Tales Of Arcadia Ficlet Collection

A Symbiotic Relationship (Part 2)

The POV of this new chapter was so difficult to choose. Like do I do it from Steve's POV, Aja's, another Jim POV, maybe Draal's POV? I couldn't choose.

Every one of those doctors thought Claire was crazy, which is exactly what she wanted. The whole charade started two nights after her symbiote had merged into her, those two nights she feared for her life and wondered if this alien was going to kill her like she and the other kids had seen D4LL-A do to a bunch of adult hosts the second they were brought out from the lab after it took them as a host. But much to her surprise and relief, B1K-H (or Blinky as she had taken to calling it for quite some time) was actually rather docile symbiote.

Turns out symbiotes could talk to their hosts inside their heads, though the hosts had to verbally talk back to them to communicate. Claire spent a better amount of her time acting hysterical to avoid letting these people know this, fearing they would take Blinky out of her and try performing tests on it to learn more. All they did was inflict pain on them and other "volunteers", along with the symbiotes.

So how are we doing today Claire, feeling good enough to release some of those chemicals your brain releases when it feels happy or loved? Blinky asked as she was trying to get comfortable on the hard floor of her cell.

"I wish they'd give us a proper mattress or something." Claire responds with a small groan. "Or blankets. I don't get why they keep changing the temperature of the cells every few hours."

Probably to see if my brethren and I can survive the extreme heat and cold in a host. Blinky says quietly. But have no fear, one of these days we'll be free of this place.

"Yeah, and I'm probably going out in a body bag."

Now now, that's not good. Remember I'm trying not to eat your kidneys or liver, I can live off those happy chemicals and you've hardly released them at all this week. I can't read minds, but I'm sure something is definitely bothering you.

"I'm scared...for my baby brother. He's just so little and..." Claire let out a shaky breath. "He's a host for a symbiote too. I'm scared they gave him one as violent as D4LL-A, and the next time I ask to see him they won't let me because he's gone."

Dear child, I'm sure they wouldn't give an infant as young as he is a dangerous specimen. I can assure you there are some docile and harmless symbiotes like myself still alive in this lab. Blinky tried to assure her as he carefully leaked out of her shoulder to look at her. "But I understand your worry for him, even I worry for my own brother who I haven't seen since before we were brought to this lab. I fear he might have been one of the symbiotes who perished because he couldn't find a comparable host so soon."

"I'll ask to see him tomorrow, just to be sure." Claire whispered as Blinky seeped back into her. "If we ever broke out we'll find out what happened to your brother, I promise Blinky."

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

Everything was quiet in the Janus laboratory. All test subjects and their symbiotes were asleep in their cells, or were awake and unable to sleep. No one but security guards were roaming the hallways, but none of them noticed the dark figure slipping through the hallways like a shadow. The unknown intruder managed to reach the area where all test subjects were asleep, peeking into each cell until they arrived to one containing a young dark haired boy who was asleep. The intruder pressed their hand against the glass door and a strange blue ooze slipped from their hand and slipped through the crack of the door. Once open, the ooze fell onto the floor and quickly attached itself to the Intruders legs before sinking into them.

"Please...no more tests..." the boy whimpered as he curled up in a ball, keeping his back to the intruder. "I just wanna go home."

"And you'll be going home." The intruder said gently as they walked over to the boy. He sat up in alarm and turned himself around to see the person, dressed all in black with a mask and hood covering their face.