The Serpent's Bride
Before Charles’ arrival back into the tunnels, Eva crept toward the sacred computer. When the system had failed, clarity had hit her hard. She knew exactly how to become pregnant and give birth to a viable child.
A human was the key. Even though Charles had previously impregnated her with disastrous results, the Bearers hadn’t known that a bonding of the blood was required. That knowledge lay buried somewhere in the part of the Bearers' psyche that the hygiachips silenced. It was part of the collective conscience locked down by the power of the SG78 controls.
Eva fought the temptation to destroy the computer that held so much power over all their lives. But she had come there to put the foul machine to a better purpose. The humans thought her kind knew nothing about the machine. It was one of the many secrets they kept from their keepers.
As she waited for his return, she wondered where he could have gone. Rather than go looking for him and risk missing his return, she waited patiently. She knew that whatever he was attending to, nothing would keep him from returning to the machine.
She’d known he was going to fight, but it didn’t matter. Subduing him would be effortless with her superior size and strength. As the blood mingling took hold, Eva watched with satisfaction as his eyes sought her silver gaze. Her victory was his desire. He passed out in her arms.
She placed him in his chair and looked down at his hard cock. It was not impressive. Eva wondered how a little thing like that could ever get her pregnant. Instinctively and intuitively, though, she knew a human was the key.
That’s why she had already tweaked the hormones. Charles was bound to her blood now. He would help her bring forth a child.
She stroked his stiff dick and grinned when his eyelids fluttered open. “Just rest for now," she told him. "We can work out all the details later, my creature.”
Confusion flitted over his face.
Of course you're confused, little human. You're going to be my sex slave and that's just dawning on your hormone drenched brain. Soon, nothing I will ask of you will be beyond the pale. Whatever I wish you will clamor to do.
She lowered her pussy onto his cock and smeared his pre-cum over her slit. Wet and ready for him, she slid the tip of his cock over her clit repeatedly teasing herself with the head.
Locking her peculiar gaze, now glowing green instead of silver, onto his dull blue eyes, she speared herself onto his erection. A haunted look crept over his face. She knew the reason for it.
Poor moral man that he was, he was already feeling guilty because he thought their baby would be stillborn as before. Eva knew that Charles valued life-of any sort-and was traumatized at the loss of their former offspring.
She decided to put his tortured mind to rest and whispered in his ear, “Our blood is the key. With it mingling in our veins, the baby will survive. Treat this information as the truth and we will succeed.”
Something akin to relief and, to Eva’s astonishment, horror crawled over Charles’ face. She knew this man had once been an evangelical priest of some sorts. Therefore, Eva assumed it was a matter of his perceived morals.
“We have the key to your puzzle, Magic Man. We can build an army of new warriors. Why do you disrespect me, your newfound source of life, like this?”
He opened his mouth and then closed it. Then, from somewhere far beyond his reality something grabbed him. “I apologize. An army, you say?”
“That's right.” Eva didn't want to tell him too much or too little. "An army is what the earth needs to right it and help it thrive again."
Eva didn’t reveal all that she knew. She would have to feed quite often on his blood. That would certainly be something from which the human would recoil. She failed to mention the depth of sickness he would endure. Let him enjoy the illusion of pleasure in the moment. She saw acceptance, even eagerness on Charles' face.
She fucked him hard but never let him get control of the sex. Eva needed to assert her superiority over this insignificant human male. He tried to get on top several times but she only laughed at him. She thoroughly enjoyed the erotic wrestle that followed.
She knew Charles was waging a mighty struggle. He called upon his "God" many times. He prayed for courage even as she fucked him beyond anything he had surely ever experienced. And, although she was certain Charles hadn’t achieved her level of joy from their coupling, some of his cries to the "God" seemed uttered in pleasurable surrender. Eva instinctively hated that "God". All the power was hers and she told Charles, “I’m your God now, Magic Man.”
To make sure he understood her clearly, she bared a breast and commanded, “Bite me and drink the blood of your new God.”
He fought like hell. She almost smothered him. Charles proved that his survival instincts were working quite well.
While he drank, Eva growled, “Oh, my little Magic Man, you’ll grow to enjoy drink from this Mother Goddess.”
Even as she spoke, Charles’ became an eager man greedily drinking his fill. He was a babe at the mother's tit. Eva knew how voraciously she would enjoy the taste of his blood . . . hourly if necessary. Her hunger for him was roaring to life especially as she watched him suckle her tit. Eva knew she had to be careful. She could easily kill this little Magic Man.
Going on pure instinct, she dragged his mouth to hers for a kiss. While tasting her own blood on his tongue, she bit his bottom lip to make sure their blood mingled. It felt so right that she broke the kiss and bit Charles’ jaw. Eva didn’t stop until his entire right side was a roadmap of bite marks.
She rubbed her bleeding breast over his fresh wounds. Charles bit her a few times but his teeth were completely human, whereas Eva’s had mutated. Eva bit her arms to help him. If someone had witnessed them a few minutes later, they would have thought there had been a murder.
The whole time, Eva continued to roll her hips and sink his cock deep inside her. By the time he came, Charles was fucking Eva back as much as she would allow. In the aftermath, Eva showed Charles that the Bearers could heal themselves and another human. She loved the awe that overtook his face. He looked almost reverent when he watched the wounds magically disappear.
"You never imagined it, did you?" she asked him.
"It's a miracle," he whispered.
"It's what we are," she answered simply.
They dressed in silence until Eva handed him a notebook she found on the desk. “I know you want to write down all that has happened here today. I've seen your notes before, you know. You're very thorough. Track our progress now, Magic Man.”
“Why do you call me that . . . Magic Man?”
“Because you had magic at your fingertips. You were the one who controlled us; made us feel, gave us the ability to create, and killed us when necessary. You played God, Magic Man. It’s my turn now.”
He blinked at her a few times before curling a lip, “There is only one true God.”
“Enough! Keep your blathering to yourself until I wish to hear you,” Eva commanded. When she was sure that Charles would obey, she continued, “You will father the next race. I expect loyalty, obedience, and your complete cooperation. Without it, I will punish you. Do you understand, Magic Man?”
“Yes, I understand,” Charles answered. He appeared docile enough, but Eva suspected part of that was an act. She had chosen Charles for a reason other than simple convenience. He was a clever man, with an intellect Eva had to respect. With that came the possibility of deception and duplicity. She vowed again to be careful with him.
Eva knew there were several areas that always needed monitoring. The algae factory was one of them. Operation could not be disrupted because the algae provided clean air and food. The Chamber couldn’t suspect that anything was wrong in the sector or they would send someone to investigate.
Eva knew there were other sects. She had witnessed some of the mutants being taken away. They were sterile. She didn’t believe that the governing parties killed all the mutants unable to have children. There simply wasn't a large enough population of pure humans to carry out the labor needed to maintain their life. The mutants were a necessary evil.
They were still out there. She just didn’t know how to get to them. Eva planned, on locating them. For this, Charles could serve another important purpose. He could help her and he alone could make the charade work. Whether the others were like she and the other Bearers or something else all together, she needed to know what the larger picture looked like. Her intent was to grow a new race-a superior one. Knowledge was as powerful as any weapon and it was an essential part of her army's arsenal. Unimpressive though his physical prowess might be, Gallagher had a mighty mind.
These were the questions which needed answers: How many people made up the Chamber? Did they have weapons other than the hygiachips and the SG78 controls? How many other sects were there? How many mutants to each sect? Was her brother amongst them?
Without the hormonal brew muddling her mind, Eva could remember the days of her mutation. She could also remember being completely human. She’d had a family once; a mother, father, and a brother. There had been laughter and something called love. Then the disease came and fear replaced the laughter; death banished the love.
Her mother and father had perished, but Eva and her brother had lived. She’d promised to find him before they had been separated. Eva knew that promise should mean something.
In her current reality, it was simply that . . . a cold promise. The mutation had stripped all emotion away, leaving only the memory of what love, happiness, and heartache felt like. Eva latched onto the loyalty and unshakable love memories for her brother. She would fulfill this promise.
“What do you know of the other sects?” She asked Charles.
“You mean the Concubines?”
“What is a Concubine?”
Charles took a deep breath and told her, “Sterile mutants that the Chamber keeps for themselves. They serve the Delegates.”
“Tell me about them,” Eva urged him.
“That’s all I know. They keep some exclusively for Companions. The rest are Concubines for whoever wants them.”
“So, they are treated well?”
“Yes. The Companions are treated like the Delegates. They’re royalty.” Eva’s eyes widened at the reverence in Charles’ tone.
“Why would a woman that could not bear children be treated in such a way?” Her tone was cold.
Charles slowly shook his head and answered, “I don't know. Greed, perhaps?”
“Yes. These Delegates treat themselves well while harsh treatment goes to the ones that clean their air and grow their food. Stupid humans. Where are they?”
“I don't know. I've only heard about them. I’ve never seen them or been in their presence.”
“Then how do you know Concubines even exist?”
“I don’t . . . I don’t know. I heard a Delegate tell someone to bring him three Concubines.” Trying to remember anything else, Charles shoved a hand into his hair and blurted out, “Then another one said something about a Concubine being made into a Companion. You know, these people talk. I'm not in their company often. My life has been here, in this room. My duty is to monitor and keep my sector secure and productive.
“I'm not going on a wild search for a sect based on a couple of statements you overheard. Get me more information. I don’t care who you ask but make damn sure they’re not suspicious. I will be relying on you to keep us a secret, Magic Man. If you don’t, life won’t be too pleasurable for you.” Eva dropped her mouth to his ear and whispered, “Remember, Magic Man, every time you leave this tunnel there are forces outside waiting to kill you. The creatures you fear-the chickens who would feast on your flesh, the hummingbird that will suck the fluid from your eyeballs, those that fly and those that crawl-I am one with them all. I talked to those bats that left you alone earlier in the day. I could easily invite one or two into the tunnels with us.”
She leaned back to look down at his wide eyes. He nodded once and asked, “Did you have anything to do with the SG78 panels failing?”
“No. I don’t know anything about that,” she told him honestly.
He looked down at the notebook she’d given earlier. She handed him a pen and said, “These are for your personal tracking. Don’t get any ideas about telling the Chamber what you’ve written here, Magic Man.”
He nodded and wrote down everything that had just happened. She left him to his task and peeked at the system numbers. Everything within the algae factory looked back to normal.
When she returned to look over his notes, the name Eric hopped off the paper at her. She slowly read, "Overheard Eric tell Mika that he would impregnate her."
Eva almost ripped the notebook in half. She growled at Charles, “Tell me about Eric and Mika. Everything . . . tell me all that you overheard.”
Charles told her what he knew, but it wasn't much. Eva knew he was leaving out some of the more physical details by the way he squirmed while he talked. Details of fucking were of little interest to her. What she really wanted to know about was the pool of water and why Mika had reacted so strongly to it.
“Will you fight him?” Charles asked her.
Eva had unconsciously adopted a warrior position with her strong fists against her hip and her feet placed wide for balance. She relaxed her pose and shook her head, “No. I'm not as strong as a Bearer male. He would win a physical fight. But there are other ways to battle.”
Eva mused aloud. “There must be more of these pools underground. It seems unlikely that there would be just one. Perhaps they are all interconnected underground. Did you explore the other tunnel thoroughly?” she asked sharply.
“No. I came back when it was obvious that I’d taken the wrong route. The other tunnel led to outside. I didn’t have my hazmat gear with me either.”
“Not my issue, Magic Man. Go suit up. I’m not leaving you here so that you can go rat me out to your superior Delegates.”
“No…no! My suit was torn. I’ll get contaminated even more. . . .I haven’t even . . .” Charles stammered.
“Again, not my problem. Besides, I’ve tasted your level of contamination. You’re already a goner, Magic Man.”
Charles shook his head, fear written in his features. Eva stood over him, glaring down with her bizarre silver eyes at his face. “You will go suit up, Little Boy, or I will start breaking your bones. Let’s start with your right arm.”
She grabbed that arm before he could get away from her. Charles immediately shrieked, “Okay, okay! Don’t hurt me.”
While she watched, he climbed into the hazmat suit. She helped secure the suit around him. When he was satisfied that he was somewhat safe, Charles led the way down the tunnel. Eva had to bend at the waist and stoop over to follow him.
They emerged at the other end through an opening and stood in the waning evening light. Looking around, Eva spotted a rocky area and pointed.
“Could that be an opening to a cave?” Without waiting for an answer, she headed in that direction.
Charles followed behind until he’d caught the attention of a rooster. When his shrieks grew too terrified, she grabbed him in one arm and the thoroughly pissed-off bird in the other hand. With a fast downward motion, she snapped the rooster’s neck and threw the bird aside.
Eva didn’t know if Charles had passed out in her grip or not. He was no longer fighting. In fact, he’d become a dead weight.
When she reached the boulders, she grinned. There was a cavern behind the pile of rocks and she could hear water flowing. She’d discovered a potential goldmine of power.
She hefted the huge boulder aside and stepped through before covering the entrance once again. It was obvious that no animal had made its home in the cavern. Even if one had, Eva would have slaughtered it and taken over its domain.
Deep within, she discovered a waterfall that trickled down to a clear pool. The water was icy cold, signaling a long route through many underground paths. If the water had been running directly from the top, the temperature would have been much warmer.
She dipped hand down into it and gasped as fierce desire seared a path straight between her legs. She ripped her shirt off and dipped it into the water. She knew she would have to bring a better container when she returned.
For now, she soaked as much of the water as she could into her blouse. Looking around, she found straw and set it alight with a blaze of her eyes. Within no time, Eva had another fire crackling to life.
Some deep instinct drove her out of the cavern. Normally, Eva would have eaten something filtered by the algae. A long time had passed since she had killed wildlife and cooked it over a fire. For reasons unknown to her now, she went out to hunt for the first time in many months.
A buck was the first thing she saw. Only this wasn’t like any animal that a human would have recognized. Long fangs curved under its jaw and balanced a rack of antlers that set atop its head. Instead of hooves, the buck had paws similar to a bear’s and tipped with lethal claws.
It was capable of ripping Eva apart and wouldn’t hesitate to feast on her. Eva enjoyed the 'kill or be killed' challenge. She took the animal down quickly but not easily. Some would have called it courage to leap on such a creature's back and clamp down on the animal's jugular with only your teeth as a weapon. Bravery was not part of Eva's vocabulary. It was simply part of her. She dragged her prey back to the cavern.
Charles had awakened where she dropped him when they entered the cave and had instinctively moved away from the water. Still in his hazmat suit, he watched her pull the animal over to a corner. Eva knew Charles was going to give her issues with her next request. She didn’t care.
“Remove the hazmat suit, Magic Man. The air down her is okay for you to breathe. It’s probably safer than your tunnels.”
His voice was muffled but she could hear him loud and clear, “How can you be so sure?”
“Because I can taste the level of contamination in the air. Now, remove the suit or I’ll rip it off you.”
He reluctantly started shedding the suit while watching her fashion a sharp edge on the side of a rock. Eva and the Bearers had become adept early on at creating weapons out of whatever the land offered them. By the time Charles had shed his protective gear, Eva was skinning the huge buck.
Charles observed her from what she was sure he deemed to be a safe distance away. She knew he didn’t trust her. She didn’t exactly trust him either.
She knew he would give her a hard time, possibly refuse to eat the buck once she’d cooked it. She may have to force this meal down his throat. Eva was ready to do just that because she instinctively felt that freshly killed and prepared mutated meat was required for creating a child. Animal food to build an animal army. Algae might keep life going, but meat was essential to procreate.
She thought of explaining this to Charles but didn’t feel an explanation was necessary, especially since Charles wasn’t completely on board with Eva bearing a new race by his sperm. She felt his bashfulness toward the very idea of fathering said race.
His willingness was not required. Each time that he tasted her blood, Eva knew they would become closer to bringing about her plan. She could be patient.
That didn’t mean that she would let him off easy. Skinning, cleaning, and preparing the buck didn’t take her long. After she’d hung it over the fire, she cleaned her hands and tools off and sat beside Charles.
“You will eat when my offering has cooked. I will not tolerate any other answer from you, Magic Man.”
“Why must I eat this when there is plenty of food available in my room?” Charles asked.
“Because the time to move forward has arrived, Magic Man. To do this, the next race must be bred. That race will not thrive on pills and the weeds we grow. Why do you hesitate in fathering this race?”
“Another race will be an abomination. You saw what came of the first attempts. How can you ask that of me again?”
“I know things now that I didn't know then.”
“How is that possible? For you to be so sure that you’re right?”
“Because time has passed. Time is a powerful force. Because our brains have mutated too and now I know things because I can taste and sense them. Without the hormones fogging up my thinking, I am sure about what is necessary to create this superior race. You will help me,” Eva told him.
He studied her face, but still appeared skeptical. “Do I have a choice?”
“No, you don’t.” She turned the buck hanging over the fire and added, “If I really wanted, you would impregnate and become enslaved by more than just me. I could use you up before the night is over and then let the chickens feast on your dead carcass. But, I won’t. You will be my mate, Magic Man. I will provide you with a legion fit for a king.”