CHAPTER 1: PARTNERSHIP

Year: 04/7/2525

Planet: Sargasso

Location: Fairfield City, 4th precinct outskirts, Spencer Estate.

Daisy was running as hard as she could, faster than ever. Sweat poured down her face as she passed by alleyways and streets. She ran until she reached the town square, a popular location among Fairfield residents and tourists alike. Surrounding the square were shops and cafes that sold local specialties - particularly dishes made from tropical fruit exclusive to Sargasso, a significant revenue source for the city. There was a fountain in the middle of the square, elegant but simple. It was a favorite spot for local couples and children. Daisy slowed down and walked towards it. She remembered how she used to play around the fountain and throw coins her parents gave her to make a wish. She tore something from around her neck: a metal necklace with two dog tags attached. Daisy looked at the tags with a scowl, then threw them into the fountain before continuing to run. She ran for what felt like forever, taking alleyways to avoid detection until she reached a bridge.

The bridge that would lead her home.

Daisy suddenly opened her blue eyes, breathing hard as she looked around. She was still sitting in her wheelchair in the middle of the family garden that surrounded her home. She must have fallen asleep while tending to the daisies and amaranths. She watched the flowers bend slightly with the gentle breeze and let out a sad sigh.

"It was just another dream…," she muttered, clenching her hands as a frown formed.

Ever since she was a little girl, Daisy remembered having dreams that didn't feel like dreams. They felt so real and yet so far away. Where she was stronger than she’d ever been before and could do things she could no longer do; sometimes, she was running a track, dodging obstacles, and feeling the exhilaration of adrenaline pumping through her veins as she overcame challenges with the help of people she didn't know but felt she should. Sometimes, she was fighting someone bigger and stronger than her and taking him down without breaking a sweat. Daisy always welcomed these dreams, especially as her sickness got worse.

According to her parents, it started when she was six, a few weeks after her kidnapping. It began so insignificantly. Daisy remembered feeling weak with aches and pains in different parts of her body and often short of breath. It got worse and worse until she finally suffered a seizure. That’s when things went entirely downhill. Daisy didn’t remember much from that time, just her legs gradually weakening and the sight of her mother crying as her father comforted her.

The doctors said her condition was due to a faulty fertilization treatment that her mother took to conceive. As a result, her parents had become overprotective, which significantly increased when she fell ill. After successfully suing the company that provided the treatment, they received a large settlement, for which they devoted every penny to finding a cure for her. Despite the amount of time, money, and effort spent on helping doctors find a cure; the only thing they could offer was a cocktail of expensive drugs to treat her symptoms and improve her quality of life. Despite their best efforts, her health continued to deteriorate slowly. She went from a cane and braces to a wheelchair before the age of thirteen. She was only able to walk with great difficulty thanks to therapy, but after a few steps, her legs would just give up. Every breath was a struggle. Her aches and pains would often return, ravaging her body. The only feelings the young girl knew anymore were weakness and sickness.

Her family and friends were very supportive, providing as much emotional support as possible. Especially her parents, who spent a fortune to make sure she could live comfortably: retrofitting the house to be handicap accessible, hiring tutors so she wouldn't suffer the stress of traveling in her condition, and ensuring a personal nurse was always on-call to monitor her. They constantly attempted to help her keep going and live life as normally as she could, and though the dreams allowed her to escape from reality, she couldn't help but feel off. It was like something was wrong with her. Not her sickness, but on a deeper, more subconscious level; like she was different. The ominous feeling came over her every once in a while. She never talked about it with her parents. She never could quite put it into words.

She would be lying if she didn’t admit to being bitter and frustrated about her situation. She hated the feeling, her condition, and the varying degrees of pain she felt every day. She missed being able to walk and run. She wanted to live without taking a cocktail of drugs every day or always being dependent on someone else for virtually everything. She hated being a burden. She hated knowing that she would likely die before her 20th birthday. She hated seeing her parents silently suffering as they watched her waste away, working overtime so that they could afford the growing list of medications she needed to prolong her sad existence.

Daisy’s morbid thoughts were interrupted when she heard a familiar jingle from her wrist. She glanced down to see her Dad trying to call her on her chatter. He likely checked up on her for the hundredth time since he and her mom were both at work. Her dad sold leisure aircrafts and worked extra hours to pay for her treatment. Her mother sold flowers to tourists in the town square part-time. With every additional credit they earned, they donated to researching a cure.

Daisy answered her chatter. "Hey, Dad," she said, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. She loved her Dad, but he could be a worrywart at times.

"Hey, my little flower, just calling to check on you," His baritone voice chimed.

Daisy let out a sigh.

"I'm alright, Dad. I'm just in the garden getting some fresh air. Maxine is inside making some snacks, and yes, I took my medicine," she answered, anticipating her dad's next question. A chuckle came from the chatter.

"Alright, I know that calling so many times in a short period is a little annoying, but you can't blame a father for worrying. Anyway, I won’t keep you. Gotta get back on the road. Don't forget to get some rest; we don't want you to miss the meteor shower tonight. And keep your life alert on you at all times."

A small smile spread across Daisy's lips. "Alright, I will. Love you, Dad. And don't worry, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. It is a once-in-a-lifetimevent."

“Love you too, my little flower.”

Daisy pressed a button on her chatter, ending the call. She brought an amaranth flower closer to her nose, inhaling its sweet scent, and smiled. The garden always had a calming effect when she started feeling bitter. It made her feel at peace and helped her forget her troubles.

Then suddenly, she felt a presence. She couldn't describe the feeling it sparked in her, but it felt frighteningly familiar.

Daisy instinctively turned her head towards the source of the sensation, shock spreading across her face. Walking towards her was an exact copy of herself, but unlike her, the look-alike was tall and robust, wearing a red, tight-fitting uniform that displayed her muscular figure. She had cropped blond hair and a pistol in her right hand. The look-alike sauntered forward until she was standing right in front of Daisy. In the next moment, she raised her gun, pointing it at the wheelchair-bound girl's forehead.

image [https://www.halopedia.org/images/6/69/Daisies_-_Homecoming.png]

Daisy knew she should be panicking and calling for help, at the very least asking why she looked so much like her. Instead, she was strangely calm. An odd sense of familiarity crept between the two of them, a bond that was only between them. They stared into each other's eyes without a word. Daisy could feel the uncertainty, sadness, and faltering determination in the girl before her. At that moment, a wave of understanding rippled between the two.

Daisy understood who this look-alike was.

For as long as she could remember, she felt wrong—fake. Deep down, she knew the reason why, but she could never place her finger on it. With the look-alike standing here in front of her now, something clicked, and clarity set in. She was the look-alike. The girl in front of her was the real Daisy, the source of her strange dreams.

After another long, tense moment, the original lowered her pistol, turned around, and walked away as if defeated.

Something in Daisy couldn't let her go. She didn't know the exact reason but needed to say something.

"I-...it’s always the same dream!” she yelled. Her counterpart stopped, turned around, and looked intently back at her. “I dream I'm strong. Stronger than anyone… Like you. Just like you are."

Daisy dug into a compartment in her wheelchair and pulled out a small teddy bear figurine attached to a thin necklace. Her mother had given it to her—the real Daisy—for her sixth birthday.

"Here. I want you to have this," she said impishly.

"But why me?" asked the girl. She stared at the bear, eyes filling with longing. Daisy smiled, focusing on the small trinket as well.

"I don't know, to be honest with you,” she admitted. “It’s just… something tells me that I should. I want you to take it."

The “original” Daisy walked back and hesitantly took the bear, then simply turned and left. No more words were needed. They both understood that it had to be this way.

The wheelchair-bound girl sat contemplating as her original walked into the distance. Conflicting emotions overtook the girl’s shaking body. She got confirmation that there was something wrong with her beyond her sickness, but now what? What does this mean for her existence? What does this mean for her, her friends, and her family? She entertained the thought that maybe the girl she just met was the doppelganger/clone, and she was the original, but dismissed it. If she was the original, then why would they clone a weak and sickly girl like-

Her conflicted thoughts were interrupted as her chatter chimed. She lifted it up and saw a message from her nurse to come inside for snacks, followed by a smiley face and heart emoji.

She sighed and began to wheel herself back. Briefly, she tilted her head upward and noticed an aircraft hovering in the distance, flying in the same direction the original was going. Daisy couldn't help but wonder: how long had that aircraft been there?

She abandoned the thought and wheeled herself back into her home. It was modest by wealthy standards. It consisted of two stories with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, not including the library, which served as a classroom for tutoring sessions.

She heard the sound of clanging metal and ceramic coming from the kitchen. Moments later, out came a woman in her late 20s wearing white medical scrubs. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail, and her slightly tanned face was donned with a pleasant smile, adding to the calming aura that seemed to exude from her. She was carrying a tray of purple bars topped with oats. It was Maxine, Daisy’s nurse. Her sweet soul and heart of gold suited her well for her job as a nurse. She got along so well with the Spencer family that she was practically Daisy's aunt. One of Daisy’s favorite things about Maxine was that she always gave her space to do things independently when she can.

“Hey, Daisy, how was your time in the garden?” she asked. “I was thinking that since it's such a nice day, we could eat them together in the garden and enjoy the weather.” She lifted the tray for emphasis. Atop the tray lay fifteen of her ‘world-famous’ multi-fruit bars beside a pile of napkins. Maxine knew they were Daisy’s favorite.

“Or maybe we can enjoy them here and marathon through a season of ShadowKaiser or Shadow Warrior Princess Bio-Knight Sakura?”

The clone smiled; she usually would oblige, but after what happened, she just wanted to go up to her room and be alone for a while. A shiver of dread shot up her spine, and she was suddenly glad Maxine wasn’t outside with her. Who knows what would’ve happened if she’d seen what transpired.

“Actually, I’m a little tired,” sighed the clone. Internally, she thought this was the understatement of the century.“I will just take some with me to eat when I wake up.”

“Oh, is something wrong? You never turn down a chance to watch ShadowKaiser.” Maxine asked worriedly. A look of concern washed across her face. “You also seem a bit down, Daisy.”

The girl in question shook her head. “No, I’ll be alright. Thank you. I just need some rest,” the clone reassured her.

Maxine gave in with a sigh. “Alright. If you need anything, give me a buzz, ok?”

“Alright,” agreed the girl. She wrapped a few bars in a napkin for later, then moved to the platform at the base of the staircase. She pressed a button on her wheelchair, prompting the platform to lift her up the stairs slowly. When she started using a wheelchair, her parents installed this special elevator so she could go upstairs without relying on others. After about half a minute later, she made it upstairs. She wheeled into the hallway to the bedrooms, turned left, and went to the end of the hall to the door across from the primary bedroom.

She opened the door, wheeled inside, and closed it behind her. Her room was simple: a bed blanketed by white sheets and a purple cover, a rug, a shelf that contained her teddy bear collection, and another shelf that held her poseable figurines of characters from different anime. Her favorites were the superheroine Shadow Bio-knight Sakura Kabuto from Shadow Warrior Princess Bio-Knight Sakura posed with her sword held high with her flowing cape attachment and the mech pilot Asuka Rey standing by her mech, the knightly and ominous form of ShadowKaiser from Mobile Space Knight ShadowKaiser. There was also a window that looked out into the Sargasso Sea and a short dresser with a mirror. The vanity mirror was littered with photos of her and her friends and family from throughout the years. Mixed in were some mini-posters of characters from TV shows she watched, including a picture of Sakura and Asuka signed by their shared English voice actor, Trisha Thomas.

Daisy smiled. Aside from the dreams, anime and manga provided a temporary escape from her condition. Heroes that, despite their weakness, moved bravely forward towards their goal to defeat the villain or save loved ones with the help of their friends. When she wasn’t receiving dreams from Daisy, she often dreamed of fighting the forces of evil as a bio-knight like Sakura or in a Mobile Armor like Asuka.

She rolled to the dresser and moved the bottles of medication and two mangas to the side to make room for the fruit bars. She grabbed a picture of herself with her mom and dad. They were behind a cake with an 8-shaped candle, along with her two friends she had known since she was five or six: Samantha and Martha.

She had many friends over the years, but circumstances caused them to drift apart. She didn’t hold it against them. As her Dad said: ‘People change, and sometimes that change causes friends to drift apart. You can’t let that hurt you and stop you from making future friends.’ But those two stood by her despite her growing sickness and lack of energy. Amaranth was thankful for their loyalty.

But, if she was a clone, everything finally made sense: the feeling of being fake, the dreams, the lapse of memory from when she was kidnapped, the illness. She didn't know much about cloning aside from the little taught by her biology tutor, but she did know cloning a full person was an unstable process. It could be done in theory, but the closest anyone did to full cloning was with animals. And they usually suffered from an extensive list of health issues. Sadness and dread washed over her as she realized this described her condition perfectly.

She was a clone, which meant…

"They’re not really my parents, nor are Samantha and Martha my friends, are they? They’re...hers," She murmured as she looked at the photo. Most of her life had been a lie--deep down she knew this fact--but then, how could it be she remembered her-...Daisy's father tending to his daughter’s knee after Martha accidentally pushed her onto the ground? That happened the day before her kidnapping.

It didn’t take her long to put together that they must have found a way to copy the real Daisy's memories into her. Whoever did this managed to clone a full human being, so the idea wasn't too far-fetched.

But why go through the trouble? Why kidnap Daisy?

Based on the uniform her original was wearing, she could surmise that the government or a similarly powerful organization was involved. But still, why?

And why her?

The clone stared at her hands, contemplating her existence. She wasn't Daisy, so who was she? Her entire purpose was to replace Daisy and slowly fade away and die. When she died, no questions would be asked. But now more than ever, she wanted to avoid that part of her fate. Now knowing that she was a clone made her want to be her own person. She wanted something to call her own. Not just a copy, not a mirror image…

Her own person.

She wanted to live as herself–whoever that self would be.

She wanted to save Daisy and make whoever did this to them pay.

Daisy clenched her hands into fists. If only she had the power of a bio-knight or a mobile armor, she could save Daisy and return her to her family—to have whoever did this face justice!

The clone’s hands relaxed, and she let out a sigh of acceptance. Despite her wishful thinking, fate had other plans. She didn’t have the power needed for such an undertaking. Her body would continue to degrade until her premature death. There wasn’t anything she could do at this point. She had to keep pretending to be Daisy for her parents' and friends’ sake and safety. Even if she was just a clone of their daughter and friend, respectively, she had been raised by her parents and loved by both of them her entire life.

She loved them.

Not only would finding out the truth break their hearts, but it might endanger them if they decided to investigate the whole ordeal. She knew they inevitably would.

It was very likely the organization, or whoever did this, wouldn't come after her for seeing her original. They knew she would die soon. Besides her parents, maybe, and less so her friends, who would believe such a far-fetched story anyway? Even if she did tell someone, she would be declared insane, and her words dismissed as a symptom of her worsening health. The least she could do was pretend to be Daisy to make up for replacing their real daughter and Samatha’s and Martha’s friend. She may not indeed be theirs, but she couldn't help but think of Daisy’s parents and friends as her parents and friends.

And herself as Daisy.

It’s all she’d ever known.

The Daisy clone’s eyes felt heavy. She needed to rest. All of this had taken a lot out of her frail body. The clone laid her head on her dresser, using her arms as a pillow, before almost instantly welcoming the embrace of sleep.

When she opened her eyes, she wasn't in her room or wheelchair. Instead, she was in a jail cell on a cot. In front of her was a woman wearing a white lab coat and a long skirt. She had skin so pale it was almost white, jet-black hair, and icy blue eyes covered by glasses. The light gave her eyes a cold, intelligent gleam. There was something familiar about her that the clone didn't like. For some reason, she suddenly felt anger, hatred, and revulsion towards the woman. She was saying something, but it was incomprehensible gibberish to Daisy’s ears, like she was trying to speak through glass.

"Daisy!"

The clone suddenly shot up, fully awake and alert. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. It was another dream or memory from the real Daisy.

‘Who was that woman? Why did she seem so familiar?’ The clone heard a knock to her left.

"Daisy! Are you awake?" A voice called out from beyond her bedroom. She sluggishly looked out her window and saw it was dark outside. The clock on her chatter read 8:50 pm. Daisy sat up straighter.

"How long was I asleep?" She murmured to herself.

"Daisy!" Another knock racked against the door.

"Coming!" she called out, shaking the last bit of sleep from her voice.

In a few swift pushes of her wheelchair, Daisy was across the room. She opened the door to be met by a man she knew like the back of her hand. He was a tall man with the same eyes as Daisy’s. He had a rough-looking face that was painted with a gentle expression. This was Jon Ann Spencer, Daisy's father. After spending ten years in the service, he left to spend more time with his family. Upon discharge, he was offered a job at Aerotech selling luxury space crafts. Despite the change in his life, he maintained his physique and avoided the creeping fat that struck most business people.

"Daisy, I was checking if you were awake. I checked on you earlier and saw you were sleeping, so I left you alone for a little longer." He looked down at the clone as she rubbed one of her eyes. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"No, I just woke up. Still rubbing the sand out my eyes, you know,” she joked. Jon nodded in understanding.

"Alright, then, hurry and straighten yourself up, and then come on down to the garden. The meteor shower is supposed to start in about 10 minutes."

The clone smiled widely. "OK, Dad. Be down there in a sec."

"Just don't push yourself, honey. Take your time, don’t want you to injure yourself.” said Jon as he closed the door.

"I won't, Dad," the clone reassured.

Daisy rolled her wheelchair back to her dresser and stared into the mirror, shifting a lock of blond hair to the side. Thinking about it now, there were differences between her and the original besides athleticism and hair length. For one thing, the real Daisy’s skin was a little darker, while the clone was pale due to her condition. Then there was something about her eyes: a hardness she couldn’t describe. The clone shook her head and focused.

"Alright,” she whispered to herself, “I guess it's time to continue to pretend to be Daisy. You can do this...clone? Daisy? Daisy clone? It doesn't matter, you just have to continue to be Daisy! Just act natural...for them." She looked at the pictures of her parents and friends strewn across her desk. They were the only family she’d ever known.

"For them," she breathed, followed by a small prayer for strength.

She rolled her chair to the door, then down the hall. Once she reached the stairs, she took the elevator down again. She quickly went past the living room and kitchen, then out the front door. With the property lights off, a breathtaking starry night greeted her. Humid air filled her lungs as the Daisy clone looked around for her Mom and Dad. Their silhouettes were sitting in a couple of beach chairs set up on the white pavement by the garden's greenhouse. The clone rolled her wheelchair toward the couple. As soon as she saw Daisy, she got up to give her a hug. Mrs. Spencer was taller than the average woman, about 5’10, with dirty blond hair and chestnut brown eyes. She was slightly plump in the face, but her body was pretty lean.

"Daisy, how was your day? Was it tiring? You were asleep for quite a while," her mother asked rapidly.

‘Oh, besides meeting my original, questioning my place in life, and having a bit of an identity crisis, everything was just peachy.’ The clone forced herself to smile.

"It was just a little boring, so I took a nap to pass the time until the meteor shower," she admitted.

"Better a boring and safe day than a dangerous one," her mother sighed in relief as she sat back on the lawn chair. "Now come on, the shower will start any minute now."

The clone looked around, noticing someone was missing. “Where’s Maxine?”

“Oh, she went home for the night. She had to help a friend of hers with something,” Her mother responded as she continued peering up at the starry night sky. The clone nodded her head. She remembered the nurse mentioning something about ‘making sure someone doesn’t do anything stupid at the club’ tonight.

“It would have been nice to have her here,” she said too quietly for her parents to hear. Her father pointed at the sky.

"Look, it’s already starting!" he exclaimed.

The young girl regarded the sky and saw the trails of light flying through the air. They were beautiful and a sight to behold that only came every 100 years. A once in a lifetime event. The Daisy clone glanced over at the two people who were the closest thing to family she had. She couldn’t help but contemplate the fact that she was not their daughter at this moment. They were surely ignorant of the fact she was just a cheap knockoff of their true Daisy. She couldn’t think of a single instance where there was even a hint that they knew. Or, maybe they were really good lia- The clone shook her head, tossing the idea. ‘No, they wouldn’t do that. They just wouldn't.’ she told herself.

Despite recent revelations, she still enjoyed her time with them but couldn’t help but feel guilty. She was living the life that should have been Daisy’s; birthdays and holidays, the good and bad times, everything in her life she unintentionally stole from the original.

“Is something wrong, dear?” asked her- Daisy’s mother, breaking her out of her thoughts.

The clone shook her head.

“No, I’m alright. I’m just more tired than I thought. I think I will go to bed a little early tonight,” she reluctantly announced.

“Oh, okay. Then I will help you get into your nightgown, and I can tuck you in.,” Her mother stated. She got out of the chair, ready to follow her inside. The clone smiled and waved both hands dismissively.

“That’s alright, Mom, I can get ready for bed myself. I don’t want you to miss any more of the shower.”Her mother was about to protest, but her father gave his input.

“Now Amy, she is a big girl, and she has her life alert. If she needs any help, she can call us,” he soothed, getting up from his chair to stand beside her. Amy let out a frustrated sigh.

“Alright, just don’t push yourself too hard. If you need us don’t hesitate to call us. We’ll be right here.”

“Alright. Goodnight, Mom, Dad,” she said, driving her wheelchair closer to her parents and giving them both a hug. “I love you, and thank you for everything.” She managed to stop herself from crying right then and there. She had never meant those words more than she did now. She was so tempted to tell them the truth, even if they wouldn’t believe her. But she couldn’t risk their safety. She felt her parents hug back, their arms wrapping her in warmth.

“We love you too, sweetie. Goodnight,” her mom whispered.

“Go get some sleep. Tomorrow, it's back to school and therapy. Love you, my little flower,” her dad said softly. After that, she turned around and headed towards the house, trying her hardest not to cry. If only they knew the truth.

Pretending was going to be more challenging than she thought.

---------

Thirty minutes before….

The car’s movement finally stopped, meaning it was time for the slime to get off the vehicle that hit it. But first, it took the time to search for every last bug it could find, gathering energy to survive a little longer. After an hour of searching and eating, the fleshy mass detached itself from the car and landed on the ground to examine its surroundings. There was a massive structure in front of it, likely the home of the car's owner. And based on one of its previous host’s memories, if there was one human, there were probably more.

It looked for a way inside the home when it felt distant vibrations coming from the ground. Something was coming. The blob of flesh hid under the car in the shadows. A few moments later, a female human in what it believed was a wheelchair passed by, stopping in front of the house. She looked and smelled weak and sickly; the blob smiled internally. She was just what it needed in a host, for now—someone who couldn’t resist bonding with and would listen to what it had to offer. The girl stopped in front of the door; it had to act fast before she got away, but it was too weak to move quickly enough. It needed a host to use for transportation. The blob looked around until its sight landed on a medium-sized rodent nearby, a type of rat if its previous host’s memories were correct, it had its back turned. The slime crept and slithered its way to the unsuspecting rat eating a crumb of food. The rat lifted its head sensing danger, but it was too late. The mass jumped up and covered the rat, thoroughly soaking into its skin and taking full control. It wasn’t the most compatible, but it would do.

Acting quickly, the creature forced the rat to run towards the wheelchair ignoring the cries of panic in the rat’s mind. Its mind was simple, nothing but basic instinct. Halfway there, it could see the girl opening the door. It pushed its temporary host harder, enhancing its muscles. Just as the girl opened the door, he jumped and separated from the rat, and landed on the back of the wheelchair. It squeezed itself into a crack of the battery pack housing to hide.

The clone entered the house, automatically taking the elevator up the stairs. Getting off, she went down the hall to her room and went in. She had a lot on her mind and just wanted to go to bed and temporarily forget everything in a hopefully dreamless slumber. The teenage girl rolled to her dresser and opened three medicine bottles, taking a pill from each. She took her medicine and began to get ready for bed, unbuttoning her sweater vest and setting it aside. The clone then reached behind her back and undid her zipper. She proceeded to pull her arms through the dress sleeves. She pulled the dress down her body until she reached her waist. Taking a deep breath and with some difficulty, she lifted herself up slightly, using her armrest as leverage. While keeping one arm on the armrest, she used her free arm to pull the rest of her dress down like she was taking off a pair of pants. After sitting back down and letting out her breath, the fake folded her dress and then placed it on her bed before taking off her shoes and socks.

The clone grabbed the nightgown off her bed and slid it over her head, letting it fall over her as she put her arms through the sleeves. After straightening her gown, she leaned to the right side of her wheelchair, locating a compartment that stores a collapsible walking cane. The sickly girl took the cane out and extended it for support. With some effort, the clone lifted herself out of her wheelchair and transferred herself onto the bed. The copy laid down and shifted to make herself more comfortable. She turned her head looking at a small poster on her vanity mirror showing Asuka in Shadow Kaiser fighting against her rival, the mysterious ace of the Galactic Imperium; the feared Crimson Blade, and her mech Bloody Kaiser. Daisy then shifted her attention to the poster of Sakura in her bio-armor fighting her rival Fire Bio-Knight Misuki. The clone turned her head and closed her eyes.

‘If only I had the power to do something, like them. If only I weren’t so weak.’ she lamented before letting herself drift into a deep slumber, thankful for the drowsiness side-effect of her medicine.

---------

Unknown to her, the fleshy, oily blob sensed her vulnerability. Carefully, it oozed its way out from the wheelchair's battery pack, dripping onto the floor. It slithered to the bed of its prey, grabbing onto the blanket to climb its way up. The black mass finally reached the young girl’s exposed hand and began to bond. She was a great match, but her genetics were a mess. Signs of degeneration and uncontrolled growth of damaged cells started forming. Fortunately, it was something that could be fixed.

She wanted power so it will grant it to her.

---------

The clone opened her eyes and jumped up, surrounded by thick dark fog that resembled the blackness of tar and oil. The only light was coming from an unknown source above her. Goosebumps rose on her skin caused by a chill in the air, making the hairs on her neck stand straight up. She looked around and studied her surroundings. Where was she? How did she get here, and what was that feeling in her stomach?

“Hello!” she called out. “Is anyone there?”

“Fa….kee….rrr….”

The clone turned around to look behind. “Hello? If anyone is out there, I am lost. Can someone help me?”

“Th...ief….”

“Imposter!”

“Wha…. what? Ok, who’s there?!” The flash clone looked around and noticed that the darkness was getting closer and the voices were becoming louder. “Stay back!”

“Imposter!!!”

“FAKE!!!”

“THIEF!!!”

She stepped backward, desperately trying to escape the darkness encroaching like a creature cornering its prey. As she stumbled backward, the voices got louder. They were everywhere yet nowhere, coming from all directions like an echo.

“HELP!!!”

“IMPOSTER!!!”

“THIEF!!!”

“FAKE!!!”

“I didn’t mean to! It's not my fault!” she yelled. Her heart pounded like it was trying to escape her chest. Tears began streaming down her face.

“Not your fault?”

A familiar figure stepped out of the darkness like a phantom phasing through a wall.

“You’re back…,” the flash clone gulped, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Not your fault?” said the real Daisy. A mirthless chuckle escaped her lips as she took a step closer. It ended with an uncanny smirk spreading across her face, putting the clone on edge. “You took everything from me.”

“I’m sorry.” she croaked as she stepped back.

“Sorry? You took my life. The life I should’ve had!” The real Daisy took another step closer to her, smirk disappearing. “Birthdays, vacations, life with my parents, every little moment of your life rightfully belonged to me. You stole it, you imposter!”

"Stealing implies I had a choice! That implies they asked me if I wanted this to begin with!" Amaranth shot back.

The clone put her hands on her head and crouched down as she began sobbing. She was right. Her whole life was unintentionally stolen from someone else.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to! I didn’t want to take your life. I didn’t want to replace you. It wasn’t my choice!” She lowered her head further and whispered, “I’m sorry.” She looked up only to meet the barrel of a gun and its wielder looking at her with utter contempt.

“Don’t worry, I intend to take my life back,” Daisy hissed before she pulled the trigger.

The clone woke up in a cold sweat. Breathing rapidly, she placed her hand across her forehead.

“No hole... It was just a nightmare.” She took a moment to take a deep breath. It had been just a nightmare, but it spoke the truth. Even in her dreams, the fact that she was an imposter, a liar, and a thief still haunted her. Why couldn’t she just have another dream about being a Bio-Knight fighting the evil forces of the blood empress Scorpina? She just wanted a moment of escape from the reality of her being. The wind blew through her hair as she buried her face in her hands. Suddenly, she noticed the atmospheric sound of cars honking in the distance. Amidst the idle city noises, the chime of laughter and people talking kept her company. Confused, the girl lifted her head from her hands, finally realizing she wasn't in bed anymore. She rapidly looked around in all directions until her eyes landed on the vibrantly colored billboard that towered above her on the city's rooftop.

“How did I get up here!” The clone blurted out. She paced back and forth, trying to figure out how in the world she went from her bed to the top of some building.

“I could still be dreaming.” She pinched her arm and felt the resulting pain. “OK, I’m not dreaming...” The clone looked down and saw something she hadn't seen since she was a little girl. She was walking on her two legs with no shaking or weakness. She noticed she didn’t feel weak at all; her body felt better. Stronger. It had to be a dream; there was no way she was walking. She pinched herself again only to get pain like before. She wasn’t dreaming, she was walking! The clone jumped up and down, laughing, enjoying the sensation such a simple movement brought. She then jogged in place, ignoring the discomfort of her bare feet touching the ground. She stopped and looked at her hands, laughing with an almost insane amount of joy.

“How is this possible?”

‘That would be my doing,’ said a voice.

The clone immediately straightened up and looked around, checking for any sign that she wasn’t alone.

“Hello?” she greeted cautiously. “Is someone there? Where are you?” It was weird. She clearly heard a voice that was not hers, but her eardrums said otherwise.

‘I am right here,’

The clone felt the unsettling sensation of something oozing out of her back. It felt like pus rapidly leaking out of the pores of her skin. To her horror, something whipped in front of her: a twisting serpentine mass of oily fleshy goop slowly formed into a monstrous face with large, blank, serrated triangle-shaped eyes shaped into a permanent scowl and large, sharp jet-black teeth. Its ‘skin’ seemed to move and pulse like a snake. The clone screamed, shuffling backward as she attempted to get away from the monster that appeared to be following her. She glanced behind herself, realizing the monster was attached to her back.

“Get Off! Get Off!” she shrieked repeatedly, grabbing the monster by what she assumed was its neck. Her panic skyrocketed as she attempted to pull it off. Her efforts were useless as her fingers kept slipping through the gooey mass. The clone kept trying until suddenly, her body locked up, her arms forced to her sides. Caught by surprise, she was shocked into silence. The monster’s face looked at her and started to speak, every word occupied by a mixture of clicks, growls, and distorted breathing.

“Now that you are being more cooperative, I have a proposition for you, Daisy. Or do you prefer I call you clone?”

The clone’s eyes widened. “Ho…. How? Wha….. What are you?” she managed to choke out.

The monstrous serpentine-like creature chuckled as if she just asked a question with an obvious answer.

“I am a Klyantar, but your kind gave us the name ‘Symbiotes.’ You see, my kind bond to compatible hosts to survive; among other things, that bond allows us access to the host's memories. Don’t worry; we can only access the surface or our recent memories. Anything older requires ‘digging,’ so to speak. But, I was able to glean enough to know about you.” The creature leaned forward and circled the clone like a predator examining its prey. “And I know all about you. You’re not Daisy but a clone, a damaged copy. A clone who was sick her whole life and unable to do anything on her own. You were created to replace Daisy and die. Your identity was forced upon you. A death sentence forced upon you. Your whole life is a lie.”

The clone tried to calm herself and think of a way out. This thing knew a lot about her, and if what it said was true, what did it want with her? That’s when she realized something.

“You brought me here, and…. you somehow allowed me to walk,” she deduced, then remembered something from her biology lessons. You said my kind called you symbiotes, which means if I allow you to use me as a host, I get something in return.”

It chuckled, sounding impressed.

“How astute, yes. Here’s the deal.” It got closer until it was inches from her face. “Allow me to use you as my host, and in return, I will grant abilities you can’t imagine. For example, I can fix you.”

“Fix me?” The clone asked, suddenly very interested. The symbiote slid back, giving the clone some space.

“Simple, I can heal your damaged genetics. Though it will take some time- a long time,” it said. “But I can also do more. I know what you want. You want power to right the wrongs placed upon you and your family. I can make you stronger, more durable, and more resilient. I can help you find Daisy and learn the truth. All I ask for in return is a place to stay and food. You can’t say my offer isn’t more than generous.”

The clone simply stood there pondering. It was tempting. All of her life, she was weak and sick, watching helplessly while her parents suffered silently as they watched who they thought was their daughter rot away. Then there’s the fact she was a copy who stole everything from her original, with nothing to call her own. With this symbiote, that could change. She would no longer be weak, sick, or a burden. She would gain the power needed to discover the truth, save Daisy, and, most importantly, change her fate. But before agreeing to anything, she needed to ask some questions.

“All right, before I agree, I want to know some things.”

The symbiote tilted its head and then nodded. “Go on,”

“Well, first, can you, um….” The clone tried to move her arms.

The serpentine creature’s eyes widened surprisingly enough. “Oh, apologies.”

Instantly the flash clone could move her arms again. She stretched them, bending her elbows to remove the soreness as she took a calming breath.

“OK, first off, where did you come from?” she asked.

“It is a long story. A long, long story. But to condense it into something less time consuming-” the symbiote then tilted its head upward towards the night sky. “I came from up there.”

The clone's eyes widened as she looked up at the sky, her mouth agape before she and the symbiote exchanged glances.

“Wait, so you’re telling me that you’re a space alien? As in a real space alien?” she questioned. Her legs began to wobble with unease, so she slowly sat down, shaking her head. She couldn’t believe she was talking to a real bonafide alien! She was the first person to meet-

“Wait, a sec. Earlier, you said my kind called you symbiotes. I am not the first to meet your kind, am I?” The symbiote was quiet for a second, staring, studying her as if thinking.

“A saying I picked up from you humans is that ‘Honesty is the best policy.’ Honesty is the foundation of a symbiotic relationship." It paused. "When I arrived, I was caught and sent to a research facility run by evil people."

“A research facility? Evil people?”

The symbiote simply nodded. “Correct. I know very little about my captors, but they have more of my kind and are very thorough. They kept forcing us to bond with hosts that were ... less than ideal.”

“Less than ideal?”

“We are a generally benevolent race and only wish to help. We do this by bonding to like-minded, or at least sane, hosts, but the mental bond is a two-way street. If we bond with insane hosts…. It corrupts us. That’s why we are very picky when it comes to hosts.”

“So... these ‘evil people’ forced you and some of your kind to bond with unsuitable hosts,”

“And it drove some of us insane, making them more predatory-mindless until they drained their hosts dry. And some of us who maintained our sanity still became more aggressive and violent. Normally, we reject unsuitable hosts, but they purposely starve us, so we had to bond just to avoid death and ... sometimes we overdo it and inadvertently kill our hosts by accident.” It looked away for a moment in what the clone could only guess was shame.

“Fortunately, some of our hosts were more ideal, keeping some of us sane enough. But even a forced perfect bond leaves a mark. I managed to escape when they tried to move me somewhere else. I got hit by your progenitor’s - or as you call him, father's - car, and he inadvertently took me to his dwelling. Then I saw you, and here we are.”

“Who are they? Are they going to come after you? I don’t want my family to get hurt any more than they already are,” she stammered.

“Ah, the concept of family you humans and many other species have. A puzzling if not illogical concept.” it mused.

“Anyway,” it continued. “You need not to fear. I don’t know much about my captors. They made sure I didn’t see very much and stayed too hungry to focus, but I know they won’t put much effort into finding me ....”

It looked away for a moment. An unrecognizable emotion crept into its voice.

“They have more of my kind and more pressing matters to attend to from what little I could gather.” It then looked at the clone. “If you agree to be my host, I promise to protect you and your ‘family.’ One thing you should know about me.” It leaned forward a few inches from her face. “I always take care of my host. Now, do we have an agreement?”

“And what if I refuse your deal?”

“Then I will return you home and leave. Hopefully, I will find another compatible host, but I have a feeling you won't.”

The flash clone closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was almost too much. An alien attached itself to her and took her out of her home to some roof. On top of that, it was also running from somebody and wanted to use her as a walking safe-house. In return, it would heal her and grant her ‘other abilities.’ It also promised to do everything in its power to protect her-Daisy’s parents, and to help her find the truth about her and Daisy. But what these ‘abilities' would entail, she hadn’t a clue. Then again, she was going to die soon anyway. This could be her one chance to live, make amends, and discover the truth. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as the saying went.

“Al… alright, I will be your host,” she said, trying and failing to sound confident. “Since we will be working together, do you have a name I could call you? Are you a... male? ... female?”

The symbiote chuckled, a sound that was mixed with growls and clicks, giving it an almost sinister quality. “My kind doesn’t have individual names or gender, but one of my hosts in the past gave me a name I’ve taken a liking to. You can call me Nightstalker.” It leaned back. “Now, are you ready?”

The clone nodded and then gulped.

“Yeah, show me... Show me what you have to offer,” she said nervously.

“Alright, but be warned: You will experience a strange sensation, so try not to panic,” it warned. It went back into the clone’s skin. The feeling of semi-liquid matter soaking through her pores caused the clone to shiver uncomfortably.

“I don’t think I will ever get used to that,” she said.

Suddenly, the feeling returned, but she felt it all over her body this time. Midnight blue and black goop started to cover her body like a swarm of attacking ants. To her horror, the goop rapidly covered everything from the neck down and began covering her face. It happened so fast that she wasn’t given enough time to resist it or even scream in any way; the only indication of her terror was the rapid thumping of her adrenaline-fueled heart. Just like that, it was over as quickly as it began. The clone keeled onto her knees, her head spinning like she had just gotten off a roller coaster. After a moment, she got up on her wobbly legs and noted her body and sensations. She knew she was completely covered in the stuff, yet she could see, not through her own eyes, but the symbiote’s ‘eyes.’ Just like she was breathing through the symbiote’s ‘mouth,’ standing on its feet, and feeling through its ‘skin.’ It was surreal. It didn’t feel like she was wearing anything; she almost felt naked and felt eerily …. Natural. When she lifted her trembling hands, she sucked in a breath, for they were clearly not her own. Her extremities were covered in the oily fleshy goop with razor-sharp black talons tipping each finger. She studied the rest of her arms. Her forearms were midnight blue up to her elbow, which had shark fin-like protrusions under them. At the same time, the rest of her arms were predominantly black with streaks of midnight blue, giving the arm a beautiful pattern that was found in some of Sargasso’s poisonous wildlife. The colors were the same on her legs, and her toes were tipped with claws. She then studied her torso, it was mostly midnight blue with black around her neck area, the pattern made it almost look like she was wearing a one-piece bathing suit.

If her body looks like this, what does her face look like!? She needed to find a mirror! She frantically Looked around until she spotted an old full-length mirror covered in dust and grime. She didn’t know why it was up here. She just needed to use it and fast. She stumbled and ran towards the mirror before frantically wiping the dust and grime off with her entire hand, causing her claws to scrap against the mirror until it was clear enough to see her reflection. She scrambled back and gasped, too shocked to scream. The clone’s heart pounded against her chest like it was trying to burst out of her chest as she slowly stepped closer to the mirror. Staring back at her was a humanoid monstrosity. It was taller than her, taller than her dad by a few inches if she were to guess. It was lean and muscular. Then there was its face. Amaranth croaked, the scream she still wanted to produce unable to leave her mouth. Staring back at her was something horrifyingly demonic, like Nightstalker’s face. Uncanny, almost soulless, jagged triangle-shaped eyes and a lipless mouth that hung open into a Jack-o-lantern smile revealing pointed black teeth that sent a shiver down Amaranth’s spine. The monster’s hair was styled like hers, but half had turned a shade of midnight blue. The clone ran a hand, feeling each strand of her hair, revealing some black underneath the midnight blue. They felt like they were made of oily flesh.

She touched the right side of her face with one hand and the mirror with the other; the heavily breathing monster did the same. The creature reminded her of Bio-Knight Sakura’s ‘Shadow mode’ minus the armor pieces, and the eyes were a different shape.

“Is that me?” She touched her throat in surprise. Her voice was different, distorted, and reverberating.

“My voice-” She lifted her hands, looking them over, touching each claw.

“What happened to me?” She asked, looking back into the mirror.

‘I made you stronger.’ Like a cosmetic charcoal mask being peeled away, the oily organic goop on the right side of the monster’s face slid and contorted to reveal her real face underneath. The clone’s eyes widened, her mouth forming a nervous frown. ‘As I promised.’

image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/c8c5c09a-c12a-440f-a3ae-9badb3d467d3/degi8wa-af299776-02e9-4427-925f-9d7459ff7f6b.jpg/v1/fill/w_1280,h_1813,q_75,strp/i_made_you_stronger_2_0_by_mechafan1224_degi8wa-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTgxMyIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2M4YzVjMDlhLWMxMmEtNDQwZi1hM2FlLTliYWRiM2Q0NjdkM1wvZGVnaTh3YS1hZjI5OTc3Ni0wMmU5LTQ0MjctOTI1Zi05ZDc0NTlmZjdmNmIuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEyODAifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.656MHvy6qIDJrymFSOlJ3YJ8DGwxzfl7E_S_Brvi-2E]

“Wait, but how am I supposed to live like this?” she wondered, waving her hands over her new form for emphasis.

“I don’t think my parents, or people in general, would appreciate an almost 7-foot tall goop monster walking down the street.” Suddenly, she felt herself shrink and become shorter. The symbiote receded into her skin until there was no trace left. Her nightgown was surprisingly perfectly intact. This time, she felt nothing; she guessed she got used to it.

‘Does that answer your question?’ it asked almost condescendingly.

“Yes, and no need to be a smartass,” the clone snapped back. She was glad her mother wasn’t here; otherwise, she would give a tongue-lashing for her vulgarity.

Nightstalker manifested itself from her shoulder and looked at her, chuckling. “Now, do you want to, as your kind say, go for a test drive?”

The clone shivered slightly remembering the feeling of the symbiote covering her entire body, but at least she knew what to expect this time. “Alright, let's see what you can do.”

“What we can do. Remember, we’re bonded, so we’re partners now.” Nightstalker then melted into the clone’s skin as if it were never there. Just like before, the clone felt the symbiote cover her quickly, like a swarm of ants or living mercury. This time, she didn’t feel any panic. She looked at her - their - clawed hands. She felt much better, filled with energy, like she could take on the world.

“Well, partner, let's go for a test spin. What can you do?” She asked in her new voice.

‘You will know, just as the bond allows me access to your memories, it also allows you access to my instincts. In short, just do something. It will come to you.’

The clone looked around the rooftop and settled on the wall of a neighboring building. That building was a couple of stories higher. Scaling that wall felt like a possibility, so she turned towards it. It was like she could sense the symbiote's thoughts and instincts, and it could feel hers. She took a few steps back to give herself a running start. She took a deep breath and ran towards the building, reaching the wall sooner than expected. The increased power in her legs surprised her as she instinctively jumped. She screamed joyfully as she realized she jumped 10 feet in the air. Her claws dug into the building’s concrete wall, securing her in place. She then leaped forward onto the rooftop.

There wasn't much out of the ordinary, just some air ducts and air conditioning units. The only thing that stood out was the large radio antenna. She walked to the other side of the roof and stared at the street below. Something told her to remain still. Suddenly her ‘skin’ changed color to match her surroundings, mimicking the night sky and the antenna behind her making her practically invisible.

Amaranth's eyes widen, she thinks. “Invisibility? No, some sort of camouflage,” she surmises in awe. When she moves her hand too fast, there is a slight delay before her skin changes color to match its new background.

‘Correct. Works best when moving slowly,’ it cautioned before falling quiet for a few moments. ‘Your city is quite impressive.’

“Yeah, it is,” She responded softly.

They peered over the side of the building, examining the busy sidewalks. Some people were walking into buildings with huge neon signs, holographic displays, and long lines, others walked into buildings that were obviously theaters with a jumbo screen showing what movies were playing. There were also a few shops and restaurants with chairs and tables outside occupied by couples, young and old. If the clone were to guess, they were in one of the downtown sections of the city, the part filled with nightclubs and other adult entertainment. It was a popular spot for late-night dates but also known for attracting - per her mother's words - ‘ruffians and thugs.’ Cars and buses drove on the two-way street, heading to destinations unknown or dropping people off. She had been here during the day a couple of times but just passing through with her parents. At night it was completely different. The neon lights and bustling people made it more lively and beautiful.

Then an idea popped into her head. She turned around, jumped onto the radio antenna, grabbed one of its support rods, and pulled herself up. She crouched on the rod and jumped with all her strength to the next tower. She repeated the process, laughing during every minute of it. After some time, she reached the very top of the structure, hanging on with one arm and her feet. Once she settled herself, she looked over the multi-storied city buildings spread across the land. Each one displayed many lights and holographic signs on their surfaces. She looked to her right and saw the Sargasso Sea in the distance with her island home, though it was just a tiny dot. Another thing she noticed was that her eyesight was enhanced. She could see farther. Without the enhanced eyesight, she probably wouldn’t have been able to see her home. Overall, this new perspective gave her an appreciation of how beautiful her home and the city were.

‘So, is there any other name I can call you besides clone?’ It asked, interrupting the serene moment. ‘From my understanding of human mentality, calling you clone could be considered derogatory.’

The clone hummed in thought. She didn’t want to be called Daisy because that wasn’t her. Being dubbed a clone also seemed derogatory, as Nightstalker said. So, what other names could she go by? The girl pondered for a few seconds before remembering her - or rather Daisy’s - Mother telling her she was almost named Amaranth. She said it meant ‘never-fading flower’. It was believed to represent immortality and longevity. They settled on Daisy because it represents innocence and purity. If she were honest, she liked Amaranth much better. It was ironic that whatever happened to Daisy, she had lost her purity and innocence a long time ago. If her parents had named her Amaranth, her sickly condition would have heavily contradicted the meaning.

‘So, Amaranth then? ’

The clone was surprised for a moment, then remembered that the symbiote had access to her memories, which logically included her thoughts. She liked that name; it was better than being called Daisy. Then, suddenly, another thought came to her.

“Why?”

Amaranth felt Nightstalker’s curiosity piquing. ‘Why, what?’

“Why me? Would anyone nearby, like Daisy’s Mom and Dad, be a better host than a sickly imposter?” Amaranth questioned, patting a claw on her chest for emphasis.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

‘It's quite simple. It’s because of your genetics.’

Amaranth stammered. “I don’t understand. My genetics? My genetics are a mess!”

Nightstalker chuckled. ‘Exactly, in my weakened state, your progenitors could rip me off the minute I try to bond to them before I could make my case. But with your weak genetic structure, that wasn’t a problem. Your genetics are like looking at the slightly faded ink of a copied document. Your genetics are a mess I can clean up. That creates a balanced partnership of give and take of equal worth. I have something you want, and you have something I want. I couldn’t offer that to your parents.’

“You heal my genetics and enhance my body; in return, you get food and a place to live,” Amaranth surmised. It reminded her of how the bio-armors work in Warrior Princess Knight, minus the high level of intelligence. The suits feed off the host’s mana, and the host is enhanced in return. Nightstalker’s reasoning was brutally pragmatic, but it made sense. A person with her condition would do almost anything to be free from it.

‘Correct. When I enter a partnership, I make sure to give just as much as I take.’

Amaranth mulled over Nightstalker’s words. So far, this partnership had been an equal exchange, nothing but fair and respectful. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of sirens in the distance. She looked down and saw several police cars speeding down the road, passing by the building they were on with their sirens blaring. An ambulance and a fire truck followed close behind. Amaranth wondered what happened to that number of emergency vehicles. Was there an accident? A robbery? A fire? Whatever it was, that many first responders meant something terrible had happened. She wishes she could help them-.

‘Then why not see what happened? We have power, meaning we can do almost anything,’ interrupted Nightstalker, reading her thoughts. ‘So why not? It’ll be good practice for you.’

Amaranth did a double-take. “What?! I mean, that’s the police’s job. I can't; I'm just a 13, soon to be 14, -year-old girl. What can I do?”

‘Correction, a 13-year-old girl that has me. Think about it: while you have me around helping you find the truth, why not be a proactive member of your society? With me, you can do so much. You can save lives. Like your heroes. Sakura and Asuka.’

Amaranth’s eyes widened, she had never thought of that. She has this power, so why not use it to protect the innocent like the heroines Asuka and Sakura? As Sakura's mentor, Master Lee, once said: ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ However, there’s one problem. “Even if I were to try and help, I would get in the way. I don’t know how to fight, and I’m still getting used to-well-you.”

Nightstalker chuckled. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be there to help you.’

“You seem pretty eager to do this. Aren’t you worried that you might draw unwanted attention?”

‘I don’t like parasites running around doing what they want, taking and taking and never giving anything back. Hurting contributing members and the overall societal body in the process. Criminals, as you call them, need to be taken care of.’ it stated vehemently. ‘You could say it's a trait I picked up from my previous host. As I said before, my captors had other things to worry about. My recapture is a low priority compared to whatever they are doing.’

Amaranth wondered for a moment who this previous host was before focusing back on the task. She also notices her partner's massive disdain for ‘parasites’. “I don’t know…. I want to help, but we might do more harm than good.” argued Amaranth.

Nightstalker hummed for a moment before putting forward a proposal. ‘How about this, if it looks like the police can handle it we don’t interfere. We will only help if needed. How about that?’ negotiated Nightstalker.

Amaranth scrunched her eyebrows together before making her decision. “Alright, but if it looks like the police can handle it, then we won’t get involved. We can’t risk getting people hurt because of our interference,” she said, trying to sound firm.

‘Fair enough.’

Amaranth nodded and turned her attention back to first responders driving further down the street. “How are we going to catch up to them in time?” she asked.

‘I will handle that. You just have to trust me and let me take control,’ it explained.

“Take control?” Amaranth hesitated, contemplating whether she trusted it enough to allow Nightstalker to go forward with whatever it was planning. She had already let it inside of her, and it did keep its promise and give her what she wanted and more, so a little more trust might be warranted, if not mandatory.

“OK, I’ll trust you. Let’s go, but remember, no getting involved unless necessary.” Amaranth said, letting Nightstalker take control of her body. Multiple oily tendrils extended from her arms and back, latching onto the antenna. Nightstalker moved Amaranth’s body into a crouching position, bending her knees as far as they could, aiming towards the next building. It felt weird like invisible strings were moving her like a puppet. The symbiote’s skin returned to its standard color.

‘Ready?’

She wasn’t, but Amaranth offered a reassuring nod anyway before Nightstalker’s tar-like tendrils easily propelled her through the air. Within seconds, the conjoined pair had landed on an adjacent building a few blocks away. Her newly adjusted legs began running towards the next rooftop as they gained momentum.

‘Take control, enjoy the chase.’

Like that, she took control and felt her body move under her own will as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Her heart was pumping hard, with adrenaline pulsing through her veins. She ran faster than she ever could, perhaps even more than in her dreams. The exhilaration of it all quickly became addictive. The strength, the power, the speed, everything. Seeing it was taking too long. Amarnath had an idea relating to the tendrils produced earlier. She headed towards the street and jumped off the edge, her right arm extending multiple oily slimy blue tendrils from her forearm and attaching them to the building in front of her. Using the momentum from the resulting swing to push herself forward, she retracted the tendrils and repeated the process with the other arm.

At one point, she even sprinted across the side of the building using a tendril as a grapple. Along the way, she remained high enough that no one could notice her. Throughout the whole thing, Amaranth couldn’t help but smile. Never did she imagine that her wildest dreams would come true. She flipped her body as she swung, somersaulting before shooting out another tendril. She could feel her heart racing with glee. It was a fantastic feeling that she’d only dreamt of.

Finally, they arrived at what looked like a nightclub along the street. She swung into an alley and latched onto the side of a building. Digging her claws in, she climbed up to the building. Once she reached the edge, she jumped onto the roof. She quickly ran to the opposite side of the roof and stood at the edge. The symbiote’s camouflage kicked in and blended them into the environment.

She saw police cars and armored SWAT vehicles surrounding the entrance of the two-story nightclub. The nightclub itself was nothing peculiar to Amaranth. It had a neon sign spelled out ‘Sargasso Waves’ with hand-curved neon lights that were supposed to mimic a tidal wave beneath the name. Behind the SWAT and police cars were police officers using the vehicles as cover. On both ends of the block, more emergency personnel kept bystanders away. One of the officers behind a police car took a small box-shaped thing out and spoke into it.

“Alright, Gill, what are your demands,” the officer said, his voice coming out of the speakers. A rough voice answered him from the nightclub, likely through its speakers. “What I want is a clean getaway from the city and the planet along with 2 million unmarked credits. For every hour we wait, we kill a hostage. Send anybody in; we kill all the hostages.”

“Alright, it will take time to get everything-”

“You have an hour before we start killing hostages!” demanded Gill. “Starting with this girl!” A young woman’s cry for help was heard from the speakers.

“Help! Please hel-” A thump emanated from the club, signaling that the speakers had been unplugged.

Amaranth froze and her blood turned to ice as she recognized the voice. It was Maxine’s.

Amaranth instantly stood up pacing back and forth. Maxine was here and in danger! She had to do something, but what if she messed up, and got Maxine and the hostages killed? And if she stayed back and let the police handle it, then they would probably go in too late, and civilians could still get hurt. She had to help, but what if someone died because of her-

‘Amaranth, calm down!’ ordered Nightstalker. ‘If you want to save your nurse you have to calm yourself and focus. Take a deep breath.’ it advised.

Amaranth took a deep breath in and out repeatedly for a few moments and calmed herself. She needed to remain collected; people's lives depended on it.

‘Now we have less than an hour to get inside. We need a way in, one they wouldn’t consider. Try checking the rooftop,”

Amaranth looked up. The roof would be an excellent place to look for a way to sneak in. She aimed her right arm at the edge of the nightclub’s roof and shot forth multiple tendrils, latching them onto the side. Like a grappling hook, the tendrils were absorbed back into her arm, launching Amaranth towards the roof of the nightclub. Flipping over the edge at the last second, she landed perfectly with Nightstalker's help. Amaranth couldn’t help, but smirk. It felt so good.

‘Look around. There should be a way in up here. Move quickly and efficiently,’ instructed Nightstalker urgently.

Amaranth looked around. Thanks to Nightstalker, she could see as bright as daylight. There were a few ventilation shafts, some trash on the ground, and a cheap sleeping bag that she was pretty sure was put there by employees for ‘side activities.’ After a few moments of observation, she noted the shed-like structure behind a ventilation shaft.

“Bingo Don’t worry Maxine I’m coming,” she said running towards the shack’s door. She was over halfway there when the doorknob shook. She looked around for a spot to hide, and noticing that the door opened towards the right, she stepped to the right side of the shack and crouched with Nightstalker’s chameleon ability hiding her in plain sight.

‘Good, blend in with your environment, and hide in the shadows. Wait for your prey.’

The door opened and a man stepped out, closing the door behind him. He was wearing a neatly pressed white suit with a black ski mask. In his hand was a pistol. His back was to her. Amaranth was hesitant. She knew they could possibly be armed, but hadn’t fully considered whether they could shoot her or how that would affect her if she were shot. Would Nightstalker be able to protect her, or would the bullet pierce through and hit her? If she or Nightstalker slipped up, they could both die, then Maxine and the hostages would die. Her heart clenched, she was scared. She stepped back accidentally kicking an empty bottle, causing the man to turn in her direction.

‘I will take care of this. Watch and learn.’ At that moment Nightstalker took control of her body and like a predator that had waited long for its prey, pounced on the man. Together, they grabbed the man’s gun wielding hand and twisted hard. His arm cracked easily under the force and he screamed in pain.. The weapon clattered to the ground. Before he could call for help, a spike-like object shot out of Amaranth's forearm, piercing him a couple inches in the arm .

Nightstalker then used it to inject something into him - a paralyzing venom. Within seconds, the man stopped moving. Only his frantically shaking eyes and intense breathing indicated that he was still alive. Thanks to their bond, Amaranth felt Nightstalker’s emotions.She was taken aback by Nightstalker’s predatory nature, ruthlessness, efficiency, and the thrill it got from this. She felt it, and most disturbingly of all, she partly enjoyed it. It scared her to her core, but there was something else. She felt its hunger. Nightstalker’s next words made Amaranth’s stomach drop.

“Before we take care of your friends.” Nightstalker licked its teeth slowly.

Amaranth felt her face lean down to the man's. She could see the primal fear in his hazel eyes and the sweat on the exposed skin around them.

“I will have a little snack.” The man groaned frantically, like a trapped animal that realized its fate.

Amaranth’s mind began racing. It wasn’t going to eat the guy, was it? But to Amaranth’ horror, she felt Nightstalker extend ’their’ mouth wide open in preparation to eat the man’s head. But at the last secondAmaranth screamed mentally.

‘Stop!’

Nightstalker halted, closing its mouth. ‘What’s the problem?’ it asked puzzled.

Amaranth sputtered with confusion. “Wha… What’s the problem?! You were going to eat him!”

‘He is a parasite. Nothing more than useless junk that does nothing but take. Parasites are only good for food. And why make such waste.’ it said, matter of factly.

“Food…. Nightstalker, what does your kind eat exactly?” asked Amaranth shakily. She berated herself for not asking earlier, so caught in the events and excitement of being able to stand that she forgot to ask the most basic of questions. Nightstalker looked at the criminal who was sweating bullets.

‘My kind eats meat preferably, but we can eat almost anything. Hormones are what we really need, which we get from our hosts. But sometimes we need more than usual. Hormones produced during times of fear, excitement, pleasure, and joy are vital in our diet. The brain is usually plentiful of such nutrients.’ Nightstalker was quiet for a moment.

‘You disapprove.’

Of course she disapproved! They may be criminals, but she didn’t want them dead, much less to have their brains eaten.

‘Look, no killing or eating anyone. Just knock them out,’

‘What do you suggest? I’m hungry and need sustenance to maintain performance. Your body is still too weak for me to take any more than I already am. Eating this parasite’s head would fulfill my needs.’

Amaranth’s mind raced looking for an answer. Nightstalker said its kind needed hormones to survive, particularly those found in the brain produced during times of fear, joy, pleasure, and excitement. If her tutors taught her correctly, then fear and excitement resulted in the production of adrenaline. Gratification often results in the release of phenethylamine which could be found in certain foods - chocolate first to come to mind. ‘Normal’ food replacements for adrenaline, Amaranth had to figure that one out later.

‘Look, we have a treat called chocolate and it's filled with one of the hormones you need, the one that is produced during pleasure. You can eat those instead.” negotiated Amaranth.

‘Oh? And what about the other hormones I need? And how do you know these ‘chocolates’ would provide a sufficient amount of the hormone I need?’

‘I don’t know, but I’ll find a way. Just give me time. Please, I don’t want to kill anyone. We are partners and partnerships include compromises. Please, hold off until we try it my way.’

Nightstalker was quiet for a moment. ‘Fine,’ it started reluctantly. ‘Partnerships require compromises, so I’ll wait until we can try the methods you suggest for your sake. For now.’ Nightstalker then gave control back to Amaranth.

Amaranth let out a sigh of relief, then examined the slightly curved talon-like spike coming out of her arm. It stretched as long as her forearm and was black in color. She had to admit it was pretty cool. She thought about retracting the spike blade, and to her surprise it did.

“What was that?” she asked.

‘Stingers, they can be used as weapons and inject paralyzing venom.’

Amaranth heard a groan. She redirected her attention back to the pinned criminal, who was now unconscious. She made a mental note to talk to Nightstalker about any other topics she needs to know about.

“Well, that takes care of him.” She then smelled something acidic and foul in the air. She looked further and saw a wet spot followed by a small puddle around the seam of the criminal's pants.

He had wet himself.

“Ew.”

‘Hide the body. We don’t want any of his friends finding it.’

Amaranth got up and then swung the unconscious man over her shoulder. It was like he weighed almost nothing. She hid him behind one of the ventilator shafts, making sure he was in such a position that nobody would see him unless they knew he was there.

‘It would’ve been much more efficient if you just let me eat him.’ commented Nightstalker.

‘You’re not eating him!’ shot back Amaranth as she quickly returned to the shack’s door. It led to a dimly lit stairway.

‘Remember, stay within the shadows. Use the element of surprise to your advantage,’ it reminded.

‘Stay in the shadows. Got it,’ she thought. Amaranth kept its advice in mind as she went down the stairs. Nightstalker knew more than her, so it was best to take its advice. Nightstalker’s camouflage ability kicked in. At the bottom, she checked her surroundings. It was a reasonably large room with sofas, tables, and chairs. On the right side of the room was a sink, a coffee machine, and a microwave. The left side of the room contained a door with more dimly lit stairs. Amaranth heard the sound of a jiggling doorknob.

“Not again.” She looked around for a place to hide.

‘Jump and latch onto the ceiling. Now!’

Amaranth immediately jumped and grabbed the ceiling with her claws. Next, she lifted her body so that her knees touched the ceiling, allowing her feet to latch on as if she were crawling. The door opened, and two armed men entered, both of them wearing ski masks. One was wearing a gaudy suit, the other a cheap tracksuit. They both seemed angry about something.

“Man, I told Johnny we shouldn’t have sent that ADHD dumb fuck to the roof. He knows how easily he can be distracted! Now we gotta bring his ass back down here,” growled the man in the gaudy suit. The man in the tracksuit shrugged his shoulders.

“You know he’s always been a screw-up,” the man commented apathetically. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s why he was sent to the roof in the first place.”

“Eh, you’re probably right,” snorted the man in the suit. He pointed his gun toward the stairway. “Come on, let’s see what’s taking that dumbass so long.

The two started to head towards the stairway. If they found their partner's body, they would alert everyone else.

‘We can’t let them go to the roof!’

‘I know!’

‘Find a way to turn off these lights and strike them from the dark. I won’t be helping you with this one.’ it commanded.

‘Wait, what? I told you before, I don’t know how to fight!’

‘Like I said before, I care for my host, including teaching them to fight independently. Just follow the instincts you gained from me. It's just two people. It should be easy for you. Also, keep one of them conscious so I could interrogate him.’

‘Interrogate him?’ questioned Amaranth.

‘Don’t worry, I won’t kill them. Now find a light switch.’

Amaranth nodded, then scanned for a way to turn off the lights until she spotted a switch by the door the two men entered. She sent a tendril from her back towards the light switch while the two men weren’t looking and pushed its lever down. The room fell into complete darkness.

“Hey, what happened to the lights?” questioned the one in the tracksuit.

“God damn it, Franky, if this one of your pranks….,” the one in the suit swore. He took out a flashlight. attached it to his shotgun and turned towards the switch.

‘Trust your instincts. Focus. Strike with efficiency and swiftness when the opportunity presents itself.’

“Ok, Amaranth, focus,” she took a deep breath, focusing her mind letting Nightstalker’s instincts kick in. The man in the suit was coming closer. Amaranth’s muscles tensed, ready to launch into a pounce.

‘NOW!’

Letting her instincts take over, she jumped from the ceiling with a battle cry. It came out as a mixture of a roar and screech. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, fueling her to fight. The man screamed and quickly aimed his shotgun at her before firing. Amaranth couldn’t dodge in time. In an instant, she was hit by the shotgun shell square in the chest. She flinched, expecting intense pain and blood, but she barely felt so much as a tickle. She landed on the man, pinning his shotgun to his chest, and locked his arms under it. The man twisted and screamed louder, trying to use his shotgun as a bludgeon to knock her off, but her enhanced size and strength made it a futile gesture.

‘Good, now paralyze him with the venom.’

She clenched her hand, forming a spike on her forearm before injecting the criminal with the paralyzing venom. He stopped moving instantly. A light shone on her as several gunshots rang out. Amaranth felt something like pebbles hit her head and body.

“Nicky, I got ya’! Come on, you freak!” the man screamed as he fired a few more shots from his rifle. Nearly all of his shots missed due to his trembling hands. Suddenly, there were only clicks from an empty gun.

Amaranth acted fast, rushing towards the man, and grabbed the rifle. She crushed the barrel like paper and tossed it to the side. The man tried to run, but Amaranth grabbed him by the collar of his track jacket. She turned him around to face her. She could see and smell the sweat coming through his mask. His fear was palpable.

‘Excellent, he is afraid of us, that will make him more willing to talk. Now it’s my turn. Let me show you how to get answers. Remember fear is a great asset.’

‘Okay, but remember, no killing.’ Amaranth reminded.

‘I know.’ It said with slight irritation.

It took control and chuckled maliciously at the gaudy man causing him to whimper.

“Now, I want answers, and you’re going to give them to me. And if you refuse or scream,” Amaranth felt Nightstalker widen its mouth then placed it over the man’s head causing him to squirm and panic.

‘Hey, you said you won’t kill anyone!’

‘I won’t, trust me.’

“OK, I’ll talk, just don’t eat me!” the man squeaked. Nightstalker removed its mouth from the man’s head and brought him to eye level.

“How many people, how many hostages, and why? Talk fast,” it growled. The man gulped.

“There are 10 of us. We had 20 hostages, but we released half of them as a sign of goodwill - well, that's what the boss said - and we wanted to rob the safe and use the people here as ransom. That’s all I know, I swear! Don’t eat me!” he cried.

Nightstalker poked him with the venomous spike, paralyzing him, then unceremoniously dropped him to the floor. Amaranth felt her control return and looked at the two guys then at her hands. She, with Nightstalker’s help, did all this. Amaranth looked down at her chest, seeing no sign of damage at all. To think, a short time ago she was stuck in a wheelchair barely able to move, and now she felt ... powerful.

‘Focus, we have little time. Their friends will come to investigate thanks to the commotion.’

“Right,” Nightstalker was right; they needed to act fast to save the hostages. Amaranth ran out the door that the two criminals came through, entering a well-lit hallway. The hall was long and narrow. Pictures of people and different parts of Fairfields adorned the wall. The camouflage subsided as she sprinted down the hall. The next door was open just a crack. He was about to open it all the way but stopped when the possibility of more people being on the other side crossed her mind. She crouched, and the camouflage returned. She gently pushed the door, hoping that anyone on the other side would assume it had moved by itself. After a few seconds, it became evident there was no one inside. The room was empty except for what looked like audio equipment lined up against the walls and a console facing a large window.

‘Looks like the coast is clear,’ Amaranth walked over to the console and examined it. It was covered with buttons, sliders, and dials, with a computer screen displaying a list of songs.

“This must be the DJ booth.” Amaranth looked through the window and saw it overlooked the club’s dance floor. Neon-colored lights encircled the flashing squares that made up the dance floor. Tables and chairs flanked the left of the dance floor, while a bar and elevated VIP area flanked the right. On the dance floor sat a group of tied up people. Four masked gunmen guarded the hostages. Two more were in the bar area stealing bottles of alcohol, and another was watching the entrance. Of the four guarding the hostages, one of them talked and pointed while the other three nodded.

“That must be their boss, Johnny.”

‘Then we take him out first, then everyone else.’

“And how would we go about that? As soon as we go down there, they’ll see us and start killing hostages and Maxine.”

‘Find a way to turn off the lights; use the darkness to our advantage.’ Nightstalker chuckled, ‘Now the real fun begins.’

Amaranth didn’t like how eager Nightstalker was. “OK, but remember, we are not killing or hurting them too much.”

‘I know.’ Amaranth could feel Nightstalker’s annoyance.

Amaranth nodded, then looked over the console. There must be something here the DJ used to control the lighting. Eventually, she spotted what she was looking for: a series of dials labeled ‘lights’. Amaranth readied herself and turned the dials down to off, plunging both rooms into darkness. The people on the dance floor began to panic. The hostages looked around with worry while the leader began shouting instructions. Flashlights began shining in every direction; Amaranth felt Nightstalker’s excitement on top of her apprehension.

‘Now the hunt begins.’

Brushing off Nightstalker’s comment, Amaranth looked at the dancefloor, trying to figure out a plan. She would see if the DJ booth windows could open, and then she could climb out, sneak down, and take them out one by one. It should be easy, she hoped. They didn’t have night vision. If she stayed out of their flashlight’s radius. then she could sneak up on them easily. She examined the windows, looking for any way to open them, but to no avail. Suddenly, she noticed a balcony leading up to the DJ booth from her right side, so she went to the door on her right. She opened the door and went onto the balcony to hear the criminals in the middle of a conversation.

“Who turned off the lights?”

“I don’t know, probably that dumbfuck screwing with something he shouldn’t have.”

“Well, the lights outside are still on, so it's not the power. He probably hit the off switch by accident. I gave them a simple job to get him back down here, and somehow they screwed that up.” The leader pointed at one of the criminals. “Phil, go upstairs and see if you can turn the lights back on.”

Amaranth was alarmed. She couldn’t let them turn the lights back on. They would see her and that would endanger the hostages.

‘Remember to hide in the shadows and wait for your chance. Try hiding in a corner. Wait for your prey. Also, make sure you cover his mouth to muffle the screams.’

Amaranth nodded and crouched, activating Nightstalker’s camouflage ability. She felt like a predator on the prowl, stalking her prey. She climbed up the wall the balcony was attached to and into the corner between the DJ room and the balcony's wall. From there, she saw the criminal walking up the stairs with a flashlight in hand. He reached the top of the balcony and rounded the corner for the DJ room.

‘As soon as he enters, sneak behind him, grab him with a group of tendrils, and cover his mouth. Then jab him with a stinger or knock him out with them, either one works. If you're still insistent on keeping the parasites alive,’ Nightstalker instructed.

As soon as the man passed by her, entering the room, she crawled down and followed him in. She was about to jump him when her foot stepped on something making a loud crunching noise. The man turned to point his gun and shone the light on her. He just stood there with shock evident in his eyes.

“What the-” Amaranth cut him off with a tendril across the face. The force of her tendril caused him to fall over. His gun rattled out of his hand. He wasn’t moving at all.

Amaranth dashed to the man and was relieved to find that he was breathing. She had tried to hold back to avoid killing him. She picked up the shotgun and snapped it in half like a twig. She had seen too many movies to know that leaving a working weapon by an unconscious body caused trouble later.

‘Impressive. A little sloppy, but pretty efficient for one as inexperienced as yourself.’

“Um, thanks?” Amaranth responded, not quite sure how to react to the praise. “Anyway, that takes care of that. Let's move on.”

‘Agreed.’

Amaranth went out the door and climbed back up the wall, following the balcony path. Their eyes remained locked on the criminals and hostages. Now, only three criminals guarded the hostages on the dance floor. The other three remained at the bar and front door. Amaranth followed the stairs and crawled down to the floor. She crouched, studying the criminals.

“We need to take them out individually without alerting the others. This will require a more experienced hand. Let me take control.”

‘Alright, but remember, no killing or eating..’

‘I know how to restrain myself, so there is no need to repeat it so often.’

‘Sorry,’ said Amaranth as she relinquished control.

Nightstalker remained crouched and snuck around the tables, inching closer to the criminal by the door. Amaranth could hear Nightstalker’s thoughts. It was fascinating and scary how methodical it was like a hunter.

Meanwhile, the criminals began wondering what was taking the man upstairs so long, ignorant of the fact that he was unconscious. Nightstalker grabbed an empty glass from one of the tables they passed by. It looked around until their eyes landed on the perfect spot in its mind to throw the glass cup at. It aimed the glass at the bar then threw it across the floor where it shattered on one of the bar stools.

“What was that?” asked one of the criminals nervously. They all turned their flashlights toward the noise. Nightstalker moved closer as quickly as possible, keeping its steps quiet. Once a couple of feet from the man’s back, it surged forward with lightning-like speed. First, it grabbed the man’s gun in its left, then covered the man’s mouth with her right hand. The gun barrel was crushed as easily as the others. The man tried to struggle free, but they were too strong for him. Nightstalker extended a stinger from her left forearm and poked the man’s side with it, piercing through his suit and his skin. The venom performed its function, and the man instantly went limp, dropping his gun with a ‘clunk.’

“Hey, what’s that noise?”

Nightstalker instantly shot a tendril from her arm and flew to a wall before the flashlights hit them. Nightstalker dug their claws into the wall and watched as two criminals from the dance floor ran towards their paralyzed friend.

“Holy shit, Joe, what happened to you?!” one of the criminals said as they both bent down to lift their paralyzed friend. The paralyzed man could only groan and moan.

“Hey, look! He’s looking over in that direction.”

The two men immediately pointed their rifles and flashlights in the direction that their friend’s eyes were pointing, shining a light onto Amaranth. She may be camouflaged, but that does not hide a shadow. Nightstalker deactivated its camouflage and jumped onto the floor with a roar.

“What the hell is that thing!” One of the criminals yelled.

“I don’t know, just kill it! Boss, we need-” The criminal choked on his sentence as Nightstalker wrapped its slithering tendril around his body, unphased by the bullets that pelted the pair. It then flicked the entrapped criminal to the side, knocking him into his partner and then the nearby tables. Glasses and utensils flew everywhere. The two lay unconscious. Quickly, Nightstalker crushed each of their guns with its powerful tendrils. Nightstalker turned their attention towards the boss. He was shaking but trying to put on a tough act. The hostages, tied up and gagged, tried to scream in terror. A pretty logical reaction when a 7-foot monster, impervious to bullets, appears and starts knocking people out.

Nightstalker took a step forward, only to be met by several rifle shots to the torso. Every shot felt like nothing more than mosquito bites. Nightstalker chuckled a mixture of hers and its, a sound that deeply disturbed Amaranth. Based on the looks of the criminals and hostages, it bothered them too.

“Jack! Chris! Help me deal with this thing!” yelled the boss with fake bravado.

At that moment, the lights came back on, giving a detailed view of Amaranth. As expected, everybody panicked more. The leader's eyes widened in fear and disbelief as he struggled to regain composure. Nightstalker moved with near-impossible quickness and smoothness. It rushed forward, grabbed the leader's rifle, crushed the barrel, and lifted the leader above their head.

“Stop! Please, don’t hurt me! We didn’t kill anybody! We swear!” he said fearfully.

Amaranth felt Nightstalker’s amusement at how pathetic he was. It looked up at the DJ room and saw the guy Amaranth had knocked out earlier, standing up with his hands on the console and a massive bump on his head. He was frozen in horror. Nightstalker’s gaze must have scared him because he fell backward. On his way down, his arm hit something on the console, making the speakers produce a continuous high-pitched screech. Amaranth and Nightstalker let out a loud mixture of a roar and screech, dropping the criminal leader and clutching their head. To Amaranth, the pain was like a migraine radiating throughout her whole body. In a fit of apparent anger and desperation to make the pain stop, Nightstalker grabbed the leader before he could crawl away. He lifted him by the leg, and in perfect sync Amaranth and Nightstalker yelled with an almost feral sound. The symbiote goo covering Amaranth rippled as Nightstalker tried to maintain form and hold onto her. Amaranth could feel Nightstalker losing its grip on her.

“MAKE THE NOISE STOP!!!” Nightstalker tightened its grip. “NOW, OR I WILL DEVOUR YOUR INSIDES!!!!”

The leader, almost comically, waved his arms around. “Someone turn it off before this thing kills me!!!”

The guy in the booth leaped up and began muting all the speakers. Amaranth and Nightstalker let out a relieved sigh.

‘What was that!?’ asked a weary Amaranth.

‘My kind has a weakness to loud sounds and intense heat. Normally, a sound of this frequency would serve only as an annoyance.’ Nightstalker looked towards the bar. The two criminals who were stealing alcohol earlier were on the ground with their hands above their heads and their guns out of reach in front of them.

‘And you didn’t mention this earlier, why!?’

‘You didn’t ask.’

‘We’re going to talk later.’ promised Amaranth.

‘Fair, but since it is now off...’ Nightstalker then turned its and Amaranth’s attention back to the criminal leader.

“Back to business,” Nightstalker growled. It unceremoniously dropped the man and stood over him. To his credit, the boss knew it was better to shake and whimper instead of trying to run.

“Here’s what’s going to happen. I will check on your hostages while all of you go over there and wait for the police.” Nightstalker bent her body down until the criminal leader had a good look at Nightstalker’s face.

“If you and your buddies try to run, I will break all your bones and then eat you.” For emphasis, Nightstalker lifted Amaranth’s right arm and extended a stinger.

The criminal leader whimpered and nodded. Amaranth flinched at Nightstalker's words and felt a little sorry for the guy, but then again, he deserved a slight scare for taking hostages and threatening Maxine. Nightstalker looked up at the DJ booth. It pointed at the man and then to the bar. Getting the message, the criminal quickly got downstairs and joined his boss by the bar.

‘Now that they are behaving, I will let you check on the hostages.’ it retracted the stinger back into Amaranth’s forearm.

‘Wait, can’t you check on them? I don't know what to do.’

‘You will do a better job than I would. My experience dealing with hostages is limited, and I don’t trust my grasp of human culture and social expectations. Besides, you want to find your nurse, right?’ Thinking about it, Nightstalker had a point. She needed to find Maxine. The people held hostage had enough to deal with as is without the almost 7-foot tall goo monster unintentionally scaring them to death.

“Yeah, I need to check for Maxine. Hopefully, you won’t scare them too much.” Amaranth turned her attention toward the group of hostages who were gagged and tied up by the wrist and ankles. Amaranth approached slowly to avoid scaring them. Unfortunately, it didn't help calm their nerves if the muffled screaming was something to go by. Amaranth stopped and then raised her hand in what she thought was reassuring.

“Hey, I need you all to calm down. I am here to help. But, I need all of you to trust me. I won’t come closer unless you trust me.”

The group members looked at each other as if they were sharing their thoughts. After a few moments, and to Amaranth’s relief, they nodded.

“Thank you for trusting me. Now, let’s free all of you.”

She then walked the rest of the way toward the hostages. As she walked, she scanned the group, looking for Maxine. It took a few moments until she found her. Amaranth almost didn’t recognize her due to the makeup running down her face from crying. She wore a blue blouse with matching jeans, and her hair was in a simple ponytail. Seeing Maxine, who was akin to an older sister to her, like this was bizarre. She was so used to seeing her dressed all professionally like a nurse. Amaranth immediately used her claws to cut Maxine free, starting with the cloth around her hands and then her ankles. Once free, Maxine loosened her gag and removed the cloth from her mouth. Before Maxine could speak, Amaranth spoke.

“Are you ok? Are you in any pain? Did they hurt you?” growled Amaranth, surprising herself with how threatening she sounded when she said the last part.

Maxine looked taken back before she gained her bearings.

“I…. I am alright. They surprisingly didn’t hurt any of us.” She then looked Amaranth over with a cautious and fearful eye. “Who…. What are you?”

Amaranth thought about it momentarily, trying to think up something to say before finally saying it.

“I am just a good Samaritan who came to help, but if you want you can call m- us Nightstalker. Now go help free everyone else.”

Amaranth and Maxine went to work, freeing the rest of the hostages. They were more cooperative after Amaranth proved she wouldn’t hurt them. A few even got over their wariness and even thanked them. The former hostages dragged the remaining incapacitated criminals to the bar area. As soon as they freed the last person, the front doors exploded open. Amaranth turned around and saw what looked like SWAT members coming through the door. He looked up and saw SWAT members already on the balcony. A symphony of clicks echoed through the room the moment they saw her. Thirty red dots appeared on Amaranth’s body.

‘Prepare to run.’

‘I can’t just run out here; I’d have to go through the police! Criminals are one thing, but I don’t want to hurt the officers. They’re just doing their jobs. We can find another way!’

‘We won’t have a choice. Besides, I don’t see the problem. They will live, a little banged up, but alive.’

‘WE ARE NOT FORCING OUR WAY THROUGH! PERIOD!’ she mentally screamed.

Before Nightstalker could respond, Maxine, along with other rescued hostages, stood in front of her, acting as her shield.

“Don’t shoot! She...” Maxine looked at her for confirmation; Amaranth awkwardly nodded in response. “She saved us from those criminals!”

“Yeah, if it wasn’t for Nightstalker, who knows what they would have done to us.”

There was a chorus of agreement throughout the former hostages. The SWAT officers looked towards an older man with graying hair and a mustache wearing a standard officer uniform. It was the officer from earlier who had spoken on the microphone. The man in question raised a hand, and the SWAT officers lowered their guns with hesitation. The man looked at the former hostages, then at Amaranth, then at the criminals at the bar while maintaining a stern and critical eye. He then holstered his gun and pointed at a group of officers.

“Alright, you five get the hostages to the paramedics, then meet with me! The rest of you double-check the building,” he ordered.

The rest of the officers began double-checking the building while the five cautiously approached the former hostages while giving Amaranth a wide berth. The group slowly followed the officers outside to get medical treatment. Maxine looked back at Amaranth with a worried expression before going out the door.

The older man approached the teenager and stopped directly in front of her. He looked her over until their eyes met, causing Amaranth to feel a little self-conscious.

“My name is Jordan Smith, Commissioner of the Fairfields police department,” he introduced before giving her one more scan. “I’ve seen many things in my thirty years on the force. A hostage situation resolved by a 6-foot-4-tall creature tops the metaphorical cake. But these people vouch for you, so thank you... Nightstalker, was it?”

Amaranth nodded.

“Well, uh,” Amaranth covered their mouth and coughed.

“You’re welcome. Um, it's all in a day- eh, night’s work. I’ll just be going.” Amaranth mentally reprimanded herself for how stupid she sounded right now.

Mr. Smith raised his hand before she could walk away. “Hold up, while I appreciate the help. You acted outside the law and performed acts of vigilantism. So, protocol dictates I arrest you.”

‘Quick, run, and force your way out.’

‘Wait a moment!’

Mr. Smith continued to speak, placing a hand under his chin.

“But, those protocols were created with humans in mind, so they technically don’t apply to you. I will talk to my superior about this, and it could take a while. A long while. Which might be just enough time for someone to sneak out while everyone else is busy.” he said, turning his back towards her and talking into the chatter on his wrist.

Amaranth understood what he was saying. She activated Nightstalker’s camouflage and let it take control. It retraced their steps, sneaking around the police until they eventually reached the roof. When they reached the roof, Nightstalker ensured there were no police and then gave power back to Amaranth. She immediately ran to the edge and jumped. She shot out tendrils and swung a few blocks away from the club before finding a secluded roof to land on. Once Amaranth made sure there were no prying eyes, she let her ‘mask’ slither back, revealing her face.

“Oh, my God! Oh my God!” she shouted as she walked back and forth, rubbing a clawed hand through her symbiote-covered hair. “I can’t believe all that happened. The chase, the hostages, criminals, YOU!” Nightstalker extended itself from Amaranth back and curved its serpentine body around to meet Amaranth’s face.

“I take it you enjoyed your night?” it asked, though it sounded more like a statement.

Enjoyed? She loved it, every experience. The rush of being able to do things she was told she could never do because of her degrading health and more. Even with the hostage situation, this was the best nights she ever had. The power and speed! Amaranth looked at her hands covered with Nightstalker claws. With Nightstalker’s help, they were able to stop a hostage situation and free the hostages. It felt right. Together, while searching for the truth, they could help protect the innocent and take criminals off the streets. This was it, something to call her own, something that wasn’t taken from Daisy. Like Sakura, Asuka, or any other Shonnen hero she will protect the innocent and bring justice to evildoers!

“Yeah, I did. We make a pretty good team,”

Nightstalker chuckled. “So far, I agree, but there’s some room for much improvement. Now, there is one issue we must resolve now: my hunger.”

Amaranth looked up in thought. Of course. She had to find an alternative source for its daily dose of hormones. It preferred to eat brains, so animal brains would work, right? The thought of eating animal brains didn't sit right with Amaranth. Not because she was against it, morally speaking, it was just weird. But compromises need to be made. She would try it later. Fortunately, some butchers nearby imported animal brains for the more exotic restaurants. Right now, she should try her chocolate experiment.

“OK, hold on, I have an idea, we just need to go ho-.” Amaranth cut off. She frantically looked at her wrist. The symbiote skin moved out the way, revealing her chatter. Her eyes widened even further, and her stomach dropped when she saw the time. It was 3:00 am. She was out almost the entire night and tutoring started in seven hours! She had to get home. “Nightstalker, I have to go home now before my parents wake up!”

‘Alright, let me take control. I can get there within an hour.’

Amaranth gave Nightstalker control without hesitation. It ran to the edge and jumped, extending a tendril one after another: swinging and jumping from roof to roof. After almost an hour they made it out of the city, to the suburbs, through the forest area, and around the populated areas until they reached the bridge that led home. Then Nightstalker did something that answered the question of how it snuck her out of the house. It jumped into the water and swam towards the island, avoiding setting off the security system on the bridge. It swam at speeds that weren’t humanly possible, heading straight towards the island.

It was a strange experience for Amaranth. While underwater, she could breathe with no problem. It was likely that Nightstalker was filtering the oxygen out of the water like gills on a fish. Also, she could see through the water quite clearly. Amaranth noted to swim later to see how deep she could go. After a few minutes of swimming, Nightstalker made a slight left turn, going around the island before lunging out of the water and latching onto the rocky cliff behind the island. Nightstalker extended a tendril from Amaranth’s arm up the cliff and attached it to the stone fence surrounding the back of the island. The tendril retracted back, pulling them up over the wall, allowing them to land in the forest-covered area behind the house. It activated its camouflage and made its way through the woods. After a few minutes, they arrived at her bedroom window.

It climbed up the wall and into the open window. Once there, it gave control back to Amaranth and retracted back into her body. Amaranth examined herself. Surprisingly, despite everything that happened, her nightgown was in the same condition she remembered. She looked around the room. Everything was the same: her teddy bear and anime figurine collection were in the same spots, her bed was just like when she went to bed, and her dresser was the same, with the napkin of fruit bars still sitting on top.

She went over to her dresser and opened a drawer. Inside were a bible, a few chocolate bars and chocolate drops. Amaranth took out a chocolate bar and unwrapped it. “Here, try this,” she said, presenting the bar.

Nightstalker manifested itself from her back and ate the chocolate whole. Amaranth could feel its satisfaction. “Yes, the chemicals I need are in this food, not as much as in brains, but it will do. You are going to have to eat chocolate quite often.”

Amaranth let out a sigh. She wasn’t looking forward to eating chocolate almost constantly, but it was a sacrifice she would have to make. “I also have another idea for your brain problem, but first-” Amaranth took a chocolate drop from the drawer, unwrapped it, then ate it. “We need to talk.”

Nightstalker instantly whipped around, looking at her face-to-face, causing Amaranth to jolt back slightly before regaining her composure. “You want to talk about earlier,” it stated. Amaranth folded her arms, staring Nightstalker in the ‘eyes’.

“Yes, we’re partners, so I need to know important details like your strengths and weaknesses.”

Nightstalker hummed. “Fair enough, I should’ve told you earlier. What you like to know?”

“First, are there any other weaknesses I should know about?” asked Amaranth pointedly.

Nightstalker answered immediately. “My kind are weak to extremely loud noises and prolonged exposure to intense heat. Something like a jet engine or fire is extremely uncomfortable if exposed for long periods of time. But I can handle, say heat waves from an oven or loud music. ”

Amaranth let out a relieved sigh; she can still listen to her music at high volumes and go to most places. “Also,” Amaranth hesitated. “Back in the Nightclub while being hit by that sound, it felt like-”

“That I was barely holding on,” finished Nightstalker.

Amaranth nodded. “Yes, it was like you were losing your grip on me.” she said with a shiver down her spine.

“Prolonged exposure to high-frequency sound will weaken the bond between me and my host, potentially causing separation,” it confirmed.

Amaranth gulped at the thought. With a loud enough noise, there was a chance they would become separated and vulnerable. Maybe there was a way to prepare for such a situation? Happily tossing the disturbing thought aside, she continued to her next point.

“Second, I think changing our ‘costume’ appearance is a good idea. Can you do that?”

Nightstalker tilted its head. “To an extent, yes, but why? What’s wrong with the way we look?”

Amaranth rubbed the back of her head. “Well, the hostages were scared of us.”

“So, fear is our greatest asset. As long as they don’t get hurt I don’t see the problem.” dismissed Nightstalker.

“I believe we can achieve a balance that would drive fear into criminals and endear trust from innocent people. It is in our best interest to ensure such trust and in turn, cooperation if we ever needed.”

Nightstalker hummed in thought. An unexpected human expression. “I see, but do you have any ideas?”

Amaranth had a few, but there was another matter that must be addressed. “Yes, but before we discuss that, we need to set some ground rules on how we're going to do things,” she said, with seriousness.

Nightstalker tilted its head to the side. “Oh?” it said, its inky mass seemed to pulsate with the word.

“Yes,” said Amaranth. “First rule: no killing criminals and no eating heads or any other part of the body.”

“They're criminals, parasites, and such should be disposed of. We’re doing your society a favor. And what if the criminal is already dead? It’ll be a waste to leave such morsels to rot,” argued Nightstalker inches away from Amaranth’s face causing her to step back.

Amaranth shivered at how casually Nightstalker spoke of killing and eating people. “No, we capture criminals and let the police handle the rest. We’re not going to play judge, jury, and executioner. That’s not our place, and that’s not what heroes do. We’re not eating people, whether dead or alive. Nobody deserves to have their bodies desecrated like that, and it is almost borderline cannibalism,” replied Amaranth, folding her arms and standing firm.

“Technically, I’m the one eating the body, not you,” pointed out Nightstalker.

Amaranth shook her head. “It still skirted the line a little too close for comfort, and if my idea works, then human brains won’t be necessary, hopefully. Life is precious and shouldn’t be snuffed out so casually. We don’t want the wrong people to fear us. It’ll make things difficult for us in the long run.” She argued that trying to use logic, something Amaranth noticed, works quite effectively on Nightstalker.

“Hmmm, a fair point, considering human taboos,” conceded Nightstalker. “But, what if the criminal is about to kill an innocent?” Nightstalker pressed on.

“What if the said criminal is what you call a serial killer who killed multiple innocents? It would be best to kill such a person and eat them. To ensure they no longer harm more people and their bodies don’t go to waste. ”

Amaranth gulped, and her heart thumped her chest, but she remained firm and to the best of her ability, stood tall and resolute. “No,” said Amaranth. “Life is precious, even the life of scumbags like them. They have the right to a trial to determine whether they’re guilty and any circumstances that could change their sentences. It's how our society works.”

“Your way is inefficient and illogical.”

Amaranth stood her ground. “Too bad, that’s how our laws work. We aren’t judges or executioners. We will hand criminals to the proper authorities, alive, so they can answer for their crime in court, and if it's death, so be it. We’ll kill only as an absolute last resort.”

“If you don’t like it, then-” Amaranth hesitated for a second before letting the potential death sentence out of her drying mouth. “You can leave.”

Nightstalker was quiet for a moment, looking…. Impressed? It then chuckled. “Very well, but I have some rules of my own. ”

Amaranth unfolded her arms and relaxed. “Alright, sho-”

Amaranth suddenly felt dizzy and weak as the adrenaline in her system wore off. Her body suddenly felt like it was weighed down by rocks, and her mind became groggy. Nightstalker looked at Amaranth.

“You’re tired, go to bed. We’ll discuss this tomorrow when you’re less groggy. It’ll also allow me to heal you more efficiently.”

“Yeah, that’s a good plan,” she muttered before heading towards her bed. On the way there she passed by her wheelchair. She took a good look at it. For years she was stuck in it, unable to walk or do much of anything. She chuckled imagining getting rid of it, but then another thought came to mind. She was going to have to hide her miraculous recovery from her parents until she found the right time to tell them about Nightstalker. She knew she couldn’t hide this forever. This meant she would have to play sick and ride the wheelchair a little longer. At least she wouldn’t need it or her medicine anymore. With that thought, she laid on her bed and let the blissful arms of sleep take her.

---------

Nightstalker looked at its hosts with satisfaction. “Compromising, but willing to put her foot down when needed. Looks like I chose right,” it said before absorbing back into its host. It had a feeling that great things would come from this partnership. It then proceeded to analyze its host further, making plans for further physical improvement.

---------

She was walking down a corridor, a somber and sad feeling within her chest. She saw rows upon rows of cryo pods down the corridor as she was escorted by four marines. She wore a form-fitted jumpsuit designed explicitly for use with cryosleep. After a few moments, Amaranth stood in front of a pod. The pod’s door opened, allowing Amaranth to enter and lay inside the pod. The door slowly closed, sealing with a hiss as anesthetic gas started to fill the pod, numbing Amaranth and causing her to feel drowsy. Then her lungs felt like they were being coated from the inside, like a mucus she couldn’t spit up. Then, after some time, it suddenly started to become slightly cool and then cold. The chill spread through her chest as more mucus filled her lungs, and within moments, her eyes closed, too heavy to keep open.

---------

Year: 04/8/2525, 0800

Planet: Sargasso

Location: Fairfield City, 4th precinct outskirts, Spencer Estate.

Amaranth suddenly woke up to the sound of her chatter’s alarm clock playing one of her favorite songs to wake her up. She reluctantly opened her eyes and raised her right arm to silence her chatter, checking the time in the process. It was 8:00 am. She lowered her arm and looked out the window. Amaranth was greeted by a sight that she loved to see and hear every morning: the view of the Sargasso sea with the sound of gentle sloshing waves and the smell of saltwater with the sun in the middle of the sky. Amaranth then thought about what happened last night and wondered whether or not it was a dream. The fact that her body still felt better than ever before and the first words she heard tossed that notion aside.

‘Good morning, Amaranth, how was your dream?’

Amaranth sat up, surprised. ‘You saw my dream?’

‘No, I understand that it's considered a breach of privacy and trust to look at every thought of my host, so I avoid prying too much. Though, I did sense a strange amount of activity in your brain. You were dreaming, but it felt like something more.’

Amaranth was quiet for a moment. Nightstalker was right, it likely wasn’t just any dream, but a memory or vision from Daisy, her original.

‘You know how I’m a clone? Well, sometimes I get these dreams of doing things I was never able to do before and being in strange situations. I believe my dreams are either Daisy’s memories or visions from her.’

Nightstalker was silent for a moment before it spoke.

‘I see, that would explain the unusual activity. My kind has something similar when a klyntar reproduces. The parent and the resulting offspring can sense each other when nearby. Same for the offspring of the offspring.’

Amaranth raised a curious eyebrow. ‘Nightstalker, how does your kind reproduce?’

‘Asexually. And once the offspring is born, it goes off someplace else. My kind doesn't have the same parenthood concept as yours. In fact, Klyntars are more or less neutral towards their offspring or, in the worst circumstances, hostile. The closest thing we have to human parenthood is the passing on knowledge every 1000th spawn.’

Amaranth arched an eyebrow. ‘What happens every thousandth spawn?’

‘My kind passes on knowledge through genetic memory, eliminating the need for the human concept of parenthood, which is much more efficient. We’re born knowing what to do to survive, but every 1000th spawn, give or take, the genetic memory fails, requiring the parent to mentor the child and pass the necessary knowledge or risk the destruction of the spawn if left unchecked-’

Amaranth gasped. ‘You would kill your own child!?’

‘It's necessary,’ stated Nightstalker without hesitation. ‘Due to the genetic memory degradation, the spawn is born only a step above a feral beast and at risk of psychotic breakdown. A danger to itself and those around it. Think of a baby with the body of a fully grown adult and no emotional control. It's the duty of the progenitor to make sure that doesn’t happen though unfortunately, some fail.’

Amaranth could see the logic, as cold as it was. Nightstalker, as it was, was very dangerous, but a feral version that just lashed out at everything sounds even more so. But, it still felt wrong to kill essentially a child for something it had no control over.

At that moment, a knock was heard coming from her door, then her mother’s voice came through it. Amaranth jumped out of her bed. She stood on her feet. She couldn’t help, but take a quick moment to appreciate the feeling of standing on her own.

“Daisy, can I come in?” called Daisy’s mother, breaking Amaranth out of the moment.

Amaranth panicked and jumped into the seat of her wheelchair, quickly straightening herself and taking a deep breath to calm herself before saying. “Come in,” she said with a slight crack in her voice.

“I believe you humans would say at this moment ‘real smooth’.”

‘Be quiet, and let me focus. We can’t have her suspect anything wrong.’

With that, the door opened, and Daisy’s mother came in. It was strange; usually, she was on her way to work by that point. Then again, considering what happened last night Maxine probably took the day off to recover. So, she probably had to wait for the tutor before opening the shop.

“Good morning, sweetie,” she said with a smile on her face.

“Good morning, Mom,” she responded. Calling her mom felt wrong considering who she was, but it was the only thing she’d ever known her by. “I thought you were at work.”

“I was supposed to be, but, dear, I have some terrible news. "Maxine had a bit of an emergency last night-”

Amaranth sat up straighter. “Is she alright? How’s she holding up?” She seemed alright when she saved her, but that was a few hours ago. A lot could change during that time.

Daisy’s mother placed a soothing hand on Amaranth’s shoulder. “Oh, don’t worry. She’s doing alright, she is just a little rattled. ” She let out a sigh. “Poor thing was in a hostage situation, no one should go through what she went through. Fortunately, a good Samaritan - or lunatic, depending on who you ask - saved them last night.”

“Good Samaritan?” said Amaranth, trying to sound as ignorant as possible. Daisy’s mother nodded.

“Apparently, some sort of monstrous creature saved her and a few others, though I think the rumor is just the result of an overactive imagination. I doubt it was some sort of creature,” she checked her chatter. “Oh, look at the time. Let’s get you ready before breakfast gets cold.”

Amaranth raised an eyebrow. “What about tutoring? Its starts in less than an hour.”

“Ms. Reynolds will be a little late today due to an unforeseen incident. I figured we could eat breakfast together since I won’t be at work today. Your father said he would be home during his lunch break, too.” She then walked over to her dresser and opened the drawer to dig through her clothes.

“But first, let's get you washed up and ready for the day.” She pulled out some jeans and a white blouse and showed them to Amaranth. “Would you like to wear these today?”

Amaranth thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, that’d be alright.”

Daisy’s mother nodded, then pulled out some underwear and an undershirt. “Alright, let's go. I already have the bath ready.”

Amaranth turned on her wheelchair and rolled into the hallway with her mother following behind. She turned left and headed towards the bathroom and down the hall. It didn’t take long before they reached their destination. The door was open, revealing a perfectly clean bathroom with a sink, a small bathtub, decorative towels, and pictures hanging on the walls. On both sides of the bath were two safety bars and in front was a slip-resistant rug. The tub was filled with hot, bubbly water that filled the room with the smell of lavender.

Both Amaranth and Daisy’s mother entered the bathroom. Daisy’s mother took off Amaranth’s clothes, placing them, her life alert, and her Chatter to the side. With an ‘oomph, she lifted Amaranth and settled her into the soothing water. Amaranth couldn't help but let out a content sigh.

“This feels quite nice.”

“I know,” said Amaranth leaning her head forward, closing her eyes, and letting the soothing lavender soak through her skin.

“Excuse me?” asked Daisy’s mother.

Amaranth opened her eyes and leaned. “Uhmm, just thinking out loud, Mom.”

Daisy’s mother nodded and proceeded to take a soap water-filled cloth and wash her back. She then shampooed and lathered her hair while Amaranth washed her front and arms. Washing was one of the many things she absolutely couldn’t do on her own - until recently - due to it requiring her to get up and walk across a slippery surface. She didn’t mind this very much. She enjoyed the bonding time that came with the bathing, whether assisted by he- Daisy’s mother, or father.

‘Bonding time that should have been Daisy’s,’ she thought sadly.

“When I lifted, you felt heavier,” Daisy’s mother chuckled. We’re probably going to have to cut back on giving you sweets,” she joked as she rinsed the soap out of her hair.

Amaranth chuckled nervously. The extra weight was probably from Nightstalker now living inside of her.

“Sorry, you will weigh a little extra due to my presence.”

“You also seemed different today.”

Amaranth froze; fortunately, Daisy’s mother didn’t seem to notice. “What do you mean?”

Daisy’s mother shrugged. “I don’t know. You seemed more lively than usual. You seemed brighter, healthier even.”

“Oh…. Uhm, it must be the medicine I’m on,” suggested Amaranth.

Daisy’s mother was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, you must be right. I guess the doctor was right to put you on a new regiment. Alright, close your eyes and hold still.” Amaranth did as she was told and felt warm water wash over her. After drying her off and caring for other hygienic needs, they returned to Amaranth’s room, where Daisy’s mother helped her get dressed.

“There you go, now you’re ready for the day,” beamed Daisy's mother as she grabbed a brush and began to brush Amaranth’s hair. After a few strokes, she was done. “Alright, now let’s go eat breakfast.”

They went back down the hall towards the stairs. Daisy’s mother took the stairs while Amaranth drove her wheelchair onto the elevator platform and rode it down. She followed Daisy’s mother through the living room and into the kitchen, where the aroma of freshly cooked bacon wafted to meet her. Her stomach growled as she felt Nightstalker's hunger.

‘HMMM, Meat.’

Amaranth couldn’t help but agree with the feeling. She drove to the empty spot at the table in the middle of the kitchen. After settling in, Amaranth took note of the table. It was covered with a simple blue table cover with two plates of scrambled eggs, grits, and bacon. Mrs. Spencer sat on the side of the table. She took out a remote and turned on the Waypoint TV. It sat on a small stand across from the kitchen table. After a few moments, the tv booted up and connected to a waypoint. The local news channel began broadcasting the weather. It was a family rule that the news channel was allowed to be on in the kitchen as it usually made a good conversation starter. It was going to be a beautiful sunny day, perfect for going to the beach and shopping.

“Maybe after eating lunch with your father we can go shopping before you continue your tutoring session?” Daisy’s mother suggested.

Amaranth hummed in thought, taking a bite of bacon. She felt that Nightstalker enjoyed the taste, but it said afterward it preferred its meat raw. That wasn’t bad, she likes her burgers and steaks rare. After swallowing her bacon, Amaranth spoke. “I would like that. I also would like to check on Maxine if we can.”

Daisy’s mother nodded. “We can. She should still be at the police station.”

Amaranth nodded and turned to look at the television to see a news anchor in front of the Sargasso waves. There were a multitude of people and police officers checking the building.

“Looks like they’re talking about the hostage situation from last night.” Daisy’s mother said as she turned up the volume.

“Hello, this is Fairfields News 6 with your friendly reporter Catherine Phillip reporting here today at the Sargasso Waves, where last night this was the sight of a horrific hostage situation that lasted for hours. That is until what eyewitnesses could only describe as a ‘black and blue inky she monster,’ called Nightstalker, came in and saved the day. Now before anyone dismisses this notion, we have security footage from the club’s cameras.”

The scene changed to low-quality black-and-white video footage. In the video, the criminals were talking in the break room and about to head to the roof when the lights went out. That’s when the camera went into night vision mode, and a creature suddenly jumped out of the darkness; it pounced on the criminal with the shotgun while taking a shell to the torso. Unaffected, it kept going. The creature landed on the man, crushing his gun before jabbing him with a stinger and paralyzing him. The one with the rifle fired a few shots, hitting the creature but to no avail. The creature then pounced on them and tried to eat them. The man then said something, causing the creature to paralyze him like it did his buddy. Another piece of footage showed the creature sneaking into the DJ booth and fiddling with the controls until the lights turned off. Then, she showed her takedown of the criminal sent to investigate.

Amaranth could feel Nightstalker take pride in how smoothly she performed for - in his words - ‘a beginner.’ And she couldn’t help but feel a little pride in what she did with Nightstalker’s help. Without it, those guys would have torn her apart with no problem. The footage paused on a scene of her crouching. It was blurry and pixelated but clear enough to make out some details, especially the pupilless serrated eyes and the mouth that went too far back forming a disturbing smile filled with teeth. Damn, she was scary. The paused video then shrunk into the corner of the screen, revealing the reporter from earlier.

“Police will release an official statement later today, but who or whatever she is, I for one am glad for her help. Now, back to you, Joh-”

Daisy’s mother lowered the volume to a muffle. “Can you believe it? So a lunatic in a costume decided to play the superhero, and people actually think she’s some sort of ink creature.”

‘Well, that’s ironic,’

Amaranth flinched at Amy’s remark. It was right. Daisy’s mother unknowingly called her a lunatic.

“I don’t know, Mom. Nightstalker seemed pretty cool, and she saved the hostages’ lives, including Maxine’s. I mean, for a monster, she can't be that bad. Maybe now any criminals will think twice before doing anything.”

Daisy’s mother took a sip of her coffee.

“Daisy, you can’t believe everything you see on TV. I highly doubt that this ‘Nightstalker’ is a monster. She’s probably just some woman who took the law into her own hands. Now, I am not saying she did a bad thing, but this was a matter for highly trained police, not a vigilante - no matter how good he or she is.”

Amaranth nodded, choosing not to argue. For the rest of breakfast, they ate and talked about school grades, the latest fashion trends, and the doctor’s appointment scheduled later that week. That part worried Amaranth. Every doctor’s appointment required bloodwork to monitor her condition and adjust medication. The problem was that now she had a symbiote in her system flowing through her blood.

‘Don’t worry, I know how to hide. Your doctor won’t suspect a thing.’

‘Really, you can do that?’

Nightstalker chuckled. ‘Of course, this isn't the first time I had to hide.’ it assured.

“OK, I hope you're right.” replied Amaranth, she had no choice, but to take Nightstalker’s word.

Daisy’s Mother lifted her right wrist and checked her chatter. “Excuse me, sweetie, but I have to get some things from upstairs. I will be right back.”

“Alright, Mom,” said Amaranth before eating the last few eggs on her plate. Daisy’s mother smiled before handing her the remote.

“Since you’re by yourself, I’ll let you break the family rule and change the channel to anything you like,” she said, getting up from the table and going into the living room.

‘She clearly adores you,’

“No, she loves Daisy. Not an imposter who she will probably reject if she found out the truth.”

‘Hmmm, she doesn’t seem the type to throw you out just because of your origins. Why would you say that?’

‘I’m just something grown in a vat made to replace Daisy. Why would they accept me?’

‘I don’t understand. From what little I understand of human relationships is based on relations, and since you shared their blood, doesn’t that make you their daughter as well? They also raised and sacrificed for you. Why would they reject you because of your origins? My kind reproduce asexually so technically we’re all clones, but we still acknowledge our offspring.’ argued Nightstalker.

Amaranth shook her head. ‘They did that thinking I was Daisy. Thinking I’m their real daughter.’

‘You didn’t intend to replace Daisy. You had no say in the matter. Logically, they should have no reason to be angry at you.’

‘It's complicated,’ responded Amaranth.

‘Oh? How so?’

‘Because I wasn't adopted by them or birthed by Amy!’ snapped Amaranth. ‘I was grown in a test tube, plopped into someone else's life and left to die! I stole their daughter’s life! While I get to have a childhood Daisy lost hers! Why wouldn’t they hate me for that!”

‘Hmmm, sounds like you’re saying your life is of less value because you're a clone?’ asked Nightstalker.

Amaranth vehemently shook her head. ‘No, I….mean... I,’ she stuttered. ‘I… I… I don’t know, but it feels like it! I thought I was Daisy my whole life and then recently, I found out I’m just some cheap copy! I gave myself a new name, but I still don’t know who I am!’ screamed Amaranth, tears pouring from her eyes. She wiped her eyes, and both parties remained silent for a few moments.

‘Let’s just watch some TV,’ she finally said. She didn’t want to discuss the matter any more. Nightstalker took the hint and decided to move on.

‘OK, there’s something we need to talk about anyway.’

Amaranth rubbed her eyes. ‘Is there a problem? Is it about your hunger?’

‘No, it is not about that. It is about your level of fitness.’

‘My level of fitness?’

‘Yes, one of my ground rules. I require all my hosts to maintain peak fitness. You see my kind takes what the host has and enhances it. So the stronger the host without a Klyntar-’

‘The stronger the host is with one. So, you are saying I should try to increase my fitness level and so, in turn, increase my performance when you fully enhance me?’

‘Correct, it would increase your chances of encountering stronger enemies. And as a bonus, your health would benefit from it. Listen, if we pursue your goal, we will make enemies, so we mustn’t become complacent. Your body is severely degraded and gonna need a lot of work. We need to increase your muscles' strength and mass, endurance, and a few other things.’

‘Don’t worry, I will assist you in this endeavor. With my assistance, you reach your potential within the next few months, or by the end of the year, tops.’

Amaranth thought about it and concluded Nightstalker was right. She should take full advantage of her newfound health and abilities. She can’t waste this new lease on life.

‘Alright, but can we relax for now? I’m still a little spent from last night.’

‘Very well, you've been through more than your body can handle, but we will start as soon and as hard as possible. And we will go over a couple more of my rules later.’

‘OK,’ Amaranth picked up the remote and tried to turn the channel, but nothing happened.

“The batteries must be dead.” Then a thought came to her. She could walk now, and Daisy’s Mom was away. She could just simply walk over, change the channel real quick, and sit back down before Daisy’s Mom came back. Amaranth got up from her wheelchair.

‘What are you doing? This is a bad idea. Sit back down,’ ordered Nightstalker.

“Don’t worry. It will be quick, and she won't suspect a thing.” Amaranth proceeded to the TV and pressed a button, changing the channel and searching for something good to watch. After a few moments of browsing channels and searching through a streaming site, she finally found something good to watch: a movie about a superhero wearing a bat outfit.

“Amaranth, look behind you!” yelled Nightstalker.

Amaranth looked behind her, wondering why Nightstalker was worried. She froze on the spot. Behind her was Daisy’s mother; mouth agape and pointing a shaky finger at her. Her face was a mixture of disbelief and... happiness?

“You….. you're standing,” she said shakily, her voice cracking. “You’re standing without shaking.”

And for the first time, Amaranth cursed in front of Daisy’s mother. “Shit.”

“Told you so,” added Nightstalker.