Lenny paused and then he turned his head about. Even though he had not heard that voice through his ears, he still instinctively felt like he needed to check all around him.
However, he did not see anyone.
"Who are you? where are you?" Lenny asked
"hahaha!!! Well, I'm sure we both know the answer to the first question. As of the second, follow the Cotton Worm in front of you. It will lead you to me!"
Lenny looked at the Big Cotton worm.
The cotton worm turned to him like it was nudging him to follow after him.
Lenny nodded and followed after it.
Steadily, he went deeper into the cave.
At first, it was just one of two cotton worms. But then ne started to see much more of them. There all seemed to be diligently be at work.
Through the cave passage way, Lenny followed the ant. However, as they passed a particular cave, he could not help but stop and peep inside.
This cave had big yellow balls in them.
Lenny entered the cave and in his curiosity, he approached a giant Yellow bubble. he could see what looked like the back profile of a person inside it.
This surprised him. However, just as he was about to touch it, the person inside turned about.
He immediately took a step back. It turned out that it was not a person like he thought it was. Rather, it was humanoid Chimera Ant. It was like one of those really ugly Looking ones that old man Buckle kept inside a cage back in his village.
From the way the Humanoid Chimera ant's eyeballs moved, he could tell that the creature was aware of his presence.
"What are these?" Lenny asked.
"There are..." the voice paused a bit before continuing, "failed experiments!"
"FAILED!?" Lenny asked.
"Yes, Failed!"
"Because they are not human?" Lenny asked again.
"no! Actually, it is because of their human tendencies that they are failed experiments. In creating them, I was never able to Isolate their inherited human desires and urges. It makes them..." the voice paused, and Lenny finished its sentence, "uncontrollable!?"
"Exactly!"
Lenny left this room and continued following the Cotton worm Chimera ant.
"so what exactly are you? are you a demon?"
"Yes! Yes, I am."
"How is it that you can create Humans?" Lenny asked.
"I am..." the voice gave a brief pause, "'special' in certain ways. Certain ways special from others of my kind. Created to specifically be able to achieve one Goal. Also, I still cannot get the Human Genome and therefore cannot exactly replicant a human being. Your Specie is a really complicated one. not as easy as replicating bugs or insects!"
Lenny thought about those words for a bit, "so your colony! are they all bugs you replicated?"
"Yes, yes they are! all of them formed from the Genes i was able to acquire when I was Planted here!"
"PLANTED!?" Lenny asked in surprise.
The voice giggled a bit, "well not as you would see a tree, but yes! I was intentionally put down here so that I can perform this one task. Especially with the experimental subjects that present themselves."
Lenny raised a brow to this, "You mean the gladiators?"
The voice giggled, "yes! them. However, even though I have dissected the human body and know its anatomy far more than any Doctor in the entirety of human history, I have not been able to successfully duplicate a perfect human."
As They conversed, Lenny came across yet another cave. This too was filled with Human Insectoids. Few steps further, yet again another cave.
However, Unlike the last cave, there was only one person in this one, and it was also in a giant bubble. However, this was not a Yellow Bubble like all the others he had seen. This one was a green Bubble. Inside the Bubble, he saw a face he heavily recognized.
It was Insect-B.
Lenny and Crusher had injured this half human-half Insect hybrid.
From the looks of it, it was healing. At least from its wings that were slowly forming once more at its back, that was what it looked like.
"What of this one? it looks better than all the others!"
"Hahaha!!! it does, doesn't it!" The voice seemed Elated at Lenny's compliment. "That is my latest work! it is the closest I have ever gotten to forming an actual human being. Better still, Unlike the others, it listens to the order of who created it. Funny enough, I created this one on the same day I got interested in meeting you."
Lenny looked at Insect-B one more time as it remained suspended in the green Bubble with its eyes closed. He scratched his chin a bit and then he frowned slightly as his eyes looked a particular direction of Insect-B's body. Lenny turned and continued following the Cotton worm.
Now, the cave gradually became bigger. They were slowly approaching an open space.
As they did, Lenny noticed that a lot of Cotton worms followed behind him.
Although this made him frown a bit, it did not stop him from pushing forward. At least he was not yet alarmed by any thing.
Just then, he got an alert from the system.
<ALERT! A part of Lucifer Morningstar discovered>
This alert was the first of its kind that he had ever received.
Just then, Lenny noticed something else.
From the looks of things, the Cotton worms behind seemed like they were Cutting off his exit. They seemed to pile on themselves, sealing off the way he had come.
Normally, on seeing this, he would have probably rushed for the Exit before the slow creatures could make it. However, he had gotten a very interesting Alert from the system.
"would you like to hear an interesting story? its based of true life events," the voice asked.
"yes please!" Lenny replied politely.
"You are young so you probably don't know!" the voice continued talking, "at one time, this world was filled with only humans, and they lived happy lives under the sun. At least they lived better lives than the livestock life they now live. However, the apocalypse came and stole their joy away. But on that day, another's joy was also taken. The one that had fallen before, fell again."
Those words immediately remind Lenny of the story he had heard from Old man Buckle. He remembered that the old man said that there was a meteorite on the day that the apocalypse happened.
He also remembered the story of the fallen angel from heaven his mother had told him when he was a little boy. This was the story of how Lucifer Morningstar was cast out of heaven.
The voice had said something about someone that fell before and then fell again. Knowing what he knew now and what Lucifer morning star had told him when he was coming into this world, he was sure that the story was about his loving Master.
"Fragments from his battle for his life had scattered far and wide across the stars. Back then, I was but a Larva in my master's porch. Unlike the others, I couldn't get more, then again, I wouldn't have even been able to even if I could. just the fraction of a drop of blood that I had acquired was too much weight for me. But I persevered, saving it deep inside me for just the right time to meet..."
Just as the voice continued talking, Lenny walked into the big cave.
What he saw, made him frown. However, no sooner did he regain his normal composure.
Lenny Looked at the giant Mass of moldy looking Bulb of squirming flesh that had more eyes on its face and wiggling tentacles than he had ever seen before.
This was the ugliest creature Lenny had ever seen in his life. The contrast between the femine voice and this ugly mass of flesh in front of him was like the differentiation between heaven and not earth, but hell.
However, saying that would only be rude.
The cave was a simple one but it had cotton Chimera ants everywhere.
"For a long time, I thought I might never be able to use that fragmented blood that I had gotten, but then, you showed up. And you showed up at exactly the time I needed you the most."
"NEEDED?" Lenny asked the creature.
"Yes! with what you are, I can finally make more of them. No! Insect-B was just the rough by-product of the blood you provided me with when you tried to kill one of my Children. Only a few drops and i created INsect-B. what do you think will happen when I have you all to myself?"
The moment she said this, some of her tentacles rushed through the air for him.
Lenny made a few somersaults However, a tentacle caught him by the leg and pulled him down. After that, it pulled him slowly towards the Queen.
A large opening appeared in between its eyes like a mouth.
"don't worry! soon, you will become a part of me."