New TF Story

[Magical_TG]

I did think about it. The Body needs are quite...needy. Ah well, I'm sure there's a way. Maybe copy 'friend' meat onto a male subject. Or maybe an officer accidentally drinks Katie's milk and becomes reigning Boobzilla. Just a suggestion.

[grtcaligal]

Epically done. Personally I'd recommend against new characters for now...give the relationship between the people in the house a chance to develop.

[SoylentOrange]

Don't worry, there are only two major characters planned for the near future- a specialist from the CDC and the grocery clerk Test-0 came up with.

It'll be a pretty small cast through most of the story, don't worry.

[grtcaligal]

Originally Posted by SoylentOrange

Don't worry, there are only two major characters planned for the near future- a specialist from the CDC and the grocery clerk Test-0 came up with.

It'll be a pretty small cast through most of the story, don't worry.

Ha not worried, just helping you get the most out of each bit

This story is awesome, so awesome in fact that I was wondering if it would be O.K. if I used The Mind, The Body, The Flesh thing in a RP. I?ve already thought up some mechanics to let it work in the home brew game I?m in, I?d have to tone down the great purpose part though, can?t be trying to eat everything.

I also thought up a character suggestion, but I don?t think you want to go to the dark places and questions of sanity that it would bring up. :l

[SoylentOrange]

I'd honestly have to know how you were planning on using the setting first...

No, no not the setting, more the way you did the whole body take over and TF part? You know now that I thing about it I guess I didn?t really need to ask, I?d mix in a lot from the game [Prototype] anyway, it just felt right to ask since you were the inspiration for me to do it. Having a second sentience in you to argue with and that tries to take over now and then could make for some good role play ya know? That and I want to be able to move my physical ability stats around at will.

[SoylentOrange]

Ah, I see. Well, just make it so that once a person was "infected" they'd need to make a fairly decent Will save (Say somewhere around DC 18) in order to change into exactly what they want.

[SoylentOrange]

Mary Headed down the stairs, not even caring about her tattered clothes as she went into the lower apartment, hearing Katie's footsteps following her down as she opened the door. She started walking to the kitchen, then turned back towards the door, grabbing two big fistfulls of her hair and pulling her fingers through it. As she neared the door, she saw Katie come in, and spun on her heel, pacing back to the kitchen.
"...What the hell was that?" Katie asked as Mary reached the kitchen, her hands on her hips.
"I don't... Rrrgh, that bitch!" Mary said, switching from exasperated to angry. "Where does she get off?"
"Mary..."
"I didn't ask for this!" Mary said, gesturing towards herself. "I didn't mean to get you dragged into this! Or her!"
"Mary-"
"So where does she get off like I've wronged her, like she's any more a victim-"
"Mary!" Katie yelled, clapping her hands together loudly.
"Whaaaat?" Mary yelled back, throwing her arms to the side.
"Well, first off, sister, you need to calm down," Katie said, pointing to Mary. "You're hulking out."
Mary looked down at herself, seeing that her muscle definition had grown considerably, on top of her skin hardening into scaly plates like some sort of armored lizard.
"Rr-rr-rr-rrgh!" Mary said, growling as she shook herself like a wet dog, her body returning to normal as she willed the changes away.
"Sister, you need to chill. Out." Katie said. "Like, right now."
"What, I don't deserve to be upset about all this?" Mary demanded.
"No, but you're getting out of hand with this mind control stuff. What you did in there was over the line."
"What are you talking about?" Mary asked, her face scrunching up in disgust as she shook her head. "What was I supposed to do?"
"Something else," Katie replied, folding her arms and turning away.
Mary rolled her eyes and turned away as well, putting a hand to her forehead.
"You did it to me again in the car," Katie said.
"Do what?" Mary asked, turning back to Katie.
"In the car," Katie said, grabbing her sleeves. "When you yelled 'drive!'"
"No I- did I? Really?"
"Yep," Katie said. "For like a minute all I could do, all I could think about, was doing what you said."
"Katie, I-"
"You said you wouldn't do it anymore," Katie said, biting her lip. "You promised," She continued, turning to Mary. Mary balked when she saw tears in katie's eyes.
"Katie, I didn't mean to-"
"But that's what I'm so scared of," Katie said, wiping her eyes with a cuff. "It's... natural for you. You don't even think about it."
"Katie," Mary started, taking a step towards her friend. "I just- it was just because I was-"
"What? Angry?" Katie shot back, taking a step away. "Whenever something happens you don't like, you just yank on their strings?"
"*Distracted*," Mary pleaded. "I don't ever do it on purpose!"
"Except if someone's making too much noise," Katie shot back, nodding her head to the upstairs apartment.
"I- arrrgh," Mary moaned, putting her face in her hands. "What, would you rather I tied her up and gagged her?"
"Yes!" Katie said, nodding emphatically. "I get that we can't have her out running around, but I'd rather be physically restrained that turned into a zombie!" Katie put her hands back on her hips. "I'd rather be able to choose to scream futilely into a gag than to not be able to speak at all."
Mary plopped down on Katie's couch, resting her head on her hand, elbow on the arm of the couch. The room was silent for a moment, before Katie spoke again.
"You're different, Mary," She said finally. It was soft, barely audible if there'd been any other noise in the room.
"Of course I'm different," Mary mumbled into her hand. "I've got a para-"
"Not like that," Katie interrupted. "You. Mary. Not your guts, but you. The eager freshman that first introduced herself the day I moved in, who showed me around when all I knew of oregon was from here to the airport... you're not acting like my friend."
"Wh- Katie!" Mary said, sitting up straight. "What on earth do you mean? I'm still me in here, I'm still your friend!"
Katie was silent for a heavy moment before taking a step back and leaning against the wall. "I dunno. I know you've been going through a lot, but..."
"Katie, I came and got you at school just now, didn't I? I mean, you would not believe the kind of butt-ugly beast I had to turn into to get over there without a car!"
"But was that really for me?" Katie asked as she slid down the wall to sit on the floor.
"What do you mean, 'was it for you'?" Mary aske dincredulously. "Who else could it be for?"
"You keep saying how concerned you are with no one seeing us all green and tentacled. Can't see a doctor, can't go to the hospital. Why? Afraid we'll get better?"
"No!" Mary said, standing. "Katie, how could you say that? I just don't want anyone getting chopped up like some science experiment!"
"'Anyone' or 'The Body'?" Katie asked, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "Seems like all of this is mighty convenient for him."
"Katie..."
"Seriously," Katie said, looking up at Mary. "Mary, you don't have a brain anymore. You don't have a heart. How can I know- how can *you* know- that it's not effecting your personality somehow, or something? Don't you remember that chapter on what constitutes being altered to the point beyond criminal responsibility?"
Mary just cocked her head and gave Mary a disapproving look.
"I'm serious. Really, honestly, tell me how you'd know if you were being subtly coerced by this thing. Sure, it's okay to make people your slaves in a sudden burst of anger, but eventually, maybe it'd just be easier to take control of them at really importnt times. Heck, why stop there? Wouldn't it be more convenient to be in control of the all the time? Then you never have to worry!"
"Katie, stop," Mary pleaded. "I know you're still upset about the bathroom thing, but this is crazy. It's just crazy. I'm not a pod person, I still know who I am and who you are and I'm not going to make anyone my 'slave' because it's 'easier'."
"It just seems convenient everything that happens just happens to make life easier for the Body," Matie said, leaning her head against the wall.
"It's not, Katie, i's me doing my best to muddle through this." Mary said, sitting on the arm of Katie's easy chair.
Katie turned her head away from Mary, swallowing hard.
"Oh, c'mon, Katie!" Mary said, standing up. "What do I gotta- rrrgh!" She said, putting her hands over her ears in consternation. "Okay, look. Look!" She said, grabbing her head tightly between her hands and pulling her head completely off her shoulders. "See?" Mary said, somehow still able to talk. "There's no *hurting* this thing, there's no 'safety' for me to worry about." She pulled her head back down onto her shoulders, the flesh immediately knitting back together. "Everything- *everything* I've done has been to try and keep anyone else from getting hurt, because I *can't* be."
Katie held Mary's gaze for a few moments, then stared down at her knees.
"Mary, I'd kinda like it if you could go back upstairs," she said. "I have homework to do."
"Katie..."
"I'll probably come by tonight or in the morning for another injection," she continued, still as a stone.
Mary frowned, taking a step towards the door. "I'd never hurt you, you know."
"That kinda only counts for half of 'you', though, doesn't it?"
Mary looked away from katie and opened the door. "I'm sorry," she said.
"Yeah," Katie replied softly, hugging her knees to herself tighter.

Mary quickly headed up the stairs, trying to keep her shredded clothes inconspicuous. She knew the walls of the apartment complex were paper-thin, and though they had no immediate neighbors, the building Mary and Katie shared had eight aparments in it and she knew at least some of them were occupied. And while the repairman's corpse and effects could be disposed of easily enough, a vigorous shouting match would echo through the empty apartments next to them. Not enough to make out what was being said- she hoped- but enough to raise uncomfortable levels of curiosity.
"Don't even start," Mary said as she went into her apartment. Shandra was sittin on the edge of Mary's Lair, as far as her fleshy chain would allow. Shandra looked at Mary, scowling, but thought better than to instigate anything with her. Mary flopped down on her couch, putting her hands over her eyes. What could she do? Nothing seemed to be helping, and her control over her own body seemed tenuous at best. She wondered if Katie's words were true- was she really looking out for everyone else, or just herself? Mary considered just going right to a hospital, maybe a military one if need be, somwhere they could actually contain The Body.
"Nooo..." Mary grumbled, shaking her head. As soon as the Body got its first whiff of any real "predators", it would go ballistic. Mary was starting to realize just how strong and resilient the Flesh was- especially after ripping her own head off in a fit of frustration, Mary knew that there wasn't much short of nuclear holocaust that would truly harm the Flesh. The Flesh was like the AIDS virus or something, if even more malevolent- nothing hurt it, at least not enough to kill it.
Mary blinked and sat up, remembering her e-mail to the CDC the other day. Though she doubted a place as busy as that would have responded to such a vague message, it was worth checking. If nothing else it would keep her mind occupied for a few minutes. Mary trurned and stood up off the couch, only to fall flat on her face on her coffee table. As Mary rolled off the table, dazed but otherwise unhurt from the fall, she looked down at herself and found that in her frustration, absent-mindedness, or both, her legs had seperated into tentacles once more. Mary firmed her legs into something suitable for walking again and got up, shaking her head. She looked over to Shandra, who was attempting (though apparently not very hard) to hide a vindictive smirk at Mary's face-plant. Mary just sighed and went to her desk.

To her surprise, there was a response from the CDC, equally as brief as Mary's initial message:
"Thank you for bringing this to our attention. If you could send a sample of this parasite to our headquarters in Atlanta we will provide a diagnosis as soon as possible. Please refer to our *common parasites* and *collection guidelines* pages for assistance."
"Well, that's a whole lot of help..." Mary muttered to herself as she composed another message.

"To Whom it may concern:

I regret to inform that I cannot acquire a sample of the parasitic organism without damaging the host. Although the parasite does not appear to be harmful in its present stage, attempting to seperate with the host appears as though it could be injurous or even fatal. I checked with my local doctor and he said he'd never seen anything like it before." Mary paused for a second, before shrugging her shoulders and going for broke. "Worse, it appears as if the parasite *is* contaigous, as it has passed into two other people I've come into recent contact with. Please send a representative as soon as possible." Mary put in her address and sent it off. Underneath it in her inbox was a letter from her mother, which Mary skimmed through before deleting. There was no point in even trying to talk to her at this point; Mary would rather face a lecture for not talking to her mother in a month than have her find out what she'd become.

Mary tried to amuse herself on her computer, but remained restless. She had too much to do, too much to think about, and the only people she could talk to about it either distrusted her or openly hated her. Mary sighed as she pushed away from the computer, the familiar grumblings of her stomach (or what passed for it) prodding her towards the kitchen. Mary ate, the familiar swelling focusing once more on her breasts, and though she stopped after ingesting what she considered a generous amount, she was still a little bit hungry. Mary reluctanly closed the refridgerator door, knowing neither she nor Katie had the funds to support how much she'd like* to eat- the trick was just keeping the Body satiated enough so it didn't need to start improvising things and people to make food out of. Mary looked down, seeing her breasts hanging nearly to her waist, bulging with the raw material of her tentacle-filled body. Mary bit her lip as she looked at the dividing wal that seperated the kitchen from Shandra and her Lair. Hefting a breast in each arm, Mary took a deep breath and squeezed, hugging her breasts to her as hard as she could. A moan escapped unbidden from her mouth as the tentacles began to spill out of her nipples, the thrashing and squirming tendrils sending shivers through her whole body. She jerked as the tentacles landed on the floor with a wet slap, immediately writhing their way around the dividing wall to join the rest of her Lair. Another squeeze, and Mary's knees buckled, a gasp turning into a cry of ecstacy as she landed breasts-first on the floor, the sudden weight and impact sending a gout of slimy tentacles spraying across the kitchen floor.
"Hey...hey!" Shandra called out. "What are you doing over there? What are these things?!"
"Uhhh..." Mary moaned, the last of the tentacles squirming free. Mary panted a few times, awash in the pleasurable tingle that started in her nipples and permeated her entire body. "It was... it was the parasite," Mary said as she got to her hands and knees, "Making more of itself."
"Well why do they have to come towards me?" Shandra said, disgusted.
"It's... trying to build a Lair," Mary said as she stood, re-adjusting her top and pulling her hair back behind her. "They won't hurt you."
"Any more than they already have?" Shandra shot back. Mary rounded the dividing wall to find Shandrea pressed into the corner of her Lair, looking disdainfully at the new tentacles that were winding their way into the outside edge of the fleshy mat, expanding the boundaries of her Lair by a few more inches.
"Don't worry about it," Mary said, trying to wave Shandra off. "Look, are you hungry? I've got food."
"No," Shandra snapped. "I'm not hungry."
"Okay, okay," Mary said, putting her hands in the air. "You know what, fine, I'm going out." Mary started to turn away, then paused and turned back to Shandra. She pulled one of the tentacles out of her Lair with a thought, wrapping it around Shandra's mouth in a gag despite her attempts to hold it off.
"There," Mary said. "Yell and scream however much you want now." So saying, she shed her clothes and reached up for the hole in the roof, pulling herself through with that same topsy-turvy feeling squeezing one's head through a hole the size of a tea saucer always brought. She laid out on the roof, trying to clear her thoughts.
"You are perhaps the most unusual mind we have encounterd in all our great purpose," The Body said.
Mary sighed and slowly shook her head back and forth. "What do you want?" She said aloud.
"Of all the minds that have ever led the Flesh to glory," The Body said, "None have ever had so difficult a problem with predators."
"That's because it's not so black and what here," Mary thought to the Body.
"What does this mean, these 'black and white'?" The Body asked.
"Predator and Prey," Mary clarified. "You think that's all there is and it's just not that way."
"How is it not? Either meat is a threat to the Flesh and is a predator, or it is no threat and is prey. What other purpose does meat serve us?"
Mary put a hand to her face. "It's not about what purpose it serves 'us'..." She said. "They have their own purposes."
"What purpose could be greater than the great purpose of the Flesh?" the Body asked. "To grow and feed and thrive. What is greater than this?"
"There's more than just eating!" Mary said. "There's learning and having a family, and friends!"
"There is no greater knowledge than the knowledge of the Flesh, for what one Flesh knows all Flesh knows," The Body said. "There is no greater means of reproduction than that of the Flesh, for perfect Flesh begets perfect Flesh. There is no greater intimacy than that of the Flesh, for one Flesh is all Flesh."
Mary sighed again.
"So why do you resist? Can you not see the beauty and strength in our great purpose?"
"I don't *want* your great purpose," Mary thought, her brow furrowing.
"Want? What does this mean, 'want'?"
"It means, what if I think this 'great purpose' isn't so great?"
"That... that would be gaind against the will of the Flesh," The Body said, confused. "It would be hindering its growth. It would be against the the wellbeing of the Flesh. It would be a threat."
Mary felt a chill as the Body's tone changed to a decidedly darker shade. "Okay, okay, nevermind," She quickly said. "Just forget I said anything."
There was silence for a few seconds, Mary opening her eyes to stare up at the stars, wondering which little blip of light out there was the one she should wish had gone into a supernova before this damnable parasite ever came to be more than a one-celled organism.
"Such a strange world..." The Body finally said.
Mary shook her head and rolled over, squeezing her way back down through the hole in her roof, leaving behind a small wad of tentacles in case it rained again.

Mary found Shandra sitting cross-legged on her Lair, rocking back and forth as best she was able with her huge stomach. Mary loosened Shandra's gag, the tentacle flopping to the floor and re-assimilating itself into the green fleshy mat. Shandra scowled at Mary, but her eyes said something altogether different, nearly pealding in their sadness.
"...Do you need something?" Mary asked, a brow arched.
"N-No," Shandra said, looking away and clutching her stomach tightly in her arms. "Nothing."
"I'd, us, offer you a pillow or a blanket or something, but I'm pretty sure they'll eat it," Mary offered, gesturing at the tentacles.
"I don't want to- want anything," Shandra said, still rocking.
"You're sure?" Mary asked, noting Shandra's odd behavior.
Shandra just nodded vigorousy.
"All right," Mary shrugged, before heading for her bedroom. "Now don't forget, I can hear, see, smell, everything through those things, so don't try anything funny or I'll know about it," She warned. When Shandra didn't reply, Mary went ahead and got in bed, leaving her bedroom door open just in case.

[shadowstreets]

Incredible, can't wait for more!

[kaiyotea]

First, this is an awesome story. Thank you for allowing us into your world. I would have gotten in on this thread earlier but I didn't realize that you were posting the story here. I was following the updates at http://spiralingstaircase.deviantart.com/

It reminds me favorably of an old SF book I picked up in a used book store some years ago where the female main character was slowly transformed into an alien lizard-like creature. Yours is far more dynamic and engaging.

I love the way The Flesh is portrayed as not evil but simply inhuman. That it has no sense of morality or decency to appeal to, just practicality.

Mary having moments of fun with the whole thing makes the serious moments hit that much harder. Since we are seeing things from her perspective and know what The Body wants we, like Mary, can fail to appreciate how alien and frightening it is for everyone else.

Katie being decidedly *not* OK with the whole part-of-the-collective mentality as well as being Mary's conscience, with the whole kidnapping the nurse turn of events. That being in a tough situation does not excuse you from doing the right thing is both great and realistic. It really grounds the story and draws the reader in.

I also enjoy the way things go from Funny -> Annoying -> Scary so quickly. It has kind of culminated with both Katie reverting while at school and coming to the realization that she can never be more than 3 days away from Mary for the rest of her life. I mean they're friends and all but forever?

As well as the whole subservience thing. No matter how much you know or trust someone you would never give them that kind of power over you. And made doubly scary by Katie's accusation that Mary is no longer acting like the Mary she was only two days ago. She tells Katie that she didn't do it on purpose but how can Katie be sure what Mary is saying is the truth? How can she be sure that this really is Mary at all? As she demonstrated to Katie she is just a bunch of tentacles and when she no longer has a heart, bones or a brain is it really her any longer? Is she really Mary or just a pile of tentacles that looks and sounds like Mary? What was initially funny when Katie called her 'silly putty' has now become very frightening.

Mary is still holding on to the notion that she can somehow be cured when physically there is nothing left of her old form. Despite the facts that when she moves there are no bones involved, when she speaks she isn't using lungs and when she thinks there are no longer a brain or synapses there. I can't wait to see how she reacts when she realizes this. Whether the story ends happily or tragically it will be eagerly read.

[SoylentOrange]

I think that's the best compliment/critique of the story I've had yet.

I'm glad to see someone recognize and appreciate the emotional and moral complexity I'm trying to work into the story. It's hard to balance trying to make the transformations sexy and interesting without having the story suffer for it. Thanks a lot.