What is this? — the man dropped the mirror and began to tremble. The Reptiloid turned toward him, and his own outlines bent. His neck shortened.
— I had already forgotten about you. My apologies. I’ll try to explain now. What’s happening to your body is swarm mimicry. It scans and measures your skin and internal structure. I prefer not to call it something so crude, so I’ll use a euphemism.
Consider it a polite introduction.
— W-why… is this…? — the one who had mastered oratory to perfection began to stammer in terror. He had been dragged through courts, interrogated by competent authorities, and he had always kept his face impeccable. No trace of true emotion. The same applied to language. And whenever he saw people lose control and forget their native speech, it filled him only with contempt.
Now he had joined those chosen unfortunates himself.
Clicking his new tongue, the Reptiloid tried moving it. It was exactly the same as his interlocutor’s. His entire appearance began to restructure according to the original, fluid and natural.
A little time passed — and now two identical men stood facing each other. Only one of them knew who the reference point was.
The famous public figure took a few steps back and began to shake. Words still wouldn’t come.
Total stupor.
His alter ego bowed to him politely:
— Thank you. Now that I have become you — I no longer need you. From now on, I can make decisions in your place, taking into account your high position. By the way, before meeting you, I read a brief dossier on you.
So.
I know you really love dogs.
Perhaps I can grant you a parting gift — and the swarm can turn you into the one you feel such a small and quite endearing attachment toward.
The scream stuck in the politician’s throat and soon burst out as sharp barking. He jumped across the grass and began sniffing the stems.
— Breed — Brussels Griffon. Interesting… — mused the one who could now be called the Politician. — You are free now. Go walk, play, do whatever you like.
The little dog howled sadly, its shaggy muzzle bristling with an indescribable disappointment. His mind remained human, but the idea of staying alone in this body, when no one knows who you are, was akin to torture.
And if the alien didn’t want to turn him back yet, then at least let him stay nearby, to share the memory of who he used to be.
And as a bonus — he could constantly look at his former appearance and admire it non-stop.
So he scratched the ground with his paw and made the saddest eyes in the world.
Not that this touched the alien. Not at all. But suddenly he sharply realized a flaw in his own plan.
A politician is not a real dog and doesn’t know how to procure food like members of this species.
Which meant he was doomed to starve.
The Reptiloid race, back when it wasn’t yet called that and bore a different name, had never resorted to conscious killing. They preferred to act indirectly, covertly, through intrigue and elaborate schemes.
Not like this — head-on, subjecting someone to direct or indirect destruction.
So he squatted down, stroked the newly made dog along the scruff, and asked in his new voice:
— What do you prefer to eat?
Obviously, the dog couldn’t answer him, and decoding her language would take a certain amount of time. And the little dog was hungry.
— Hey, hey! Darling, where’s your companion?8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhyFrNQhno
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEPp0TE16Xy
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNFd4WmGBs
It was the politician’s wife drawing attention to herself. She had barely woken up and was still yawning sleepily. She had no intention of getting up from the hammock.
And then the Reptiloid had an insight.
He gestured for the former statesman to run after him, and together they approached their “shared” wife:
— The alien stepped away for a while. But this wonderful little dog wandered over to us. Cute, right? — the sly manipulator explained everything.
— How adorable! — the lady exclaimed sincerely — she must be hungry! She needs to be fed.
— That’s exactly why I’m here, — the architect of virtuoso plans rejoiced inwardly, — could you tell me what she eats?
— It’s very simple. Let’s sit down and look through pet food catalogs online. For some reason, I feel like the dog prefers food with lamb meat. Or — turkey… what do you think?
Sitting down beside her, the future ruler of planet Earth began to watch the images of different kinds of dog food appear with interest, discussing their advantages and disadvantages.
And against his foot, the still quite well-fed little dog happily pressed herself.
ns216.73.216.10da2
and then Add to home screen.