The hivemind is conquering for me?

After a few detours, Samantha and Keyla made it back to her territory via submarine.

After docking a group of individuals were waiting for you on their knees, however before any of them could speak, all they heard as their leader left the sub was.

”Just tell me Sammy. What did you mean by ’Surprisingly helpful?’ Did you think I would somehow be a hindrance? You can tell me. I promise I won’t get mad. Come on~ Tell your bestie what ’Surprisingly helpful’ means, you can’t just ignore me. I’m not leaving anytime soon~”

Samantha ignored the buzzing of the relentless mosquito and spoke calmly,

”Wendy. Come here.”

From the crowd a neon pink haired woman emerged, in new clothes that didn’t reek this time. Her face was respectful as she approached Samantha, but her pride was still evident on her face.

Samantha then turned to the rest of the crowd and spoke up. ”As most of you here know, my Chosen have a gift that allows me to communicate with them directly, but you are all my servants. You are all a part of my family as the change takes root within you all. Wendy is one one that has not taken to my gift perfectly just yet, but still I provide her with an opportunity to show her loyalty to me and the family. Wendy, tell everyone what we accomplished today.”

Wendy turned to the crowd of nearly a hundred. A hundred of the top individuals in the black reef, all loyal to Samantha. She smiled seeing this. Power like Samantha’s deserved to be rewarded. It deserved loyalty. It wasn’t fragile like wealth.

”Today, thanks to the saviour of the black reef. We were able to pull off a heist stealing almost five hundred billion worth of gold and other assorted expensive metals and jewels. Thanks to our leader’s foresight and her ability to give everyone a fair chance, unlike those up above, this black reef now has wealth never before seen!

We now have an even stronger foundation to work on spreading our influence to the other black reefs and once every single one of us is united under one banner. Once hunger and disease and drug abuse have become a thing of the past. That is when we will unify the rest of the planet. Under our leadership Under our control Under- Aaagghhhh!”

Wendy began howling in pain and fell over all of a sudden. Half of the crowd let out a gasp of shock while the other half , in unison, began to smile uncontrollably. Even Wendy was smiling amidst the screams. She could feel it. The change. It was finally happening! She was finally becoming more! More than mundane!

However she could barely concentrate on that for now, the pain was too much. All that could be heard was the animalistic sounds of a woman dying. Because that is what was happening, she was dying and becoming something else. Something more.

Samantha watched on, content. It was about time. Savitri took a week longer than she planned for him to convert, but his sister took even longer. Months longer. She began to hope this resistance was born from the fathers side of the genes as she still could not pinpoint the resistance. As she wanted Zorina sooner rather than later.

However, as she continued to watch, her face suddenly turned into a frown, prompting her to take a few steps forward and inspect the flopping Hybrid in front of her.

Ripping the clothes off Wendy without a second thought, she began to inspect the woman. Mutations. Naturally this would occur, but not this many this fast.

She didn’t touch Wendy further, she just observed as the woman began to undergo her change from prey to kin.

...

Wendy’s eyes shot open as she jolted upwards

”*GASP!*”

She struggled for breath as an overwhelming sense of love and belonging enveloped her everything. An image began to form in her mind. A man... No, something more than a meager title or gender. Her everything.

Apollo.

She gulped, she was right. This feeling was more amazing than any feeling she had ever felt. Her past desire for power was overshadowed by her love for him.

’In his name.’

She heard in her mind. It was said by Samantha a lot, Everything that was done was in his name. She thought it was metaphorical if she was being honest, but now feeling it? Feeling the connection? It was true. She never wanted to do something for herself ever again. She wanted to do it all for him.

Just as she came to terms with that, pretty much instantly, another wave of devotion came to her. This time it was more complicated. More Mysterious. The great family. The outer family. She was a cultist now. Part of something greater. Within her lay a small portion of a being almost infinite with power.

The thought caused a fire to stir in Wendy’s heart. She had done it. She was something more. She was this. She was still Wendy in mind, but now she had a purpose greater than herself. Multiple purposes.

Pulling herself together she tried to stand up, she then suddenly realised she was floating? Looking around she was confused, a voice called out to her from within herself.

’Look up.’

Looking up Wendy could see a distorted figure? She was confused as to why it looked like that before suddenly realising something.

She was submerged in water. Wendy began to panic immediately, only to realise she was still breathing?

Confused, she brought her hands to the side of her neck, behind her jaw and poked something sensitive. She gasped and the tender location and was about to start prodding again before she heard,

’Do not make me wait, cultist.’

The authority behind the words had her moving on reflex. Swimming to the top she instinctively took a breath upon reaching the surface only to have the water in her mouth be inhaled into her lungs.

After a minute or so of coughing, Wendy didn’t drown and began to look around the room. Everything appeared brighter, more vibrant. Her senses across the board had increased exponentially. She couldn’t believe it. This was more than she dreamed. This was...

”So you can still breathe on land with your gills? Good to know. I’ve not made a hybrid terrain cultist yet. I didn’t want to explore your biology until you awakened. The process was extremely violent on you. Though judging from your increase in strength, I understand why.” Samantha spoke from the water’s edge, inspecting Wendy curiously.

”I have gills?” Wendy asked rhetorically, placing her hands back on her neck. The slit she felt a moment ago had closed up, but she could still feel where they were and the new muscles in her neck that came with them.

”Get out of the water, let me have a look at you.” Samantha said calmly, though Wendy still felt this need to obey her master more than even before.

After getting out, Samantha continued her observation. ”No fins, still two legs. Though some webbing between the toes should help with swimming... Your height has stayed the same and hmmm... Yes I can sense your new air bladder in your body. Take a deep breath for me... Yes, no obstruction of the lungs, that is good. Open wide... Ah, wonderful. Some of your teeth are beginning to sharpen that should help you out tremendously. What else, what else... Oh right, your skin has become smoother though your back now has some scales like I used to.”

Samantha then went on and inspected a bit more, checking the biology out more. Wendy had taken on positive mutations only it seemed. This was ideal. So she had one thing left to ask before business resumed.

”So, Wendy. How are you feeling?”

After asking that Wendy’s mouth began to chew on nothing and she swiftly held her stomach. ”Hungry... I am so hungry.”

Samantha smirked hearing this and asked, ”Ah yes, I know the feeling well. What are you hungry for?” What Wendy would say next would help her with her rations going forward. Some cultists didn’t need meat or biomass. The hive had bio forms that ate just flora, or rocks, or even dirt. While those bio forms could eat other things, it was what they were specialised in.

A cultist could take on a characteristic hunger for one of those specific foods and since Samantha currently had a food monopoly down here, she didn’t mind giving each cultist the correct diet for now.

”Meat. Blood.” Wendy barely managed to get out before gulping voraciously.

Samantha nodded, recognising the look in Wendy’s eye and played clueless. ”Oh? Should I go fetch you a nice steak?”

Wendy shook her head. ”No... Master. I need more. I need something living.”

Samantha giggled.

”I had a feeling, come on. I have a human tied up for you in the next room. Call it a hunch, but my instinct was telling me you would be one of the more cannibalistic hybrids. I’m glad.”

Samantha then wrapped her arm around Wendy, ushering the new cultist forward.

”While you eat, we can discuss our next moves going forward. As one of my champions, one of my chosen, I will value your opinion a great deal... But right now I know you can barely think straight.” Samantha said as the door opened to the next room.

In there, as promised, was a man tied up on a table, screaming for his life. She then watched as Wendy charged forward and began to tear the man asunder with her hands and teeth. Samantha just smiled watching this and continued.

”But don’t you fret. I will let you sate that urge for flesh first.”