Seanday Massacre 6/6: Camouflage

I laid in wait, time had no meaning to me in this Earth world.

It didn't take me long to understand their culture. Everything appears to circle just a few things; money, power and the way they looked. None of these interested me, I only needed somewhere secure and warm.

I'd found myself in a gym. A place where people spent money to inflict pain and stress on themselves in the hope to improve the way they looked.

My species were masters of camouflage. We were a bio-gel organism, able to change our colour and surface texture. This supplemented with our ability to change our mass made us very hard to find.

At the moment I was spread across the floor of the locker room, expertly imitating its tiled surface. Many had walked across my back, none realised they were having a close encounter.

I felt a familiar weight, and gait as someone walked across the room. He sat on a bench, and I felt this was the time.

From behind I reared up, and fell over his head pulling him backwards. I flowed around his flailing arms and legs pulling them tight. After a few moments his struggling started to weaken until it stopped completely. Without oxygen even these strong specimens become powerless.

Moving him to the wall, I pulled his arms and legs tight into his sides making him as compact as possible. My mass expanded, and I covered his ample frame. On the outside I changed, edges formed, grills and doors that wouldn't ever open. My usual silver-grey surface changed to a dark red, matching the squat cabinet adjacent. Tony was inside the fake I'd created, with a stubby appendage down his throat, I was controlling his breathing.

A slender tendril formed and I pushed it up his nose; he convulsed--an involuntary movement. I reached in further, and made contact with his mind, now thinking as one I started to copy his memory pathways.

The mind is a complicated thing, and we both sat in silence for six hours. Tony hidden from sight, under the noses of the people that searched for him.

After I'd finished, I withdrew the smaller tendril and contemplated. Somehow I'd felt reassured, comforted maybe as I held onto Tony, feeling his every breath through me.

Briefly I'd considered bonding with him, but realised his weight and build offered little for my needs. It was a family member I'd chosen, from Tony's own memories. I formulated a plan; to camouflage myself as Tony, and subdue his brother.

My attention returned to the locker room, it was now four o'clock. I had skills, changing my shape and colour, but we had a problem. We have no skeletal support, short squat objects tricky almost surpassed my abilities. To disguise myself as larger more mobile creations I needed some support.

I waited listening to Tony's heartbeat. Then somebody walked in, he was young, about the same height as Tony but far less developed. He filled his water bottle and took a drink.

While he was looking away I dropped Tony and lunged towards the young human. I caught him across the back and we collapsed to the floor. Natural instinct caught hold and I pinned him to the floor, adhering my edges to the tiles creating an air tight seal and slowly constricted.

Through my surface the struggle was evident, but as before he soon became still. My proxy skeleton was ready. I released my grip with the tiles, with a hiss of air. I collected my mass on his back, and then started to ooze across the surface of the human. Under his shorts, and watch covering him in my own silver-grey essence all the way up to his head, and completely smooth.

Silently I manipulated his body to a standing position and staggered to the mirrors. I sensed his head lolling, and I expanded further up his neck, supporting his head. The silvery surface that covered this youth, my pigments began to change. Within seconds his natural skin tone had returned. Hairs, indentations and chest formed--a second skin.

I turned to Tony knowing he'd be in suspension for another six hours. With some effort, I staggered over to Tony and pulled him into a store room. My attempts to move this youth was causing me problems; this was hardly natural for me.

Sitting on the bench I rested the youth's head in the hands I controlled. From his right palm I formed at thick tuber which pushed into his mouth and down his throat, I'll be able to keep him unconsciousness feeding him enough oxygen to avoid any damage. Another slender tendril emerged and found its way up his nose, and I started to extract the information I needed.

I sensed someone enter the locker room, and a hand on my shoulder. "Are you OK Ryan?"

I nodded the youth's head and with my free hand gave a thumbs up. It seemed correct as the man told me to drink more water and left. It had only been ten minutes to copy the information I needed--to work his body in a natural fashion. I removed the tendrils, which melted back into my palm.

Standing I walked over to Tony's locker with ease. Inside I grabbed his bag and went into the store room where I'd left Tony.

I pulled off Ryan's clothes; standing naked for a moment I recalled the information I'd drawn from Tony, his physical template, and then I went to work.

Patches of Ryan's skin colour faded, ripples shifted across his torso returning his perfect skin to silver-grey again. I increased my mass around his neck and pushed upwards covering the back and sides of his head. My mass started to cover his face, but his eyes popped open, and flicked wildly around the room. Unable to move he yelled, and I plugged the gaping hole in his face, pushing a thick mass down his throat. Within seconds I'd covered him completely and he was unconscious again.

My plan was to use Ryan to masquerade as Tony, just to get to his family. I was going to have to be creative to not only look like Tony, but to sound like him as well.

I started my forcing Ryan's head back--as if he was looking at the ceiling. My mass around Ryan's head increased considerably, I began to form a new face--Tony's. I built a layer upon Ryan's head, even though his head was still looking up I began to form Tony's face looking ahead. I formed new eyes, and a forehead, closing in the sides with ears and cheeks. With Ryan's head held backwards I formed Tony's nose from a mass attached to Ryan's chin. Ryan squirmed as I rerouted his air supply to the fake Tony's nose.

There was a mirror and a small sink in the room. I peered at the monster that gazed back at me; I'd replicated Tony head perfectly apart from the upper and lower jaw. Ryan's neck was clearly visible. My body pushed out mass again, and Tony's lower jaw and formed. I'd perfectly captured Tony's head with no indication of Ryan's repositioned head inside. I spoke some words, "My name is Tony. I'm a popular guy." It was pitch perfect.

I continued to form Tony around Ryan's body; neck, delts, shoulders, arms and torso. As I built up Tony's body, my silver-grey surface changed to perfectly match the guy on the floor. Within minutes I'd totally changed the young man inside me.

I pulled Tony's memories into place, and tested all aspects of his body--a perfect camouflage. From the bag I pulled on his street clothes; a shirt, jeans and shoes. I put on some sunglasses and slipped a ring on my finger and left.

In the elevator, I snapped a picture and contemplated my next move considering my limited time before the real Tony would be discovered. I smiled to myself, it was simple. My target was having hockey practice at the ice ring. I made a call to my parents, "I've finished early, I'll pick up Ty from practice. I haven't seen my little brother for a while."

Pulling to the parking lot I went inside and watched Ty. He spotted me and waved; so proud of his older brother.

When he finished, he skated over and we talked for a moment. I told Ty I had something important to tell him, it couldn't wait. I looked concerned, and it was enough for him to kick off his skates and follow me outside.

"What is it?" he asked, "Is it mom, or dad?" I shook my head as I led him over to the parked SUV. Out of sight from the main building I looked at him, I hoped I was making the right decision. Wit his kit on all I could see was his angular face, thick neck and dark hair slicked with sweat.

Without saying a word I slammed my palm into his face. My hand doubled in size and wrapped itself around Ty head. He struggled bravely as I pushed him to the ground. Again it wasn't long before he was still; I prepared myself for one more move--one that might last a lifetime.

As Tony I started to lose my mass and definition I migrated up the arm that held Ty. Flowing over his head I slipped under his kit and began to cover his body; blending and replicating his physique. As I reduced my size, the more I revealed the unconscious Ryan. As I attached the last of myself to Ty I sat his body upright. The last of my silver surface rippled across Ty's face and the young hockey players features were restored.

I forced Ty's mouth open, and pushed some of myself into his mouth coating its interior and blending; I'll need to use his voice, another thick tuber slipped down his throat. For the time being I was going to be working Ty. From the back of his throat, slender tendrils pushed their way up; and slipped into his mind before branching out touching all parts.

Pulling myself to my feet I grabbed Ryan--still dressed in Tony's clothes, and took him over to a bench and left him. With this level of assimilation, I already had full access to Ty's memories. Back inside I sat at my locker at pulled off my kit piece by piece. With access to Ty's memory I already knew what what to expect, but all the same it was new to me. I took a couple of pictures admiring my own camouflage.

Slipping into Ty's routine, I showered with the rest of the team. Some of the guys invited me to have a drink, I called home like the dutiful son to let them know where I was going. They asked about Tony, and I told them I'd seen him but was going with some of my friends Richard and Oliver.

At Richard's house we got some pizza and played some online games. My control of Ty was so complete neither of my new friends noticed. Oliver gave me a lift home, and after I filled the laundry basket with my kit I retired to Ty's room where I showered once more. This time I spent a lot more time discovering my new partner.

After drying myself off I pulled on a grey T-shirt and PJs. I slipped on some headphones and walked to the kitchen and took a couple of gulps of milk from the carton. In the mirror I lifted the shirt and smiled as I increased the size of his pecs, abs and biceps. It was an impressive package, and I knew based on the family genetics this was entirely possible. Ty's body rippled and returned to normal, I knew he wanted to be more like Tony. In return for him hosting my body I was going to help him get it for real.

Returning to the bedroom I laid on the bed, it was time to sleep and return control to Ty for the time being. I reduced the covering of Ty's body to his shoulders and upper back. I remained covering his neck and face to his hairline. I withdrew from his throat and mouth but coated the inside of his nose, where new tendrils reconnected to his mind; my connection. I released him from my control, but held on the ability to take it back when I wanted.

I rolled over and went to sleep.

---

Three years later, I was still with Ty; now inseparable. I'd had to reveal myself eight months after the bonding when I saved his life. He was crossing the road, and hadn't seen a speeding car. I'd stopped him in his tracks by lashing out a tendril from his sleeve and pulling his backwards. He was freaked out, but after a gentle manipulation of his mind he accepted it.

We've really hit it off. We see Tony a lot more now, and they train together.

Working together, I've helped him achieve his goals.

But it's not been all hard work, with our new friendship we've had some fun as well. I've entirely covered him, and allowed him to control my camouflage. We've gone to a club looking like Tony, and after putting one of his friends to sleep for twelve hours we stole his clothes and took his place on a date with his girlfriend.