TheKaiSenpai does not own Starcraft, nor does he control a Zerg Swarm. As far as you know.

Inspired by East Bridge

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The Brood Lord

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Chapter One: The Looming Threat

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Sean Cho had a great life. He was in his prime at the wonderful age of twenty two. He had a loving family: a supportive father, a tender-hearted mother, and two awesome little siblings, a brother and a sister, who looked up to him as their role model. He had only a few friends, but those he had were the best anyone could ask for. He had a loving girlfriend who was as loyal as could be, and he was planning to pop the question in the next few months. He was currently enrolled at Harvard in his studies to be a physician. He had a steady income, and in a few years would be set for life from his stocks in the market. Sean had everything he could have ever wanted.

Yeah right.

Sean woke up in a musty apartment, clothes scattered around his bed. He groaned, grabbing his aching head as his eyes adjusted to the blinding light coming in from his window. He glanced at his desk, the intimidating visage of Sarah Kerrigan looking over towards him. He sighed, not sure what to think. That game was his life. His bread and butter. Unfortunately, he'd only gotten as far as he had through sheer luck. His father had cut off his funding until he got a 'real job', and his mother was ashamed to have a 'bum' son. His siblings took after their parents, never talking about him to their friends. As far as his family was concerned, there were only four members of the Cho family. Sean grabbed his cell phone when he hear it ringing. His ringtone was the theme song for Starcraft II. He flipped open the phone and answered.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Yo, BroodLord!" the high-pitched voice on the other end of the line greeted. "How was your night? I don't know about you, but I slept like a baby."

"I thought I told you to not use gamertags outside of playing," Sean chided, making the other person sigh.

"Aww, you're no fun," the person pouted over the phone.

"Would you like me to call you Z'thara, Emerald?" Sean rolled his eyes smugly as he spoke. "Even when we're with our friends?"

"Eww, no!" Emerald replied, "Jeez, I don't want them to think I'm a nerd!"

"Just because you deny it, doesn't mean you aren't one," Sean replied, chuckling. His response received a whine from the girl on the other end. "Oh, shush. You're secret's safe with me. So when did you leave?"

"A few hours ago at around nine. As comfy as your bed is, I needed a shower and I didn't want to use your pigsty."

"It isn't that bad," Sean replied, looking into his own bathroom. The floors and walls had traces of mold, something he'd have to rectify later. "Well… I mean… It could be worse."

"Yeah, sure," Emerald snarked. "Hey, listen, me and my sisters are going on a nature walk today. Some school project of theirs, and my mom is forcing me to go with them. You know, act as a 'responsible adult' and all that boring shit. Wanna come with?"

"Nah, I think I'm gonna try and hit Platinum today," Sean replied, getting a thoughtful noise from Emerald.

"Little Mr. Protoss is gonna try and catch up with me, huh?" she chuckled. "You know, we could still do Archon Mode together. I'll help you out."

"We both know I suck at Zerg," Sean rebutted, "I'll take my turtling deathball anyday. I'll let you go, anyway. Say hi to Melody for me."

"Will do," Emerald responded cheerily. "Oh, and Sean? Love ya."

"Love you too, Em." With that, he dropped the line and sighed. It was always like this. Sure, Emerald did love him. Sure, she was pretty loyal. But he wasn't her one and only. She might spend most of her nights in his bed, but every two weeks or so, she'd drag some hopeless soul from her sisters' schools, or some nightclub to their own bedroom for the midnight mambo. While she expressed shame about the act, it wasn't enough to actually stop her. Just make her do it less frequently.

Sean was showered and dressed in fifteen minutes. He loved showers. It gave him time to think. To wonder. To relax. To be himself. Fortunately, the landlord payed the water and electricity. He and the man were decent friends. While neither would invite the other over to social gatherings, they got along well enough to hang out for lunch every so often.

He took a moment to look at himself in the mirror. At best, Sean could be described as 'cute'. He had a rounded face with soft, milky skin and small, squinty eyes that if spread open, would be revealed as a dark brown. His hair was short and black, and was neatly combed. He was about 5'3, and had a lanky body that lacked any real muscle.

After Sean's shower, he debated going back to his game, or going outside. Deciding he hadn't walked the trail near his apartment in a while, he decided to go outside. Grabbing a light coat and slipping on a pair of tennis shoes, he went out through his messy livingroom to open his door to the crisp air of the outside world. He descended four flights of stairs to the ground floor. He paused as he felt the ground shake, a loud noise could be heard nearby. His apartment was near the outskirts of town, so trees were pretty abundant, and he could see dust over the treeline. It was the afternoon of the day, not many people would be around to see such an event. They'd either be in school or at work.

Sean briefly debated on investigating. He doubted it was a terrorist attack. Nobody would strike such a small city, especially the outskirts. With curiosity getting the better of him, Sean jogged to where the dust was starting to settle. It was a long distance, and Sean wasn't very athletic, so he had to take short breaks in between sprints. He made it to the location within three hours, and was confused at what he saw. The treeline was pushed out, and in the center was a crater. The crater itself was about one hundred feet in diameter, and maybe thirty feet deep. In the epicenter of the crater was a smoking object. It had a cylindrical shape, though was mangled and torn. Worried somebody could be hurt, Sean quickly jumped into the crater and slid down its side to the center. As he got closer, he could see a form slowly trying to crawl out of the cylindrical object. He was right upon it, though, when he realized that whatever it was… it wasn't human.

The creature was humanoid and had a human face, but that was where the similarities ended. Its hair, seemingly reaching its back, was not hair. It looked more akin to insectoid limbs, segmented and made with an exoskeleton. Its body was covered in some sort of carapace armor with a fleshy substance connecting the plating. As soon as Sean got close, the being noticed him and shot a glare towards him.

"Back away from me, filthy Terran!" it hissed with a feminine voice. "Back away and your life may be spared!" Sean stumbled back, too frightened to notice the familiar term. The creature started to cough and hack. Some sort of fluid was spat onto the ground. The Vietnamese boy heard her mumble to herself. "Curse it… I will not make it with these injuries… Perhaps the Swarm will die with me…"

The Swarm? Sean thought to himself. Terran? This isn't… His thoughts stopped as soon as he noticed the creature was staring at him.

"Perfect…" the creature muttered before reaching out and grabbing Sean's leg. Sean was too shocked to consider fighting it ever tightening grip. As soon as he started, though, it was too late. Sean could feel drumming in his ears as his heartbeat skyrocketed. He couldn't die here! He was too young! Fear possessed the young man, sending waves upon waves of blood through his body, before he couldn't take the pressure and he passed out.

ZZZZZ

Sean felt warm. He felt safe. And most importantly, he felt needed. For the longest time, Sean felt like someone needed him. With Emerald, it was different. He realized that at any moment, the cute, sexy girl could have any guy she wanted wrapped around her finger. With his family… he was the black sheep. His father had disowned him, and the other three followed suit. Among his friends, he was the odd man out. Sure, they got along, but he was never the guy you went to for help. But now… With this warmth spreading across his body… He felt like he could make a change.

Swarm Evolution Stage: Yuchung

Sean's train of thought stopped as a phrase entered his head. He felt more thoughts that weren't his own, and tried to block them out. For a few seconds, he succeeded, but eventually they broke through.

Overmind's Bio Energy: 20/500

Swarm Stored Bio Energy: 100

Requirement to Evolve Swarm: 1,000 Standard Units of Bio Energy

Sean felt a shiver run down his spine. This wasn't possible. The Zerg didn't exist. They were a fictional race from a game! This couldn't be real. And yet, something deep in his mind accepted it. This was normal. He was the Swarm. He was not the Overmind. No, the Overmind had been something different. He was the Brood Lord.

Sean's eyes opened slowly, taking in his surroundings. He was in fetal position, and laying on the ground. Quickly, Sean shot up and looked at his own body, noticing no differences that he could see. He then looked around, seeing he was still in the crater. It was morning, and the creature from before was nowhere to be found. Instead, what he found shocked him, and scared him slightly. Three creatures stared at him. They were the size of a mid-sized dog, perhaps even a little larger. They each had a slender main body covered in carapace, and had multiple, tiny green eyes that stared at him with vicious looks. In the middle of their faces was a vertical mouth, the inside of which was covered in teeth. Two fangs protruded from either side of their mouths, and crab-like pincers flanked their sides. Along their bodies, fan-like fins lined up almost like wings. Under those fans were a multitude of tiny legs. These, he realized unconsciously, were drones. In his mind, Sean realized that they were spawned from the essence the creature from before had died.

"What…" he breathed out, now seated upright. The drones simply stared on at him. He realized they were awaiting his orders. "Um… Move to the left." Before the words had even been uttered, the drones moved towards their left. He paused a moment and thought out a command. Before his thought was finished, however, the drones had returned to their previous positions. They're ordered by will… he realized. This was surreal. Sean had somehow come across a dying Zerg higher up. Said higher up must have done something to him to let him control these three drones. Part of Sean was ecstatic. The possibilities were endless! Part of him was terrified. The part that wanted to live a normal life. That part was quickly squashed away. These Zerg were his tools. They could ravage planets with enough time and care. Their reputation as a fierce race was infamous, capable of immeasurable destruction. And he now had that power at his fingertips.

"First things first…" Sean mumbled. "How do we start…" Sean searched his mind for any other new information.

Structure: Hatchery

Role: Energy Converter

Function: Spawns Larva; 500 per twenty-four hours

Function: Produces Creep; Three Mile Radius

Required Stored Bio Energy To Evolve: 1,000

Sean inwardly smiled, commanding one of the drones to morph into a hatchery. The single drone in the center complied as its brethren moved out of the way. The single drone's body stopped in the center of the crater, and seemed to dissolve into the ground as a purplish, fleshy substance. In the center of the substance was a glowing red pouch where the drone had morphed into a larva, which swam in the fluids of the pouch and built the hatchery from the inside. Sean unconsciously knew that the structure would grow as the larva inside built the essentials, and would grow rapidly as soon as it became capable of absorbing the Bio Energy within the drone. In his mind, however, Sean noticed that the stored Bio Energy had shrunk down to zero. He realized slowly that instead of minerals and vespine gases, the Zerg must have run on said energy. How to gain such energy? Sean had no clue. But he would find out as soon as he could. He would make this thing, which many would consider a curse, into his own blessing.

ZZZZZ

Sean watched amazed as the large, purple structure grew taller and taller. The hatchery was a sight to behold. While part of Sean was disgusted with how it looked, another part stared at it with pride. Earth's first Zerg hatchery. He grinned as he felt the ground move under his feet as the Creep started to spread out from the now finishing hatchery. It was easily the three stories tall and spread out to the size of the crater, with multiple tunnels inside of it that became entrances at five, equally spread out points of the rounded structure. It was covered in a hard exoskeleton, with soft sacs popping up in an organized way around the hatchery. Between the entrances were large spires shaped like fangs that rose up and curved inward, with the very top center being reflected in shape. He knew at the top between the four 'fangs' was a sky port allowing entry for any flying Zerg. He watched and marveled as, three minutes later, a small insect popped out from one of the soft sacs on the side of the hatchery and sled down, landing on the ground beside an entrance. The insect was about the size of his hand. A larva. He grinned as more information popped into his mind.

Genetic Information Available: Drone, Overlord, Zergling, Swarm Queen

Sean thought for a moment, and decided to spawn a drone.

Genetic Information: Drone. Resource Gathering Unit. Cost: 1 Standard Unit of Bio Energy. Required Time: Fifteen Standard Minutes

Swarm Stored Bio Energy: 0

Sean cursed inwardly. Of course, he'd used all the stored energy to let that drone spawn into a hatchery. Sensing his frustration the two other drones fled, returning shortly after with various plants and materials stacked on their backs. They hurriedly entered the hatchery, inciting Sean to follow. He followed the two drones through the surprisingly organized tunnels into a central chamber, where a pit of green liquid bubbled in the center. There was a small ledge to prevent accidentally falling in, but it wasn't much. Sean watched as the two drones threw the objects into the bubbling liquid and it dissolved quickly.

Swarm Stored Bio Energy: 1 Standard Unit

Realization hit Sean. Of course! The hatchery created energy that the Zerg fed on, which was spread into the Creep. The way energy was gained, apparently, was through the hatchery's digestive system. Sean's mind also informed him that Creep and the hatchery could absorb energy from the sun, which was the reason they were so dark in color. The substances were made to absorb energy and spread it. Immediately, Sean walked out of the hatchery with way he came in and willed one of the few larva to spawn into a drone. One of the larva instantly curled up into a ball and spit a slimy substance over itself, which quickly hardened. He nodded in approval, watching the two drones from before move back and forth from the forest, carrying plants on their backs into the hatchery, and returning minutes later to gather more. Sean could feel them in the back of his mind. The drones. The hatchery. The larva. All of them were reaching out to him. He realized that the hatchery was a living organism, but he was surprised to know it had a consciousness.

Sean ordered ten of the larva to spawn into drones when given the chance, and left. He needed to visit his apartment. He didn't know how long he'd been away and needed to assure people that he was alright. Sean walked back to his apartment complex, his mind automatically judging that the distance was four miles. Far enough that the Creep wouldn't spread near his apartment and would hopefully stay in the forest. When he returned, he found that a few police cars were parked outside the building, and Emerald was talking to one of them, hysterical.

The blonde country girl spoke rapidly. She was just taller than Sean, and her blonde hair was naturally wavy. She was definitely curvy, with decently sized hips and a bust any woman would kill for. Her hair was laced with lime green highlights, and her lips were full and made the cutest pout.

"Why aren't you looking for him!?" Emerald yelled. "He's gotta be out there somewhere!"

"Look, I can't issue him truly missing until tomorrow. If he doesn't show up by then than I can get a search team formed-"

"Hey, what's going on?" Sean announced his presence. Emerald immediately turned to him with shock and leapt toward him, hugging him.

"Sean!" she cried out with relief. The officer pulled out his walkie talkie and said something, and left. "Where the hell were you!? You've been gone for three days!"

Three days? Wondered Sean, Could I have been unconscious for that long? Sean slowly hugged his girlfriend back. "I got lost," he excused. "But it's ok. From now on, I'll be alright and I'll be safe. I promise." This made Emerald giggle a little bit.

"That's a pretty tall order, BroodLord," she replied, smiling and wiping away her own tears. "So, how does the always right Professor Protoss plan on staying safe so little 'ol me won't have to worry about him?" Sean groaned as Emerald giggled some more. She gave him a sultry look, though. "How's about we go inside and… we can make sure you stay with me, huh?"

Hypocrite, instantly popped up in Sean's head. He inwardly winced at the thought. He never resented Emerald for whenever she was unfaithful but that hurt was always there. He supposed that whatever the creature had done to him was affecting his mind. He had to smile though, as his gorgeous girlfriend pulled him into his apartment and locked the doors.

ZZZZZ

Sean returned to the hatchery the next day after Emerald had left his apartment early in the morning. As he got closer, he could hear the chittering of the Swarm larvae ahead. The Creep had spread to about two miles outside of his apartment, and was still growing. When he looked at the plants, however, he realized that the Creep wasn't killing them. In fact, the trees looked even lusher than before. He realized that, if the Creep required solar energy to create nutrients, than perhaps it had a mutually beneficial relationship with plants. It was quite similar, after all. How they interacted, however, was beyond him at the moment.

As Sean came closer to the hatchery, he was able to see hundreds of foot-long larvae crawling along the ground. He could see thirteen drones moving between the hatchery and the forest around him, collecting small materials that it would carry into the hatchery.

Swarm Stored Bio Energy: 178

Creep Bio Energy Capacity: 98%

Sean smiled at that information. His drones had been hard at work. He wondered briefly why the stored Bio Energy number wasn't higher, but realized that the Zerg had to eat, including the hatchery. It was most likely that the more Zerg there were, the more Bio Energy would be required to store away to feed the Creep nutrients, which in turn would feed the Zerg. He assumed the hatchery took large amounts of Bio Energy as well to keep spawning larvae. It wasn't possible for nature to create something from nothing after all.

Sean's mind quickly realized that the Zerg were on Earth. This was an alien species, and no doubt that the U.S. government had seen the cylinder from before crash into Earth. If they were to find the Zerg… Sean's hair bristled at the thought of the government conducting experiments on his Swarm. He didn't even question why he thought the Swarm as his. He found them. He was their Brood Lord. And he would protect them at all costs. Quickly, Sean mentally ordered the spawning of one hundred zerglings, each one taking one unit of Bio Energy.

Genetic Information: Zergling. Standard Aggression Unit. Cost: One Standard Unit of Bio Energy. Time Required: Thirty Standard Minutes.

Swarm Stored Bio Energy: 79

Sean smiled as he saw one hundred of the larvae curl up into balls, covering themselves in the hardening cocoon. It would take about a half hour for each zergling to spawn individually. He felt their eagerness. Their desire to follow his whims. And it brought him comfort. Instinctively, however, Sean knew he needed something else to keep these zerglings under control, lest they run rampant on the world.

Genetic Information: Overlord. Highly Intelligent Relay Unit. Cost: Fifteen Standard Units of Bio Energy. Time Required: Sixty Standard Minutes

Sean willed one of the larvae to spawn into an Overlord, resulting in another cocoon. He was excited. Soon, he'd have an army of zerglings at his command, and Overlords to help him control them.

ZZZZZ

Sean gazed over his swarm with pride. The Overlord had just hatched, and Sean was impressed at their sizes. The zerglings were nothing to scoff at, being about the size of an aged golden retriever. The zerglings were vicious looking, with slender, lizard-like bodies and powerful hind legs. The zerglings also had vicious forelegs with claws meant to rip and shred, and were also capable of grabbing. The zergling mouth was packed with teeth, and two fangs sprouted out from either side. They had glowing, beady eyes, and were covered from head to tail in a strong exoskeleton. The most deadly part, however, were the massive, spindly claws that arched over from the zerglings' backs. They were scythe-like, and made specifically for cutting, slicing, and dismembering. It was no wonder how the Zerg were so feared. With the zergling as its basic ground force, anyone would be terrified to go against even one.

"What is your desire, Brood Lord?"

A low, deep, rumbling voice echoed in his mind. Sean had at first been surprised at the Overlord being able to speak telepathically, but quickly reprimanded himself. It had been described as highly intelligent, of course it would be able to communicate.

"I want you to stay low," Sean said. "The main inhabitants of this world can sense flying objects for long distances. We do not wish to receive their ire at this moment. We must wait until we can match them on equal footing in both air and sky." The Overlord seemed to be amused by this, but asked no further questions.

The Overlord was a bulbous, balloon-like creature with an insectoid head. It was covered in fleshy sacs, and had several long tendrils that seemed limp off of the Overlord's body. But Sean knew better. Those tendrils were strong, and could knock down a tree with a good hit.

Sean reached down and rubbed the head of one of the zerglings, one that stood beside him. It had developed a unique genetic mutation that the hatchery had induced. Instead of being a deep shade of purple like all of the other Zerg, it was instead a deep, forest green. The Overlord had informed Sean that the hatchery believed that this would be a useful mutation, given the amount of green in the forest around it. While it may not match the color of the Creep, and thus lose it ability to camouflage on the substance, it would be able to be better hidden off of creep, where the color green was abundant. He had affectionately named the zergling "Jungle", and the zergling had become like a personal pet to him.

Sean mentally commanded ten more drones to be spawned, and fifty more zerglings. He also ordered the creation of another Overlord. With that, he headed back to his apartment, where he was sure Emerald would be arriving later.

ZZZZZ

Sean sat alone at his desk, staring at the loss screen of StarCraft II. It was almost midnight, and Emerald hadn't shown up. Her little sister had confirmed his fears. Emerald was out screwing one of Melody's friends from school. His hand was gripped around a styrofoam cup of shrimp ramen, which had gotten cold after an hour. Unconsciously, he crushed the cup in rage. This was the fourth time in two weeks, the first of those being the night he had first hatched his zergling army. His one hundred had grown into one thousand, with ten Overlords to direct and control each hundred. He was loathe to create more zerglings and Overlords, for fear of them spreading past the Creep and being revealed to the world. The U.S. military had begun moving in on his little city, and were starting their search for a downed 'weather balloon'. He knew it was only a matter of time before his Swarm was found.

Swarm Stored Bio Energy: 946

He was so close to allowing his swarm to evolve, but he didn't want to do it while his Swarm was in danger of being discovered. Something in him knew that if he evolved them soon, he and his Swarm would be vulnerable long enough to be destroyed easily. One bombing raid was all it would take to wipe out the Zerg Swarm at this point.

Sean looked down at Jungle, who was resting by his feet. While the Zerg never truly slept, the Overlord revealed that Zerg enjoy periodic rests. Those short breaks allowed the Zerg to function at their highest. While any normal person would see the Zerg as vicious and terrifying, Sean took comfort in them. While any other human would think the Zerg unsightly and ugly, he thought the Zerg were beautiful. What else could he describe them as? They were a race of war, yes. But they were so much more than that. Over the past two weeks, Sean had grown to love the Zerg and their quirks. The larvae were like children, so eager to please everyone else. To spawn into the best of whatever they could be. The Overlords were like loving fathers, taking care of the larvae and playing with them on occasion. Because of his order to stay low, the Overlords tended to crowd around the hatchery and play with the larvae. The zerglings were like vicious, happy dogs. They were excitable, energetic, and social. When he wasn't ordering them to patrol the Creep, the zerglings ran around in small packs from three to fifteen. Even drones had their own quirks of being perfectionists. They, when they were 'bored', could be found gathering stones and creating small structures out of them. When the structure inevitably shifted, they would become frustrated and knock it down to start from scratch all over again.

As Sean stared at the screen in front of him, he began wondering how to improve his Swarm. As it was, he had nothing better to do. He didn't have a job, he made a living off of streaming his games on Twitch. His girlfriend was cheating on him more and more often. His family didn't want anything to do with him.

Genetic Information: Swarm Queen. Highly Intelligent Organization Unit. Cost: Five Hundred Standard Units of Bio Energy. Time Required: Three Hundred Standard Minutes.

Sean issued the mental command to create one. With a Swarm Queen by his side, taking care of his Swarm would be much easier. It would also give him a higher defense against intruders. Over the weeks Sean had discovered just how well he was connected to the Zerg Swarm. He could go to the other side of the city and his connection be just as strong as it was when he was right beside the hatchery. He could also feel anything and everything through the Creep, able to detect at an instant if there was anything not Zerg on it. Multiple times he had mistaken and mauled deer thinking they were human intruders in his territory. He'd also noticed how he'd begun thinking anything the Creep covered as his territory, and beginning to refer to himself as something separate from a human. And he didn't mind it in the slightest.

Sean decided to play more of Starcraft II, hoping to familiarize himself even further with the Zerg race. While the game couldn't ever compare to the actual Swarm, he wanted to discover the strengths and weaknesses of every unit. To familiarize himself of the units that would, hopefully, become available to him. He couldn't wait for the day he was able to spawn an Ultralisk. With even one of those, he could lay waste to entire cities within a day. It seemed like no time at all until a more powerful consciousness reached out to him.

"Brood Lord?" it asked inquisitively. Its voice was melodic, yet powerful. His Swarm Queen. "Where are you?"

I am on my way, Sean replied, getting out of his seat quickly. He rushed from his apartment and quickly descended the stairs, Jungle following suit. As he walked through the twilight woods, Sean pondered to himself how he could possibly expand his Swarm without creating attention to himself. His eyes widened as he saw the light of the sun on the moon. While the moon might not always receive the light of the sun, perhaps it would be enough… The unfortunate part was, though, it would take a long time for his Overlords to travel that distance. His Overlords' maximum speed was thirty miles an hour. While nothing to scoff at in human standards, it was pretty impractical for space travel. It would take them something just under a year to reach the moon. He wasn't sure if the Overlords could store enough Creep to supply the journey.

When Sean arrived at the hatchery, his breathing stopped for a moment in fear. A tall woman stood before his hatchery, staring at it. For a moment, he was fearful that his Swarm had been discovered. But upon reaching his mind out, he realized that this was his Queen. The woman turned to face him, her eyes a glowing yellow. Her skin was a pale white, though he could see small, green glowing veins under her skin. Her hair looked smooth, slick even, like strands of spider silk. Her facial features were rough, and yet beautiful. She radiated an aura of power that demanded respect. Her body was slender, with a bust just smaller than Emerald's, possibly a C-cup, and slender, athletic hips. Her body was, for the most part, nude. Her arms, hands, legs, and feet though were covered in a hard, blueish exoskeleton, as were her genitalia. Her breasts were hidden by an extension of the exoskeleton on her arms that crept across said limbs to her shoulders like pauldrons, than lowering down across her chest with a 'bra' made of fangs that faced downward. Her lower extremities were also covered in an exoskeletal casing, with no visible attachments to the other armor. Sprouting from her lower back were exoskeletal 'wings' with three 'fingers' each, the ends of which were pointed and sharp enough to tear through even titanium.

The Queen kneeled before him, her veins and eyes having stopped glowing. "I live to serve, Brood Lord."

"What is your name, Queen?" Sean asked the woman in front of him. The woman's eyes flashed with amusement, sadness, and a hint of irritation.

"I was not born with a name in mind, Brood Lord," the spoke curtly. Sean thought for a moment, and he could feel the Queen's hesitation, possibly wondering if she had offended him in some way.

"Your name will be Tide," Sean decided. Sean felt a bit of pride well up inside Tide, signifying she liked the name he had given her.

"Thank you, Brood Lord."

"Your thanks is not needed," Sean replied. "I was in need of assistance. Creating a Swarm alone is not easy." He thought for a moment. "You will stay here when I am not available. I have to return to my apartment and get things ready to move out. If you sense anyone foreign enter the Creep, you will be the spokesperson of the Zerg. I can't be traced to the Swarm."

"Are you ashamed of us, Brood Lord?" Tide asked curiously.

"Of course not! And you can call me Sean," the young man replied. "I just need to keep up my appearance as a human while I still can, to ensure the Swarm grows more powerful." Tide nodded understandingly.

"If that is your will, Broo- Sean," she stammered at the new name, and said it unsurely as if fearful he might smite her for using a name other than his title. Her gaze became curious when he didn't reprimand her. After ordering the creation of a few more drones, Sean left to return to his apartment.

ZZZZZ

Sean awoke to a painful feeling in his gut. Someone was attacking his territory. HIS territory! The young man growled and shot out of bed, hastily putting on clothes and running towards his hatchery. He could feel several packs of zerglings closing in on where the intruder was, awaiting his order to kill them. Tide was not far behind them, equally as enraged as Sean. It didn't take long for Tide and the zerglings to confront the intruder.

"It is a group of humans dressed in heavy clothing. They have some sort of firearms with them," Tide informed Sean. The young man grimaced. The military had found them.

Alright, this is what you say, Sean instructed her.

ZZZZZ

Lieutenant General Herald Carper had seen a lot of things in his lifetime. He'd seen women slaughter dozens to save their children. He'd seen men blow themselves up all in the name of religion. He'd seen children mow down squads of fully grown soldiers, believing that they were monsters. He'd seen his best friends become his worst enemies, and his greatest enemies become his closest allies. Herald was no stranger to surprises. And yet the… he supposed woman in front of him took the cake.

LTG. Carper was currently standing on a carpet of some purple, fleshy substance. His men had their firearms cocked and ready to shoot at the things that were hissing and screeching at them. He had no doubt that the woman was holding them back, though he didn't know for what reason. He gazed upon the female before him, their eyes meeting in a conflict of wills. In her, Herald saw an unwavering confidence that suggested that she didn't even take him and his men as a threat. It was mixed in with a touch of smugness, as if she knew something he didn't. Herald returned it with his own determination, confident enough to not back down at her challenge. After a few moments of tense silence, the woman's face morphed into that of amusement.

"You do not cower before me," she stated, the hissing creatures surrounding them finally calming a little. "I admire that strength in a Terran. Though I also pity your stupidity."

"Who are you, and what business do you have here?" Herald asked immediately, the woman gaining a light smirk at his question.

"The name given to me is Tide, and I am the queen of the Zerg Swarm," a soon as she finished speaking, the entire forest around them burst out in screeching from the little creatures that had surrounded them. "You are trespassing on my territory, and demand you leave at once." Her eyes started to glow yellow, and green markings were starting to glow on her skin as well.

"You're on American soil, Ms. Tide, you have no right to demand anything of us," Herald raised his rifle up to her face. "What the hell are you doing here? And where did you come from?"

"I was born here on this planet," Tide admitted. "As to what I am doing… I am growing my Swarm large enough to travel back to my home."

"And just where the hell is that?"

"Beyond the stars of your little universe, Terran," Tide spoke. "Now leave from here, lest I decide to wipe out your world in order to hasten my exit." The men shifted nervously and aggressively behind the Lieutenant General. This was not a situation he could win. Not with a small amount of soldiers against these… things. "Leave now, and you will not be made into Bio Energy for my Swarm to consume." Herald slowly backed up, ushering his small squadron back to the encampment in town. He pretended to let the woman win this battle, but he would soon call in reinforcements. A lot of reinforcements.

It was only days later that Herald heard back from the higher ups. In short, they doubted him. His report of said alien beings apparently matched those of some popular video game. While someone would be sent to 'confirm' his report, it was evident that they weren't taking him seriously. The not-quite-old LTG. sighed to himself. This was way over his pay grade.

ZZZZZ

Emerald's room was a disaster. Her sheets were unmade. Her makeup was scattered on several of her dressers. Her closet was open and the floor was covered in clothes. Emerald, herself, was staring desperately at her computer screen. Brood Lord. Her friend's list said in greyed out letters. Offline for 7 days. Sean was never offline for so long. Emerald had a bad feeling that this was her fault. Her sister had come clean on ratting her out. Part of her was angry at her sister. Most of her was angry at herself. And yet, she just couldn't stop. She stared over at the stranger sleeping in her bed. Both of them were ass naked. No doubt Sean knew by now. Her sister thought Sean was the best thing since ramen noodles.

Emerald had grown up in a divided home. Her father had been Christian, born and bred in the southern towns of Alabama. Devout and extreme. Her father was a reformed Muslim, something of a sore spot for her. She'd never met her grandparents from her mother's side. Never even heard a word of them. Her mother and father had had three children. Her older brother, her, and Melody. Never once had they ever been married. Her mother and father had been separated for over four years. While custody of herself and Melody had gone to her mother, her father had won over her older brother.

Emerald had always wondered why she slept with so many guys. She glanced at the lines on the notebook by her computer. She was on page four… Perhaps it had been because she wanted male attention. She wanted guys to notice her because her father pretty much ignored they all existed. Or maybe it was because of Sean. Maybe he was too perfect for her, and she wanted him to get angry at her for being unfaithful to him. To show her that he had flaws just like her. Or maybe it was something else entirely. Emeralds mind drifted back to Sean. They'd met on this game during a ladder match during HoTS. She'd been a newbie at that point, looking for a way away from her abusive ex-boyfriend. Imagine her surprise and hopeful feeling when she discovered that this boy who was only two years older than her lived in the same city she did! She'd been overjoyed to have a new friend. Eventually one thing led to another and they had their first night together. It was by no means romantic. He was clumsy and nervous, and she was anxious. They'd pulled a few hairs on accident that night, but it had been the best night she'd ever had, with each one with him being progressively better. Nobody had topped Sean, even if he was a clumsy doofus. And yet… Emerald's eyes slowly glanced back at the strange boy in her bed.

In her sister's school she was known as an easy screw. Just ask and she'd probably say yes. Some of the nearby bars gave her the same reputation. And she was disgusted with it, but knew ultimately, she was to blame. Why did she let so many guys into her bed? Was it just habit by now? A familiar feeling? She couldn't decide, but knew it had to stop. Sean had to be depressed, and it was probably all her fault. Picking up her phone, she shot a quick text to Sean and got up, packing a small travel bag full of clothes and some makeup. She got dressed in a pair of pajama pants and a light t-shirt and picked up the bag, not even looking back at the boy in her bed before she left.

ZZZZZ

A/N: I've been working on this for a while. Just bits a pieces during classes in the last semester. Admittedly it fell flat a few times but I think I'm good for a first chapter. Ah, well, this will be another "I'll update when I feel" story. I'm gonna focus on Naruto no since the thought pool for that is all done, but don't expect anything overly completed soon. I'll be busy for the holidays and after I get back from out of state, getting a new job! Fun! Well, hope this isn't terrible, ja ne!