Symbiotica - Full Circle (Book 2)

Symbiotica: Full Circle (Ultimate Edition)

The Second book in the Symbiotica New Worlds Saga

Third Edition

Copyright © 2016 / 2018 Alexander Nassau

Published by Alexander Nassau at Smashwords

ISBN: 9781370663941

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

"For Sarita.

I said I would do this one day."

Please Note: This book is based on the collected volumes of Symbiotica

Bound Hearts and Full Circle.

These books have been significantly reworked to create the seamless this Ultimate Series.

If you already own these titles you may not want to purchase this and you can update your book to this copy at your retailer.

See More from the Author on my Blog

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Previously

Prologue

Chapter One - Business as Usual

Chapter Two - Down to Earth

Chapter Three - A New Venture

Chapter Four - Settling Down

Chapter Five - If at First

Chapter Six - View Through the Window

Chapter Seven - Fire and Ice

Chapter Eight - Family Ties

Chapter Nine - Up in the Air

Chapter Ten - Home

Chapter Eleven - Dazed and Confused

Chapter Twelve - Finding the Truth

Chapter Thirteen - New Realities

Chapter Fourteen - (Re) Paired

Chapter Fifteen - One Last Night

Chapter Sixteen - Curveball

Chapter Seventeen - New Faces

Chapter Eighteen - Packing

Chapter Nineteen - Forgiveness

Chapter Twenty - Going Home

Epilogue

Preview of Symbiotica - The Way Home

More Books from the Author

Authors Retrospective

About the Author

PREVIOUSLY

This is a story that needs a little background before you start to understand it.

Realistically it should only begin only a matter of months ago, but its roots lie back in the mists of time, over three hundred years before on a world far from here.

That world was Alphius Prime. A world not that dissimilar from Earth really, but there were some differences. The biggest one was that the dominant intelligent life there was not of a singular mind, but that of a partnership between two species, a host and a symbiote. Now I could explain how this partnership worked and about the history that led to this union between these two races, but suffice to say it was a fair and peaceful relationship that saw their world over thousands of years turned in to a utopia.

Right up to the moment they discovered their sun was on the verge of collapsing which would lead to all life being extinguished. That bit came as a nasty surprise.

Still, with time against them they all pulled together, created a fleet of living ships to carry their population to safety and to find a new world they could call home. Sadly though, it all went terribly wrong. Their star collapsed ahead of time, their world burnt and only one of their ships escaped, carrying just ten bonded individuals to safety. Those individuals never gave up hope, but everything was against them. They searched the stars for three hundred years, visited new worlds and found more than they ever imagined. There was a problem though. While the symbiotes lives were long, spanning thousands of years, their hosts were a different story. Even with their healing abilities, they could only live for four hundred years at the most and for some, time had already run out as they found themselves alone and resigned to synthetic life giving bodies.

With things at their darkest and their lives almost over, their quirky ship, Koli did something unexpected and naughty. Using the last of her energy, she jumped them to a small world on one of the galaxy's spiral arms where they found what they had desperately searched for. A race of creatures not only capable of accepting them, but also within their population a small number who had telepathic gifts they required to survive. The survivors with the last of the energy almost gone travelled down to the world in hope the humans they had chosen would accept them and that is where this story, on Earth at least, starts.

For Melissa Marks, a young university student, life was hard and quite boring until she was attacked in a park walking home from the supermarket. She soon learnt that to her amazement she had within her an alien symbiote, Kel. This peaceful and gentle creature changed her life in ways she had never imagined. She had a new friend who understood her telepathic abilities and further to her surprise, she was loaded. Kel and the others had bartered a number of advanced technologies with global corporations netting a huge amount of money for them to ensure their lives were comfortable.

Enjoying her new life, things never stay quiet. After a chance meeting with fellow student Poly Brenner, Mel's secret is exposed as she becomes a victim of a mugging, shot as she protected Poly yet thanks to Kel, her injuries heal in a matter of hours. What was a chance meeting soon develops in to a friendship, and then to her surprise more. However Kel reveals to them both that she was not alone and that she was one of ten survivors. Both Mel and Poly agree to help Kel find the others of her kind and so started their adventure.

Mel travels to the St Louis in search of Joulik and finds her with her new host Jo although due to how weak Joulik was she never bonded with her properly and Jo is almost unaware she is hosting Joulik. Things take a dark twist when Jo is attacked, left to die at the door of her motel room by her best friend's psychotic ex-husband. Mel find's her and Kel believes she knows how to save her. Utilising her new abilities, Kel shares a piece of herself in a little used ritual. Jo's injuries are healed and Joulik successfully bonds with Jo. They agree it would be best to stay close to maintain the secret, but on the way back Kel gets a horrible shock. What she shared with Joulik has had an unexpected consequence. They had made a new symbling, a youngster of their species!

Rushing back, Mel knows Poly had the gift and in a frantic rush, Poly accepts the young symbling and as a result becomes a part of their secret. This symbling, while having the genetic memories of her parents is very shy and quiet as she comes to grips with understanding her new world, but Poly is happy with her new friend.

With Jo recovering from her ordeal, Poly finds another lead in searching for their missing members. With everything settling down, Mel decided to investigate this lead while Jo is forced to return to her former home, her best friend falling foul of her former violent husband. An orphan living on the streets, Jo found a new home and family with Renata and her two daughters, Sasha and Loren. Now with money and a new friend, she organises them to move away from their home and come to New Oxford to live. This said, she is also going to make sure that Jacob gets what is coming to him although Joulik stops her, suggesting a less violent approach.

Back in New Oxford, Poly is back to being by herself, and visiting a clothing store she meets Simone, a shy and reserved young woman she had bumped in to before. As the pair become friends, Simone is starting to realise that Poly is very different and it does not take her long to find out she is hosting an alien. For Poly, she has let the cat out of the bag, but Simone promises to keep her secret. Of course when it comes to that, it seems secrets are difficult to keep between sisters, especially when it's your twin sister. Poly is faced with two highly strung but lovely friends being introduced in to her world and she really doesn't know what to tell Mel...

Talking of Mel, after the initial lead proved to be a bust, Mel happens on a more promising story. A woman who claimed to be possessed by a demon and with some help from Poly, she manages to track the woman down to a psychiatric hospital. The plan is not what she had hoped though. They are not there to rescue her, but according to their laws, to help die. They will not bond with an unwilling host and something had gone terribly wrong. Meeting with Doctor Catherine Howlett, Kel gets what she needs to infiltrate the hospital, using her abilities to effectively make Mel look like the doctor. Things don't go as planned, Mel trying to extract Lyphius from the woman only for the real Doctor Howlett to barge in. In a shocking moment, the Doctor find herself talking to Lyphius and beyond her belief, she accepts this wise old symbiote as she has the telepathic gift.

The woman is cured, Lyphius has a new host and Catherine decides to join them in New Oxford. For Mel though, it is becoming clear that the situation is getting out of hand. This secret is going to be hard to maintain in a city with so many people. They need a new home, a safe and secure place where all the survivors of Alphius Prime can call home. Leave it to Poly to know the perfect place, an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city that gives them everything they need.

As Poly, the Twins, Catherine and Jo work on building the Foundry as they have named it, Mel is forced to go to Hong Kong to try and capture the errant lunatic of their group, Verish. As the work progresses at a rapid pace, Poly possibly finds another member of their group, Killish. Kat and Jo travel out to a strip club to find the explosive Jennifer Blaze, an exotic dancer who has been partnered with Killish, a cold and possibly deranged symbiote. After a heated conversation, they persuade her to return to the Foundry and Kat realises that she will be in for some couples counselling. One unexpected development was the fact that Jo, the athletic guardian and Kat are starting to get quite affectionate with each other.

With the Foundry taking shape, Mel returns with Tie Chen in tow, this Asian woman now bonded in a most unusual way with her partner, Verish. Unlike the others they live as a singular life and her perchance for causing chaos is legendary. Quietly adding to the Foundry is a new staff sourced by Jo in the shape of Renata, Sasha and Loren, her adoptive family who have now relocated as have been told the truth of their reality.

It is time for a party though. The Foundry is open, half of their family have found their way home and it seems like a good excuse to let their hair down.

Nothing ever goes to plan. As the party progresses Mel is approached by Phillipa Conners, an investigative journalist who believes they are running a religious cult. It is a wild idea but the fact is, she had in her own way cracked their secret, even if her conclusion is outlandish. With Mel stressed, Poly getting far too drunk thanks to the twins, the next one to cause problems is Tie who is feeling rather annoyed that she is having to behave herself and when a rather pretty young woman approaches her saying she knows what's going on, Tie decides to throw caution to the wind.

Mel offers Phillipa a job after telling her the truth, searching for the remaining symbiotes and their new hosts, averting a potential disaster in the process. However Poly having seen Mel usher Phillipa away is too drunk. Staggering in to the pool area with April and Simone, bottle of vodka in hand she passes out with her friends, the last thought on her mind was April and Simone deserved better. Sadly for her, someone young and rather impressionable was listening to her rambling thoughts.

The morning after the party starts with a bang, on the door for Mel. Dragged out to the pool by Simone, she finds Poly seriously ill. Kat rushes her to the medical bay, but the scan results are bizarre. It does not take long to find out why as they find Cytes in the pool, a strange creature that gives unbonded individuals many of the abilities the symbiotes offer their hosts.

As Poly wakes up she realises after a time what her symbiote has done and they drag the twins in, learning they have been given Cytes by her symbiote. While this is all going on, Phillipa being a good journalist lets her curiosity get the better of her and secretly visits the pool where things go terribly wrong as she falls in, three Cytes bonding to her!

With Poly feeling terrible over what's happen, Phillipa hiding her own secret and the Twins now unexpected parts of their family, what should have been a great opening party has turned in to a disaster. That said, for one member of the Foundry, things are a lot better. Tie and Chloe have literately fallen for each other in the sweetest way possible. They are both fashion artists and they have so much in common. Tie has been witness to the chaos around the Foundry, and much to her own surprise she asks Chloe if she would want a Cyte too.

As things start to settle down, the Foundry is not the harmonious place it was supposed to be. Chloe has accepted Tie's offer and has merged with a Cyte, although under Kat and Lyphius's supervision. The Twins are getting rather stir crazy as Poly is wracked with guilt over what she has done. Finally Phillipa while doing her job is not finding the right moment to tell Mel what happened to her.

Everything comes to a head as Jo catches the Twins after they have snuck out, got far too drunk and were on the verge of exposing their secret and Flip loses control of her abilities and has to admit what she has done to Mel, even if Mel knew already. Finally Kat ends up in a full scale row with her partner as she realises that Lyphius is actually in love with Joulik.

Mel sadly has to confront Poly over the twins though and things do not go well. Poly says she will deal with the Twins, and with their relationship on a knife edge, Mel has to go back to dealing with the fall out.

One ray of light is Kat and Jo's birthday celebration where they have both planned to give their symbiotes the ultimate gift. Knocking themselves out with sedatives, they give Lyphius and Joulik unrestricted access to their bodies and finally they admit their long term and deep feeling for each other.

Things seem to be getting better, until Poly and the Twins leave the Foundry. Mel is broken by this as she watches her lover and best friend walk out of her life.

And that is where this story starts...

PROLOGUE

Approximately a month ago...

It had been one hundred and three Earth days. She had waited diligently and quietly, just as she had been told.

She hated just sitting here. She was lonely and bored, her friends having scattered all over the world. She knew why they had to do it, she knew they would not have survived if they hadn't gone and she would have still been here, but at least now she knew they would hopefully come back for her.

She had a little look around to see if anything had changed finding very little, so she switched on this odd television thing. Humans were such strange creatures, with thousands of broadcasts globally displaying a massive array of what they called entertainment. It was hard for her to differentiate at first what was reality and what was fiction. She knew of fiction and she had even delved in to some fiction works before from their home, but the idea of fantasy and things that were made up didn't appeal to her. However some of these stories told were interesting and she was enjoying watching shows about 'Super Heroes'. They were passionate, funny and tense, although she still struggled with the human's obsessions with global destruction, their thirst for power and acts of senseless violence.

Taken in context though as a fantasy, she could see why they were entertaining.

She scanned through eventually finding a Japanese late night show. She liked these. They made her laugh, but tonight, something was different, a sense of unease and expectation.

She roused herself a little, stretching, switching the television off. She had considered exploring a little but she didn't want to disappoint her friends if they called for her. Searching her surroundings, she found her curiosity piqued. She had seen a human before but she really wanted to take a closer look. She had showed one to her friends, letting them see one close up in that odd structure they had built. She considered her curiosity for a moment, before slowly moving forward, checking to make sure she couldn't be seen.

Gingerly she made her way through the maze being careful to avoid hitting something as she made her way up to the structure. At the glass she could see a human female looking out. They were so fragile and so vulnerable.

She moved in closer almost touching the glass and she examined the woman looking out, studying her closely. She found herself once again surprised at how life seemed to always follow the same patterns, no matter where they had gone. The biological systems while different always had the same basic layout, many even having the same life code and she wondered if it by design or by accident. This wasn't her field though.

She watched the woman's response seem to change. Her heart rate had risen and she was backing away from the window, her face seeming to scrunch up a little in what she assumed was either unease or maybe fear.

Had she seen her?

She checked, her camouflage was still active and functioning properly.

This is why humans were so perfect. They had that sixth sense, even if most of them had no idea.

She smiled to herself proudly and backed away a little, looking at the tube like structure as she pulled back, the photonic collectors splaying out like branches on a tree.

She struggled to grasp how humans could build something so fragile all the way up here, and then come up to live in it so far above their planet. It was only built out of composite materials and metals. One wrong move and they all could die, and yet here they were, living and working. They were very brave!

It was humanities most unusual trait. She had watched their 'news' channels and seen their predilection for hate, destruction and death, all in the name of their greed and apathy. However working together, they could also be kind, gentle and giving. This home they had built here in the coldness of her home was testament to the fact they could be selfless and work together for the betterment of their race.

She took one last glance at the woman, getting a detailed scan of her. They were intriguing creatures.

She moved away, leaving the human to her work finding her quiet place back amongst the satellites.

She had to find somewhere she could sit and just here had the least amount of communications equipment, plus the planet's southern pole did afford some addition camouflage thanks to its magnetic field.

Perhaps her little expedition had been a silly idea. She didn't feel well again. She would have loved to go down to the planet below her, to this 'Earth', get some food and water and even explore this new strange new environment, but without the others, she could be captured and that would be a bad thing. She was still seriously ill, her energy reserves were still low, but at least she was still alive. She should thank Killish for that when she saw her again.

She was just about to settle in, turning herself toward this systems star and try once again to replenish her reserves when she heard something familiar.

The softest hello in the darkness.

She replied.

CHAPTER ONE

Business as Usual

Melissa looked out of the window at the clouds below and tried to ignore the knot in her stomach. It had only been a matter of days since Poly left her and the Foundry, but it felt like months.

Would you like some more wine? the hostess asked softly from the aisle.

She glanced up and gave her a polite smile, placing her glass on the tray. Thanking the hostess as she took the refilled glass back, taking a sip as she brought herself back to the moment. Sitting across from her in the luxurious first class section, Flip was working on her laptop, trying to gain more information on their mission, while Kelly seemed to be more interested in reading the in-flight magazine and listening to music.

Jo had been quite unhappy about her going to Australia with only Flip as back up. It seemed silly that she was suddenly being overprotective but she was concerned over her safety, that and she still didn't trust Flip fully. The fact was though, they were struggling a little. A place the size of the Foundry needed more staff, and the idea of getting a security specialist had been weighing on her mind for some time. It was handy that she knew someone in a roundabout way. In her former life she had worked in a gym to get some extra money in and that was where she had met Kelly. She was a personal trainer, but getting to know her, she had been a body guard to the rich and famous in Hollywood, a life she had given up out of frustration. The financial package she had offered was four times what she was earning and Kelly had jumped at the chance. One startling revelation and a confidentiality agreement later, the Foundry had a personal security expert, and considering the mess up at their opening party, it made her feel more reassured.

Kelly was very professional and grounded, although once you got past her quite brusk and blunt personality she was quite a sweetheart, even if a little scary.

She sat back in the seat and thought about the matter at hand, opening the dossier Flip had prepared and quickly scanned through it again, trying to distract her mind.

Jessica Tavers. Pinned to the file was a picture of a young woman, freckles and short red hair. In fact she was quite pretty. Computer programmer by trade, she had apparently disappeared from her highly paid job working for a software house and retreated to a remote location in the Australian outback out of the blue. Now this by itself was not exceptional, but things kind of gelled with the time frame.

Flip had discretely spoken with some of her work colleges and they had said that her behaviour had become erratic and she really was not herself, and this all happened shortly after their symbiotes had arrived on Earth. In addition, there was office gossip surrounding her sudden departure. Flip had pinned down a number of rumours that sounded too familiar, which seemed to convince Flip that Jessica was hosting Coras.

As usual, without warning, Kel appeared in the seat next to her. She gave the apparition of her beautiful symbiote a loving smile. She had over the last few days been spending a lot of time with her most likely sensing her funk and hoping to alleviate her mood.

She glanced down at the dossier and then back to Kel.

Why is it, she asked, that you had no idea who the individuals were who you were bonding with?

Kel smiled at her and shook her head.

We had travelled the length of the galaxy to try and find a compatible species, and by the time we reached Earth, things were in a desperate state. We had artificial life givers to carry us, our hosts having passed away many years before we reached this world. But these had started to fail, and the same could be said of our ship. While a marvel of our intellectual prowess, her systems were on the verge of collapsing. It was our last chance really. We had to leave and take the risk that bonding with your species would work. She was ordered to travel in to orbit and wait for us, but her power drives depleted and systems all but dead. We still do not know if she survived, but we can hope. In the chaos we had little time to get the details of who was going where, or who their hosts were. It was quite messy.

She nodded softly understanding some of her partner's journey through their shared memories.

How long will it be until we reach the land down under? Kel asked in her usual amusing way as she gave her a loving smile back.

It will be a few hours yet.

* * *

Renata looked around Kat's lab and for the first time in a very long time, she didn't feel afraid or fearful of the medical nature of this room. It had been only a matter of days since she took a leap in to the unknown and accepted merging with the Cyte rather affectionately named 'Runt'.

The idea at first had left her feeling pensive, but she hadn't dismissed it. This idea was from her perspective very encouraging considering the injuries she had sustained through her long and at times sad life. Of course she had asked Sasha and Loren what they thought and they had helped her weigh up the pros and cons of the situation, if teasing her considerably.

Such were the joys of raising two intelligent young women...

It had been a hard decision, but throughout the process Kat had offered help and advice, and of course Jo had offered support. Neither of them had pressured her or made her feel like she had to do it which was reassuring.

During the implantation process she had expected fireworks or strange things to happen. She had sat there prepared for all hell to break loose, tensed up waiting for Kat to put Runt on her and then for this little alien creature to merge with her. After five minutes she looked up at Kat only to be told it was done and had been for a while. She hadn't felt a thing!

And now, here she was. Back for a check up and she had a great deal to give her in feedback. The array of machines had already examined her in minute detail and Kat had run through the information, now preparing for a physical examination.

Everything on your scan looks perfect and I should have the blood work ready to look at in a few minutes, but I just wanted to see how everything's worked out, Kat said in a matter of fact way.

She didn't say but simply unfastened her shirt in a far more confident way than a little over a week before, and quickly unhook her bra. Kat turned around and jumped a little letting out a surprised squeak being met with her half naked body.

I don't think you fully explained everything to me, she stated in a very dead pan matter of fact way,

Kat raising an eyebrow and looking at her questioningly.

The scars are gone, my shoulder inside and out is perfect, my ribs are not stiff when I get up in a morning, my left wrist feels like new. Hell, I have had a twinge in my knee for years and it's not there anymore, she stated bluntly.

Okay... that's exactly what we expected, Kat replied shrugging her shoulders a little in confusion.

She shook her head and frowned a little.

What you didn't tell me is my figure would go back to be firm and full again, my ass would get toned and I would have the body I had when I was eighteen, not forty two.

And that's a bad thing? Kat asked in a puzzled tone, a little off put.

She couldn't keep it up any longer and shook her head and laughed.

Do you know the last time I wore a bikini? she asked in a rhetorical way, When I was twenty years old. After that I was self conscious of my stretch marks, my saggy breasts, and then later the scars. I can now not only wear a bikini, but look amazing in one!

Kat laughed a little and shook her head smiling at her warmly.

I'm pleased that our suggestion managed to exceed your expectations then, she said moving back over to her computer, flicking through a few screens.

Any other changes or concerns I need to know about?

She thought about it for a moment trying to think if anything had changed.

I have been eating more, she mused realising it made sense, and one odd thing, a tattoo on my right arm that I never really liked seems to have disappeared.

Kat looked over her shoulder at her questioningly before shrugging.

Okay, that's a little odd, but not worrying.

She grabbed her bra off the bed and put it back on, quickly followed by her shirt. Kat stopped what she was doing and looked over her shoulder again, frowning as she watched her flurry of activity.

Kat finally turned around and walked back over to her nodded smiling.

Well, I have just gone through the blood test. The level's of G Hormone in your blood, which is what triggers the changes, is only twenty percent of the others who have Cytes. I would say the idea of using Runt was a good call. As for the changes, they are not out of the ordinary or extreme.

She felt a little surprised and relieved. She had expected there to be more radical side effects.

There was a knock at the door from the far side, looking over to see Jo standing at the door smiling.

Do I need to throw myself out? she laughed to both of them.

Something I would pay to see, Kat quipped back at her with a smile, and no, you don't have to. Unless Renata has anything else she wanted to ask of course, I think we are all but done.

There didn't seem to be anything else weighing on her mind and as Jo walked across the room, she opened her arms and gave her an affectionate hug.

So, you're all fixed now? she asked smiling down at her.

Seems I am better than fixed. You and your friends need to stop changing my life like this. I don't know what I did to deserve you all or how I could possibly thank you for what you have done for me and my daughters, she replied smiling at Jo and then Kat.

Cook us some of that Creole you did a few weeks back and I think we can call this even, Kat commented smiling back.

You have a deal.

* * *

As Renata left the lab Jo looked over at Kat, giving a cheeky glance to the door before pouncing on her, wrapping up her up and giving her a big sloppy kiss to which Kat did her usual 'get off me' thing she always did when she was working.

As her diminutive lover straightened herself up she gave her a scolding if playful smile.

So what did I owe the honour?

I just wanted to pop by, see how things were going, she replied playfully sitting on her desk.

Bull. I know you. You were worried about Renata weren't you?

I worry about everyone, although as you know she is special to me.

"Well, you can stop worrying. She's fine and I can see where you get some of your sense of humour from too. Runt did exactly what we expected though. Renata is healing at a phenomenal rate. However she seems