The hivemind is conquering for me?

Orchid walked through the door several hours later with a neutral expression on her face. I was sitting on the couch snuggled up with Janine talking about this and that, the other two had left not long ago.

Upon noticing Orchid, my face lit up. ”There you are. Where have you been? Is everything ok?” I asked, as Orchid usually avoids going out without me on principle, so for her to spend a few hours more than I had planned for her made me curious.

Orchid immediately walked over and snuggled on the other side of me. ”I am fine, I just had detention.”

I stared blankly at Orchid before I couldn’t hold back and laughed for a moment. I then noticed her confused expression at which point I stopped and asked. ”You serious?” Orchid nodded her head innocently.

”Yes. It was supposed to be a punishment for putting a knife through a human’s hand, but all the woman and I did was talk about the event, laughed at the male’s misery and sat in silence.”

Orchid then used telepathy to speak to me directly.’ Orchid also did not try to leave as the female who gave me this detention was strong and Orchid did not want to break her current role.’

Janine and I looked at each other hearing that and were stumped. I then turned back to my troublesome bug and asked. ”So, can you tell us what happened?”

...

”So there is more of that stuff down here Wendy? I feel antsy. It was so good, I can’t get it out of my mind.” A voice spoke. It cared little about the dangers of the surroundings, it didn’t care it was on a black reef, it had been struggling for days after being promised more the next day.”

Wendy shook her head at her personal trainer. She was feeling the effects as well, but she wasn’t whinging like her... However, she had another dilemma. She was supposed to come two days ago, but-

”About time you came back Wendy, I had begun to suspect you had second thoughts.” A sarcastic voice sounded from the alley above. Wendy looked up, but spotted nothing, but her attention was immediately brought back down by a shallow gasp.

Her friend was standing on her tiptoes, a hand around her neck had made it difficult for her to breath. ”My, my. What a cutie you are? MMh, he would gobble you up, I just know it.”

Wendy gulped as she gazed upon Samantha. ”Samantha, I. I’m sorry we didn’t come sooner. Daddy-” ”-Your father shut down your compound while he investigated the missing submarine you gave me, yes I know.”

Wendy blinked in surprise, not expecting her to know this. No information was coming in or out. Period. Only she had been let out so far as she put on the pleading act with daddy and laid it on thick.

”So, are we cool?” She asked nervously. ”Nope.” Samantha replied gleefully and with a sickening crunch, the woman whose neck was in her grasp broke. A look of pain shot through the woman’s eyes before whatever waited on the other side claimed her.

Wendy went to wail out in pain and sorrow, but the same hand that just crushed her friend of twelve years’ neck, suddenly wrapped around her own. Samantha closed in, her nose brushing past Wendy’s neck, taking in her scent.

”Mmh, such turmoil within you and yet, no desire to harm me? I just killed your friend and nothing? Are you so desperate for power you can forgo attachments so hastily?” Samantha asked, intrigued.

Wendy sniffled, her eyes going puffy from the crying, both pain and sadness. Before she managed to squeak out. ”I will do-Anything to be like you.” Samantha looked at the pink haired woman in her grasp for an unbearable few seconds before releasing her grasp.

”Good. Now her fate was a result of your tardiness, a warning. The only reason you didn’t suffer the same fate is because I understand the situation and you poisoned her. But in the future, you do not disobey me. If I tell you to come the next day, but you have to attend an event on another planet, you come to me, do we understand each other?”

Wendy acted obediently, nodding her head softly. She took one look down at her friend, her eyes wide with their light gone out. She branded the sight into her vision. ’This is what it takes to go down this path. I need to become ok with this. No, I am ok with this.’

As Wendy was doing this, she suddenly spotted movement. People! Panic set in, there was a dead body in front of her! ’What if the authorities are called?!?’ She panicked, forgetting she was on a black reef.

Samantha was relaxed. ”Over here, now!” She declared and the shufflers at the end of the alley all began running over. Wendy began to panic as they approached, but when they spotted the body, there wasn’t fear in their eyes, but glee?

Suddenly a woman with missing teeth, greasy hair and dirt all over her face walked forward from the group of seven people. ”Boss lady? Should we take the body to the grinder?” She asked, scratching her arms with a desperate look upon her face.

”Ah, you little rats are just sublime aren’t you? So sweet helping me with my work. Sure, take the body.” Samantha said casually with a wave of her arm, but the group didn’t move yet. ”Oh!” She said, smacking her forehead at forgetting before reaching into her pocket and pulling out two vials with slightly different coloured liquids.

”Wendy, this is for you, you should be needing a fix yourself at this point.” She said dangling a vial in Wendy’s face. Wendy then snatched out at the vial, surprising herself. Her throat suddenly felt extremely parched. With the stress of not being here two days ago gone, her instincts had taken over. She needed her medicine!

Samantha then chucked the second vial over to the woman who was looking at Wendy’s vial enviably. The woman jolted and reflexes kicked in as she grabbed the vial. ”Thank you boss lady! Thank you! Guys! Lets dump this body!”

The group all walked to the body and picked it up. Someone was bound to come and collect the dead body anyway and move it to the dump. As the last thing this reef needed was a plague.

However, a few days ago, this lady came round to them, offered them a sample of a new drug. A new drug was rare in these parts so they partook and instantly got hooked! It was so good! The high... They forgot about the pain of living in this reef for a time while still being coherent with their surroundings, reducing the chances of being mugged. It was perfect and all they had to do was carry bodies for the lady? Any dead body from anywhere? This was a score!

The best part of the drug as well? No overdose limit. The boss lady gave them a vial of liquid that they diluted in water among themselves. They could have their fix all at once or keep on diluting in and ride the high for as long as they could. This was the best thing to come to this reef in a long time.

”Be careful with the body! And I expect Kun-co levels of speed! That body better be at the grinder when I get there!” Samantha shouted after the group before whispering with a sadistic smile.

”Oh, I am having such nostalgia right now. Poor little druggies doing anything for their next fix... This place is a paradise.” Samantha felt her ego swell, with the conditions down here being worse than the south of Euc4, she was progressing even faster than she thought possible.

She didn’t linger on this thought for long though. She still had a long way to go. It was only thanks to Sophia’s hard work of founding the original cult and the benefits that brought in helping found other cults was the reason she knew how to operate here.

”Come on Wendy, time for you to be useful again.” She said and began walking away. Wendy, who had just downed her vial, looked over confused from the immense relief she was feeling before following Samantha.

”Where are we going?” Wendy asked after catching up. ”Do you have that needler with you by any chance?” Samantha inquired. Wendy nodded her head and pulled out her weapon. ”Yes, why? Do you need me to kill someone?”

”Not quite, but I like your enthusiasm.” Samantha said as she took the weapon from Wendy. ”No, what I have in store for you is simple. I am using your body. There is a kingpin nearby who has a thing for your type. You are going into his drug den and are to convince him to leave the safety of his guards to escort you somewhere private. Fret not though, I don’t expect you to offer services, just imply them. Do that for me and I’ll give you another vial.”

Wendy gulped nervously, but said nothing. This was just something she had to do to achieve her power. And to get her power she would do whatever it takes...