Finding a rich guy who was abusing his employees, scamming money from charities, and/or got off from any number of crimes because he was friends with the judge or had a good lawyer was remarkably easy.

The best name I found was Martin Vedastus, he started off with a simple life. His father was a wall street banker, while his mother was the heiress to some fashion company or something. He cruised through life, failing schools and abusing women, then started his own company. A scam insurance company, one that never payed out on accidents and raised prices due to a warm breeze. He was recently released with a slap on the wrist and a few hours community service after several accusations of assault and rape were brought before him, fortunately his college buddy who was now a local judge got the case.

Information on rich people was surprisingly easy to find, they bragged about their ‘achievements’ like they just cured cancer. While the people they wronged were easy to persuade to give information on him. Especially when you lied about making a case against him, but mostly they wanted someone to vent to. Someone that believed they were wronged, since few others would even listen.

When one of the women who came forward told me that she was an old girlfriend. She talked about a night they went ‘out on the town’, got drunk and proceeded to drive home. Apparently someone was walking late at night, she didn’t know if it was some drunk guy walking home or a homeless person looking for a place to sleep. Way past inebriated and not paying attention, Martin ran the man over, killed the man. Leaving him there on the street, and having his cop buddy clean up the mess as a random hit and run.

Mary, the old girlfriend, was a wreck after the incident, she was just some girl who hooked up with the wrong guy one too many times. She didn’t want to go forward, knowing that Martin had enough friends that he wouldn’t go away, at least not for long. She didn’t look good, her eyes were sunken and her skin looked thin and pale. I questioned what she was taking to help forget the guilt of letting a guilty man get away with murder.

You need to calm down, stealing from someone is one thing.

I told Mary that I would do whatever it took to make sure Martin got what he deserved. Fists clenched I walked out of the little coffee shop, frustrated would be putting it mildly. “You think that trash deserves to live any longer. How many more people does he get to kill before it is enough? How many more innocent people have to be hurt, before he crosses some line? WELL, how many?”

Even if his death would be justified, we cannot attract more attention than necessary. If some government or group knows of our existence before we are ready…we wouldn’t have enough people to defend against it. Also if you get taken captive I won’t have another host, I may die alongside you.

“Is that what this is about, you are scared of dying. So terrified that you don’t even want to do the right thing. So that vision of a happy utopia far out in the stars was what, a fantasy. If you can’t do the right thing now, then when are you going to start? When does the vision seem like a possibility rather than just some wet puff dream?”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

I don’t know. I don’t know if that dream will ever come true. I understand your frustration, you know that, but you are overestimating both of us. It is dangerous to steal from this man in the first place, but killing him and never getting caught are out of the realm of possibility.

“Don’t lie to me, you are just scared. Not of losing me, not of never achieving your goal, all you are scared of, is dying. If you had another host you would be just as willing, if not more so than me, to put this man out of everyone else's misery.”

You are right, I am afraid. I am terrified of dying, possibly killing off my species. And if I did have another host I would let you kill him. Because this world, and all the humans on it are deranged animals! Fighting over sticks and rocks as if they actually matter. Without me, without something else to stop this savagery you will bomb yourselves into extinction. Truthfully that would be better than letting you all live to darken this planet, killing off every other species that shares this world.

“Hey are you alright man?”

I looked up to see a young guy with genuine concern on his face. I looked around to see the people on the street staring at me, confused and afraid. Realizing that I have probably been screaming at myself since leaving the coffeehouse. “Yah I’m fine thanks.”

I turned and walked over to my car, starting it to head home. Turning to look in the rear view mirror, I could see the bright teal coloring start to encroach on the edge of my iris. Annoyed at the little fungus expanding through my system, I couldn’t let it go. “So that’s it huh, this whole creating a cult to find other people was just your way of finding a better host. What happens when you won’t need me anymore? Just going to dissolve me into nutrients, use me as a get out of jail free card, what?”

You know as well as I do that humans are ruining the very world we live on. You are already seeing the effects of climate change, extreme climates worsening, natural disasters getting more frequent and stronger. I am sorry to state the obvious but something needs to change and many of the humans aren’t willing to do it, while the others won’t do it quick enough.

“That is exactly what I am saying, not that we have to turn vigilante. But we do need to start making a difference, and if you aren’t willing to do that now. Who says that you will be willing to do it in the future.” My rage seemed to cool, as I parked my car in the little lot connected to my apartment complex.

I don’t know how things will go in the future, but if you decide to kill this Martin. And if we are unable to escape human law enforcement, then we will never be able to change the world to how we wish. Your anger is not just your own, I am furious that human society lets men like this live better than most. And you are not some disposable pawn that I will throw away at convenience, but you have to understand that while you are still just one person. I could be the thing that changes everything, I could be the spark that starts the change on this entire planet. Without you things will still move on, but without me then…

“I know, I know. I suppose it is just my human biology, making me think that my life is more important.” I leaned back in my chair, I was annoyed. I could barely control my own anger, much less my own sense of mortality. I believed that I was a decent person, I cared for others and I didn’t see that as a weakness. I thought that if people were more like me and sought cooperation, combined with a lack of greed and pride, humans could create a perfect utopia on Earth. I suppose I was just fooling myself, I was just like every other human. I took pride believing that I was always right, I wanted to keep Myc to myself. He made me special, I didn’t want anyone else to have that. I leaned my head against the wheel, sulking at my own shortcomings.

You may still be human now. With time and a little of my help, we can be so much more. I will have to experiment with the limits of my control over your biology, it will be dangerous but if I am successful I could turn you into a being of superiority. Immortality, empathy, intelligence could be just stepping stones, with other hosts to spread through. We could create a collective consciousness more powerful than any other species could hope to achieve.

I thought about it, Myc’s vision of an other-worldly colony seemed more feasible. I suppose I would have to hold myself up to my own ideals. And with Myc’s help I could do it.