Melty Mercury from Outer Space: Chapter 9

Summary: Nikki is taken over by an extraterrestrial symbiote that changes her into a metal slime girl. While this comes with great power, she's unsure if she can control herself, or handle the extra baggage that comes with it.

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Melty Mercury from Outer Space

Chapter 9

Nikki decided to book it back to her apartment shortly after her encounter with the agents in black suits. It wasn't like the run was doing anything for her; it didn't feel like her body reacted to exercise the way it used to, and it definitely wasn't likely that she was burning any calories out on the town. 

The confirmation of that weighed on her, but her thoughts drifted to the ongoing investigation at the crash sight. Based on what she had overheard, they were looking for something. Probably the meteorite. Was there any chance they could trace it back to her? 

She mulled over her options as she reentered her apartment, carefully locking the door behind her. With a casual glance to check that the blinds were closed, she strolled over to her bed, folding her arms as she recalled their meeting. It didn't seem that either of them suspected her of anything. 

They definitely weren't hobbyists in any case. They were looking for something. And she was willing to bet money it was the meteorite she stumbled on. The meteorite that bonded with her.

Nikki grimaced, flexing her arm in front of her face. She watched as her skin shimmered, lost its pink pigment, and morphed into a silvery-approximation. If they were looking for that meteorite... would they try to hunt her down too? How would they know what happened to her?

"...No point worrying about it right now."

She sighed. With another flex, the pigment on her arm was restored. She looked at her bed, and her bedside clock. It was fifteen minutes to midnight. 

"Better get some shuteye. Biiiig day tomorrow." She still wasn't sure about how she was going to pass for normal. "At least the FBI-looking guys didn't suss me out. So I got that going for me."

As Nikki walked across the room towards her bed, her outfit was changing with but the mildest mental indication. The shoes she was wearing simply disappeared, giving way to smooth bare feet. Her tracksuit shifted together like water against her skin, the fabric shifting into something completely different. The sleeves of her top simply melted back into her skin, allowing her naked arms to sway in the air freely. Around her shoulders, spaghetti straps materialized, snaking around and reconnecting with the thinner fabric. 

Her pants simply melted away as her track hoodie expanded, unfurling its skirt as a comfortable-looking nightgown took its place. By the time she arrived at the side of her bed, she was ready to get in. She looked down at herself, a hand idly feeling at the smooth imitation of silken fabric. She quietly whistled to herself, pleased with her work.

"Getting pretty good at this," She nodded to herself, lowering herself to the bed. Her positive self-assessment was momentarily interrupted by her small bed creaking uneasily under her weight. She paused, feeling the bed lowering ever so slightly under her weight.

...She took this time to lie down, and even out her weight across the bed. Everything was fine. Everything was peaceful. 

She simply lay there, staring up at the ceiling for a spell. She wasn't looking forward to playing this charade tomorrow, but... as long as there was an ounce of humanity left in her, she needed her rest. 

...And just as she was getting comfortable, she realized she probably should've turned off the lights before getting into bed. With a groan, she attempted to rise up...

Creeeeak...

...Only to be met by a reluctant response from her bed. She grimaced, glancing down towards the bed frame. 

"Can't shift my weight around too much... this thing's really a piece of shit." She growled, leaning back. "What to do, what to do... oh."

Right. The shapeshifting thing. She reached out her arm to the side, staring at it expectantly. There was a prescribed limit to her human proportions, but if she simply focused, and reached beyond those limits...

"Ah!"

Slowly, gently, her arm elongated, gaining a foot in length. The joints of the limb seemed to ebb away, the elbow disappearing entirely as it stretched across the room. It swayed elegantly from side to side, Nikki feeling how exaggerated even the slightest movements felt as her arm stretched further and further away from her. 

"...Wow, this is... this is freaky."

Nikki watched with awe as her wrist pulled further and further away. The way she was stretching and elongating was so amazing to her; the control she could exercise in this state was unprecedented. She smiled as her wrist playfully weaved up and down, swimming in gentle arcs, performing the odd loop-de-loop and barrel roll. She wondered if she could spell out her name in cursive with her arm.

...She didn't really know cursive all that well. Maybe later. With some practice. 

"...Oop-"

Nikki didn't realize that she had knotted up her arm in her excitement, and it simply flopped to the cool floor. Nikki tilted her head, quickly retracting her arm to unravel the knot, before getting back to her earlier mission. There was a lightswitch by the door. 

"There it is, just have to..."

Click. The room was draped in darkness once more. Aside from the glow of the red numbers on her bed-side clock—and, unbeknownst to her, the subtle glow of her blue eyes—the room was pitch black. With a mental nod, her arm retracted back to its normal proportions. 

She chuckled to herself, pleased with her results. Maybe the sky really was the limit for her. 

"Maybe I can play around with this stuff tomorrow, but right now..." She yawned, stretching her arms until they gently nudged the ceiling, before settling back.

"S'time for bed."

Nikki enjoyed a quiet night of rest, falling into a deep sleep with no interruptions. The hours passed without incident. The only note of interest was how Nikki slept.

While her mind rested and her concentration wavered, her body began to shimmer and lose its form. The raised blankets lowered as her humanoid body melted into a puddle-like form, collecting within and around the usual indent she left in her bed. 

The room was perfectly still, her body entering a sort of meditative state. Her current state unbeknownst to her, Nikki rested, blissfully unaware that her human form had melted away entirely. 

And yet, she slept right through the latest bout of shapeshifting. Almost as if it were coming naturally to her. Almost as if this was the way she was meant to be. 

---

As Nikki rested peacefully, another strange dream occurred to her. So many strange dreams had occurred to her over the last few days; as usual, her fogged mind was complacent, and content to be dragged along for the ride. 

The clarity and the familiarity of the dream was strange. Part of her recognized the world she found herself in. The purple fronds, the twin suns in the sky. The feeling of intense heat. 

She could hear the galloping of hooves, and feel the arid wind on her skin. She was being jostled and shaken all over. Nikki wanted to look around, and take in her surroundings, but she could only look forward. Whenever she looked in a particular direction, it was never of her own accord.

She could feel herself in a physical sense, but she couldn't seem to interact with the world around her. It was almost like she was looking through a pair of eyes that weren't her own. 

Even so, Nikki could feel the brushing of leaves against her sides as she raced through the forest. The world was passing by so quickly, and there was so much shaking. She could feel the ground shaking underneath her hooves...

...Hooves? She couldn't turn her head to look, but the sensations coursing around her body indicated that something wasn't right. The weight of an enormous sack on her backside, the feeling of thickly-woven clothes against rough, wrinkled skin, and the flutter of fur around her calves. She felt extraneous sensations of limbs she didn't recognize, but could definitely feel; a tail almost four feet long whipped back and forth, twisting behind her. And a pair of tentacles flowed from the back of her head. 

There was a reflexive snort that Nikki could feel. She could feel the nostrils on her face clench together on their own, and she felt herself panting for air. In the corner of her eye, she spotted a spindly hand with three long fingers and a thumb, grasping for the strap of the sack.

The trees grew thinner and thinner as the world zipped by, expanding into a broad desert. Grainy, faded navy sand stretched as far as the eye could see. The breeze from how fast she was moving felt nice...

In the distance, she could spot simple, modest buildings. They looked largely to be made of mud and clay, baking in the intense heat. And they were enormous—almost the size of stables. 

To Nikki's left, she could see a river flowing from the oasis she had exited down to the facilities. It ran wide and deep, and a barrier of foliage divided the desert sand from the rivers. It seemed that, under the heat of two suns, the fertile land only stretched so far from the riverbanks. In the distance, Nikki spotted other strange creatures, entirely different from anything she had ever seen, but strangely familiar. They resembled the body she was but a passenger in right now. 

One of the quadrupedal creatures raised its head, alerted by the trotting of hooves on the approach. They raised their hand, lowering a two-handed tool to the side. It looked like it was used for tilling the soil; it seems that, even apart from Earth, farming was done through sweat and tears like anywhere else. At least, it felt like this wasn't Earth. 

"Gumnapa! Eritec ruce enunet titol riboto inuda aniehev!" The distant creature hollered in a low bellow. In her suggestible, dreamlike state, Nikki hadn't the foggiest idea what any of those words meant in English. And she was kind of zoned out enough to let the movie play itself out.

"Chohuru! Efile zicul eme zanipo wipade don lil ire nelarel merarus?" From Nikki's mouth, a string of alien words flowed freely. Or, no, it wasn't Nikki's mouth. This creature might've had a name, if they were communicating verbally, but Nikki could only parse the discourse based on vague feeling. 

The gruffer-sounding creature gestured to a patch of soil. Currents of water snaked between the rows of red soil. In the corner of what Nikki could see, she saw the stream of water traveling from another strange curio: an uprooted blue plant, shaped like a bell and filled halfway with water. It somewhat resembled a rafflesia... 

"Gexi talen malunoj bor! Sigie pezup ri nime fu ga. Nilo odesar ocesa tereloh po, iseca iesa esemon leron." The farming creature gestured his shovel along the trail of water. "Gumnapa, gacifus tane ro aleniedil jehure buna."

There was that word again. And the other creature looked directly at Nikki with those beady eyes. 'Gumnapa'... was that a name? Of the creature that Nikki was dreaming through the eyes of?

This was an entire conversation going on, and Nikki felt like a total outsider! Judging by the weary looks on their faces, and the grim tone their conversation took, it didn't inspire much confidence. Nikki could only parse so much of what was going on. 

"Ah... Pam hore olinag ro ye ocixe: Sasofi recu ri adocu; leha bumie hi." Gumnapa gestured to the jungle behind. "Neluro acilomu tinome tarip somot rec meraxew sob lot."

The farmer stared, before cocking their head to the side. "Vase tetie fulon lecuce rarep...?"

The one named Gumnapa reached into the bag slumped on their backsides, frantically fishing around for something. 

"Fa gu ukeyonov biru dici eyef yesi ahe, Chohuru!" Gumnapa chattered on, somewhat excitedly. "Asetet... okuruc watefar tih, aaaaah.... somotih!"

Gumnapa pulled out... something. Nikki wasn't sure what. It looked high tech, a miniature cylindrical shaft with buttons along the side. Gumnapa's finger pressed the largest of the buttons...

Shwing! A thin metal rod extended from within to about a foot's length. A bright blue light surrounded the shaft, radiating an intense heat. It looked like it could take off an arm and caterize the wound if you were swinging it around willynilly. Chohuru—that was the farmer's name, right?—backed up a step, eyeballing it with heated trepidation. 

"Yutor li tugin dano buyot tecom?" Gumnapa twirled the dangerous-looking contraption, before shutting it off with another press of the button. "Nisiso tal awelid lis olar lidi epa! Ime lagec icat tic lite- eh?"

Chohuru stepped forward, taking the contraption from his hand. They held it aloft, shaking this.

"Pile redocu otavepo moninu pom?" Chohuru uttered gravely. 

"...Ah... size le." Gumnapa gestured behind, towards the jungle. "Dovita resali ropapun. Hecopo ieteniput xatinuc, ah, fwoosh!"

They gesticulated... something with their hands. An explosion? Chohuru seemed to understand implicitly; their beady eyes narrowed...

"Hah!" He tossed the contraption to the ground, and then raised his hoof.

"Ah!? Chohuru, po-"

SMASH! The hoof came down, shattering the tool into dozens of pieces. The hook rose again to kick the pieces off into a nearby ditch, before stomping up in front of Gumnapa. 

"Gumnapa, adieg rem aletieket resarin wemetib ba are lonoyot enu! Aneyi natunip leyinen yidav ti ta kel tigebe!!" Chohoru shouted, impassioned and pointing back to the jungle. 

"...Mah..." Gumnapa raised a hand to object, but lowered it in turn. They stirred silently...

...With a curt shake of their tail, Gumnapa turned around, galloping back into the jungle. 

"Gumnapa! GUMNAPAAA!!" The older creature hollered back, waving their arm above his head. Unseen to Nikki, the desert, and the farm carved from it, was quickly hidden behind draping jungle foliage. The sensation of speed wasn't lost on Nikki; stray branches brushing against the centaur-like creature's side

Gumnapa slowed down upon reaching a clearing in the jungle. Gumnapa glanced behind them, snorting with contempt. They reached into their sac once more, fishing around for something else. Nikki didn't have a clue what it could be. 

...But as they cradled it in their hands, Nikki would get an intimate look. It appeared to be some kind of strange instrument. It somewhat resembled a miniature harp, though part of its frame seemed to house some kind of wooden flute as well. Gumnapa stared over it wistfully, their finger drawing against the strings. It vibrated, producing a musical tone...

Shlorp. Out of the corner of their eye, something moved. It sounded wet, slimy. Gumnapa paused, scanning their surroundings. Nikki had a bad feeling herself of what it could be, and the helplessness of her current perspective wasn't helping matters. 

Gumnapa lowered the instrument, carefully walking forward to investigate close. Buttheyhadn't moved more than three steps before another wet sucking sound punctuated itself. 

The bushes parted in an instant, and Gumnapa reared up before jumping back. Whatever was stalking them, it was enormous. Of course, a jungle would likely have natural predators... but why was Gumnapa going around before like they owned the place? Something wasn't right...

Gumnapa got a better look, gasping silently as they staggered back. Out of the natural greens, blues, and purples the forest offered, something decidedly sinister slithered out, and lurged forward. A formless, silvery mass almost the size of Gumnapa! Definitely taller, at that!

It leered over Gumnapa, seemingly sizing them up. Its liquid, formless body flowed in all directions, a blob of formless mass that didn't resemble any kind of normal wildlife. Gumnapa was astonished...

...And terrified. The entity had this perturbing, otherworldly quality. Nikki, however, knew better.

GET OUTTA THERE! GET OUT! 

...Nikki wanted to scream, but alas, she said nothing. It was like she was trapped in a horror movie, helpless and forced to sit and watch as the stinger was about to snare the hapless protagonist. 

The mass writhed like a snake, rearing up before Gumnapa. Its body snapped forward, heading directly for Gumnapa's head with a sickening squelch!

---

"UWAH!!"

Nikki was woken up with a start, flailing as she tipped over from her bed and onto the floor with a wet flop. She couldn't maintain a human form, she was so frazzled; tendrils of mercurial ooze flailed and kicked about, before she suddenly went still. 

"Haaaaaaah..." The entire made expanded slightly, and then deflated, flopping against the floor. It was dark, and she could barely see. Her head emerged from the top of the puddle of ooze, glancing around her dark room. She made out the red lights of her alarm clock.

It was three in the morning. Nikki steadied herself, and sighed. 

"Crap... what the hell was that about? Another goddamn nightmare..." Nikki muttered to herself. "Why do I keep having freaky dreams about this silvery shit? I don't get it..."

Nikki compelled her deformed body to move itself, clambering back onto her matress and back under the covers. She couldn't believe she was so spooked that she'd fall out of her bed, but the realness and the vividness of the strange dreams were getting more and more pronounced. It was like she was living another life entirely.

Anxiety dwelled in the back of her mind. She empathized with the creature in her dreams—what was their name? Gumnapa? It was terrified of the mercurial entity, the kind of power it flexed effortlessly, how decidedly unnatural it was. She felt that fear even now, but... there was another pang of anxiety within her. She searched internally, trying to put a finger on it as she oozed back underneath the covers. 

Was she going to lose her humanity? Just turn into a mindless creature hellbent on consuming everything? The way the slime targeted the creature, Nikki had swelling doubts. Could she manage to live a normal life around people? Would she end up developing a craving for human flesh too? She had no idea how this stuff operated, and she couldn't drop everything to experiment.

"...nn..." Nikki groaned, quickly getting overwhelmed by her compounding worries. A tendril rose as if to massage her head. Wherever it was now. 

"...S'just a dream." Nikki muttered to herself. "You got shit to do in the morning. You can't go losing sleep over... nightmares." 

Nikki tried to relax her body, tried to coax her mind to rest. But with such a nasty start in the middle of the night, it was difficult to drift off to sleep again. Thus, a night of fitful sleep followed, filled with anxious writhing and groaning and punctuated by a slurry of emotions

Anxiety. Fear. Loneliness. And that pervasive feeling of hunger, always there in the background. Even the respite of sleep eluded her, and that was the most regrettable part; after a hard day of work, Nikki could sleep like a log, and be recharged in the morning all over again. 

Nikki didn't get a good night's sleep that night. She hoped and prayed that it'd be a one-time deal. 

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