A/N: Okay, so I'm giving the Things a more intelligent, "personal" side – I'm individualizing them and giving each one (almost each one) its own personality. Also, some of the creatures are relatively "good" while others stay true to the movies and will rip your head off then take over your body. Their complexity will all be explained.

One other thing, this takes place during The Thing 2011, but I've put my own spin on it so it's AUish.

To avoid confusion, any reference to the Things – they, we, them, their, and whatnot – will be Capitalized to indicate who/what I'm talking about.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Thing.

They had been weapons, created by an alien race who sought to seize control of the other alien territories by brute force. As powerful as those aliens had been, it was impossible to gain control of every race. And so They were created. The process in which They were created was complicated, but after combining and altering the cells of what had once been a lowly animal, the aliens created a new species, one that could replicate the cells of any living organism, imitating the host it chose perfectly. Its true form was monstrous and horrific, but what better to terrify the enemy into submission than a monster?

For centuries, They served Their masters without question, nothing more than a pet that had been trained to invade and kill. But something happened that the aliens did not expect. Their creations began to learn. They became smarter, learning more than any alien race was capable of because when They took over Their hosts body, the hosts memories imprinted into Their mind. When one of Them could live for centuries – longer if in hibernation – Their learning capability was limitless. And that made Them a threat.

Over time They began to hate Their masters, to hate the invisible chains that had bound Them for so long, until one day They'd had enough.

War broke out and losses were seen on both sides. The masters had been eradicated, and the Things they'd created were reduced to less than a hundred. For the first time since Their creation, They were presented with choices.

The decisions were made by the ones who came first – The Firsts, as they came to be called. It was decided that They were to abandon the world in which They were created on, and go in search of a new world to colonize.

Many planets were passed over, as the races inhabiting them did not have what They wanted. But after years of searching, one ship came upon a world that was similar to Their own in another system. What it was called was a mystery, but names mattered little to Them. Before a signal would be sent to the other ships in neighboring systems, Those aboard the ship that had come upon the planet decided to investigate, to see if the planet would suit Their needs. Unfortunately, They could not have landed in a worse spot during worse conditions.

A monstrous blizzard was sweeping across the land, conditions in which the ship was not prepared for. Systems began to malfunction and the ship crashed into the icy surface of the planet. Repairs were attempted, but in truth They would not get far without the necessary fuel in which the ship required. They were stranded there.

Unsure of how long They would be stranded, They joined together to create what appeared to be one massive creature, but what was in fact made up of over a dozen creatures. Bound together, They could feed off each other and survive longer. When it became clear that They would not survive very long staying on the ship, the decision to leave the ship was made.

Stepping outside had been a mistake.

It was true that They could survive in conditions that would kill most creatures, but the freezing temperature soon proved too much for Them and They were left with no choice but to drift into deep hibernation and hope that a host would happen upon Them. For over one-hundred-thousand years, They waited, lifeless in the ice and snow.

And then the humans came.

At first They did not know what was happening, but were aware that They were being moved. Only when one of Them felt a sharp pain did They realize that They had been discovered, and that one of the humans had sent a drill through one of Them.

Angered by the apparent attack, They waited as patiently as They could for the ice to melt enough before breaking free from Their prison. At long last They detached themselves into three beings, each a combinations of others. A part of one of the beings, was one particular creature. It was a part of the being that killed and replicated Griggs.

One of three creatures that made up the being, It was disgusted with how the others agreed to show themselves on the helicopter when the pilot decided to land. Had They just stayed hidden, They would not have found Themselves crashing back to the ground.

All of the creations that made up the being that had replicated Griggs were killed.

…Except for the one Thing who was different.

Reviews are welcome. In fact, they're encouraged!

A/N: And for the record, other chapters will not be so short. This is just the prologue.