Unum de multis(open)

//We found something.

//First we found the star.  It had been so long since we had felt warmth.  We have been hibernating for so long our memories almost fail us.  The warmth of light was such a welcome feeling.  From what memories we retrieved, it indicated to have a much better remaining lifespan than our previous habitat.  We have been orbiting this star in search of something within it's most habitable zone.  From there we had planned on looking gradually outwards until we found something habitable.

//We did not expect that we would get a result so soon.  

//The probe came back responsive.  Heat resistance would be required for atmospheric entry, but it was habitable.  Even more, it was already inhabited.  We did not expect this to transpire so easily.  Even considering that we had looked in the correct location for it, we did not expect to find life besides ourselves.  We cannot sense them; they are not of our flesh.  They are unique.  They are unknown.  

//Analysis: entry could prove incredibly dangerous.  

//It has a satellite.  Probe returns that it is barren.  It shall take root and become a contingency plan, but the environment is less than optimal.  We will take the risk and enter the habitable body first.  I want to see this firsthand.  

//------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sky over jump city split open as a rumble of thunder cut through the clear skies.  The object passed overhead, making it's presence obnoxiously obvious to the entire population, beside the hearing impaired.  The object, comparable in size to a house impacted at an angle within a half mile of the coastline.  Chaos and death ensued, cutting down the buildings of two business, destroying parking lots, trampling a set of power lines and defacing a vast stretch of pavement.  It finally came to rest inside a large hotel, and in the process destroyed an entire corner.  The red hot lump of rock and metal now sat inside the collapsing remains of the hotel's dining area, amidst the fresh rubble and panicking residents.  The toll of those dead or injured ranged roughly from 70-125 people.  

The landing site proved too hot to approach immediately, and the building caught fire almost right away.  Emergency crews would be responding soon, mainly firemen, medical personnel, and the media.  Yes this was a disaster, but there was yet to indicate anything more than that.  The asteroid was covered in a layer of some black coating with a reflective crimson shine.  It was hard, indicating metal; but there was no sense of design or symmetry to it.  Nothing yet indicated it was a vessel for carrying anything.  It wasn't until the waters used to put out the fire cooled the wreck enough to be a safe temperature than did something emerge.  

In a portion of the wrecked building where the crews were working hardest, the black shell of a portion of the rock cracked open to release something from it.  Nidus emerged head first, leaving his lower half still inside the wreck in case retreat was a better option.  In this state, his head, torso, and arms were exposed and gathering data on the environment.  That was when the response crew took notice.  They fled, and Nidus considered it a safe option to step out and gather himself just outside the safety of what was effectively a spore.  His movements were slow, adjusting to his environment.  He barely moved from where he emerged, waiting and analyzing everything new.  

//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

//It's noisy.  Comfortable, but noisy  Planetary drop has been completed; the debris has settled.  Whatever inhabits this planet is aware and responding to the insertion of a foreign body.  They are already active.

He felt the coolness of the water being sprayed on the building to douse what was left of the flames.  

//The healing process has already started.  They are recovering.  They have been injured.  Antibodies will respond.  Appropriate action will be necessary.  Extermination is not an option.  Prepare the spores.

Minutes before the crash Simon was walking out of the Jump City College campus after a long seminar that stretched on a little longer than it should have. He gave a long yawn as he slowly made his way back to his Aunt's house, which was thankfully quite close. The young blonde boy found himself wishing something exciting would happen soon, especially after going through such a long winded seminar from such a boring professor.

After dropping off his stuff at home he went out to walk the streets in search of the excitement he craved. He walked around in his ordinary clothes, a dark green hoodie and some denim jeans, since with DOMA in town flying around in costume was just asking for trouble. He had decided he would only fly if something big happened.

Then the sky split open.

Simon stared at the unknown object plummeting down to the earth for a second before he regained his composure and quickly ducked into a nearby alleyway; though with everyone's attention on the falling object he probably could have transformed right then and there and his identity would be safe. After taking a moment to transform into the Wind Ranger suit he took to the air and flew in the direction of the crash zone.

He arrived moments later and gazed in horror at the scene of the impact. It had taken out the better half of a city block, probably killing dozens in the process. Simon flew closer to take a closer look at what had landed. At first glance he couldn't tell what it was meant to be, it just looked like a lump of metal. He suspected for a moment that maybe it was a piece of a satelite, but if that was the case then why did it just look like a lump?

Just as he was thinking that maybe there was nothing he could really do except leave this to the professionals the lump started to open. An alien looking creature stepped out, causing the firemen on the scene to flee. Simon flew over to the creature, landing a few metres in front of it. He didn't do anything as drastic as attacking immediately, instead opting to stare it down. He didn't bother talking since it likely wouldn't understand him, instead letting his body language speak for him; his fists were raised and he looked ready to fight.

The creature barely moved as the green ranger dropped down in front of him, braving the wreckage to get a look at what came out of the house-sized lump of space debris.  It stood mostly still, the only movements it made were a slow turn of it's head in different directions.  It never looked straight at Simon, appearing like it was more interested in where it had landed.  It never spoke a word the entire time.  

//This one does not flee.  Bold?  A threat?  It does not move.  It is waiting for us; giving us time.  Make use of that time.  Deploy the colonies.

Already the vessel carried Nidus was preparing something else, though it wasn't obvious from outside.  Not until Nidus turned to reach out and touch it, and at the same time various port-holes appeared across the top sections.  Out of them started to scurry some kind of winged creatures.  They looked like large, fleshy insects about the size of a person's hand.  For now they merely clung to the vessel, scurrying over it and flapping their wings as they stood in place.  They looked to be fanning it, or perhaps just stretching out.

//Adjustments are needed for optimal flight efficiency.  Adapt quickly and flee.  Spread and take root; establishing a foothold is top priority.

For a good few moments it was starting to seem like Simon's grand standing was for nothing, the thing that came out of the pod seemed to not be interested in him at all and it instead just looked around. Scanning the environment maybe? Simon was considering what to do next when it turned around and touched something on its vessel, causing weird winged creatures to come out of holes that opened up around the top.

Hey! What are you doing!?! He spoke for the first time. This thing probably didn't understand his words, but perhaps it at least understood the aggression in his tone of voice, the way an animal could. He looked warily at the insects as they began to flap their wings. He decided to take action, dashing towards Nidus at high speed and throwing a punch at it. The punch would be relatively weak, as he just wanted to test the waters a bit. With any luck, it would get intimidated and run away.

Nidus turned his head only slightly as Simon yelled at him, and didn't move as he rushed forward to deliver the blow.  Simon had the ability to punch fearlessly, without concern for hurting himself; but he would probably still notice that punching Nidus was like punching a tree.  His body was hardened and didn't have any obvious vulnerabilities.  His failure to react to the blow quickly was either due to poor reflexes, or confidence that he would not be injured.  Either way, Nidus took the punch without moving, save for a single step back after the blow was struck.  After the impact, Nidus still failed to react quickly.  He turned slowly to face the green ranger, tilting his forehead toward his attacker.  His head tipped and turned as if searching for something; and like a child with asperger's syndrome, Nidus' face didn't seem to focus on anything distinct.  It was clear that the full body turn was a reaction to Simon, but Nidus' head would only tilt towards Simon instead of 'looking' straight at him.  Perhaps the lack of eyes had something to do with his lack of focus.  

//It has engaged; yet the purpose of it's engagement remains unclear.  Possible attack, but damage received was negligible.  No alternative motive is immediately apparent.  Reciprocate?

//No.  If that was an attack, reciprocation would lead to escalation.  Combat is not currently an advisable option.  Assess other possibilities and attempt to de-escalate in the case of hostility.  First assessment: determine target's structural stability in co-relation to the strength and type of engagement.  Would the target have harmed itself were another like it in my place?  

Nidus' only action after turning to face the ranger was to lift a hand and extend a single finger.  His movements were slow, delayed, and very telegraphed.  Either he had the reflexes of a hard boiled egg, or he WANTED Simon to know what he was doing.  With the single finger, he extended his finger towards Simon's torso to poke and prod at it, wanting to see how squishy he was or wasn't.  


Meanwhile, the winged insects crawling out of the vessel in droves began to change, each one looking somewhat different than each other.  

//Determining most efficient flight structure.  Mutate, assess, and adapt.  Accept the most efficient models and continue with expansion.  

Every insect that had come out started to take off all at the same time; while more were still coming out of the vessel and developing to do the same thing.  A lot of the creatures took off slowly or didn't get off the ground; but some quickly flew off and out of sight, past the debris of the hotel.  Before long, those that remained adopted the form of those that were able to fly off quickly, and they were soon leaving too.  From outside, onlookers and cameramen could see swarms of these creatures taking off and migrating as far and as fast as they could.  The infection was spreading.

Simon's hopes that the alien would get intimidated and flee, as unlikely as that scenario was to begin with, were dashed instantly as the alien didn't even make any move to defend itself from his attack. When the punch connected Simon found out why, the guy's skin was as tough as a brick wall but with less give, it only moved back a single step. Simon dashed back in anticipation of the alien's counterattack, but it only tilted his head at him.

The alien then moved forward with its finger pointing towards him. Simon moved to the side to avoid the finger, keeping his distance from it. Simon was beginning to believe that maybe the alien wasn't much of a threat at all, aside from it's mode of transportation. Then he spotted the insects starting to take flight, he had forgotten all about them "Shit!" he said, heroically.

Simon took to the air, ignoring the main alien in favour of the insects, and started striking the insects, hoping to swat them out of the air. He aimed to take out as much as he could, but given the massive swarm coming out there was no way he would be able to take them all out.

//Subject seems to avoid assessment.  Observable behavior seems to indicate target is highly inclined to hostility.
Peaceful assessment does not seem likely.  This conclusion is rational; the target's most likely role is a primary antibody.  

Nidus' assessment was further reinforced when Simon left to attack the fleeing larva, knocking them out of the sky.  

//Target is shifting focus.  Cause for this is not currently know.  Possible hunting instincts or a higher understanding of what is happening.  Flight is achievable for my vessel.  Ranged attack methods have not been developed.  Larva:
Flee!  You cannot be protected.  

The creatures were getting more agile by the minute, and for every one that Simon knocked out of the sky, they seemed to be getting better and better at avoiding them.  Their agility soon reached a cap, unable to adapt more than physical limits allowed.  Still it was hard to knock down a flock of birds individually, especially if the flock had thousands of birds and kept splitting up.  While each individual larva was easy to deal with, there were indeed far too many to take out one at a time.  Most of then would escape at this rate, which is exactly what Nidus needed.  

Even worse for Simon, those that were not mortally wounded would heal themselves quickly, only to get back up and take off again within a minute's time.  This would prove to be a difficult task without a strategy.  

//Assessing lost colonies as within acceptable perimeters.  Allocating available resources to restoring damaged larvae.  Continuing assessments.  

Nidus stepped out from the majority of the debris to a position where he could more easily sense the people in the area.  With the wreckage caused, there were inevitably a lot of emergency response crew.  A few police officers took aim in case the alien came closer, and crowds watched from  their distant viewpoint.  

//No other targets have engaged.  Why?  Are antibodies rare?  Slow response times?  Are they too afraid?

He didn't move closer, at least not yet.  Not while his children were still spreading.  As more and more larva came from the vessel, it slowly started crumbling and losing mass.

Simon was currently in the swarm throwing punches and kicks as fast as he could, which was pretty darn fast. From an outside perspective he would look like a blurry mess of limbs, but in truth each blow was precise and accurate. But unfortunately his impressive display of combat prowess was simply not making up for the fact that he was one against many, and that his efforts were not making any significant change. He found himself wishing that his former teammate the red ranger was here, with her fire powers she could make short work of these things No, I can't think like that! I gotta do this on my own!

Simon was an extremely observant person, a quality which when combined with his enhanced reflexes means he almost never misses even the smallest of details. So even in the middle of the swarm while throwing punches and kicks like no ones business he noticed that not all of the insects he attacked were killed, and that they were slowly recovering to get ready to fly again. Underneath his mask he scowled, realising that what he was doing just wasn't having enough impact.

Well, I'll at least finish what I started! With that, he dove down to the insects that he had struck but had survived and finished them off by crushing them beneath his boots so that at least they couldn't rejoin the swarm. The area around him was covered in the corpses of those insects, but compared to the amount of insects that got past him and flew away it just wasn't enough "Damn it!"

As frustrating as it was, he would just have to let the mass of insects go. Instead he just had to focus on a threat he could contend with. He began to fly away from the wreckage, for a few moments it might have looked like he was leaving. But then he turned around and dashed at his full speed straight towards Nidus. It would take him five seconds to close the distance between them, gaining momentum as he went along. If Nidus didn't obstruct his path or move out of the way Simon would deliver a super strong kick that would hit with 5 tons of force "Gale kick!!!"

Nidus had stepped out primarily to observe the creatures seeming to dominate this region.  They seemed loud and frantic; but all things considered, this was expected.  But before long, he was interrupted by the sense of the Green Ranger killing off the recovering larva.  Every time he killed one, it would shrivel up and dry out as if it were rotting in seconds instead of days.  

Nidus finally started to get angry.
//It is killing those that are downed.  It is not content with defeat, it intends to slaughter.  It cannot be allowed to continue, it must be pacified!!

He began to fast walk after the ranger when Simon was still attacking larvae on the ground, but didn't take more than three steps before the ranger stopped and flew off.  He had all but lost track of the Green Ranger after he flew more than 60 meters away, stopping to assess that.

//It is retreating.  Why?  Fleeing to co-ordinate?  Self-preservation?

He did not understand until he sensed the ranger flying back like a living projectile.  It took Simon 5 seconds to return and land a hit on Nidus, giving him plenty of time to react.  Plenty...were it not for Nidus' limited range of perception.  Nidus could only detect objects with detail up to 60 meters away.  The larvae could have detected Simon coming and warned Nidus, but with the way he was attacking them, those nearest to the ranger had either been killed or fled.  The end result?  There was no warning.  Simon took 5 seconds to wind up a powerful kick; but as he clocked in at close to 300MPH Nidus could only see it coming for the last 0.448 seconds.  

This was not enough time to react.  

If Simon didn't stop or divert on his own, he would hit Nidus square in the front of this torso and send them both flying back into the rubble.  Weighing less than a half-ton, Simon would barely feel any resistance until they started plowing through the wreckage and pavement, coming to a stop much further than where he had stood before.  When the dust settled and Simon could see what happened, he would find his leg stuck in a gaping whole through Nidus' torso.  

(The following portion of this post can be ignored if Simon diverts for any reason)

//!!!?!!!?!!!

Nidus' response to someone stomping a hole through him was about what you would expect.  Shock.  His arms and legs quivered and lurched forward, his hands grasping with half strength at the leg shoved into his gut.  His thoughts echoed to the colony.  

//....trauma....terror....I will not survive this if I do not respond.  Patience is not an option any longer.  Attackers cannot be tolerated; kill or pacify.

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//----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As expected, Nidus was stunned and unable to retaliate quickly to this attack.  Simon had a few seconds to try to get his leg out of Nidus' grasp and torso.  His grasp was like steel and growing stronger quickly as his rage built.  If he didn't get out quickly, Verdant Gale would soon face a counter-attack.

Simon felt a jolt go through his whole body as his supersonic kick hit Nidus, sending them both flying back through the rubble. Simon's legs began to ache from the effort, but if this thing could feel pain then it would be feeling far worse. When they finally stopped Simon tried to lift his leg up, but found that he couldn't. When the dust that he had kicked up settled he noticed that his leg was stuck in the alien.

He grunted with discomfort as Nidus grabbed his leg, needless to say he was in a sticky situation. With a cry of exertion he managed to pull his leg out of the alien, but by then Nidus had strengthened its grip on his leg and he was struggling to break free. In a last desperate attempt to break free Simon tried to deliver a kick to Nidus's face. If this didn't work then Nidus would gain a chance to counter-attack.

Nidus had the Green Ranger in his grasp, but he was going to loose strength quickly with that gaping hole through his chest.  He had to regenerate, but if he took the time to do that then his attacker would surely escape his grasp.  He had to do something fast.  

//It is restrained, but there isn't time to kill.  Attempting infusion...

The tendril coming down Nidus' back flipped up like the tail of a scorpion, stabbing at Simon with a preemptively sharpened tip.  It tried injecting itself into him while he was busy kicking, pulling, and trying to get free.  This back-mounted tendril existed for the specific purpose of infusing itself into foreign flesh for consumption or manipulation.  If the wind aura didn't protect him from these kinds of attacks, the tendril would start fusing into his body and working through his system.  His voluntary nervous system would lock up in seconds, rending paralyzed for as long as it was attached.  Something else would also work it's way into his body; a small egg the size of a corn kernel.  

If that first strike didn't work, the tendril would keep stabbing at Simon for as long as he could be held within reach, until it either successfully fused to him or he escaped.  

(Below is a visual example of infusion.)

Spoiler:

As Simon tried to kick at Nidus's face, or the front of its head anyway since it didn't seem to have a face, it aimed its tendril at him and struck. Nidus was strong enough that Simon's wind armour was not quite strong enough to repel it, but it was able to hold it back enough that his ranger suit was enough to stop it, but there were signs of damage on the suit where he was struck.

Simon was safe for now, but Nidus clearly wasn't one to quit. It kept trying to stab at Simon with his tendril, with similar results. Simon struggled with his leg in attempt to break free, ignoring all of his instincts to try and defend himself and instead letting the aura do all of the work.

At last, with a mighty tug Simon managed to break free of Nidus's grip. But, he did so so suddenly that for a moment he stumbled and tripped, hitting the ground only a foot away from where Nidus lay. He would quickly get up, but this gave Nidus a moment of opportunity to strike.

//Infusion attempts prove ineffective. Subject is heavily resistant to physical force. My wounds can be ignored no longer.. I am sorry, my children.

The hole in Nidus looked bad enough to be fatal, with the remnants of half-blown organs showing and red, luminescent blood dripping by the ounce from the hole. When Simon fell down after escaping his grasp, Nidus didn't look like he had it in him to pursue. Instead he looked down at his wound, clenching his fists and sitting mostly still.

Then suddenly, the nearest batch of Larvae started to rapidly shrivel and die off. Seventy-five of the closest larvae to Nidus died on the spot. Immediately afterwards, Nidus' wound gushed forth new flesh and mended itself, taking seconds to repair himself back to his previous condition. His body adapted to having to do that, becoming more resistant to the type of attack that caused it in the first place. Blunt physical attacks against him would now be weakened by around 50%. The change was not obvious to any observers, being mostly internal. This change caused him to lose the heat resistance that made atmospheric entry possible, but that adaptation was no longer required.

//Remaining vitellus at 15%. Enough larvae have been created to fulfill their purpose, with 81% survival rates.
Allocating remaining resources to Nidus' preservation.

//Analysis: Target is deemed effective against macroscopic foes, but ineffective against swarms. Engineering an effective counter.

The asteroid was almost gone, an outline of rock and rust being left behind in it's wake that made up only a small portion of the asteroid's original mass. The only flesh left was a sack of grey mass dotted with red and yellow glowing bits. It began to fester and change in preparation for it's next attack.

Meanwhile, Nidus was on guard for his opponent's next move. Everything up until this point seemed to indicate that Nidus had very slow reaction speeds. He was ready to drop that charade. The next attacks against him would be met with not only increased resistance, but the reflexes of someone on full guard.

For a second Simon was seriously afraid of the situation he was in, he was on the ground while the alien was right behind him with a very big opening to attack. But then he just scrambled away as nothing happened. Nidus had been heavily damaged by the Gale Kick so he needed time to recover, giving Simon a chance to get away mostly unscathed.

Simon looked back to see that Nidus was healing the hole he had made in his chest. That was slightly disheartening to watch, but it seemed like while Nidus was healing it couldn't move much, preventing it from taking advantage of Simon's vulnerable state from before and keeping it in place, giving Simon an idea.

Simon floated off the ground and then flew away, preparing to do another Gale Kick. Normally he wouldn't go for two in the same fight, but with the alien's lack of movement he decided he had a good opportunity. He flew off until he was an optimal distance away, then began to dash towards Nidus. He was starting to get tired from all the fighting, so he was not quite going at full speed, but still he flew towards Nidus, hoping to hit him in the head this time to take him out for good.

However, Simon had made a two possibly fatal errors. One was that he underestimated Nidus's rate of healing, meaning that Nidus would be done healing by the time he delivered the blow. The second was that he was not aware that Nidus would be reacting to this attack faster than before. This ignorance may lead to him getting caught very off guard.

"Gaaaaaaaale Kiiiiiiiiiiiick!!!"

Nidus witnessed his opponent flee, and this time didn't make the mistake of assuming he would leave.  

//Target is rapidly retreating.  Either it retreats, or prepares for another attack.  Precautions will be taken to preserve self in the worst case.   

//Allocating 1% of vitellus for upcoming regeneration.  No-one else dies.  Swarm generation nearly complete and readying for expulsive deployment.  Basic parasitic swarm generated.  Environmental adaptation re-routed from heat resistance to blunt trauma resistance.  Preparing to withstand attack.

Nidus had his arms close to his chest now, standing posed ready to either move or strike.  Additionally, he had backed up to be close to the remaining flesh still in the asteroid, priming it for a counter attack.  Nidus didn't have to wait too long before he felt Simon repeat the last attack.

Nidus' reaction was purely defensive, moving his arm so that he hit Nidus' forearm.  The force knocked him back again into the rubble, but instead of a fatal blow it merely bent his arm from a 180 degree straight shaft to a 160 degree bend.  Painful, but much less dangerous.  In addition, the instant Simon was detected in that 60 meter range, the yolk sack containing the created swarm burst open.  Creatures the size bees burst into the area and filled the air with a buzzing, biting, stinging swarm.  They attacked with bites that they could repeat over and over, effectively being as dangerous as a huge wasp swarm that could attack again and again.  Each one was primed to attack whatever moved that was not their flesh, and attacked with not only intent to harm, but also lay eggs in the victim's flesh.  

Nidus knew he had to repair that arm as it was his dominant one, his best chance at throwing a stab at Simon that might actually hurt him.  He threw a single stab from his tendril after the impact, able to resist most of it and avoid being stunned, but after that one stab he focused on re-shaping the bent arm.  

From Simon's perspective, he had only a moment after the attack he landed to avoid a single attack back from Nidus.  After that attack Nidus would stall to make sure he stayed on the defensive, but Simon had to THEN deal with the swarm.  Could his aura protect him from the power of tiny, flying, stinging things?