Chap 1 Desmond and Carina

The Third Story in the Xenomorph Series

The order is as follows:

1. Raul
2. Rachel & Raul
3. Desmond & Carina
4. A Hive Divergent
5. Alternate Universe Desmond and Carina

In later chapters, this story goes from PG13 to R rated for sexual content and some violence. The sexual content is understated and intrinsic to the story. If you desire a PG13 version of the later chapters, note me and I will oblige.



Chapter One: The Specimen


When Carina Worrell woke up in the hospital, her first thought was, "Damn, today's Display Your Biology Project Day! What'll they tell the kids?"

She struggled to open her eyes, to sit up, but her body refused to obey.

"Miss Worrell?" The voice was female, lower register, accent southern, probably North Carolinian... "Don't try to speak. If you can hear me, squeeze my hand. Very good! My name is Dr. Davis. You're in Mercy Hospital. You've been in an accident. We have an oxygen tube going down your trachea, so you won't be able to speak just yet. We've had you pretty heavily sedated, but now we're going to allow you to wake up. There's going to be some discomfort, I know, but we'll get that taken care of as soon as we can, okay? You have a friend who's been waiting to see you. I'm going to let him come in. I'll see you soon. Everything's going to be okay."

Someone else took her hand. "Baby? Baby, it's me, Frank. Can you hear me, Baby?" She squeezed his hand as she had the doctor's. "Wow, what a grip!"

'I'll be gripping that racquet, beating your ass on the court soon enough', she thought to herself.


But it was not to be...


Five months later, Carina sat in her wheelchair waiting for the shuttle bus to take her shopping. It was her first excursion out in God only knew how long. The months since her accident had been a nightmarish blur. Frank had tried, really tried, to handle the fact that, not only was his girlfriend legless below the knees, but she was unlikely to ever walk again. She was one of those cases where nerve damage made the fitting and wearing of prostheses agony. They talked about severing those nerves possibly, but Carina wasn't completely sold on the idea. Bouts of depression had prevented her from returning to her job teaching fourth grade at Josiah Bartlett Elementary. The kids had sent cards to the hospital, cards and flowers when she was released...some still wrote her, and she diligently answered each one, though she knew she'd probably never see any of them again. They were still her kids...

The shuttle left her off at Fourth and Main, near the Biggiemart and other shopping. She took no joy in it. These days, all her shopping was done online. Even her groceries were delivered to her cottage. (The small home was sufficient for a single woman, with an acre of land for veggies and roses...)

It had been the nicest day all year: not too hot, overcast but not too dark, the perfect day to venture out ...

For lunch, she sat at the outside tables of a fast food place, trying to enjoy her burger in spite of the guy two tables over who was staring at her. After five minutes, she got fed up.

"Can I help you?" she asked him.

He was a weasely sort of middle-aged geek. Probably lived at home with his aging mom and held D&D sessions with other geeks in the basement.

"I'm sorry for staring, but aren't you that school teacher who lost her legs last year?"

"Yes, that would be me," she sighed, "What about it?"

He took the conversation as an invitation to join her at her table, sliding into the chair directly across from her. Carina thought she caught a whiff of carbolic acid. The guy was a nurse or an orderly in a hospital...surely not a doctor...

"I'm Dr. Hiram Lewis." He held out a limp hand.

"I don't need another doctor—"

"Oh, my line of medicine is far too specialized to include the likes of you." he said quickly.

"Great. Then I can finish my lunch in peace."

He must have thought she was joking, because he didn't budge.

"You've become pretty much of a shut in, haven't you? Shame about your boyfriend." He looked her up and down. "You're a fine specimen of a woman, legs or no legs."

"And my arms are exceptionally strong, ending in fists when necessary!"

Dr. Lewis backed away a bit and held up his hands. "Oh, I'm not here to offer you that sort of proposition, I assure you! No no no...You live in a house with some property, as I recall—"

"It's not for sale! Will you please let me finish my lunch in peace?"

"But I have something I think you'd be very interested in purchasing! Let me fetch it from my van and we'll discuss price," he said, hurrying off before Carina could let him know how completely UNinterested she was concerning anything he had.

She sucked up the last of her cola and began to maneuver her chair towards the sidewalk.

"Wait, Miss Worrell!" Dr. Lewis called as he trotted over with a cylindrical container in his hands. "Please, just look at it! I'm positive you'll want it once you've inha—seen it!"

He ran around in front of her, blocking the way and opened the container in her face before she could protest. A honeyed, musky scent assaulted her and she instinctively inhaled. There was a specimen curled up in the container: Tan to brown, smooth, not scaled like a snake, with no discernable eyes. It had let out a cry and hid its face when the light had streamed in. During the second its mouth was visible, Carina took note of small, sharp dentition. Lewis snapped the lid shut and stared at her.

Carina coughed and rubbed her eyes. "What species is that?"

Lewis grinned. "Exotic, isn't he? I'll let you have him for $250 cash, a discounted price because you're disabled."

"How very kind of you," Carina spat, turning her wheelchair to face the other way, "And you think my disability paycheck is big enough that I can go around splurging two-fifty on pets? Oh please!" She prayed to god he wouldn't call her bluff. The former schoolteacher knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she'd keel over dead if she couldn't bring the creature home with her!

Lewis seemed to have been knocked completely off balance by her retort. "Wait!" He was in front of her again. He had a lousy poker face. "Since you're having financial difficulties, and you seem to be the perfect person to raise and care for my pet...One seventy five, and that's my last offer!"

Carina inwardly sighed with relief as she pulled the cash from her purse.

"He eats meat—"

"Hence the sharp, carnivorous dentition..."

"Yes...he prefers it live—"

"How big will he get? How old is he? What species?"

"Sorry, the only name I know for the species is xenomorph, with an "x". As for point of origin, nobody is totally sure...and he was born yesterday. Good luck, Miss Worrell!"

"Wait! I have more questions!" she called after him, "How big will he get? Is he very dangerous...?"

Lewis called back over his shoulder, "Less than three meters tall, and I can say without any doubt at whatsoever—" He spun and faced her before entering his van, "he'll never EVER hurt you. I can't say what he'll do to the neighbors, though," he laughed as he stepped into the van, turned it on, and sped off.

Carina sat for a moment, examining the container in her hands. At first she'd assumed it was plastic, but upon closer examination appeared almost metallic.

"Alright then," she said aloud, and steered her chair in the direction of the pet shop.


***********

"There you are," said Mrs. Schultz, Carina's housekeeper, "Imagine my surprise finding your note on the kitchen table! There is such a thing as texting, you know..."

"Where's the fun in that? Much better finding a personal, hand-written note, isn't it? Not to mention I save on minutes," Carina smiled, knowing the old woman was just ribbing her." She placed the container on the kitchen table. "I've got some deliveries coming later. Some are from the pet shop."

"Oh my dear! You've finally gotten a pet as the doctor advised! Is it a kitten? A cockatiel, perhaps?"

Carina chuckled, "Actually, I'm really not sure WHAT it is! It's in the container. Do NOT open it."

Mrs. Schultz put her hand to her throat. "It's not dangerous, is it?"

"Not as far as I know, but I'd rather err on the side of caution."

"I agree, dear! I've finished the bathrooms, kitchen, and the bedroom. All I need to do is the living room dusting. Would you like me to get you some tea?"

"That would be fabulous."

The doorbell rang. It was the delivery boy from the pet shop. Carina instructed him to set everything in the living room.

"You can skip the dusting today, Mrs. Schultz." She handed the delivery boy some extra cash so he would help her get things set up for her new guest.

"How about we use that folding craft table you've got in the garage? We could have him set it up along the far wall if we move the easy chair," offered Mrs. Schultz.

Twenty minutes later, the boy had left and the old housekeeper poured Carina one last cup of tea before leaving.

"You sure you don't want me to stay and cook you up something for dinner, dear?"

"No, I'll be fine. There's left over Chinese I can nuke if I get hungry later."

**********

Carina took the container holding the xenomorph from the table and wheeled into the living room. Everything was set. She just prayed Lewis had been truthful about it never hurting her. As she opened the lid, she had the feeling he had been...

The xenomorph was coiled with its head on top, immobile, seemingly watching her with its eyeless visage. The sweet musky smell was stronger than ever, but not unpleasant.

"Hello there," Carina said softly. Are you hungry, Little Friend?" She lifted a cage with several mice in it and let the creature see. It hissed and unwound itself. She put the cage back onto the craft table, curious as to what her new pet would do to get at the mice. At the first sign of distress, she intended to open the cage door for him. He slithered very slowly around the cage, testing the bars. The mice went into hysterics. He seemed to ignore them, patiently fixating on the cage itself. When he came to the door, he nudged and tested the latch. Then something emerged from his tiny jaws, grabbed the latch, and flipped it open. He was in the cage before Carina could blink, swallowing the mice one after another while blocking the exit with his tail. The instant he was done, he emerged from the cage. His body rippled and swelled, causing his skin to split down the back.

"My lord, you're molting!" exclaimed Carina as the xenomorph crawled out of its old covering. Something flopped and wriggled on its sides. She gasped in disbelief as arms and legs unfolded and stretched. The creature exuded a thick substance and began rubbing it all over itself. Carina felt drawn to help it and touched the rapidly darkening carapace. The xenomorph's head turned towards her and nuzzled her hand. It spat out more creamy goo and lifted its arms.

"Oh, you'd appreciate my help, eh? Certainly! What are friends for?" She rubbed the substance into his rapidly hardening exterior. The xenomorph leaned his elongated head against her and made vibrating, purring noises. She felt compelled to gather him up into her arms. He embraced her with his new limbs, snuggling as tightly as he could against her. Carina continued to massage his back, amazed at how intricate the creature's physique was. Then she remembered her camera.

"I'm such an idiot! This needs documentation!" The xenomorph shifted around and sat on her lap, apparently enjoying riding into the kitchen with her. The camera was in the corner cabinet within easy reach. Carina cursed when she checked the batteries and found none in the utility drawer. Mrs. Schultz said she'd left the new package on the dryer in the garage by mistake when unpacking the groceries, but had forgotten to bring them in. The young woman eyed her exotic companion, then wheeled over and opened the garage door.

"I need more of these," she said showing him a battery and pointing down into the garage. There was no hesitation. He returned in a moment with the package. Carina hugged him and lavished him with praise.

"Even a smart dog would have looked around a bit. We need to set up a series of tests for you. You'll need a name, too...I'll have to mull that one over." The creature reached up and explored her face with his fingers, then jumped down and scuttled into the living room. Carina quickly loaded the camera, set without flash, and followed.

He leapt from the floor to the table and set about uncovering the other cages. There were mice, rats, a garter snake, anole lizards, and a 2-gallon fish tank full of goldfish. There were squeaky toys, stuffed dog toys, plastic keys, etc...

The animals elicited the greatest interest, of course. All were perused, then the xenomorph backed away and sat motionless. The reaction of the animals was immediate and universal panic. Even the fish swam to the farthest end of their little tank. The rodents attempted to bury themselves under their cedar chips when attempts to gnaw through the cage bars failed. The snake and lizards were no better.

"Geez, what do they know that I don't, eh boy?" Carina snapped a few photos, then switched the camera to video mode, capturing the reactions of the other species along with the xenomorph.

"Okaaay, first footage of unknown species, along with local reaction. It has been my thought from the minute I set eyes on the subject, that this creature is not native to this planet. Whether he is a child member of a sentient race, or just a pet brought along BY a sentient race, is one of the things I hope to ascertain. Other questions arise: How did that fellow Lewis get his hands on such a specimen, and why the hell would he sell it? How would I categorize its phylum? I lean towards insectoid. Its original form was wormlike and smooth, bringing to mind the larval stage in many insect species. It ingested a large quantity of food relative to its body size, then morphed to a carapaced state, complete with appendages, in a matter of minutes, skipping a pupa stage. Right now, he's sitting motionless like a praying mantis facing the food cages. I call it "him" simply because Lewis referred to it like that— no, that's not entirely true...somehow, I'm absolutely Certain it's male... the scent perhaps...?"

She continued to watch the xenomorph with the camera turned off. After a few minutes, he astonished her by going and carefully covering each cage, then settling down with the toys. Carina flipped the camera on and set it on a shelf before wheeling over to join him. He stopped what he was doing, took her hand and led her over to the toys. He picked up a ball, shook it at her, then pit it down. He picked it up again and tilted his head. At first Carina didn't understand, then the light bulb went off.

"Ball."  He put it down and shook the next object at her.

"Duck" The next.

"Keys" He went down the row, then over to the cages.

"Cage." He lifted the cover.

"Rats." That cage was covered and the rest revealed in succession:

"Snake, lizards, fish..."

The little xenomorph leapt down from the table and proceeded to walk around the room, pointing at objects and moving on after Carina named them. He began to gather things, seemingly at random, and lay them out on the floor. He pointed to each item in succession without waiting for them to be named: a hairbrush, a pocket-sized book of poetry, a bracelet, a slipper... Carina shook her head, then grasped his inquiry.

"They're all red!  RED." He put them aside and gathered blue things, green things.. He stopped the color game and gathered things made of cloth, of metal, of plastic. Then, when he had exhausted that venue, he walked back and forth and gestured to himself, at his legs. At first Carina was again unsure of his meaning, then figured out he was trying to learn action verbs. He ran, fell down, jumped...then come, go, up, down...

"Okay, you cannot POSSIBLY remember all those words!" Carina said aloud.

She said, "Jump up table." He leapt up and sat.

"Throw keys." They landed squarely in her lap.

"Oh my god....Well, I think this puts to rest the "brought along pet" theory...jump down, come walk wheelchair, jump up."

He came right over and snuggled against her. Suddenly he pulled back and touched her nose.

"You want to learn more? You're insatiable."

He tapped her nose and cocked his head.

"Nose,"

He broke out into a wide smile.

"My god, look at those teeth! They look like they're made of steel."

He lightly touched her eye.

"Eye." The xenomorph put his hand on his face, then ran it all the way to the back of his head.

"Are you saying you have that much peripheral vision? You're the perfect hunter then."

She was required to name her lips, teeth, ears, eyebrows, hair, and neck. Carina put a stop to it when he gently tugged at her clothing. She took his hands in hers and looked into his face.

Touching her chest, she said, "Carina."

His head tilted. He hissed and made purring noises in three pulses.

"You can't say it, but those are syllables, I'll bet. I've got a name for you too. I used to watch a TV show religiously. It was great and mysterious, then it got stupid— anyways, my favorite character was named Desmond. I love the name so much..."

She put her hand to his chest. "Desmond." Again he smiled, and snuggled against her, purring.

************