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</div></div><span style="font-family: 'Didact Gothic', 'sans-serif'">Zara wasn't amused that the first attempt didn't work, but then again, Nathan wouldn't have been a good choice for leadership had he wavered at the first attempt. The female could only wait and observe. The moment Josephine spoke up, Zara knew she had a strong hold on the pair, it wouldn't be long before she was able to manipulate them in ways that she had been manipulated, but maybe not as intensely. There had been a true connection between she and Kal, and may there well be a connection between her and the people she infected, it wouldn't be the same.<br/>
<br/>
There was another glimmer of hope the moment she heard the door groan open. Jonah, of course, had been the one to grab her arm and hurl her from the room. As she walked, shakily, her petite feet left glimpses of the liquid that had plashed out from the pod, silver strands glistened slightly beneath the surface that would be only briefly visible. Zara knew the protocols and she knew the choice of actions that should be taken in such a situation, so she carefully observed who was doing what, especially the man who dragged her relentlessly. He was going to become hers, and she would make him pay.<br/>
<br/>
The dark haired woman glanced down along her body to notice the green dots glistening against her sleek skin. All eyes were on her, and ready to fire at a moments notice. What she hadn't expected was for Josephine to throw her a suit, the female managed to reach one arm to catch it in her palm. "Thank you," The words that seeped from her were thankful, and incredibly tender in comparison to her usual tone. Zara could almost feel the reaction it caused in the other female, solidifying their bond as women in a difficult situation. Without hesitation Zara pressed the orb against her skin and admired the way it began to expand, material spawning over her figure in a swift ripple. A black suit concealed her figure, as much as a skin tight suit could. <br/>
<br/>
Before she could tend to the protocol disarming, Jonah seemed to want to discuss what she'd observed. There was no mystery, no secret power. Zara was trained to observe; she was a warrior after all. "Fifty percent of marriages fail, then you add in the fact that you're away months to years at a time, what do you think that does to the remaining percent? I don't know your life, but I knew one of you would be weak enough to react." Her orbs glistened with silver strands as she gazed over him. "You took my lover, now you need to face the loss of your own. At least she's still breathing," The female hissed as his gun pressed to her temple; there was almost a glimmer of challenge in her eyes, did he dare pull the trigger. <br/>
<br/>
Thankfully, Nathan stepped in. Zara had been contemplating grabbing the gun he pressed to willingly to her head and using it to fire a bullet right into his brain matter, just as they had done to Kal. As Nathan pressed his gun to her belly the female resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Gently, she placed her hand over his and part of the cool metal weapon and lowered it ever so slightly so that she could lean down to reach the keyboard easily. "You have about four other high powered weapons aimed at me, I think you can afford to lower this one. Least we forget that I also want to survive." Her fingers delayed over his, almost stroking her soft, smooth skin across his before she began to tap away at the keys. <br/>
<br/>
Zara knew there was no hope of pulling any tricks while Nathan was standing right beside her, no doubt watching what she was doing. Anything other than using her access to call off the protocols would earn her some hostility. For that moment, she decided it was better not to risk that. Zara kept working until she was able to access the security settings. It only took her a moment to release the hold she'd issued, enabling the two crews to be able to speak to one another. "It's done," She murmured softly. Her palms pressed against the cool desk, one slipped up to caress the swell of her belly as a loud exhale left her lips. "Now can someone look me over?" <br/>
<br/>
There was no issue with her, but she did genuinely want to be able to use the medical bay to see how her offspring was doing. It was the only thing she had now. It was also a chance to get closer to another member of the team. Soon enough, she could infect them all, but Nathan would prove a problem. He was harder than the others, more reserved. She needed to break that to be able to get into his head. There was a way she could check someone's personal files, but that would take some privacy. <br/>
<br/>
One of the other crew members, Carl Jones, stepped forward. "I can take her to the bay," The male nodded to two others nearby, they'd join him with their guns raised just in case she tried anything with them. It seemed to go over rather reasonably, that or Nathan was too fixated with getting the message out to the nearby ship. Thankfully, she was taken away from the main group and led down a rather anemic looking hallway. The bay was small, and secured behind airlocks as most were. Once inside, Carl nodded toward the bed. "Remove your suit and sit up on the bed." Clearly, they wanted a good look at the creature within her; as did she. <br/>
<br/>
Zara removed the suit with a press to a small button before seating herself on the bed. It was a fairly open room, just a bed and a few drawers nearby. The male withdrew a few tools, one to check her temperature and a few other detectors that were almost insulting. As the male set about feeling her belly, she began to take a good view of the pair who had their weapons focused on her, fingers hovering by the trigger. As Cole was pressing her flesh to test how far the fetus had grown, he paused, almost in fear. "Get Nathan," He ordered one of the guards. They considered arguing as they eyed one another, but finally one of them broke off to go fetch the male.<br/>
<br/>
"Why do we need another set of eyes?" Her voice was low, almost as if she was trying to coax the reply gently from him. "No reason, you just relax." The woman's nose wiggled slightly in annoyance. "I asked you why, I have a right to know," Her voice darkened as she eyed the male, ready to lash out. He was touching <i>her</i> belly and not sharing what he thought he knew. "Well..." The male sighed softly, shaking his head. "It feels human, just that it's been... growing faster than normal. You're about three months gone here." Zara already knew it'd be growing fast, but from what he was feeling, it almost surprised her. She'd almost expected something else.<br/>
<br/>
When he touched her belly next, Zara felt a firm thrust from inside her belly toward him, causing a soft laugh to escape her while he doubled back. "It shouldn't be that able yet." The look of horror over his middle aged, slightly salted features amused Zara; she wanted them scared. When Nathan arrived, Carl seemed to adjust his posture and attempt to look less afraid. "Sir," He ducked away from the female and making his way to Nathan, "It seems like a sped up human pregnancy, but it's far ahead of what I've seen before. This isn't what we thought it was, it's not just standard offspring. We can't let this get back to Earth. Even if Wayland is paying us a shitload, this is not going to end well. She's going to be close to giving birth when we arrive, we could just... remove it." <br/>
<br/>
Zara's gaze flickered to the male, her expression had never been so furious. "What did you say?" Her lower lip twitched in rage as she slid from the bed, snagging up the silver ball and forcing her suit back on before she marched toward the pair. Without hesitation her fingers balled into a fist and punched Corl firmly in the abdomen, causing him to double over in pain. "Fucking BITCH," He spat as he collapsed onto his knees in agony. Zara growled softly as she stared down toward him, "I have one thing left in this world, and you will not take it from me. Do you understand?" She'd had confidence that even with their aim right on her, they wouldn't risk the price tag for a punch. Blue and silver tinted orbs focused on Nathan as her head turned, "If you let him near me, I will die killing every single one of you. I don't care what fate you assign me to, but if you fuck with my child I will make sure you all suffer a fate worse than death. That's a promise." Her tone dropped to a chilling level as she glanced to the others in the room before focusing back on Nathan. "If you.. grant me the chance to give my baby a life, then I will abide by whatever you wish. I won't fight you." It wasn't like her to bargain, but after losing Kal, she had no choice. It was all she could do, right now, to attempt to secure them for a life beyond a lab.<br/>
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