Plan of the Shusheen
Shifter Worlds
By Vic James
Copyright 2012 by Vic James
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Please check out my other stories:
Slave for a Day - A young man finds romance and adventures in the far future
Owen – Two young friends become lovers while dealing with a tragic loss
Rescue Ship – A lonely scientist who has been marooned on a planet find love with his rescuer
I leaned back and tried to visualize the circle. Before I even thought about it, Ar-Tan-Bey appeared in front of me on the veranda.
"Can Mike see you?" I asked her.
"No. I'm in your mind."
"Am I a Vin-Ta?"
"No you are not descended from Ar-Ta-Bon. You are of the third group. There were three new species. Ar-Ta-Bon was the first, Atrea was the second, and then there was a third group. We used Homo sapiens for your group. I wasn't sure if your mating bond would respond to a Vin-Ta's but it is important that the two of you be mates."
"What is the mating bond and what is its purpose?"
"The mating bond was modeled after the Shusheen mating bond. It is a normal part of our lives. It was added at the same time as the implanted instructions. It is normally inactive until the implant, the instructions, is activated."
"What is its purpose?"
"In the Shusheen, it is thought that it helps guarantee that offspring will be cared for by both parents. The bond makes separation of the parents difficult. It is more complicated in the Vin-Ta.
"I told you that there was disagreement among the Shusheen about Ar-Ta-Bon's line after he killed. The leader of our expedition felt that I had possibly created another race like the Fathir because Ar-Ta-Bon killed when it wasn't necessary. The Fathir enjoy killing. As a matter of fact, as far as I know, it is the only thing that makes them happy.
"Obviously Ar-Ta-Bon was not like that, but the leader of the expedition lost family members who were tortured by the Fathir. He was rather obsessed with the Fathir."
"The Fathir tortured and killed his family?"
"Well, killed is not accurate. `We Can Not Die' is a statement of fact. When a Shusheen's body is destroyed, the personality, the mind transfers into another body. There is no loss of memory. A certain percentage of Shusheen offspring are Nulls. They are babies with no mind. It is normal for a Shusheen in need of a body to take on one of these. If your mate is suddenly in an infant's body, it is obviously still traumatic. Even though the mate still remembers you, your life is totally disrupted until they mature. Plus there was the torture they endured. Fathir have refined it into an art."
"Do Shusheen ever take over someone else's body?"
"No. If no Null is available, the mind transfers into an animal until a Null is available. Otherwise it exists, waiting. Individuals who have been missing for centuries sometimes appear in a Null. When they are asked where they were, they refuse to say. We call these Seekers. No Seeker has ever given information about what they experienced while waiting. They won't even say whether they experienced anything at all. I have never been a Seeker, so I do not know.
"Back to the Vin-Ta. It took almost one hundred years to develop the programmable inheritable instructions for the Vin-Ta. It ended up being a genetic implant. In order to get the leader's approval for a project of that magnitude, I was forced to implement a Vin-Ta mating bond, with compulsions determined by the expedition leader."
"Do you know what the compulsions are?"
"No. Considering his obsession, I think it either had something to do with the Fathir or it was designed to make them slightly more Shusheen like. At the time I thought he would most likely try to induce them to be vegetarians and I didn't feel that would do them any harm. I am absolutely certain that it was nothing that would harm the Vin-Ta. I insisted he not do anything that would prevent them from defending themselves, as a proscription against killing might have done. He assured me that he had no intention of letting the unaltered members of their race slaughter the Vin-Ta while they were helpless to prevent it.
"Why did Mike's mating bond bring him to me if we are different species?"
"I manipulated your phermones to produce scents that would draw you together. Your scent is now one that triggers his programmed mating bond."
Mike said the Vin-Ta numbers are dwindling, yet you want him mating with me, a male. Why? Not that I'm complaining! I'm crazy about him!"
"The Vin-Ta's dwindling numbers is one of the reasons it is important that he be your mate. I mentioned before the problems between sexes of the various new species. The males as well as the females in your race are hermaphroditic. But females of your race are sterile. Do you know what a hermaphrodite is?"
"Something that has male and female sexual organs?"
"Correct. The first time you had sex with your mate, his semen triggered hormonal changes in you. A functional uterus and ovaries will develop. Your body will begin producing eggs. Your mammary glands will produce milk, although they will not enlarge. You will then be able to bear offspring. When we began developing your race, we decided to make more radical changes in addition to adding the organelle. One of the changes we implemented in your group was redesigning the reproductive system. Although all your systems were improved, your reproductive system is extremely sophisticated. It allows both asexual as well as sexual reproduction. You can produce Vin-Ta or your own race's offspring. Asexually, you can clone yourself or your mate. You have a copy of my genome available, so you could create a clone of me or a Null. Gestation time is reduced to four months.
"Am I going to turn into a female?"
"No. You were born a hermaphrodite with the capability of developing female organs. They can simply be activated. You won't be forced to give birth, but you will be able to if you desire it. Your male organs remain fully functional. And visually, you will remain male. Your body will not lose its male sexual characteristics.
"One of the reasons I picked a Vin-Ta for you was that I saw in your mind you want children. You will now be able to do that."
"That's a lot to absorb. I've noticed some changes to my body already. Why am I not upset by all...this? You told me I can give birth! That I've been manufactured and manipulated! I'm growing a uterus! I don't feel affected by the information."
"Your endocrine system is constantly self-adjusting. This ensures your mental processes aren't adversely affected by stress. That is one of the improvements I made to your endocrine system. In the most trying circumstances, you will always be able to think clearly. You are also incapable of getting irrationally angry. This was included in you because of the aggression in the second group's males."
"How do you differentiate between rational anger and irrational anger?"
"We defined anger as a reaction to an external event. We defined irrational anger as anger which continues past the end of a proper resolution of the event. We also defined it as anger which was not proportional to the external event. By not proportional, I mean we determine the actual effect of the event and we compare it to the reaction. If someone calls you an idiot and you get angry enough to want to kill them, that is not proportional. The actual affect of what they did is negligible compared to the response. However if someone kills your mate and you want to kill them, that is exactly proportional and would not be suppressed. Believe me, Ben. We spent a long time discussing these things, decades. And I'm sure none of them are perfect, although we tried very hard to make them so."
"I'm not human, am I?"
"I suppose that depends on what you consider human. Is a human with genetic anomalies less human than one without them?"
"Are you Ar-Tan-Bey or a recording or what?"
"We implemented a much more sophisticated version of the Vin-Ta implant in your species. One of the things we took so many years developing was a way to make a copy of a Shusheen mind. And then trying to fit it into the organelle. This was another directive of the expedition leader. He felt the Shusheen mind, even when only occasionally accessed might influence behavior in a positive way. Your implant contains a copy of my mind, including personality and my memories. It even contains a copy of my genome. Normally I would be inactive unless you activated me, and I would become inactive until the next time you wished to communicate with me. However for some reason, I have been active since your birth. Living in your head with you. With a few exceptions your mind has been in full control of your body."
"How did you fit your mind into the organelle?"
"I realized that my mind could be described as a series of electrical charges in a 3D space. That model could be compressed. The information is stored in strands of DNA and RNA."
"Is the implant why the thought of meat was making me nauseous?"
"Yes. I believe it was your implant, not me. As I said, my mind seems to have always been active in you, even though you first accessed the implant only recently. Your implant is clearly defective for some reason. The implant is not a machine. It is biological, and biological structures of course, can be damaged.
"I'm sorry, Ben. It was never my intention to force you to think or behave like a Shusheen. I have made every effort to not influence you in any way. Even while all those poor fish were dying."
"It's OK. It only lasted a while."
"Good."
"The organelle is in every cell, right?"
"Almost every cell. It isn't in sperm and there are a few other types of cells that do not have it."
"Is your mind in every cell in my body?"
"No. What you have in the organelle is a static snapshot of my mind. A single copy can be activated by the implant command or, in your case, a single copy has always been activated. An activated copy of my mind exists inside your body. It isn't inside your brain. The compressed snapshot of electrical charges in the organelle is expanded into electrical charges throughout your body in the same shape or configuration as the original. Do you understand?"
"No. Not a bit."
"Think of my original mind as electrical charges in my brain. Then the same arrangement is compressed into a tiny space. Do you understand so far?"
"Yes."
"When a copy of the mind is activated, those individual charges are replaced by charges in the organelles throughout your body. So my mind is the same shape, it is enlarged and that makes it active."
"I guess I understand.
"What is the point of my giving birth to a Null?"
"In the event a Shusheen was reborn in an animal, they could be given a Shusheen body if one of your species was willing to produce it. No one would ever be forced to produce one."
"I can see I need to study biology!"
"You have all my knowledge and memories. I can answer your questions. Since I designed all three races, you have access to my detailed knowledge about each."
"Are you, or Ar-Tan-Bey that is, still on Earth?"
"I don't know. That is one of the reasons I influenced your mating.
"It must have been very boring for you. I mean even I've been bored by my life."
"Ben, you have no idea. If I never see another insurance claim, I will be happy for the rest of our existence."
"So all my life, you've just been there, bored out of my skull?"
"School was fun. But it was very difficult not giving you answers when you were taking tests. I could never understand why I remembered the answer when you didn't."
"Is that why I aced organic chemistry and I still don't know what it is?"
I waited but there was no response.
"I was really bored. And I understand organic chemistry really, really well."
"Would I be angry about any of this if I my endocrine system wasn't preventing it?"
"I hope not. I picked Mike based on your personal preferences. I have tried to make you happy when I could."
"It's all right. I thought insurance was the most boring thing in the universe and I never travelled through space or created new races of humans. I'm sure you did your best."
"Thank you, Ben."
"So I am a shape shifter?"
"Yes, and your capabilities match the Shusheen."
"So I can transform into any shape at will?
"Yes."
"Were my parents shifters?"
"Your parents adopted you, Ben."
"What? Are you sure?"
"I heard them discussing it when you were an infant. Also, your father died of cancer which doesn't affect any of the three created races."
"Why didn't they tell me?"
"I have no idea. Maybe they didn't want you to search for your biological parents. I did not hear any discussion of shifting while they were in your presence, even as an infant. Because they never mentioned it to you, I suspect they were non-shifters."
"I wonder what happened to my real parents?"
"Despite the enhancements of the three created species, they can be killed as easily as any other human. Your parents may have simply died. Keep in mind that you had two fathers and no biological mother. Your birth father may have been married to a woman, but he would have been impregnated by another male."
"I've heard a couple of references to Vin-Ta longevity. How long do they live? How long will Mike live?"
"Ar-Ta-Bon lived to be almost one thousand years old, however I imagine most Vin-Ta die accidental or violent deaths long before they reach that age. The increased life span is another key benefit of the organelle. When it is active, that is."
"How long will I live if I'm not killed or die accidentally?"
Ar-Tan-Bey looked at me a moment and then said "As long as you like."
"Longer than a thousand years?"
"You may never die of old age. Your biological systems are rejuvenated every time you shift back into your base form. I won't say your body will never give out, but it should be a long, long time."
"I'm not going to live any longer than Mike. I won't want to."
"I realize that.
"I think your first priority is to take steps to ensure the safety of both of you. With an unknown number, but presumably minimal number of members of your race and Vin-Ta numbers declining, this is essential. You need time to help produce more Vin-Ta and your own species. Once your safety is ensured, we can begin working on increasing longevity in Mike and the Vin-Ta. I saw from your memories that Mike is already working on longevity research."
"Oh, right! The gerbil!
"Is it possible to make the Vin-Ta rejuvenate the way I can?"
"Probably. The same technique could be used. But it's much, much harder to make extensive changes in an existing individual. We will have to modify every cell in his body. When you are working with eggs, you only have to change one cell. I'm not saying it is impossible. I have been following human research into viral gene delivery." That was all over my head.
"You talked about other reasons for Mike and I to mate. What are they?"
"When you were a child, do you remember your temporary fixation with electronics?"
"Yes, it drove my parents crazy."
"I influenced you to create a device to scan for the beacon the Shusheen put in place when they were ready to leave the planet. I wanted to know if they had left."
"Had they?"
"No. The beacon is still broadcasting. They would have turned it off when they left. I have spent my entire existence inside you worrying about what happened. I suppose all of this is a side effect of my being activated constantly. But I cannot help it. My hope is that you and Mike will help me attempt to contact them and possibly help them. I felt Mike might be willing, and he can afford it."
"How did you know that if I didn't? I had never heard of him or the Vin-Ta."
I waited but there was no response.
"Hello. Are you still there?"
She sighed. "Sometimes when you were asleep I took over your body. Even though you don't know how to shape shift yet, I certainly do. I was able to research local unmated Vin-Ta males. I apologize for that.' But hopefully you are pleased with the results."
"I am. Very. Very, very, very, very."
"Do you remember how we got to Earth? Using machines to boost us to speed? There was no way for us to return to Shusheen. We travelled here with very few machines. A machine was to have been sent here so we could return home. The Shusheen have been hiding, waiting for it and a way home."
"For how long?"
"For forty eight thousand years. It is not a particularly long time, but their family members must be worried."
"I estimated humans will have long-distance DNA scanning available within the next 30 years. At that time, the Shusheen will be in danger if they are still on the Earth. The created races will be as well."
"Why?"
"The created races have been hiding their capabilities. Once they become obvious to normal humans, they are at risk. They will most likely be exploited or killed."
"So a lot is at stake!"
"Yes."
"Why did you do all of this to us. Why create species?"
"I guess there are several reasons. The competition for life on Earth is incredibly fierce compared to Shusheen. When we first arrived, we were horrified that so many humans were killed by animals. We would follow a group of humans, observing them, only to see them completely wiped out. That happened many times. Not only could humans die, but just about anything could do it. Even insects and plants! We also observed that starvation was extremely common for humans. That is actually impossible for the Shusheen. Our bodies can produce food from sunlight, although we can eat and drink also. We wanted the Vin-Ta to be able to obtain more food through their shape shifting in order to eliminate or reduce starvation. Shape shifting would be a useless trait if it did nothing to help them. We gave the second species the ability to produce food in their bodies from sunlight. We often wondered if that was the reason they often shape-shifted into plants or was the cause of the females' passivity."
"We knew when we came to Earth that we would be here a long time. Once we were finished making our observations, we were...I suppose we were bored and we wanted to do something, anything to help."
Mike began waving his hand in front of my face.
"I think my mate wants me back."
"You know, he is really attractive, Ben. For a human."
"Yes, I noticed that immediately."
"One more question. Is Mike a full blooded Neanderthal?"
"I seriously doubt it. I think some interbreeding with Homo sapiens has almost certainly occurred considering how many thousands of years have passed. I could tell you exactly if I did a blood test. The organelle that enables him to shift has been inherited through his mother's line and that makes him a Vin-Ta even if he is primarily Homo sapiens."
Ar-Tan-Bey disappeared.
"Hello mate! How about a kiss?" I said.
I stood up and he hugged me and kissed me.
"I missed you, Ben, even though you were sitting right in front of me."
"I missed you too.
"I found out a lot of extremely weird information."
"Oh, no!" he said laughing. "Not more!"
"Ar-Tan-Bey thinks you're cute!" Mike burst out laughing.
"Well, I guess she's sort of my mother, so that's to be expected, right? Besides, I only care what you think, Ben."
I wanted him! I reached down to his crotch and rubbed. He quickly became erect.
"I want this, Mike," I said, giving it a squeeze. I looked around and saw no one. I pulled his cock out of a leg of his shorts while Mike grinned at me. I stroked it.
"You really like that big thing, don't you?"
"I love it. It is definitely the prettiest thing on Earth. It's grander than the Grand Canyon!" Mike chuckled.
"Well, it has been at least forty-five minutes since we had sex! Come on!"
We walked back to his bedroom. As soon as the door was closed I started to undress him.
"I love you, Ben."
"Love you too, baby."
Once I had his shirt off, I sucked on one of his nipples. Then my cell phone rang.
"Shit! I bet that's work wondering where the hell I am."
I answered my phone. It was my boss. She was a little angry. I turned in my notice and told her they could discard any of my personal items from my desk. She seemed shocked and wanted to know why. I thought for a second and told her I found I had inherited a great deal of money. More than I could ever spend. She seemed really happy for me and said she understood. I thanked her for all she'd done for me, which wasn't much, but I didn't tell her that. I said goodbye and hung up.
"Well that's that, Mike!"
"I'm glad, baby! But I'm not that wealthy! If you worked really, really hard at it, you could spend it all."
"Actually, I wasn't talking about your money. I was talking about my...I guess you could say Shusheen inheritance."
"I hope it's in gold, Ben."
I laughed. "I love you. And I want your cock. Will you please let him out to play with me?"
We got undressed in a hurry and I got on the bed. Mike got on top of me and kissed me.
"Mike, do you want kids?"
"Yeah. But I wouldn't trade you for a woman to get them."
"Ar-Tan-Bey told me my body was changing because we mated. Your semen is changing my body and I'll be capable of bearing your kids. I guess they'll come out of my magic hole."
"You say that so matter-of-factly. That doesn't freak you out?"
"She explained that too. My body adjusts to handle stress without affecting my mind."
"Wow! You're the first Vin-Ta I've heard of with either of those capabilities!"
"She told me I'm not a Vin-Ta."
"Oh."
"Does that bother you?"
"No. I love you. Period. Did she say what you are?"
"Yes. She said she created three new species and I'm the third new species. I was engineered after the first two."
"So you are a shiter?"
"Yes. She said I could shift into any form."
"Wow! That's really incredible! I'm so happy for you, baby!"
"I wish I felt happy about it. The only thing I feel happy about is you. The rest seems unreal." I kissed him.
"Let me give you something real." Mike brought his cock to my mouth and I sucked him briefly. He pulled out and lay next to me.
"So do you know how to shift?"
I laughed. "No! We talked about everything but that.
"Mike, she said our first priority should be to ensure our safety. I know nothing about how to do that, so I hope you do.
"One more thing. In my race, a male impregnates a male. That's why I can have your kids. She said I can give birth to pure Vin-Ta.
"I have...a lot of capabilities. She implanted her mind in my species. While your memory implant includes instructions and a little information, my implant contains her entire mind along with all her knowledge and memories."
"Wow!"
"Also...I won't ever die of old age." Mike's eyes widened. "I told her that immortality was useless unless you were also immortal. She said she would begin working on Vin-Ta immortality as soon as our safety was ensured."
Mike just stared at me. "Please don't look at me like that, Mike!"
"I'm sorry, baby. My body doesn't automatically adjust to all this."
"You actually told her you wanted to make me immortal?"
"Yes."
"She thought it could be done?"
"Yes. She thought it would be difficult, though. She will have to change every cell in your body. If we were working with eggs, it would be much easier."
Mike started laughing.
"Yes. I can definitely believe it will be difficult!
"Did she give you any indication what mechanism gives you immortality?"
"Yes. After I shift, my cells rejuvenate when I return to my normal shape."
"They return to unaged versions of themselves, I assume."
"I guess."
"Instead of only returning to their base shape, they also return to their base age. And she will help us?"
"Yes. She said she would.
"You know, Mike. It just occurred to me, but she will die when I die."
"She thinks of herself as a person?"
"She said her mind is in me. She apologized for the meat thing, by the way." Mike laughed.
"How old are you Mike?"
"I'm ninety seven years old."
"Thank goodness. I was afraid you were eight hundred, or something. We should have plenty of time to work on it. As long as we are alive."
"I love you so much, Ben."
"I love you. I never want to leave your side.
"Do you want to have kids right away? If so, you need to get fucking."
"What about you? Do you want them now?"
I thought about it. "I'd rather wait. I want you all to myself for a while. But I don't want the Vin-Ta to die out."
"If I fuck you, will you get pregnant?"
"She said I have to want to get pregnant."
"Well, Ben. I want to fuck you." I was glad about that. Glad that all these revelations didn't make him want me less.
"What a remarkable coincidence! I want you to fuck me too!"
Mike got off me and pushed my legs in the air. He began licking my hole.
"Oh, Mike!"
He pushed his tongue inside me and licked my insides.
"Oh, baby. Mike! I need you in me!"
Mike got on top of me and pushed inside me. I groaned with pleasure.
"Fuck, that feels wonderful, Mike."
"Damn! You said it! Baby, you're tight and hot and wet. Fuck! I think your new cunt is massaging my cock. It's incredible."
He began with slow thrusts, aiming for my prostate. Then he sped up. When he was close, he wrapped his hand around my cock. He timed it well. We both came at the same time,
Mike slowed his thrusts and grinned at me.
I wrapped my legs around his waist and pushed my feet against his butt, pushing him deeper inside me. That just felt right.
He pressed his mouth to mine and I opened my mouth and took his tongue in it. We kissed.
His cock seemed to swell and he thrust hard three times. He bent down, licked the inside of my ear and bit it.
"Aah, Mike!" I came again.
My hole began spasming more and I screamed in pleasure.
He thrust twice and said "Fuck, baby! Ben! I'm coming."
He stopped moving inside me and lowered himself onto me.
"That is so wonderful, babe! Your hole is rippling on my cock. Let's see if it can make me come without moving. I wrapped my arms around him and we kissed. I cried his name as I came and Mike yelled "Yahoo!" as he came.
He grinned at me and I smiled back. We were both sweaty and panting.
After a few minutes, he started thrusting again. He used short jabs that punched my prostate. I was moaning continuously. He started hammering me and I lay there. I was exhausted. I wasn't sure how he was managing. He yelled and fell on me. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and pulled both of us on our sides. He thrust hard.
"Ben!" Mike came again.
He stroked my cock with one hand and leaned over and bit my ear again.
I came again and lost consciousness.
When I awoke, I was on my side with Mike behind me. His arms were wrapped around me. He was still inside me and he was kissing the back of my neck.
I croaked "Oh, Mike!"
"Yeah, baby. I don't know what to say. Except...I loved it!" I laughed.
He pulled me to him and I fell asleep in his arms.