"We've been expecting you," said a man in his late-forties, the concierge of the resort. The luminous veins on his arms and forearms indicated a higher spread of the infection. Whether something of his human nature remained in him or not, was something Marilyn couldn't determine. 

"You have? How wonderful!" the young alien scoffed, trying to maintain her composure in the face of clear and present danger. "Where are you taking me?"

"The Queen has asked to see you the moment you arrived," the concierge replied, leading the way into one of the resort's prime accommodations. His pace was quick as if he feared severe punishment for not fulfilling his duties appropriately. 

"Queen, huh?" Marilyn thought. Well, that was new! As far as she knew, the Rinnidyans didn't possess such titles or hierarchal structure, so what could that mean? Was there something else going on she hadn't foreseen? And how did they know she was coming? Had she been spotted at the club despite her best efforts to stay hidden or there were more people infected running around, maybe even in her own hotel?"

"Please hurry," the concierge said, interrupting her train of thought. "It is unwise to leave Her Majesty waiting for long."

"What are you so afraid of?" Marilyn asked as they left the indoor area behind and proceeded outside, the warm sun bouncing off her three-dimensional projection. 

"No questions, please. The Queen will tell you everything you need to know. Right this way."

Marilyn continued to follow the scared thrall while the other ones slowly trailed behind her. She had nowhere to run even if she wanted to, but there was something off about the belly of the beast. The concierge started walking even faster as they drew closer to the ruler's chambers. He opened the door for the guest to come in and then scurried off with a muffled "Good luck."

The extraterrestrial entered the private villa, looking over her shoulder. The air was clean and everything was bright inside. The combination of luxurious decorations, beautiful marble, and state-of-the-art appliances was a sensory feast she appreciated a lot. Were it not for the parasitic entity dwelling within, it would be a place she would love to spend the night in. Marilyn walked forward and stopped when she saw three naked men chasing each other's sweaty butts like dogs in heat. They too had the markings of a Rinnidyan takeover but they weren't the only ones. Two women were rolling on the floor covered in melting strawberry cheesecake ice cream, and there was another, filming everything that was going on with a lightbulb stuck up her ass. It seemed the Rinnidyan that had taken over Natalia Rubianova's body and mind had a wicked sense of humor not unlike her own. Her companion of the night before was nowhere to be seen.

The enticing model sat on a golden chair with a red velvet seat, holding a Margarita in her left hand. She wore a long black and white asymmetrical dress and black sandals with dozens of embedded diamonds. Almost every part of her body pulsated green.

"Welcome to my not-so-humble Summer residence, sister. It's a pleasure to see you here. Won't you take a seat next to me so we can chat for a bit?" she said.

"Sister?" Marilyn clicked her tongue. "You're the last creature in the entire universe I'd want to have any family ties to, Rinnidyan. And I'd rather stand, thanks!"

"Oh, so feisty... Why are you being like this? I mean you no harm. Please, let's have a drink together."

"I'm not drinking anything you put your dirty paws in. Why are you here on this planet? You're quite a long way from home, aren't you?"

"I could say the same thing about you," Natalia replied. "but I'm better than that. I have no quarrel with you and I have no intention of hurting you. Would you be so kind as to give me the benefit of the doubt before going all aggressive on me?"

"No. Your species history is written in the blood and pain of mine and countless others across the galaxy," Marilyn growled. "The only thing you deserve is to be wiped out of existence, the sooner the better."

"You really should work on those anger issues, sister," Natalia giggled. "You're right about my species. We've done plenty of questionable things in the past but the same is true for yours. Your studies of humans aren't exactly innocent, are they? You've been having fun getting inside their minds and rewriting their thoughts."

"Better that than to rewrite their entire genetic makeup, Rinnidyan. Our control is easily reversed. We're not killing sentient beings unlike you."

"Will you please stop calling me Rinnidyan?" Natalia crossed her legs and took a sip of her drink. "My name is Natalia."

"That is the name of your host, not yours."

"And right now, we're one and the same., and she likes it. I've enriched her existence in ways you can only imagine, sister."

"Drop the sister moniker and I'll drop the Rinnidyan, too."

"Fair enough. How do you wish to be called then? Marilyn or Mehrillhyne?"

"You know my name," the young alien circled the room while Natalia's horny thralls continued to have their share of mindless fun.

"Yes, I do. I've done my research as well. I know you saw me at Afterglow yesterday but I've known of your presence here before that. I've been keeping tabs on you from the moment your plane landed on the island."

"And why is that? Are you afraid of me, Natalia?" Marilyn hissed.

"No, I'm not, but that doesn't mean I underestimate what you can do, either. Our species are enemies and have been so for a long time. I did it to protect myself from any complications."

"And yet now you've allowed me to waltz in here, so what changed?"

"We've blown each other's covers. Welcoming you after you decided to pay a visit seemed like the most natural thing to do."

"Natural?" Marilyn clicked her heels on the floor. "Funny you should use that word when your way of life is anything but."

"Don't be so dramatic, Marilyn. Our methods aren't exactly conventional but we were born from the same cosmic dust as everyone else. I'm as real as you. We shouldn't be fighting at all."

"Are you really trying to convince me you're not a world-destroying plague hellbent on taking over this corner of the galaxy? Because you're doing a piss-poor job at it, judging from what you did to the poor people in this resort. How many more like you are out here, Natalia?"

"I'm the one and only original. The others are just subdued extensions of me. For now, at least. I didn't come here to conquer or destroy anything. I'm just having fun," the Rinnidyan said.

"Excuse me?"

"I suppose I should have started with this but I was gauging your character before revealing my true intentions, Marilyn. Ravaging this planet has never crossed my mind. I'm on... I believe the word humans use is vacation."

"Vacation?" Marilyn eyed the model from top to bottom. "A Rinnidyan, the scourge of the known universe, has traveled millions of light-years to enjoy a bit of R & R among humans? You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

Natalia finished drinking her Margarita and poured herself another one without breaking eye contact. "Is that so surprising to hear?"

"It's absolutely preposterous!" Marilyn vociferated. "Your kind..."

"My kind what? Doesn't do things like that? Right... because we're all bloodthirsty creatures whose only purpose is to consume and assimilate others! You shouldn't be so quick to pass judgment but I suppose I can't blame you given our history. Not all of us are bad, Marilyn."

"Again, everyone you've infected already proves otherwise. Look at these people who are growing pieces of you as we speak and all the others out there! You crashed into their lives and destroyed them from within. How dare you pretend you're one of the good ones when you do things like that?"

"Oh, please! You don't know what you're talking about!" Natalia shook her head. "I'm not surprised though. It's easier to demonize those different from you with propaganda than to learn and spread the truth. You brainwash humans into doing your bidding and so do I, but none of them is lost forever. Yes, we can assimilate others fully when needed but we can also exert temporary control only. My presence in their bodies and minds is short-lived. They'll all go back to normal once I decide to leave this planet and find somewhere else worth visiting."

"And why should I believe that when it goes against everything I've learned over the years?"

"Because it's the truth, Marilyn. If I wanted to infect and destroy you, I would have done it already, but it doesn't have to be this way. We can both thrive out here without prejudice and bad blood. I came here to relax but needed a good host to move around. When I found Natalia, I knew she was the one I needed and so I took over. However, she's still here, and she'll still be here when I grow bored of this blue rock. No one needs to die. I don't want that to happen."

"Prove it then!" Marilyn exclaimed. "Release her this instant."

"It's not as simple as saying so and watching it happen. "I'm connected to all my thralls on a cellular level right now. That connection can be broken but it takes time for the body to return to normal and I would need to take on a new host to survive this planet's atmosphere in the meantime."

"Release someone you've infected recently then," Marilyn suggested. "If you can prove you're being truthful and not just trying to trick me into sympathizing with you, perhaps I'll believe this is all just a big misunderstanding. If you refuse, then I have no choice but to continue treating you like an enemy."

"Hmmm, I suppose I can do that..." Natalia snapped her fingers and the thrall documenting the debaucheries of the day stopped what she was doing and and kneeled before her owner, the signs of the infection on her fingertips barely visible. "This is Angelina. She's only been mine for a couple of hours. If I do this..."

Natalia interlocked her fingers as if mimicking a pair of scissors and touched the young woman's forehead. Almost instantly, the mind-controlled thrall began convulsing on the floor while all the others happily continued their frolicking, oblivious to her apparent distress.

"What did you do?" Marilyn asked, assuming a defensive position.

"Each piece of me is its own entity but they're all connected to the original host. I severed the link between us which will allow her body to regain control little by little. First, the invading cells will go dormant, and then they'll be expelled. When she wakes up, it will be as if none of this ever happened."

Marilyn watched the helpless girl squirm and writhe. Despite being painful to the eyes, she didn't seem to be suffering a lot. Her heart rate was normal and she was in no danger of biting her own tongue. The mild attack lasted for about thirty seconds and then subsided into nothingness. Curled up at the tall model's feet, she was like a baby enjoying a good night's sleep.

"Is it done?" Marilyn asked.

"The cleansing process is underway, yes, but she won't wake up for at least an hour."

"How can I know for sure you're not lying?"

"I know you have a scanner attached to that fancy holographic projector you use, so scan away. You should be able to notice the subtle changes taking place inside her body."

She was right. Marilyn manually adjusted her perception filter and gasped. There were small temperature fluctuations on the girl's forehead, arms, and legs, the places where the alien infection was more concentrated. She could also see her brainwaves move past the initial erratic stages into what appeared to be normal human functioning. It was a complete surprise and contradicted everything she thought she knew about the Rinnidyans.

"I'll be damned, this seems legit!" she said. "How?"

"Like I said, there's more to us than you know. Now, we can continue this bitter animosity that will get us nowhere or you can join me for a drink and we try to reach common ground. I'd rather not be your enemy while we're both on this planet, but it's up to you. Truce?"

"What happens if I refuse, Natalia?"

"I can't allow you to endanger my survival, Marilyn. If there's no peaceful resolution between us, then all my thralls are coming after you and you won't make out of here with your mind intact."

"You'll assimilate me completely then?"

"I'll do what I must do just like you would do the same if you were in my position. Make the right choice, please," Natalia said.

Marilyn nodded and moved away from the sleeping servant's body as it continued to recover from within. "I'll take that drink then," she concluded, surprising even herself. They had a lot to talk about.

((to be continued))