Marilyn sipped her Margarita, still bewildered at the sudden turn of events. Not so long ago, she was ready for blood and mayhem and now she was actually having fun?

“Is that such a bad thing?” Natalia asked.

“Did you just read my mind?”

“I may have picked up a stray thought or two, yes.”

“I didn’t know you could do that either.”

“Like I said before, there are a lot of things about us you don’t know. This is your chance to ask though,” the Rinnidyan said. “Ask away and I’ll do my best to assuage your doubts.”

“Hmm, okay. Explain that whole vacation thing to me then. How did that come to be?”

“I’m an explorer at heart. Always have been and always will. I’m always looking for an opportunity to leave my home planet and discover new cultures. I had never been to this part of the galaxy before and I figured it would be a good time to do so. I wasn’t wrong. I’ve been enjoying my visit a lot.”

“You’ve been doing things like this for a while, then.”

“Half of my existence, maybe more. I’ve always had a hard time staying in the same place for long. Often, I find myself needing a change of scenery to feel alive.”

“That’s surprising to hear,” Marilyn crossed her legs and smiled.

“I suppose it is. but that’s just how I am: full of surprises.”

“There’s just one thing I don’t get, though. Earth has been our turf for a while and we monitor every species that comes in. You shouldn’t be here and yet... How did that happen?”

“I snuck into one of your cargo vessels. I was in a semi-dormant state then, undetectable to your sensors. As impressive as your security network is, it’s certainly not infallible.”

“So you’re saying that others can use the same tactics to get here, and we wouldn’t know about it until it was too late. Why are you being so open about it?”

“Because you asked and I have no evil intent. This is all fun and games to me and I want to keep it that way.”

“Then you won’t mind if I share this information with my people, right?”

“You’re welcome to tell them whatever you want but only if you do so after I’m gone. I don’t want all my secrets exposed while I’m still on dangerous ground.”

“You do realize I already told them you’re here, don’t you?”

Natalia cocked her head and replied,

“Of course. I would have done the same if I were in your shoes. However, I’m smart enough to know things didn’t exactly go as you planned.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You came all the way here by yourself instead of accompanied by a cleaning squad. I’ve also been keeping tabs on your communications since you first saw me as well.”

“You sneaky little bitch! Always one step ahead, huh?” Marilyn clapped unironically.

“You do what you have to survive, as simple as that. Do you have any more questions?”

“Yes. How long are you staying here?”

Natalia stretched her arms and replied,

“Until I grow bored or feel the need to experience something new. There are some wonderful planets past the Milky Way where there are no enemies around. I’d love to meet them all, too.”

“What if you can’t find a host to bond with? Can you even survive without one?”

“I can, but it’s not the same thing. My functions are severely impaired without another living creature to connect with but I never take more than I need unless I don’t have another choice. I never assimilated others for fun or out of spite though I can’t say the same about every member of my species. Some of us can’t be trusted, unlike me.”

“Well, the jury is still up on your case,” Marilyn noted, temporarily assuming a defensive stance once again."

“Really? After everything I’ve been sharing, you’re still having second thoughts about me?”

“Of course. You could be trying to trick me or distract me long enough so I don’t realize your true agenda.”

Natalia raised her left hand, the green at her fingertips pulsating with dangerous lust. Her eyes were filled with otherworldly power only a perfect connection could generate.

“One second, Marilyn,” she declared. “If I were to touch you now, one second would be enough to have a piece of me go inside you. You wouldn’t have time to react and my essence would grow, uncontrolled. Some form of resistance would still be possible, of course, but it would be short-lived. In time, your thoughts would become aligned with mine, and all that you are under my control. I could do it but that wouldn’t solve a thing, only perpetuate a stigma I’ve been fighting for too long. I’ve been as good of a host as I can be to you but you’re still holding back. If releasing that human wasn’t enough, then what do I need to say or do for you to trust me?”

“Let me talk to Natalia. The real one,” Marilyn said.

“I already told you that’s not that simple.”

“And I call that bullshit. If you can detach yourself from anyone touched by your essence, that means her true personality is still in there and I’m sure you can access it. Let her out for a while and I’ll believe anything you say.”

“That’s not what we agreed on. Why do you insist on making things so difficult between us?” the Rinnidyan rolled her eyes. “I thought we were having fun here.”

“It’s called being cautious and you’ve said it yourself you can’t blame me for that. If you’ve truly got nothing to hide, then you’ll do me one last favor.”

“I seem to give you a lot of me yet receiving nothing in return,” Natalia smirked. “That hardly seems fair, don’t you think?”

“Okay. What do you want then?”

“For us to stop questioning one another after this is done. I don’t have a lot of friends, Marilyn, but strangely enough, I think you could be one.”

“You want to be my friend?”

“It’s better than being your mortal enemy. Do we have a deal?”

“Sure.”

“I’ll see what I can do then but I’m warning you this may not work at all. Be patient, please.”

Natalia retreated to silence and so did the thralls in the room as if they knew that something almost divine was about to take place. The Rinnidyan closed her eyes and retreated into the depths of her subconscious host, breathing so slowly one could easily assume she was dead. In the moments that followed, Marilyn scanned the sleeping body for unusual brain activity and found it. There were two different frequencies harmonizing inside the beautiful model’s brain, with the human side of her becoming stronger by the second. It rose from the darkness like a spirit clawing its way back into the real world until it found her lips and spoke.

She had her eyes closed and her perception of reality was diminished, but it was impossible to deny her presence. After being asleep for almost two weeks, the real Natalia had partial control over her bodily movements once again.

“Where am I?” she asked, slowly opening her eyes to her luxurious surroundings. “What is this place?”

“Natalia? Hi, Can you hear me okay?” Marilyn asked.

“You’re sitting right next to me, so of course I can. Do I... Do I know you? You seem awfully familiar but...”

“This is the first time we’re talking for real so no, we don’t know each other. Not yet, at least. That’s something I would enjoy a lot once this situation is resolved. For now, I need to ask you something. Do you remember anything that happened to you recently?”

“I... vaguely,” the model replied. Her head was splintering as if someone was driving a spike through her forehead. “Oh, that’s a nasty migraine! What happened? Have I been drinking too much again?”

“Something like that,” Marilyn said. “Aside from the headache, how are you feeling? Are you okay?”

“I... I mean, I guess. I would like to know what the fuck is happening, though.” She looked around, her eyes in shock at the collection of horny toys before her. “Who are all these people? Fuck, who are you?”

“Easy now,” Marilyn cooed. “I know this may sound strange to believe, but you haven’t exactly been yourself recently. You’ve been sharing your body and mind with a parasitic entity from outer space but everything will be okay, I promise.”

“A para... what? This is a joke, right?” the confused model bit her tongue as the world spun out of control.

“I wish it were, but I’m afraid it’s true. I’m here though and I’m going to make sure things get back to normal as soon as possible. I don’t know what’s going to happen next but I need you to promise me to stay strong in there.”

“I... I don’t understand.”

“You will in due time. I’m sorry you have to go through this.”

“I think that’s enough for now...” the Rinnidyan persona emerged again sending its human counterpart back into the abyss of her own mind. The confused model was no more, replaced by a confident Queen who knew exactly what she was doing. “Can we stop playing games, please? I’ve proven my point more times than I should have. If this doesn’t convince you, then nothing will.”

“You’re right,” Marilyn conceded. As much as she hated to admit it, everything about her story checked out, and the demonstrations of good faith were more than appreciated. While they would never be friends, they at least could understand one another better, and that went a long way in deciding what to do next. She had to tell the Council not to through with its mass exodus plans but how was she going to convince them that the threat they feared the most was in fact nothing to worry about? They wouldn’t listen and probably demand proof she was not at liberty to share without endangering the real Natalia and all the other humans still under the parasite’s control. They would ask for blood and get a massacre instead.

“Could you repeat that, please?” The Rinnidyan said. “I didn’t hear you.”

“You’re right. You’ve been nothing but courteous despite my fears and I can admit when I’ve made an error in judgment. I was wrong about you and I apologize. Can we start over, please?”

“Does that mean you trust me now?”

“Yes, Natalia. I trust you. I don’t like this situation at all, but I trust you don’t mean any of these people harm and that you’ll do the right thing when you leave this planet behind. I see that clearly now.”

“Finally!” the parasitic entity made its host clap her hands and her jovial smile became like a black hole that sucked everything all around. “God! I was getting so fed up with this whole charade.” 

Suddenly, the beautiful room they were in became dark, the walls and the floor rippling and melting away. Geysers of phosphorescent green punched holes in the ceiling and the bioluminescent liquid rained on them. It had a strong smell that made Marilyn think of digestive enzymes and other bodily secretions.

“Natalia, what is this? What is going on?” she asked even though her subconscious already knew the answer.

“This is me starting to take over your mind, of course. Look at your hands, Marilyn.”

She did. The protuberant veins were there and rapidly spreading across her body, their insidious power too strong to be denied. It was everything she feared, and more.

“Why is this happening? You promised!”

“Did I?” the Rinnidyan laughed. “Or did I simply tell you what you wanted to hear from the start? Your people have always been the hardest to control, so I had to use a little trick to get you where I wanted you to be. You’ve been most helpful, Marilyn. Thank you.”

The extraterrestrial stared at her fading projection, the ruse being played finally coming to light.

“You weren’t reading my mind earlier. You were in my mind.”

“Bingo!” Natalia’s hallucination splashed the foul rain on her face, dancing happily to an imaginary victory fanfare. “You didn’t notice it, but one of my thralls touched you the moment you arrived, allowing a bit of my essence to enter your system. I’ve been there ever since, playing with your perception to make you lower your defenses and now you have. Trust was key and since you trust me now... well...”

“You fucking whore! I knew this was too good to be true but I still...”

“You still wanted to be proven wrong. You wanted us to put aside our differences and find a way to co-exist. Deep down, you’re not so different from most of the humans I’ve claimed. There’s a romantic side in you that’s both your greatest strength and your greatest weakness. I know that if I showed you what you wanted to see, you’d eventually accept it as the truth. I’m already growing beyond any attempt of resistance. It’s too late for you.”

“The hell it is! I’m not going to let you assimilate me that easily. I’d rather die than become a part of you.”

“Then die you shall. Either way, you stop being a threat and I can complete my assignment in peace like I deserve.”

“Assignment? Fuck, you’re really a scout in disguise, aren’t you? This is all in service of a future invasion.”

“Right on the money again. You fought well, I admit, and maintaining the illusion inside your brain was harder than I thought it would be but you already surrendered no matter what you say. It’s only a matter of time.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“I guess we will. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some more humans to ensnare. Have fun in your little mental prison while you wither away for me.”

Natalia’s mocking image disappeared from within Marilyn’s mind as the infiltration continued. Convulsing on the shiny floor of the private villa, she was racing against the clock and her own dwindling sanity, death staring her right in the eye. No one heard her screams.

((to be continued))