CHAPTER 8: ESCAPE VELOCITY

"So let me get this straight," Chad said as he herded the group of dazed humans through the corridors of the alien ship. "You got bug-ified, but like, in a good way?"

Elara moved beside him, her new form allowing her to easily keep pace despite Chad's athletic stride. The rescued humans followed behind them, a mixture of awe and terror on their faces as they watched their pink insectoid savior lead the way.

"It's a symbiotic relationship," Elara explained, her voice still recognizably hers despite the strange resonance. "The Seedling inside me is different from what the Kh'ryx intended. It's helping me. It wants to stop the invasion as much as we do."

"Cool, cool," Chad nodded as if his girlfriend turning into a pink bug-person was just another Tuesday. "And this... what did you call it? The System?"

"It's like a technology interface. I can access their networks, control their systems, see layouts of the ship." Elara gestured to the corridor ahead. "We need to take the next left. The transport bay is half a kilometer ahead."

Margaret from Accounting pushed her way to the front of the group. "Excuse me, but where exactly are we going? Because I had a very important budget meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning."

Chad stared at her. "Lady, the world is being invaded by space bugs who want to eat us, and you're worried about a budget meeting?"

Margaret sniffed. "Some of us maintain our professional standards even during an apocalypse, young man."

"The transport bay has shuttles," Elara interrupted before Chad could respond. "They're used to move captives between ships. I can program one to take you all back to Earth."

"And then what?" someone else asked. "We just go back to a planet being invaded?"

"I've accessed their communications," Elara said. "There's resistance forming. Military forces coordinating counterattacks. If we can get you to one of those safe zones..." She trailed off as the System display in her vision flickered with an alert. "We need to move. Now. Security drones have detected the pod chamber breach."

As if on cue, a shrieking alarm began to echo through the corridors, the organic walls pulsing with red light.

"Everyone move!" Chad shouted, taking charge of the group. "Follow the pink lady! She knows what she's doing!"

They broke into a run, the sound of mechanical chittering growing behind them. The humans, weak from captivity, struggled to keep up. Chad dropped to the back of the group, physically lifting an elderly man who had fallen behind and carrying him fireman-style.

"This reminds me of the time I did that obstacle course charity event," he panted. "Except those mud pits weren't trying to harvest my protein content."

Elara led them through a series of turns, the System guiding her movements. "The transport bay is just ahead. We're going to make it."

She spoke too soon.

As they rounded the final corner, they found their path blocked by a contingent of Kh'ryx warriors—larger and more heavily armored than the drones, their blue-green carapaces decorated with gold markings of rank. Their mandibles clicked rapidly as they raised weapon-like appendages toward the group.

The humans behind Elara froze in terror. Some whimpered. Margaret from Accounting muttered something about expense reports never being this stressful.

Elara stepped forward, the Seedling's voice calm in her mind. Use the System. Command override.

Through her display, Elara accessed the command protocols, searching for the right sequence. The warriors kept their weapons trained on her, but didn't fire—confused by her hybrid appearance, unsure if she was friend or foe.

"Whatever you're doing, babe," Chad stage-whispered from behind her, "do it faster. These guys look like they bench press tanks for warm-ups."

"Working on it," Elara replied through gritted teeth, navigating the complex authentication sequences. The warriors were beginning to advance, their initial confusion giving way to aggression.

There, the Seedling guided her to a hidden command layer. Warrior override. Emergency stand-down.

Elara sent the command through the System, a pulse of data that washed over the approaching warriors. They froze mid-step, their weapon-limbs lowering, their postures shifting from aggressive to neutral.

"Whoa," Chad breathed. "Did you just use the bug version of the Jedi mind trick?"

"Something like that." Elara didn't waste time explaining. "But it won't last long. Through the doors, everyone. Quickly!"

The humans surged forward, passing between the immobilized warriors and into the vast transport bay beyond. It was a cavernous space filled with smaller shuttle craft—organic-looking vessels that resembled giant seed pods more than traditional spacecraft.

"These will get you back to Earth," Elara explained, approaching the nearest shuttle and interfacing with its control system. The hatch opened like unfurling petals. "I'm programming the coordinates for a military safe zone in what used to be Colorado. They'll be expecting you."

As the humans began to board, Chad hung back, watching Elara with a mixture of awe and concern.

"You're not coming with us, are you?" he asked quietly.

Elara turned to him, her alien features somehow managing to convey sadness. "I can't, Chad. The Kh'ryx are planning something bigger. This ship is just one of dozens in orbit. If I don't stop them, they'll harvest every human on the planet."

"Then I'm staying too." Chad crossed his muscular arms, his expression set in what Elara had privately dubbed his "stubborn himbo face."

"Chad, no—"

"Non-negotiable, babe. Where you go, I go. Even if you're all pink and buggy now." He grinned, reaching out to gently touch her transformed face. "Besides, you need someone to watch your six. And possibly to explain what things like 'protein folding' actually mean since you're into all that science stuff now."

Behind them, Margaret from Accounting cleared her throat. "If you two are quite finished with your romantic moment, the rest of us would like to leave this nightmare and return to our regularly scheduled lives."

Elara nodded, finalizing the shuttle's programming. "It's set for autopilot. You'll be back on Earth in seventeen minutes."

As the last of the humans boarded, Margaret paused at the entrance. "For what it's worth," she said stiffly, "thank you. Both of you." Then, straightening her now-wrinkled business suit, she added, "I expect my death benefits to be properly distributed if I don't make it. I've left very explicit instructions with HR."

With that, she disappeared into the shuttle. The hatch closed behind her, and the vessel hummed to life, lifting off the bay floor and gliding toward the massive exit port.

"Always thinking ahead, that Margaret," Chad commented. "Reminds me of you."

Elara turned to him, her alien eyes somehow managing to convey an eye-roll. "Now what, gym genius? We're stuck on an alien ship, surrounded by bugs who want to eat humanity, and I'm turning into something that's not quite human anymore."

Chad shrugged, the casual gesture so quintessentially him that it made Elara's heart ache with fondness despite their dire situation.

"Now we do what we always do," he said, cracking his knuckles. "I lift heavy things and look good doing it, and you figure out the smart stuff. Between your brains and my biceps, those bugs don't stand a chance."

The System display in Elara's vision flashed with new alerts—security forces converging on their location, the warrior override wearing off, the Hive-Commander notified of the breach.

"We need to move," she said. "If we're going to stop this invasion, we need to get to the primary control chamber."

Chad grinned, excitement replacing fear in his eyes. "Lead the way, bug babe. This is way better than chest day."