★Memorable Author: [El_Roy_1999] The Procedure

[El_Roy_1999]

July grinned, making her face look even stranger.
"Don't worry, I'm not one of them."
"Stay where you are!"
I half expected them to shoot her. Instead, the old voice rose again and said:
"Can't I have a moment of calm to work?"
Between the two guards, a stunted man appeared. He had dark skin, white hair and looked every bit like a medicine man from a western movie.
July looked as cocky as ever, unwilling to perceive the two armed people in front of her as threats. This definitely unnerved them, but she just grinned on. The shaman looked at her and said:
"Interesting. You're neither a Friend, nor a Sibling. What are you?"
"I'm July. Nice to meet you."
She bent down to him, extended her hand and grinned insanely, clearly trying to freak the old man out. He didn't. Instead, he calmly replied:
"The pleasure is all mine. We have found refuge here and you are invited to join us."
The younger people seemingly wanted to protest. He hushed them with a gesture.
"Don't worry. I have a sense that July here is on our side. After all, she would have killed us by now if she wasn't, wouldn't she?"
July beamed with pride:
"Of course I would."
Then they both shared a laugh. I looked at the guards in desperation. They did the same.

[El_Roy_1999]

The medicine man guy had the guards sit down with us and disappeared into the background to finish whatever he was doing. July was anxious to see what he was up to, but I lay my hand on her forearm and asked her to wait.
"I'm sure you can ask once he's back. Don't worry. He seems to like you."
She looked down on me with alien eyes.
"But he knows stuff. He might be able to help."
"Are you going to fall for the 'ancient Indian wisdom' cliché? He'll be back in a moment."
July looked at the two guards who had began to heat some packaged food in a little electric stove powered by two Friend-aggregates. They noticed and the woman said:
"Spare us the cliché. No, we are not magic Indians. I wish I were."
The guy laughed sadly.
"Magic would sure come in handy. Stupid thing, why won't you heat up?"
I walked over and helped him look for answers. July craned down to the woman and asked:
"So you live down here?"
"Nah. We're just here because ..."
She shut up.
"... because we've got stuff to do. Yes."
"Stuff?"
"Don't ask."
"Mhm."

[El_Roy_1999]

Eventually, the old man returned. He seemed tired and a little frustrated. He sat down next to the others and grabbed some of the food without even asking. This drew an annoyed look from the woman. July's eyes fluttered. The old man asked:
"So, what are you?"
July seemed pleasantly surprised by his directness.
"I'm human. At least I was until a few years ago. Only recently, that is before the invasion, I had the Procedure."
The old man grinned.
"You had your tubes tied?"
The woman snorted with laughter.
July sighed, smiling in good nature. She lifted her arm and flexed it, bringing her muscles up beneath the strangely skin.
"Not quite. I had myself turned into a ... how does everybody put it ... a freak. Now I'm some kind of crossbreed, although neither with the Friends nor the Siblings. We're down here looking for answers about what's part of me now."
"You know that down here, it's only caves and caves. This isn't the place for science."
"Is it?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you're dissecting one of the Friends back there."
The old man looked alarmed and asked:
"How ..."
"Don't worry, I can smell it from here. So, any ideas about them yet?"
"I can't believe this. Our lab isn't exactly state of the art, but we still work to some standards. And still you could smell it?"
"Quite strongly too. So, who are you and what aren't you telling us?"

[El_Roy_1999]

The old man spilled his beans. Not literally. Those, he ate. However, he did tell us who he was and what he was doing down here. His name was Paul Bullslayer, so I got the First Nation slash Native thing right. Or he just had a very spectacular name. The guards were friends of his, the woman was one of his former assistants. They had set up the lab down here in the wake of the catastrophe and had begun to investigate our conquerors. All this had to be done clandestinely, after all, killing and autopsying our "Friends" wasn't exactly legal. The equipment had been smuggled down here slowly bit by bit. Bullslayer had first worked as an official biologist, but had eventually disappeared to focus on uncovering the Friends' secrets.
So far, he had made good progress. The creatures were definitely aliens, but he had been able to find similarities in our genetic codes, which meant that although humans and Friends were not able to conceive, they were able to tolerate each other's biologies. There was a certain amount of preparatory work to be done, but all in all, the combination was possible.
This led to a setback for him. Originally, he had planned to get rid of them like in "War of the Worlds", but it turned out that any disease able to kill them would also exterminate us. Right now, he was working on their sensory system.
"I would be very glad if you would allow me to take some samples of your body. It would be fascinating to find out whether you are also part of the Friend-species."
He stared at July. She just shook her head.
"I don't think so. However, since you spend so much time down here, you could help us by providing some information: We're looking for a relation. A big guy, looks like a huge slug."

[El_Roy_1999]

The guards were visibly shaken at the mention of the creature.
"You definitely should stay clear of that beast. It's really dangerous and very aggressive. Also, it can easily kill both of you in a moment."
The yound woman pitched in:
"Exactly. I only saw it once, it tore up two of my friends and ignored any shots we fired at it. The creature is just incredibly strong and murderous. One day, we're going to look for it and kill it and this will be our revenge."
She seemed frightened, but there was a certain grim determination to her.
Situations like these were the reason why I loved spending time with July. You always get in trouble with her. Instead of relenting, she laughed and said:
"Don't worry about us. We know the guy and I doubt he's anywhere near as dangerous as I am."
The pair exchanged worried looks. They slowly seemed to realise that July was a true hazard and something that could best be called a living weapon.
She looked down at me and added:
"Ed, I think it's best we get going. These people don't want to get in trouble, so we should leave them alone for now."
I wanted to say that I didn't want to get in more trouble either, but she had already said goodbye and walked on further down the cave.

[El_Roy_1999]

Just as she had walked a few steps, she turned around to Bullslayer and asked:
"Say, once you're done with the Friend, could I have the rest?"
"What for?"
"Don't ask. Yes or no?"
He hesitated. What was she up to? I wondered myself. With July's current state of mind, it was perfectly possible for her to just skin the dead body and make a hat out of it. Finally, the shaman said:
"Okay. But I need that tissue sample."
July nodded.
"Fine. When we get back, we'll do that."
She waved and we left.
The caves soon grew dark again. July's body gave off a slight glow, so I could find my way using the torch. I had to ask:
"How long do you think this will take?"
"Are you tired?"
"Not yet. But we've been walking all day and it's been long ..."
"Don't worry, Ed. The smell is getting more intense. We're almost there."
I was unsure of whether this comforted me or made the whole thing worse.

[El_Roy_1999]

We eventually reached a hole in the cave floor. It was very large and round. There were further corridors down the way, but July pointed to the opening and said:
"Down there."
I asked:
"I only have a rope and a bit of climbing gear. How will I ..."
Before I could finish, July had grabbed me and jumped down into the hole. As we fell, she occasionally shot out her arms, stopping or at least slowing us down. She used every small nook and cranny to grab a hold, occasionally stopping to take a sniff and recover the trail. The hole proved to be the entrance of a wide network of tunnels. The darkness was complete. I had to switch off the torch. There was no point. The quickness of our movement made it impossible to stay oriented. I just hoped I wouldn't bash my head in on some protrusion.
As we descended ever faster, I could hear July howl with elation. She was having a lot of fun. I was clinging to her strange, wet skin and held to my dear life.
We finally stopped. I lowered myself out of her grip and took a few moments to recover and calm down my stomach. I said:
"Whoa. Couldn't you have told me you'd do that?"
"You wanted to be there faster, stop complaining."
"But it was so ... fast. I was afraid you'd get killed."
She knelt next to me:
"Ed, don't worry. I know what I'm doing. This body is the best. There's no reason to be afraid."
I switched on the torch and saw an enormous underground area. Below us, there were masses of writhing, mutant bodies amidst weird, distorted bodies. No reason at all to be afraid.

[El_Roy_1999]

With a harrowing scream, the beasts turned to us and attacked. July pushed me aside, stood in front of them and cocked her head. She smiled at me and said:
"Finally, a challenge!"
The first wave hit her. July stretched her powerful arms, tore the first attacker's head (or whatever it used as a head) off, punched and threw the body and blocked the others. While they tried to recover the initiative, July gave them an insane grin, contracted her muscular body and shot herself forward. She hit the mass before her, striking left and right. Her blows went right through the creatures, every hit strong enough to punch a hole in one of them.
I saw the whole insanity in the flickering light of my torch. Her movement was supremely smooth, she dodged every attack, easily seeing them seconds before they even readied themselves. It was as if the assailants had switched into slow motion. Of course, this was just an illusion. July was a raging whirlwind.
Every time the attackers recovered, she was on them again, amassing piles of bodies. Slowly, they realised that they had hit an unstoppable force. As July waded through the corpses, she laughed, their blood-like liquid spraying her glistering body. If I ever wanted a vision of Hell, I had found it.

[El_Roy_1999]

Eventually, the horde broke. July roared in triumph and shook her body. The blood drenching her sprayed around. She beckoned me to follow. I was shocked.
"What the hell did you just do?"
She stared at me with her bizarre, alien eyes.
"I cleared the way. Don't worry. These were just drones. They have no identity or anything."
"But wasn't there one of these creatures we met at the surgeon's place, all those years ago?"
"Yeah. As I said, don't worry. They're not worth it. They just do what the big guy wants."
"About that ..."
I wanted to finish my sentence, but I was interrupted. Suddenly, there was an ear-shattering sound. The thing had noticed us, which hardly surprised me, but it was now coming here. The ground shook and there was a strange and horrifying scraping on the floor. I suddenly found myself clinging to July's arm. She gave me a patronising smile:
"Don't worry. I'm here. The big slug won't hurt you."

[El_Roy_1999]

Then it was over us. The creature howled and rushed us. I threw myself behind a stalagmite, covering my face as its onslaught exploded the rocky outcrop next to me. It launched itself at July, who just grinned, jumped up and projected herself over it. With light steps, she reached the creature's back, ran over it and landed behind it. She twirled around, using the momentum to extend her arms and slammed her fists into its now defenseless soft spots. The monster turned around.
Only then did I realise just how mutated and monstrous it had become. The thing was no longer a slug. It had turned into a kind of mutant beetle, with long, spidery legs, a massive torso and an even bigger abdomen. The original guy that had once stuck out of it in front was now completely encased in a kind of bubble plated in chitin. It did really look completely bizarre. Just as I tried to get back on my feet, the thing fired tentacles from its abdomen, raking the air as July went by.
She landed next to it and taunted it:
"What are you doing, fat ass? Why do you hide in a hole if you're so big? You're going to get stuck!"
The creature, already angry, was now raging. It maneuvered around and prepared another attack. As it realigned itself, it shouted:
"Stop! Stand still so I can kill you!"
"You wish!"
With a sudden jump, July evaded the beast's tentacles, rolled away and propelled herself up, the meaty flails racing behind her. The thing realised too late that she had outmaneuvered it.

[El_Roy_1999]

The bundle of tentacles slammed into the creatures back, its tips sticking to the plating of its head. The thing flailed, trying to free itself. July was everywhere at once now. She jumped from one wall to the next, forcing the beast to continuously split its attention. It howled in frustration:
"Why won't you stand still? I must kill you!"
"Screw you. you're just a stupid plump insect and I'm going to swat you!"
I stared at the insane display, surprised both by July's agility and quickness and her tendency to shoot 80ies one-liners.
By now, she had managed to make the thing stick its own tentacles to its shell and had ducked quickly enough to make it tie itself together. She dodged again, her body a fluid form twisting between the creature's helpless attacks. I just saw her cling to its side when it tried to smash her against the wall, but she had crawled away in a blur, making the giant hurt itself. I could sense its frustration at this pointless fight.
July landed in front of it, the monster trying to focus on her. She said:
"Hey, stupid, why don't you calm down? I'm not here to kill you. If I had wanted this, I'd be done by now."
The creature screamed in frustration, lifted itself up and threw itself at her in a final hopeless charge.

[El_Roy_1999]

Suffice to say, July was no longer there. The thing rammed the wall, dislodging further rubble and almost knocking itself out in the process. July grinned, struggling to suppress her laughter. She walked to the prone beast and said:
"Calmer now?"
The monster opened its armour plates and let the original humanoid shape emerge. It said, in a tone that echoed defeat in every syllable:
"Okay. What do you want? Why do you do this?"
She stood in front of it and said:
"Actually, I want to talk. I want to know what you are and I want to know how you transformed."
"But why?"
"As you may have noticed, there's a war going on up there. A war I intend to win. And you're going to help me. Got it?"
I somehow felt sorry for the monster. It looked at July almost sheepishly and said:
"I will."
"Wonderful."

[El_Roy_1999]

July sat down on a rock next to the creature and said:
"Okay, so first of all, I'm July. That's Ed. Your name is?"
The beast was confused. It clearly took it a while to remember whatever name it once bore. Eventually, it said:
"I used to be Rodrigo. Rodrigo Francesco Velasquez Matamoros. It has been a long time."
"So you came up here with the conquistadors?"
"The conquistadors. Yes. I was caught by the savages. They bound me and punished me for defiling their holy sites. How were we to know? All my people were slaughtered and I became this unchristian ... thing."
July shot me an amused look. She said:
"Not bad, huh? This guy could be a fascinating piece for a history buff. Only, I don't really care."
She scratched her feet and added:
"Last time we met, you mentioned prophets. What do you mean by that?"
"It's too late now. The prophets were people who had found out about the Friends and the Siblings coming. They tried to warn humanity, but they were ignored. Some decided to create weapons for this battle. You are one of them."
"And you?"
"I don't care for this world. Not after what has happened to me. I will eventually be able to leave it. I can feel it."
"Leave it? As in go to space?"
"Yes. My body has been changing faster since the Friends arrived. Now, it is becoming ever more advanced and soon, I will be able to transcend this planet. And then, I will be close to God."
Not that July had any eyebrows left, but if she had, she would have cocked them.

[fardomonkey]

Nice!  I'm glad to see you're continuing this story. 

K+ friend.

[El_Roy_1999]

I'm going to finish it this time.