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“What the fuck even are you!?” The final crewmate howled as he clutched his abdomen, futilely trying to prevent his intestines from falling further out.
It hardly mattered as Talon was to end this man’s life, very shortly.
“I am Talon. The Court demands your demise” Was all Talon stated before the seams of his own abdomen split open and his tongue lashed forward. When it found purchase in the man’s arms and intestines, it pulled and the man’s resulting screams were cut short as his upper half was crushed and mashed the moment Talon’s maw closed.
Talon hummed as his maw worked through its meal. He could not taste, to experience the supposed pleasure of eating as his Masters could but his body had a preference for the nourishment that humans provided over other sources.
Originally, he was to spare whichever crewmate would be the most beneficial to keep, in order to provide a far more convincing alibi to MIRA when he returned. However, Talon found all of them were a risk due to the crew’s extreme paranoia and aggression once the first kill had been discovered.
A punishment would likely be given for disobeying his original order but depending on which Master he faced when he returned, it was possible he would receive a few lashes. Lashes stung but healed quickly with no lasting scars.
Regardless, with some rewritten reports/logs and creating artificial wounds that would not heal in time when Talon was inspected, he could pass as the lone survivor of this bloodbath of a mission and no suspicion should be cast his way.
But there was still time before he would have to pretend to be a traumatized Richard Grayson who despite everything was still optimistic and willing to travel the stars. Time before he faced punishment.
For now, as his maw completed the first part of its meal, Talon moved to complete the rest. He should move to finish the other meals before they rot but Talon saw no harm in indulging with the fresher meat. His body required a significant amount of nourishment to retain the deadly predator that he was. He would consume the other halves at a later time.
There were no Masters to punish Talon for this indulgence. No masters to order Talon to remain completely anonymous, helmet on or to render his face blank.
So Talon indulged, removing the helmet that he once asked for, to later be beaten for such a horrendous offense, why did he wear the helmet when he was given the ability to shapeshift? The answer was simple but of course, Talon could not comprehend it thus he had to be punished. Along with the offense of questioning his Masters’ will.
It was simply easier to avoid detection by wearing a physical suit.
But for now, he could freely smell the iron in the air through Richard Grayson’s false nose, a weaker than his usual way of smelling but still much more powerful than humans. Typically, he was to wear no face, only a maw but he will admit, he enjoyed his appearance as Rochard Grayson. Hopefully, no one saw through his lies when he returned as he wished to continue on as Richard Grayson for as long as he could.
But he also enjoyed his imposter form as well. And he already had burst his suit open when he allowed his lower maw to strike and consume thus Talon allowed his other features to burst free. His claws shredded through gloves and his tentacles followed. Less-experienced imposters, ones that had not been created and trained as he was, would have instantly used these weapons, shredding their suits and exposing themselves much faster.
Talon, however, had been taught to use human artillery and means first. Knives, guns, and his human-looking hands had killed most of the crewmates though he admitted to removing his helmet, removing the Grayson facade in order to utilize his upper jaw to feast.
If caught, that would warrant a punishment for his inability to resist.
If he was caught…
Talon hummed once more at the rebellious thought. His Richard persona was bleeding into his thoughts.
Something he would squash when he was in front of the Court once more, for now…for now he would continue his meal and then proceed with repairing, cleaning, and setting up.
….
….
….
His false nose sniffed.
___________________________
Jason had to stuff his fist in his mouth to muffle any of the gasps or whimpers or whatever to prevent…“Talon” from hearing him in the vents.
When he had originally snuck onto the ship, he had assumed it would be the same as all the others.
He would steal some supplies, living his days out in the vents and when they docked, he would move on to the next ship. Easy. This crew wasn’t even that vigilant, they were a bunch of men that didn’t notice when a blanket or rations were taken.
The guy in blue, Richard, always freaked him out. He was loud and energetic yet weirdly still and something about his voice felt forced. Like it wasn’t used.
But it wasn’t Jason’s problem. The guy didn’t notice Jason in the vents or the missing supplies and that was all that mattered.
Until Jason realized someone was using the vents. Then he had to begin staking out in various rooms because clearly one of the crew was a vents engineer and he wasn’t going to be found out. So he would make sure he was already ready to move and had various spots he knew he could rest in depending on the day.
It wasn’t a problem. Until Jason finally figured out who was using the vents and stumbled upon “Richard’s meal time as he devoured the Lime crewmate, some part of Jason felt guilty for not remembering his name, face off ravenously.
Jason hadn’t eaten for a few days afterward.
How could he? There was an imposter on board and unlike the others, he had no defense at all. No one even knew he was here and if he revealed himself, he highly doubted they would come to his aid.
After they discover Lime’s half-devoured body, the men’s carefree attitude has turned violent. “Richard” was the only one who demonstrated some sort of carefreeness not like that truly mattered seeing as he was the one who slowly picked off the crew and managed to evade every suspicion that was thrown at him, always avoiding being shot out of the airlock.
They trusted him and if they didn’t, well Lime wasn’t the only murder that Jason had stumbled onto. None of them were as violent as Lime which Jason was extremely grateful for.
They were murders that Jason hated to admit but he could stomach since he’d seen them before. Neck snaps, shot in the head, or simple stabs to the back and neck.
Then there was just Orange, and Jason had almost leaped out to try and save the man. He had seen so much death and anger that, and Jason never admitted this, but he desperately wanted to hold onto another human, be comforted like a little kid.
But the logical part of Jason knew it was safer to hide away in the vents and once Orange was gone, “Richard” would have no need of the vents and he could just wait out until they docked somewhere and escape.
He had been about to exit into one of the engine rooms from the vent when Orange had busted through the door, clutching his stomach and Jason had the horror of witnessing his intestines waving around. Then…“Talon” followed and Jason quickly snuck into the vent again.
But he couldn’t block out the noises as Talon feasted on its meal and when he looked out to peak, he nearly screamed as he saw the imposter’s tentacles and claws burst out. It was utterly terrifying and he knew that he stood no chance if the imposter caught him. \
He could make it.
No.
He would make it.
Right now, he just needed to get as far away as he could. Get all the supplies he needed, mainly water and food so he could hunker down and wait.
That was the plan so slowly and carefully, taking the quietest deep breath he could, he began to crawl. He knew the vents like the back of his hand and they were all connected so he would easily find his way over to the kitchen.
Talon didn’t even need food, Jason hardly ever saw him eating and clearly his… diet consisted of others, literally. So Jason should be pretty safe since why would the imposter even travel over to the kitchen? Unless to store his…“meat” but considering how easily he packed Orange’s body away, he didn’t like how casual he thought about that, he doubted Talon would need to store food.
Hopefully, Jason would like to have food and water on the ready if he needed it without worrying about stumbling upon Talon’s meal time again or stepping on guts.
Clank
Jason froze. Slowly, he turned his head and forced down his shriek as he saw a thick and way too sharp tentacle force the vent cover down and begin to move, searching.
How? How?
How did Talon know someone was here? Jason was quiet, he didn’t make a peep despite how much he wanted to scream and cry.
What gave Jason away?
The tentacle began to pat the nearby walls before moving forward.
It didn’t matter, Jason decided. He had to get to the next vent, had to get out before Talon found him. If he was lucky, Talon would just stab him through the head, but Talon clearly enjoyed eating if his hums were anything, and…he heard Orange’s screams.
So Jason picked his pace up but it didn’t feel fast enough. But it was the fastest he could go without making noise, noises that normally would be covered by boisterous laughter or roaring yells.
There was a vent in electrical, it was the closest that Jason had passed and there was no way he was going to go back to enter the room with cameras with how close the tentacle was.
God, it shouldn’t be taking this long.
He couldn’t be that far. It only took right, down, left, up, and then bam! He was in electrical. At least he hoped so, couldn’t afford to be at a dead end.
The tentacle lashed out, whipping out for something, for him.
Jason gulped as he took a left.
It lashed out once more and Jason went straight. Then he saw some flickering lines of lights and he could have sobbed in joy as he quickened his pace so slightly.
Clank Clank
The tentacle paused as did Jason. That wasn’t the tentacle.
It shot out and Jason scrambled, no longer caring for the noise he was making for the vent.
He shot out of the vent before letting out a gasp as something thick, slimy, and strong grabbed his ankle. Then it pulled and Jason couldn’t help the shriek. His fingers scrambled to find something to grab and when it found the cords that were laid about, he clutched to them.
The tentacle pulled and Jason tugged back. The cords he clutched had to be attached to the ship as they weren’t ripped off and Jason wasn’t forced back into the vent.
The tentacle pulled once more and Jason let out a sob. It hurt. Like the tentacle was trying to tear his leg off. God, that's what he was trying to do, wasn’t it? Tear his ankle off to have it as a treat and then come find Jason as he was bleeding out from his missing ankle.
“STOP! PLEASE!” Jason screamed. Talon knew he was here already and Jason was going to die, what was the harm in begging?
The tentacle released slightly and that was all Jason needed to kick and be freed. He quickly scrambled out of the vent completely and when the tentacle shot out, searching, Jason quickly ran out.
He had to find somewhere to hide. He still didn’t know how Talon had figured out he was in the vents but it didn’t matter, he would find somewhere to hide. He had to otherwise he was imposter food and it was going to hurt.
God, it was going to hurt so bad. He–he didn’t want to die. He just wanted to steal some food and water that he knew MIRA or the crew wasn’t going to miss.
He didn’t want to die.
Jason sobbed as his ankle burned as he made a left into the cafeteria. He could still feel the tentacle, pulling and pulling and pull—
Jason shrieked.
___________________________
Talon had been confused when he smelled the sour smell of fear. All the crewmates were killed, by his own hands and fear did tend to linger but it was sharp and fresh.
Like someone was watching Talon.
When he was parading as Richard, he would hear something in the vents. And he had noticed how the vents seemed to be cleared of dust unlike the other expeditions that had been covered when Talon had traveled through and he knew this crew would not care to clean.
But despite Talon’s searching, he did not find who had cleaned the vents and none of the men could fit into the vent like Talon could.
No adult human could.
Talon would know as one of his kills had been to stuff a crewmate into the vents as ordered by one of his Masters when he was fresh and inexperienced. He had felt the man’s bones snap and stab out of him as Talon forced him to fit into the vent.
But now, there was someone in the vents. Talon easily maneuvered through the strong smell of iron and the smell of fear was clearly coming from the vents. He had thought to simply jump through or to send his tongue down to stab and have it over with.
That was what his Masters would have ordered.
But….Richard Grayson wanted to see who had managed to evade him.
So he sent a tentacle to find the culprit and found himself… surprised when he couldn’t find anything. The fear continued to sour, the culprit was there, he knew it, but where?
Then they made an error, a loud error and they knew it as they began to scramble away. Talon had caught them and began to tug, as gently as he could, but becoming tougher and tougher as the culprit did not come flying towards him.
Then he heard their screams and then their pleas.
Talon had not had much experience with hatchlings. He was a weapon, there was no need for his Masters to bring their precious hatchlings near him. And humans often did not bring their children on these missions, they were brought to space, yes but this was an all-male mission, and there were to be no children.
But he could tell by the screams and pleas that traveled through the vents that the voice was young. An instinct that Talon never knew he could possess for he was a weapon, he was created not born, and there was no sire or dam to coo to him, no hatchmates for him to teach. Yet the instinct commanded him as easily as his Master could.
Find the hatchling, protect the hatchling
And Talon obeyed. He dived into the vents and when he popped out of electrical and saw no hatchling, he dived again and when he appeared in the medbay, no hatchling, he growled. His lower maw began to pant.
Then he smelled the sour fear and heard the terrified sobs from the cafeteria and he shot his way to the room.
There he saw his prize. Who shrieked as Talon’s tentacles shot forward to clutch his hatchling.
Talon searched the cafeteria for whatever was causing his hatchling such fear as he held his hatchling as close as he could, his lower maw cooing to soothe.
The hatchling did not soothe.
“PLEASE! PLEA–ASE! DO–ont eat me!” The hatchling screamed before he quieted down. hiccuping as he got closer to the maw. His fear was like acid to Talon’s nose and a traitorous thought entered Talon’s mind.
He hated the Court for removing his brooding pouch, his hatchling would feel so safe, so secure, and yet he could not. They had deemed it unnecessary and now he could not soothe his hatchling.
Talo did not think about how brooding pouches were for dams or the fact that his hatchling was far too big to even fit in one .
Talon began to hum, hoping that may aid as he allowed more tentacles to wrap around the hatchling who fought and fought. His hatchling was terrified and Talon was unsure what to do.
“Please! Pl–lease. I wo–ont tell anyone! I swear, please don’t eat me! I–I'll leave you a-alone!” The hatchling pleaded and Talon whined, a genuine whine. Why did the hatchling believe he would eat him? He was his hatchling, he could never, would never!
“Never” Talon managed to force out of his human mouth, attempting to assure the hatchling who simply wailed. Talon whined once more, he had hoped for their reunion, as clearly the two had been separated to be better. Joyous.
“Why–why do you even want me? Ju–ust let me–me go!” His hatchling wailed, pushing into the tentacles not to snuggle into but to push away and Talon’s instincts went wild. How could he make his hatchling believe he did not want him?
What had the Court done to him? Hatchlings were precious and he made him believe he was not.
“Precious, can’t let go” Talon cooed, his maw panting once more as he began to feel restless. The hatchling’s eyes locked onto the maw as if he were waiting for something. “So precious”
“Please–just—just let me go. I–I don't want to die. I saw what–what–what–” The hatchling clammed up again and tears were flowing so freely down his cheeks.
His hatchling was terrified and his lower maw was aiding in that. So despite his instincts, he fought to close his lower maw before he held the hatchling close who struggled, staring at his abdomen as if it would open again.
“Would never hurt,” Talon murmured into the hatchling’s hair. His special hatchling had the ability to shapeshift into a human so well. “So precious”
The hiccups paused as the hatchling glanced up, the fear still stank yet Talon could smell a hint of confusion.
“Wha–at?”
“Would never hurt, mine ” Talon repeated, emphasizing the mine. His tentacles curled, the tips blunt to ensure he didn't poke his hatchling by accident.
“But–but you eat humans!” His hatchling yelled and Talon tilted his head.
“Yes?”
“And–and I'm a human!” The hatchling shouted before his eyes widened and he covered his mouth with his hands. “Please don’t eat me,” He whispered.
Talon pouted. An expression he enjoyed making as Richard and now it was bleeding into this form as well. He was certainly indulging.
“My hatchling” Talon stated to which the hatchling hesitantly shook his head. Then he leaned closer, and closer to which the hatchling attempted to shrink backward but his efforts failed as the tentacles held tight.
A quick sniff and Talon was snapped out of it.
He was holding a human child. He had no hatchling. This was…why was there a human child on board?
“Why?” Talon questioned to which the hatch—child stared on, wary. Talon quickly searched for the words. “Why here?”
Perfect.
The child glanced around before he answered. “I needed food–and a place to stay” A slight hiccup left the boy’s lips.
“Why?”
The boy looked down. “Cause–cause” The boy paused before he scowled. “Cause not all of us are just big and scary imposters! I have to scavenge to survive!” He yelled before he once again covered his mouth, eyes wide. The acid smell returned and Talon shut down his false nose’s receptors, it was too much.
Now to process what the boy had stated. He had nowhere to go and by proxy, no sire or dam. Talon hummed which he paused as the boy froze.
“Why are you afraid?” Talon asked words that were easier to get out now that his instincts were buzzing around rather than fogging his thoughts.
The boy found courage again as he scowled once more.
“You're an imposter,” Talon nodded. “You…you’re gonna…e–eat me..?” The boy’s voice was quite tiny as he tried to shrink himself once more.
Talon scowled himself.
“You are a hatchling,” Talon stated.
“I'm a human,” The boy retorted.
“Hatchling.” Talon lifted a hand and gently, though the boy flinched, ruffled the boy’s hair. “Precious hatchling”
“So…what?” Talon shook his head. The Court was vicious towards humans for many reasons, it was why Talon was created, and while he never questioned why, he was beginning to understand some of the reasons why they were.
How could this hatchling not see he was very precious?
“You will stay. I will provide” Talon declared to which the boy’s mouth opened.
“What?”
“You will stay,” Talon repeated before he clutched the child to his chest and while the boy squirmed, Talon noted there was less fight. Good, the boy was realizing it even if he was still afraid.
“I can’t…I can’t eat what you eat”
“It will be okay. I will provide”
Talon’s lower maw let out a rumble which the boy jumped at but Talon could not stop as he began to scent the boy.
Talon would have to inform the Court when his instincts stopped demanding him to claim the boy fully but…did he have to?