Chapter 4: Returning home

The Hive sensed the question it's Master asked, but it had gathered enough of its Master to know if it tried to answer it would simply make the Master more agitated, and upset. Which in turn would likely interfere with his judgement, thusly the Hive simply attempted to re-assure the Master by reaching out to him.

The attempt worked, but not in the way the Hive had intended. For the warm sensation that washed over Nathan didn't remove the feelings that assaulted his thoughts, it simply made the logical part of his mind take center seat.

Nathan had always been the practical sort, and this was perhaps why for he had the uncanny ability to disassociate with his emotions whenever logic deemed it necessary. Such as a survival situation, like now.

Driven on by this, and the growing gnawing hunger he was feeling he gained his composure, after all there wasn't much Nathan could do for the kid now, let alone on the other side of what essentially surmounted as a photograph of a place that wasn't even on the same planet as him.

"Is there anyway I can move it to be closer to an area that likely has more animal life?" Nathan asked, the Hive happy to sense its Master in what it thought to be a more stable mind replied, "Practice. Area exists: Uncertainty. Search possible. Hunger: Growing."

As the Hive finished speaking another piece of information it gave before clicked into place, the Hive also required food but it could parasitically feed from Nathan if absolutely necessary. Firming himself, and forcing a determination onto his face he didn't entirely feel Nathan asked the Hive to guide him how to open the bridge.

The Hive obliged, however it couldn't adequately explain what would happen if Nathan did this... specifically to his body. Consequently Nathan only partially understood that the longer he stayed, something would happen to his body.

Of course, Nathan assumed it meant he would be injured or something along those lines, but the reality that he would soon find dawning upon him would be very different.

To open the bridge, rather than just peak one needn't use hands but instead simply 'think' the destination in the direction of the pool and stalactite while standing within the protective half-dome.

It took Nathan some time, but he was stubborn and the Hive helped.

Eventually Nathan began to feel a cold prickling sensation either side of his spine at the nape of his neck. As with the sensation on his hands from before, the feeling traveled up his face and stopped at the center of his mind only this time it then flowed out of his mind, back down to his neck, and onto the points that he first felt the sensation. However it didn't stop there, he then felt it flowing down outside of his body, or at least on a part of his body he never knew he had but somehow knew it was behind him and flowing down into the floor.

The sensation, upon reaching the floor, vanished and for a second there was nothing. But then, both regions on the back of his neck began to tingle and then something pulled on two parts of his body he couldn't identify.

One of them was the one that had experienced the tingle rolling down it, and from what Nathan could instinctually tell the other body part was identical except it existed parallel to the other. Adding two and two together, Nathan reluctantly reached with both his hands behind his neck.

They touched something smooth, and almost scaly. At first Nathan thought it was a snake, and nearly panicked, but what made him halt with a sense of curiosity was the fact he could feel his hands touching whatever it was.

Glancing back over his right shoulder to inspect, he was greeted by a thick and glossy black tendril, with small patches of white bone armor plates running along it.

Awestruck, he attempted to move the tendril like he would an arm, it obliged and wormed its way up and over his shoulder to dangle in front of him, coiling up so that the end of the limb that was previously in the ground was now facing towards his face.

The end was a large mass of bone, and almost looked like a rather pointed face or beak. Glancing over to the other side, the other tendril instinctually did the same thing over the left shoulder. "What." Nathan managed to say simply, feeling light headed.

Nathan took a seat, ignoring the pleas of the Hive to hurry and either head through the Bridge or to close it. After a few moments, he burst out laughing his mind finally beginning to fracture.

"Fuckin, Tendrils, out the back of my neck. Great, well I guess that's what you meant about the whole 'Master Less Human' bit. Fuck." Nathan monologued, not really expecting the Hive to answer, but it did not yet understand a rhetorical question and so simply stated, "Yes."

Nathan stared at each of his new Tendrils. He could feel the slight, continuous tugging sensation that ran down them every few seconds. A sensation that coincided with the blackish skin bearing a ring of pink sheen that rapidly raced down the length from Nathan's neck to the ends.

Interestingly enough when the pulse reached the end a feint mist of pink exited from small slits on the beak like protrusion of the tendrils. This feint mist briefly revealed thousands of tiny strands connected to the boney-beak like end and lead back to the floor inside the half-dome.

As if on que with this discovery, Nathan felt a sharp hunger pang radiate out from his stomach which was enough to slightly break him from his stupor. Especially as another thought entered his mind, that if proven true he had to admit would be pretty useful.

The thought was simple: How strong were his tendrils.

The first test he came up with was if the tendrils could get him up from the floor, and further if they could support his weight independently.

Reaching out with the limbs he tried to use them as he would hands to push himself onto his knees. Something they did with comparative ease to his own arms, thusly he decided to push further.

Moving the tendrils so they were positioned just either side of his shoulders, but touching the ground he pushed up with all the force he could muster from them. He was launched careening into the air, far higher than he had ever managed to jump before or even see anyone jump.

Dismissing the thought of his probable record breaking accomplishment, he focused on landing, having to contend with the surprise and shock of the sudden height mid air. He managed to somewhat stick the landing, but did stagger a little bit but managed to recover himself.

As he straightened up he glanced either side at his new limbs, and shrugged deciding they would probably be quite useful especially with what he saw of the place he was about to go to.

Once again shaking out the nerves, and centering his mind. Nathan began to climb the stairs to the plinth upon which the bridge entrance lay.

Unlike when previewing the destination, the pool was completely flush inside its tub in the plinth. It was static, aside the occasional circular wave that radiated out from the center of the pool.

The wave was exactly in time with the tugging sensation on Nathan's tendrils, which was an interesting thing to note but Nathan knew he was subconsciously trying to delay things. So, he sighed, said "Be back soon." and hopped in to the pool.