"The drones in a bee colony develop from unfertilized eggs, possessing only haploid chromosomes. However, their sperm cells do not have half the usual chromosome count. Instead, they undergo a special process known as 'pseudomeiosis,' ensuring they retain haploid chromosomes," Teacher Helen explained as she walked slowly through the classroom, the rhythmic click of her high heels echoing through the room.
"The sole purpose of a drone in a bee colony is to mate. And once they fulfill that purpose, they die immediately."
She moved the book away from her face, her lips curving into a subtle smile.
"In a sense," she continued, her eyes sweeping over the students, "these drones are also parasites."
As she spoke, her gaze briefly flickered toward Peter.
Peter remained expressionless, listening to the lesson but keeping his guard up. Something about Helen Nolan felt off, and the alien embryo inside him stirred uncomfortably.
"But that's not today's main topic," Helen added. "What we're focusing on is phages—bacteriophages and their parasitic nature."
She took slow, deliberate steps toward Peter's desk before stopping just inches away from him.
"A bacteriophage is nothing more than a bundle of genetic material enclosed within a protein shell. It lacks the necessary materials and tools to reproduce on its own, so it injects its DNA into bacteria, hijacking the bacterial machinery to replicate itself."
Helen's eyes locked onto Peter's as she spoke.
"But do the bacteria simply sit there and accept their fate?" she asked, pausing for dramatic effect.
"No," she answered herself. "They use the CRISPR-Cas system to direct DNA-cutting enzymes and remove the virus."
She turned to the class, scanning their faces before asking, "But does this method always work? Do the bacteria succeed in fighting off the phages?"
A student raised their hand and hesitantly asked, "Does it depend on the virus?"
Helen smiled approvingly. "That's something for you to think about."
Then, turning back to Peter, she asked, "Parker, what do you think?"
Peter blinked, caught off guard. He hadn't expected her to address him directly.
He felt uneasy. There was something unsettling about how she spoke—as if she knew his secret. As if she was comparing him to a parasite.
His grip on his pen tightened.
"I don't know," he replied flatly.
Helen tilted her head, her smile deepening. "Hmm, perhaps you should focus more in class rather than being lost in your own thoughts."
She reached out, letting her fingers graze over the surface of his notebook.
Peter felt a brief moment of tension as she touched his notes—pages filled with dense, hastily written information about the alien symbiote inside him.
It was a personal code only he could understand.
"I enjoy note-taking," Peter said calmly, closing the notebook in front of her, "but my method is a bit unconventional."
Helen studied him for a moment before smirking.
"Maybe you can visit my office sometime and explain your special recording style. I'm very interested."
Her voice dripped with amusement, drawing chuckles from the students.
"Sorry, can't," Peter replied without hesitation.
Helen's expression didn't change, but Peter could feel her gaze drilling into him.
At that moment, his chest tightened.
The alien embryo stirred.
His heartbeat accelerated—not once, but twice.
The double heartbeat sent waves of discomfort through his body. A feverish heat spread through his veins, followed by an unsettling dizziness.
His body was reacting differently than before.
He had experienced transformations, bursts of aggression, and violent urges before—but this? This was something new.
Something else.
He forced himself to steady his breathing.
Holding his pen tightly, he resisted the overwhelming sensations surging inside him.
Helen turned away as if she hadn't noticed his distress.
"What do parasites ultimately want?" she continued. "Whether it's a drone, a phage, or fungi infecting a host, their sole purpose is reproduction."
She walked back to the podium, her voice carrying an almost seductive undertone.
"Drones sacrifice themselves to reproduce. Phages inject their DNA into bacteria. Fungi manipulate hosts to spread their spores."
She glanced at the class, her gaze lingering on Peter.
"This is not just biology," she said, her voice lowering slightly. "It is the essence of nature itself."
Peter clenched his jaw.
Who was this woman?
The moment the class ended, Gwen slid into the seat beside him.
"It's weird, right?" she whispered.
Peter glanced at her. "What is?"
"The way all the guys in class were staring at her," Gwen muttered. "It's like she's some kind of sorority sweetheart, and they're all desperate for her attention."
Peter raised an eyebrow. "Sorority sweetheart?"
Gwen shrugged. "You know—popular, charming, effortlessly controlling the room." She hesitated. "I don't know… it just feels off."
Peter silently pushed his biology book toward her.
She glanced at the open page.
The chapter title read: Biological Diversity.
A smirk played at her lips, but she quickly suppressed it.
"Okay," she said, stifling a laugh. "That was actually funny, Peter."
Peter didn't reply.
He was too distracted.
His body still felt strange.
But it wasn't Helen that occupied his mind.
It was Gwen.
She looked exactly the same as she always had.
So why did she suddenly seem different?
Why did he feel an inexplicable pull toward her?
Something inside him was shifting.
Something primal.
Later That Evening
As the school day ended, Peter found an excuse to separate from Gwen.
He needed answers.
He needed to know what was happening inside his body.
New York Presbyterian Hospital was his next destination.
The moment he stepped into the subway, he leaned against the cold window, watching the city blur past.
Helen's words lingered in his mind.
"The ultimate purpose of parasitism is reproduction."
His fingers pressed against his chest, feeling the double heartbeat beneath his skin.
Yes.
The facehugger that implanted the alien embryo in him had one goal—reproduction.
But then why hadn't it burst out of his chest yet?
Why had it merged with him instead?
What did this mean for its reproductive cycle?
Peter's breath hitched.
What if the embryo's reproductive function wasn't about violently bursting out of his chest like a traditional Xenomorph?
What if it had changed?
What if its reproductive function now aligned with his own human biology?
His stomach twisted.
The thought was both disturbing and fascinating.
Would reproduction now require… a mate?
His fingers curled into a fist.
This wasn't just about the alien.
It was about him.
Something deep inside was awakening.
And he wasn't sure if he could control it.
To Be Continued…