-foot-high barbed-wire fence surrounding the entirety of the compound's perimeter. He could see a small sign of a skull-and-cross-bones followed by a simple lightning bolt, showing that the fence was also electrified.

Whoever lived at this camp, if there was even anyone here, didn't seem to like taking any chances. Adam walked up to what he assumed was the entrance, and was surprised when the gate slowly opened as soon as he had gotten close to it.

'Looks like someone's expecting me,' Adam thought to himself as he cautiously entered the compound, the gate closing firmly behind him. The camp itself was comprised of about 10 or so buildings, most of which were made out of either wood or metal. The scientist could see a small shack which he assumed was a tool or supply shed near the back end of the main building, which was roughly located at the central part of the compound.

A slightly-ajar door at the entrance to the main building sent a wave of uneasiness down Adam's spine, and although his rational side was hysterically screaming at him to just walk away, a small, unfamiliar part of him was quietly whispering at him to just go inside and investigate.

Without very many options available, he swallowed the knot in his throat and entered the building, bracing himself for whatever was inside.

The inside of the building was a mess: papers and various items were strewn about the floor, chairs and desks were either knocked over or flipped upside-down, and all but one weak, flickering light on the ceiling had been broken or smashed against the floor. Long splatters of blood lined the walls and the tiled floor, and a thin, eerie trail of blood led from one of the tables and into the bathroom.

Adam felt paranoia begin to overtake his being as he shakily raised his lead pipe in front of him, his eyes frantically darting around the room and looking for any sign that something might attack him. Not paying attention, he very nearly tripped over a piece of a broken chair that was laying in his path.

The sounds of static and interference from a radio caught his attention, and he quickly walked towards the source of the noise, stopping at a door with 4 long claw marks gouged deep into the wood. After taking in a deep breath, he grabbed the handle and swung the door open, revealing a room filled with radios and bulky equipment for long-range communication. The comms room also seemed to not have been torn apart by the same panic that had taken place in the other room.

The young scientist, incredibly relieved to have found a way to call for help, closed the door and barricaded it with a metal locker that had been standing a few feet away from the door. Adam quickly turned on the radio that looked to be in the best condition and spoke into the receiver, "Hello? Is anyone out there? This is Adam Crawford from the research team sent to the American 'Big Magnet" Antarctic outpost! If there's anyone who reads me, please respond!"

After all he got was 30 seconds of pure static, he spoke into the radio again, "Again, is anyone out there?! This is Adam Crawford from the research team sent to the 'Big Magnet' American outpost! If there's ANYONE alive out there, PLEASE RESPOND!"

Once more, there was static. Now desperate, Adam shouted into the radio, "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, THIS IS ADAM CRAWFORD! I'M THE ONLY SURVIVOR FROM MY TEAM, AND I NEED HELP IMMEDIATELY! SOMETHING'S OUT THERE, AND IT'S TRYING TO KILL ME! PLEASE, RESPOND!"

Nothing but static.

Adam was about to finally break down when a garbled response came from the radio, "This is British Outpost 437. We read you, Adam. What is your current situation?"

The young man had to hold back tears of joy as he responded, "I've locked myself in the radio room of an abandoned outpost somewhere...I think northwest of the American outpost. It's the one with the barbed wire fence wrapped all around the compound. How long will it be until you get here?"

The response that came from the other end made Adam's heart sink a little, "Due to predicted weather conditions, we expect to be able to reach you in about three or four days, at minimum. Just hang in there until we arrive. Now, you said that 'something' was out there with you. What exactly do you mean by that?"

Adam didn't know how to explain his situation to the operator on the other end. How could one explain that an alien parasite that instantly assimilates other creatures had killed everyone but him? They wouldn't believe him, no matter how hard he tried to convince them. Still, he knew he had to try, even if they didn't believe a word that he said.

Adam took a breath before he explained, "I don't know what it is, but it isn't anything from this planet. I know you'll probably never believe me, but you have to trust me. As far as what we'd been told before we travelled to Antarctica, it's a...parasite that will instantly assimilate any living creature it touches, then make a perfect copy of it in order to try and infect other hosts. The crew at Big Magnet blew up the compound and the parasite to keep it from getting to civilization and consuming the entire human race."

Adam held his breath as he waited for a response. He let out a relieved sigh when the other operator said, "I wouldn't believe a story like that, normally. However, under the circumstances, and based on evidence that might support your story, I'm going to have to trust you. What would we need to destroy it, then?"

"Listen, you'll need incendiary weapons, such as flamethrowers, blowtorches, napalm, anything that can burn it to a crisp. It's the only way to really kill it, since it'll just rapidly heal if it's shot with normal guns. You may also need to bring explosives, but mainly as a last resort," Adam told the British operator as he tried to remember what they'd need.

"Understood. We'll bring all of that over when we get to you. Just stay alive until then, okay, Adam? You're practically our only source of knowledge on this creature, and we need you in order to kill it. Sit tight, and we'll be there soon. Outpost 437, out," the man on the other end told the young scientist as the radio cut back to static.

Adam leaned back in the chair and ran a hand through his short, slightly-shaggy auburn hair as he pondered his situation. There was help coming, now, but it would take several days before it could finally arrive. He'd also probably still have to deal with the Thing during the wait for the help to arrive; there was also the problem about having enough food and water to survive long enough until he was rescued.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a searing pain in his skull, the strength of which made him fall out of his chair and instinctively clutch his head to try and minimize the pain. He could feel...something trying to take over his mind, but it suddenly backed off as he shook his head furiously.

The small voice he had heard earlier had now come back, but it sounded much more malicious as it said, 'Hello, Adam. Nice to finally talk to you properly.'

Adam wondered if he had finally started to go insane, unable and unwilling to believe that something in his head was actually talking to him. He cautiously responded, "Who or what are you? What do you want from me?"

"Shouldn't it be obvious? I'm that which you have been trying to run away from ever since you arrived. I am the creature you're trying to destroy. I'm the 'Thing,' as you humans call my kind."

Adam shook his head in denial, refusing to believe that the Thing was talking to him, let alone talking to him in his own head. Then, one thought made the man's blood run cold in terror.

The Thing seemed to have figuratively and literally read his mind, as it chuckled sadistically, "Yes, you are correct. You're infected and slowly being assimilated by me. As much as I enjoy your terror and feelings of hopelessness and devastation, though, there is one big problem with assimilating you that is absolutely infuriating me."

Adam suddenly felt a flicker of hope appear in his heart as he tried to calm himself down as he asked in a slightly smug tone, "Just what would that be, then? What about me could possibly be causing you a problem?"

The Thing in his mind scoffed indignantly, "For one thing, it normally takes just a few moments to assimilate a creature completely, and their bodies can't do anything about it. For some reason, however, YOUR body is resisting my attempts at consuming you, and it's actually WINNING. No normal creature should be able to fight one of us, so what makes YOU so special, Adam?"

The young scientist chuckled in response, "To be honest, I don't really know. Maybe it's because I'm not willing to let myself be turned into a copy by you, or maybe it's because my body is a lot stronger than either of us think. Whatever the case may be, I now know that I can resist you, and that gives me a better chance of surviving all of this."

The sound of cynical and sarcastic laughter from the Thing echoed in his head, "You're wrong if you think that you can get out of all of this alive. The other Thing and I will stop at nothing to kill you and the other humans who are coming to 'rescue' you, and then we will assimilate your entire race."

Adam thought for a moment about what the Thing had said before he narrowed his eyes and said, "Shut up and stop wasting your energy. You won't take anymore of us as your personal meat puppets, and we will finally get rid of every last one of you damn abominations!"

There was a few moments of silence from the parasite before it snarled, "You can try, Adam, but remember that the clock is ticking. With each second I'm assimilating you slowly but surely, and you're running out of time."

"Then I'm just going to have to make each second count," Adam retorted as he walked out of the radio room and began to search for any supplies that he could use...


A/N: Hello, again, everybody! I hope you enjoyed the somewhat long-overdue second chapter for Assimilation! I'll try to keep on updating as often as I can, if circumstances allow. If you liked the story, then (if you want) leave a review or constructive criticism on what I could improve!

I'll see you all in the next chapter! -DaedricEclipse