The woman formerly known as Jenna stepped into the chalet and looked around with wide eyes, taking in every sight, sound and scent. Though her human side knew them well, the alien entity that had infiltrated her body and absorbed her mind was unfamiliar with them, and relished every new tiny discovery about the world it found itself in.

Shadow, as she now called herself, heard movement from deeper within the small but well-furnished hut. “Jenna? That you?” a voice called from the direction of one of the bedrooms.

Smiling maliciously, she replied, “Yes, Madelyn. It’s me.”

The bedroom door opened, and Jenna’s friend emerged. “About time. I’m gonna turn in soo- oh!” Madelyn gasped with surprise and spun around, facing the wall, a hand over her mouth.

“What’s the matter?” Shadow asked.

“Y- uh... you - you’re naked!” Madelyn spluttered.

Shadow glanced down at her nude body, suppressing a chuckle. She was so unused to the concept of clothing, she’d forgotten to collect Jenna’s garments once she’d reached the shore.

“Oh, I was swimming,” she said matter-of-factly. “In the bay.”

“OK...” Madelyn still sounded bewildered and unnerved. “But why didn’t you get dressed again?”

“I forgot.”

“You... you forgot?”

“Yes.”

There was a long pause.

“So, are you trying to tell me,” Madelyn said slowly, “that you forgot your clothes, your phone and your purse, and just left them on the shore?!”

Shadow began to answer, but stopped and considered her response. “Just my clothes,” she lied. “I didn’t bring my phone or my purse - they’re still in my room.” She smirked. “You can turn around, by the way. I really don’t mind.”

Hesitantly, Madelyn turned to face her friend, her eyes still averted. “Or, uh, you could just get dressed,” she muttered.

“Why?” Shadow gestured with her hands, indicating her bare torso. “It’s just a body. Just like yours, just like anyone else’s. Well, like any other female human.”

For the first time since Jenna’s return, Madelyn looked directly at her, her expression still confused and mildly alarmed. “Female human?”

Shadow smiled brightly, sighing inwardly. She had spent almost eighty thousand years enacting a master plan to conquer her world, but trying to act like a normal human being was testing even her patience. “Yes. Now, I’m going to fix myself a salad. Weren’t you on your way to bed?”

“Uh... yeah.” Madelyn mustered an unconvincing smile, continuing to stare warily back at her friend as she backed into her room. “Goodnight...”

“Goodnight, Madelyn!” As the bedroom door closed, Jenna’s cheerful grin morphed into a predatory leer. Shadow knew her act hadn’t fooled Madelyn at all - even if she hadn’t possessed awesome mental powers, Madelyn’s face would have told her exactly what she was thinking. But that was fine. She didn’t actually need to fool Madelyn. There was no real reason to keep pretending to be ordinary, human Jenna.

She just enjoyed playing with her food.

***

Madelyn didn’t know who that woman was, but it was not Jenna. The Jenna she knew was lively, full of good humour, always smiling. This... imposter... she smiled too, but hers was more smug, like she’d heard a joke and it was on everyone else. Where before Jenna’s eyes had been full of a warm, friendly fire, now they were as cold as ice and glinted with malevolence.

Plus, there was the whole thing where she swam in the bay and then walked home naked in the middle of October. Whoever - or whatever - this fake Jenna was, she didn’t seem to feel the cold, or to be aware of societal norms like the concept of wearing clothes. The more Madelyn thought about it, the more convinced she was that this woman wasn’t Jenna at all - and moreover, that she wasn’t even human. She wondered if the imposter’s sudden appearance had anything to do with the meteorite strike she’d heard about on the news. It would be an awfully big coincidence if not.

Madelyn frantically grabbed a handful of belongings - her phone, her purse, and her purple jacket and boots, which she quickly put on while mentally debating how best to escape the chalet without ‘Jenna’ catching her. The bedroom window seemed the best bet - it wasn’t as if there was a two-storey drop outside, this was a ground-level hut for God’s sake. She could make a run for the car, and hopefully be driving away before the pod person in the living room realised she was gone.

Quickly but quietly, she slid the window open. Slowly, carefully, trying to make as little noise as possible, she slipped through the gap and dropped onto the grass outside, landing on both feet with a soft thud. Glancing around to make sure no-one (particularly ‘Jenna’) had spotted her, she took a step in the direction of the front of the chalet, where her car was parked.

In an instant, all of her surroundings vanished. Where before she could see a chalet on a quiet Vancouver street, illuminated by a street lamp and the moonlight, now she was engulfed in darkness. She couldn’t even see the ground beneath her feet, though she could still feel her boots squish the grass. The only thing clearly visible to her was, in fact, herself.

She felt sure she’d cried out in shock when the dark ensnared her, but she hadn’t heard it. In fact, she couldn’t hear any sounds at all - not even her own quick, frightened breathing. She tried screaming again, but though she felt her vocal chords vibrate as she opened her mouth wide, not a decibel reached her ears.

Did you think it would be sooo... easy? a deep, smooth voice whispered to her. She jumped and cried out silently again - where had that voice come from? It sounded like it was coming from all around her - but how could she hear it, when she couldn’t hear anything else?

In the hope of finding a landmark, or some means of escaping the darkness, Madelyn waved her arms around desperately. She thought she was near enough to the outer wall of the chalet that she’d be able to touch it, but she couldn’t find it. She couldn’t find anything. Stumbling, she fell...

And landed with a thud on carpet - the carpet in the living room of the chalet. “Huh?!” she blurted - noticing, to her relief, that she could both make sounds and hear them again.

Her relief was short-lived. Standing over her, still naked and smiling imperiously, was ‘Jenna’.

“I knew exactly what you were going to do, Maddie,” she chuckled. “Your mind was practically screaming your intentions to me. You humans should really learn to shield your thoughts, it’s a real security risk...”

Gulping with terror, Madelyn scrambled backwards across the floor, trying to get as far away from the creature wearing her friend’s face as possible. Managing to get to her feet, her eyes fixed on ‘Jenna’, she backed away towards her bedroom door. The imposter made no move to stop her as she reached behind her and opened the door without looking round.

“Boo!” a voice cried from behind her. Madelyn almost jumped out of her skin, spinning around to see Jenna’s face, wild-eyed and cackling, in the doorway.

“But - how -” Glancing back into the living room, Madelyn saw that the original ‘Jenna’ had vanished.

“An illusion,” the woman in the bedroom doorway laughed. “I teleported in here while it distracted you. A little practical joke.” She strode back into the room, prompting Madelyn to rapidly back away from her once again. “In point of fact, that’s how I got you back in here a few moments ago - I teleported you, after cloaking you in shadows and silence first, of course.” She licked her lips, eyes gleaming. “It’s been so long since I’ve had the chance to torment someone!”

Abandoning any hint of subtlety, Madelyn spun around and sprinted for the front door. Except she didn’t sprint. She meant to, but each step took an age. She was moving in slow motion - while, bizarrely, fully aware of it but unable to do anything about it. Her eyes widened, taking a full ten seconds to do so. “Whhhhaaaaa...?” she cried out, feeling like a film being played at a frame per second. At this rate her panicked escape would take her half an hour.

The Jenna creature stepped in front of her, still laughing mockingly. “You know, the concept of a beautiful person is new to me,” she mused. “I’ve found things beautiful - sights, concepts... Destruction. Death. Omnipotent power. It’s only since I gained human form that I’ve learned of physical beauty and attraction. And I must say, the sight of you, running at such a slow pace, so scared and confused...” She smiled vindictively. “My my, Madelyn - you’re such a pretty little plaything! If all humans are as adorable and helpless as you, I’m going to enjoy this world very much.”

Throughout this speech, Madelyn had managed to take another three steps. As her foot heavily impacted the carpet once again, ‘Jenna’ reached out and seized her by the chest. Suddenly, she was moving at normal speed again, slamming forwards into the woman’s hand - which stopped her in her tracks, like she’d been hit in the chest by a hammer. The hand gave her a light push, and she flew backwards as if flung from a catapult.

Before her head could impact on the far wall, she was caught and held in mid-air by... nothing. There was nothing holding onto her - nothing visible anyway. But she felt a tight grip around her waist, dangling her in the air like a ragdoll.

As she flailed and screamed, ‘Jenna’ approached her. “Cry out all you want,” the woman taunted. “I’ve surrounded the chalet with a barrier of silence, so no-one outside will hear us.” She stood before Madelyn, well within reach of her legs. “Alright, I’m feeling generous,” she sniggered. “I’ll give you one free shot...”

Without waiting for her to change her mind, Madelyn kicked out with full force, scoring a direct hit on Jenna’s nose. “Aaaah!” Madelyn wailed - it felt like kicking a block of cement. Once the agony subsided a little, she was able to see Jenna’s face - and let out a whimper of dismay. The creature wearing her friend’s face was completely unharmed. No blood pouring from her nostrils, no cuts or bruises, and not a hint of pain or distress on her face.

“I have a limited degree of invulnerability,” she smirked, licking her lips. “Certainly enough to withstand being kicked in the face with a boot. There’s nothing quite like seeing a tiny spark of hope die in your captive’s eyes...”

Madelyn desperately swung her other limbs in the imposter’s direction, even knowing it would do her no good. ‘Jenna’ tutted. “Now, now, Maddie! I don’t want you to hurt yourself too much.”

Suddenly, what felt like ropes looped around Madelyn’s wrists and ankles, tightening around them, pulling them out and holding them in place, restraining her in a starfish position as she continued to float in mid-air. Only her head remained free and unsupported. Looking up at one of her arms, she saw that the ‘rope’ was, in fact, insubstantial black smoke, curling around her arms and trailing off into nothingness, fading away at the other end.

She stared down at her captor. “Who are you? Wh-what are you?” she stammered. “And what have you done to Jenna?”

“Oh, she’s still in here!” The woman smiled, tapping the side of her own head. “She’s just... part of something greater. I absorbed her. Her mind, her memories, her personality - I took them all, made them a part of me.” As she spoke, she absent-mindedly ran a hand over her chest. She glanced down at her bare flesh. “Not to mention, her body - which, I gather, is rather stunning by human standards...”

Madelyn swallowed hard. So this was the real Jenna - but some alien force had taken her over. But that meant she was still in there - and maybe she could break free! “Jenna,” she said urgently, “if you can hear me, you have to fight this thing. You have to resist it, get control of your body back! Please, Jenna -”

“I hate to disappoint you, Maddie, but Jenna’s loving every second of this,” the alien cackled. “All her life she wanted to be something more - and now she’s more than even she could have ever imagined! She’s the most powerful being to ever walk this Earth. And any lingering feelings of empathy or compassion, even for a good friend like you, are nothing compared to the sense of absolute omnipotence, of millennia of knowledge, of fulfilling her destiny. She even knows I manipulated her into becoming my host - and she doesn’t care! That’s how selfish your buddy Jenna was, Madelyn. Or rather, is. She still exists, like I said - she’s part of me now.”

Madelyn glared at the creature inhabiting her friend. “And what do I call you, then? Because I’m not calling you ‘Jenna’, that’s for damn sure...”

“I’m currently going by ‘Shadow’,” she answered. “Keeping it simple, you know? But you, Maddie dear... You can call me ‘Master’.”

Madelyn gaped. “What?”

“Well, I can’t have you call me by my name - that’d be very informal, coming from a slave!”

“I’m not your slave!” Madelyn shouted. “I won’t be your slave - I won’t let you! I don’t believe Jenna let you take her over, or that she’s enjoying tormenting me - but even if that is true, I won’t! I’ll fight you with everything I’ve got! You’re not controlling me like you’re controlling her...”

‘Shadow’ snorted. “Well, of course not. Jenna’s my host body. I don’t need more than one of those - especially given how much I’m enjoying this one! No, I’m just going to crush your free will and reduce you to my willing servant.” She stepped closer, reaching out and caressing Madelyn’s face. The captive squirmed and shuddered.

“I could put just the barest trace of my essence inside you,” Shadow mused. “A wisp of gas, infiltrating your head... It’d wipe your brain, eradicate your mind, turn your thoughts to smoke... You’d be left a mindless drone, a zombie knowing only blind obedience to my commands.”

Madelyn suppressed a sob of fear. She was determined not to give this creature the satisfaction. She was determined to stick to her vow to fight back at every opportunity, to not let the malignant alien win...

“But as useful as such thralls can be, they don’t make for very scintillating company,” Shadow chuckled. “And I don’t get to enjoy the fear and reverence in their eyes. So instead, I’ll let you keep your mind - but just dominate and break it with the full force of my own, until you’re so overcome with awe and terror that you’ll obey my every command...”

“Never,” Madelyn shouted. “I’ll never be your slave!”

Jenna’s face leered up at her. “I’ll be surprised if you haven’t recanted that statement within the next ten minutes.” She gestured carelessly with one hand, and the smoky ropes lowered Madelyn slightly. Shadow approached her from the side, standing close to her, and reached out with one hand. “If you have the strength of will to endure this, I’ll be very impressed...”

“Get away from me!” Madelyn squealed frantically, thrashing and fighting her bonds, to no avail. “I won’t - you won’t break me - I’ll never give i-”

The palm of Shadow’s hand descended onto her forehead.

And suddenly, as an immense pressure gripped her head like a vice, Madelyn saw it all. The entirety of Shadow’s existence, her magnitude, from her genesis to her descent from the sky above Vancouver.

She saw a hulking black-armoured figure, wreathed in darkness. As the figure came into sharper focus, it looked like a robot of some kind - but its eyes burned red, and its mouth twisted in a malicious sneer. She instinctively knew this was no mere machine, but a being of vast intelligence and power - and evil. She knew it was Shadow, in her original form.

Madelyn saw more. She saw a vast city collapsing into ruin, the bright skies above turning dark, buildings toppled and strewn with webs bigger than any spider from Earth could make. She saw more robotic creatures, diminutive and frightened, being herded through streets by taller creatures, insectoid but bipedal. She saw a tropical island beset by storms and wildfires, giant savage monsters rampaging through the wilderness. She knew Shadow was responsible for it all. She had been the bane of all life on her world, terrorising and butchering her own kind in the pursuit of her dark plan.

Finally, she saw Shadow at the height of her power, inhabiting a colossal robot that stood so high, its head reached almost into space. Below was a desert world whose natives were fighting back against her rule - to no avail. She could wipe them out with a single blast of energy, or crush their entire civilisation underfoot. Another, slightly shorter - but still gargantuan - robot stood up to challenge her and defend the planet, but he was old, his own reserves of power pitiful by comparison, and as they fought he soon grew exhausted and began to fall apart. With his destruction, there would be nothing standing between Shadow and complete conquest of the universe.

And then, by a twist of fate, a fragment of space debris struck Shadow in the back of her enormous head, blasting the robot’s core processor to pieces, the controlling mind almost consumed in the blaze. But still, she survived. A fraction of her essence was hurled screaming across the stars - maddened, powerless, but still alive. And now that she had claimed Jenna’s body and mind, her power was rapidly growing once again - and nothing on Earth would be able to stop her. No human had the powers that she possessed. It was pointless to challenge her.

Madelyn had been raised religious, but she’d grown increasingly agnostic during her teenage years. Now, though, she was confronted with this being from the heavens - this unstoppable force, this malign intelligence that had stolen the body of her friend... Shadow wasn’t just an alien. She was no demon, either. She was a god. A vengeful deity, a goddess made flesh, come to conquer humankind and destroy all those that opposed her.

But once she ruled, there would be no more war. There would be no need - humanity wouldn’t have anything to fight over once they were united in service to her. There would be no more famine - all food and water would be shared evenly among the regions of the world, united into a single nation with Shadow as their monarch. There would be much fewer illnesses - the knowledge Shadow had brought with her from her world would be enough to cure most of their maladies, and the few viruses that proved resilient would be eradicated by the dispassionate culling of the infected.

Shadow was undoubtedly terrifying, sadistic and homicidal. But it was all to a greater purpose. Once she had supreme power, she intended to use it for the common good. To rule as a benevolent god, just as she had tried to do on her own world. The natives there hadn’t understood her vision - they had resisted the obvious truth, that she was the only one with the power and the force of will to rule them all. They had fought back, pointlessly, and forced her to cause them suffering and death. It was only through a freak accident that she had lost dominion over them - had that meteor not hit her, she would’ve exterminated the resistance and forced the survivors back into slavery.

It was in humanity’s best interests to accept her as their ruler. It wasn’t as if they were doing such a good job ruling themselves. Besides, it wasn’t as if they could stop her. It would take nothing less than a meteor to destroy her. She was unstoppable. She was a god.

And when confronted with a real, living god, Madelyn thought... what could you do, but serve them?

***

As she poured her memories into Madelyn’s brain and flooded her body with fear-inducing energies, Shadow admired her gaping mouth and rolling eyes. She wondered if all the humans would make such cute faces when they felt the weight of her mental power. She smirked. ‘Cute’ - another unfamiliar word, a concept alien to her. Arousal was new to her, too, and for some reason she found herself feeling it now, strongly, at the sight of the helpless girl hanging in mid-air with her jaw hanging slackly and only the whites of her eyes visible - and at the feeling of her mind squirming and warping in her mental grasp.

Shadow had tormented and humbled many beings throughout her long existence. But this was the first time that doing so had excited her quite so much - perhaps because she’d never been able to feel sexual pleasure before. Reaching between her legs with her spare hand, she started to idly tease herself, allowing Jenna’s muscle memory to guide her hand, tracing nimble fingers along her slit, gasping delightedly at the throbbing of her pussy and at the wetness that coated her fingertips.

It wasn’t long before she’d shown Madelyn everything she needed to - what felt like an eternity to the pitiful human took mere seconds in real time. Just to be sure that all resistance had been squashed out of her, Shadow made her forget everything she’d been shown on a conscious level, while the images and feelings were absorbed into the back of her brain. Then she showed them all to her again. Then she wiped her memory again. She cycled Madelyn through this process another three or four times, ingraining the sense of awe, terror and submission deep within her subconscious.

Finally, she let go of Madelyn’s head, which lolled unsupported, her jaw twitching, drool trailing from the corner of her mouth. Waving her hand, Shadow dispersed the umbra-chains around Madelyn’s wrists and ankles, and relinquished her telekinetic grasp around her waist. Madelyn dropped to the carpet like a ragdoll.

As she stood and waited patiently for the semi-conscious girl to fully awaken, Shadow continued to rub herself, now putting her other hand to good use by groping and caressing her tender, sensitive boobs. She licked her lips and moaned happily as the pleasure permeated her body.

Eventually, Madelyn groaned and opened her eyes. Seeing Shadow standing above her, she went rigid, staring up at her in clear terror - and undisguised longing. Shadow smiled triumphantly. The girl was hers now. She had seen her true majesty and been enthralled by it, and now she was a willing slave. Her all-consuming fear of Shadow’s wrath was second only to her utter devotion to her.

“Kneel before me,” Shadow hissed.

“Yes, Master,” Madelyn blurted, hurriedly scrambling up from her prone position on the floor, getting on her knees before her goddess.

“Good girl.” Shadow patted her gently on the head. Madelyn shivered and whimpered gently in response.

A quick scan of Jenna’s memories told Shadow of a variety of sexual acts, and she soon selected the one she was most eager to try at that moment. She stood directly in front of her first human slave, spreading her legs invitingly. “Lick my pussy, Maddie,” she commanded.

Madelyn showed absolutely no hesitation - if she was confused by the request or reluctant to comply, there wasn’t a hint of it on her face, or in her voice as she stammered, “Yes, Master!” Leaning forwards, she slowly ran her tongue along Shadow’s entrance.

Letting out a cry of ecstasy, Shadow seized Madelyn by the hair and pushed her further into her pussy. As the brainwashed servant continued to eat her out, the alien in human form thrust her hips, fucking her face vigorously, loving the feeling of her tongue, her lips, and even her nose rubbing against the wet, sensitive folds of flesh.

It was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. Before long, she felt a release of energy - an orgasm - from within her pussy, coating Madelyn’s face with juices from inside her. Unprepared for this, Shadow’s legs buckled, and she fell back onto the carpet, too exhausted to stop herself either physically or telekinetically. Taking a few moments to recover and bask in the afterglow, she soon sat up, to see Madelyn still kneeling in place, blinking and spluttering, her face wet and sticky.

Edging forwards on her butt, Shadow curled her legs around Madelyn, hooking herself around the slave’s waist like a limpet, supporting herself easily with one arm planted in the carpet behind her, ramrod straight. She could hold such a position for hours with her immense strength. With her other hand, she gently stroked Madelyn’s damp cheek and chin.

“Tell me, Maddie dear,” she purred, “before today, what were your greatest desires?”

The girl looked lost for words for a moment. Swallowing hard, she mumbled, “Uh... I’ve been studying to be a veterinarian, Master. I love animals, and I wanted to help the sick and injured ones...”

Shadow nodded as if sincerely interested. “And what were your greatest fears?”

“Spiders, Master...” She chuckled weakly. “Might seem weird after I said I love animals, but I hate spiders, they creep the hell out of me. And, uh... death. Like, me dying, or losing someone I love. I was shit-scared of that.”

Shadow’s eyes narrowed, a mocking smile spreading across her face. “And what is your greatest fear now?”

“You, Master,” Madelyn replied instantly, bowing her head slightly in supplication but still meeting Shadow’s gaze, her lips trembling.

“And your greatest desire?”

“To serve you, Master. To give you anything, everything you want,” Madelyn said breathlessly, her eyes shining with reverence.

Shadow smiled like a shark. “Very good girl. Hold your breath.”

“Y-yes, Master,” Madelyn stammered, and she inhaled and held her breath.

The seconds ticked by. Shadow watched the brainwashed girl, her mouth twitching with amusement. Madelyn’s face began to go red, forming a pained expression. She pleaded with her eyes for her Master to permit her to breathe. Shadow just smiled at her.

Just as Madelyn’s eyes began to roll and she started to shake violently, Shadow said, “Breathe.” The slave gasped, gulping air gratefully. Shadow grinned admiringly. Even when she was on the verge of losing consciousness, Madelyn had obeyed her commands.

Disentangling herself from her lackey, Shadow rose to her feet. “Time for bed, I think. Crawl behind me.”

“Yes, Master,” Madelyn whimpered, falling forwards onto all fours and following her goddess like the loyal pet she now was.

Sauntering into Jenna’s bedroom with her slave not far behind, Shadow slid into the bed, letting out a moan of delight as she felt the smooth sheets against her bare skin. “Soft,” she sighed. “Everything in this world is so soft, and comfortable! I could spend years simply luxuriating in pleasures of the flesh...” She chuckled. “But I am not so easily distracted.”

Madelyn waited by the bed, still on all fours, gazing up at her Master, ready to obey at any moment.

“I may take a day or two to settle myself,” Shadow mused, spread-eagled beneath the duvet, staring up at the ceiling. “Then, I shall begin my campaign. This world needs a Master - but their leaders won’t accept my authority. And if I act rashly, I could make myself vulnerable. I can defend myself against conventional means of attack, but if they become desperate enough, they may use their... nuclear weapons against me. That could be difficult to survive.

“Fortunately, if there’s one quality I’m well practised in, it’s patience. I waited a thousand centuries to fulfil my destiny; I can wait just as long again if necessary. This body will not age or wither so long as I possess it.” She smiled wryly. “But I hope I don’t have to wait too long! I’d rather be king of this world in ten years than ten thousand, if at all possible.” She cast her gaze upon Madelyn. “And if all your kind are as easy to dominate as you are, that could very well be possible! That was a compliment, by the way. First Jenna, who embraced possession by me so eagerly - and then you, with all your bravado and defiance crumbling under the slightest pressure... When I came to this world, I couldn’t have hoped for better than you two.”

Madelyn smiled dazedly, Shadow’s warped praise making her feel inexplicably but hugely proud. “Thank you, Master!”

“You’re welcome. Now lie down and go to sleep, right there. I want you close at hand in case I need anything.”

“Yes, Master.” Madelyn’s limbs folded beneath her, and she sank onto the carpet, curling up like a cat.

Nestling deeper within the duvet, Shadow closed her eyes, ready to sleep peacefully, and in comfort, for the very first time in her millennia of existence. Her slumber was deep, filled with dreams of destruction and conquest that brought a cruel smile to her face.