Chapter 29

Odin needed air, so he left the house. The Humans in it weren't being aggressive toward him but they were quickly becoming more and more agitated with one another and with Kira-217 most of all. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone would step on his tail at any moment. Sure, he didn't have a tail right then but the feeling persisted. Freyja wasn't keeping her frustration out of the Link, which didn't help. The fact that he had trouble keeping up with her thoughts half the time bothered him even more.

The hot summer air certainly felt different against his bare skin versus when he had fur. It wasn't entirely unpleasant if he stayed in the shade and regulated his body temperature to compensate. The sun was beginning to set in the distance, stretching out the shadows of trees near the two houses but the air temperature had yet to drop much. Were he Human, he suspected he might need to stay inside like Page. He left the porch and began toward the gate with the aim of walking around Kait's property next door. It was possible he might gain more information about the situation from the Hive members in the barn. Not that it mattered much now. His mission had been a complete lie. Hundreds of Hive members had been condemned to lonely deaths along with him. Nothing made sense, which lead him to conclude the Top Cats in the Hive had lost their minds for some reason or another.

He wanted to destroy something.

Really dig his claws in and tear anything in half, but doing so would be a mistake, he was sure of that. He couldn't risk upsetting the Humans, which was also why he hadn't shapeshifted at all since calling the Local Probe. There were just too many Humans around.

Syncing with a Human had affected 217 severely. Kira had clearly been abused. She had thanked Freyja for allowing him to eat her dead husband. The state of the man's corpse told its own story. The skin of his knuckles was split and bones cracked, but both had begun to heal. None of the thirty stab wounds had been lethal. His spine had been damaged to immobilize yet not fully deaden all sensation. Odin wasn't sure how long the torture had lasted or why Kira-217 finally killed the man. Maybe she felt satisfied? Maybe she realized it was a waste of time and the Hive made a better target? It was pointless to even guess. For now they were lucky Kira-217 hadn't reduced them all to glass using cannons designed for deep space combat.

The notion of sending Freyja the information about the corpse crossed his mind, but he decided against it. Her voice carried from the bikers' home as she explained that even one person going mad from becoming a Spark was bad. Her brother-in-law was dead-set on volunteering, which greatly upset Freyja's brother. Zoe was happily distracted by Page and two of the Brothers of Fervor, who spoke using a variety of silly voices. The little girl giggled so loud at one point he had trouble hearing the rest of the conversation inside. Granted, being almost to Kait's house likely affected his ability to track things, even though he had modified his ears to be more sensitive. Filtering out the noise of the bugs nearby helped.

When the front door of Kait's home opened, he jumped in the air, landing several feet back on all fours. The short, red haired woman stood frozen with a heavy bag of cat food in her arms. Odin resisted the urge to hiss and yowl at her about having bought that food for himself. Instead, he stood up straight and wiped the dust from his palms on his jeans without a word, flexing his fingers as he did so.

"You really are a cat, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied.

It was pointless to explain how Hive members weren't their Host species. He'd assimilated Odin's memories into himself, so in that way the original Host lived on to some extent. He was certain having done so had affected him far more than when he was in Follower. Part of him was now influenced by his Host's proclivities. Granted, it didn't seem to be as severe as what had happened to Local Probe 217, it was still similar. The effects were unpredictable, which could also have contributed to the choices Hive members had already made to act in ways that Humans would notice. It still didn't explain the Hive dumping him or anyone else on this planet to die.

Trying to make sense of it was a waste of time.

"Can you help me with this? I need to feed the barn cats...er...I guess they're your cousins? Family? Coworkers? What would you call them?" Kait asked.

He huffed through his nose and moved across the sidewalk made of flat concrete pavers to the woman on the porch. She smelled vaguely like Freyja. Her scent wasn't exactly the same but close. He took the bag from her arms and slung it over his shoulder with one hand.

"Oh! I'll go get another one!" she said before rushing back into the house.

Odin waited. When she returned he grabbed the second bag, which wasn't one he had bought at all, and hoisted it up to his other shoulder. She seemed amused by this feat of strength and grinned.

"You're pretty strong for someone so skinny."

"If I were larger I would damage this clothing," he replied.

She laughed. "I guess you're right. Come on. This way."

Apart from vaguely smelling similar to Freyja, Kait's scent betrayed her fear. This day hadn't gone how she expected and now she was contending with the fact that nearly all of the animals in her care had been infected by parasites despite her best efforts.

That's what we are. Parasites, Odin thought to himself.

You okay out there, buddy? Freyja asked.

He stopped walking halfway to the barn.

Odin didn't deserve Freyja's concern, nor her sympathy. She had other things to deal with at the moment. He certainly didn't deserve to be called her 'buddy.' He cut his connection to the Link.

"You okay?"

Kait's question, so similar to the one Freyja had just asked, caused him to choke up. He gagged and coughed before he could speak.

"Yes. Let us feed the others," he said.

The Hive members in the barn resumed a box formation at the direction of their leader whose Host was a large fluffy orange tabby cat with one clipped ear. They sat at the front as Odin followed Kait's lead filling a trough with some of the kibble from each bag. Once it was full she gestured for him to pour the remainder of the food he had in a large metal trash can near the door.

"Wait to eat until the Humans leave," the Hive Commander said in Hive Standard.

Odin turned toward them at the comment. Could they really not see he was one of them? Even some of the Humans seemed to notice.

"That's Sherlock. His name used to be ironic," Kait said.

"He's their leader," Odin replied.

"Makes sense. He's been sitting there like that when I feed them since they started acting weird. Like he's their boss."

"Stay in formation while Humans are present. We will feed and eventually be given Sparks," Sherlock instructed.

There was no guarantee they'd be paired with Humans.

Kira-217 wasn't acting rationally. Had the Local Probe even contacted other Humans beyond Page or was it lying?

"There is only one Human present," Odin said in Hive Standard.

Kait gave him a side eye look of surprise. "Of course, you speak cat. Why didn't I realize you could speak cat?"

"You're of the Hive?" Sherlock asked, breaking from where he sat to approach him. He still kept some distance, however, which was the smart thing to do. Clearly, Odin had a Spark and had heavily modified his body. He could destroy everyone in the barn in an instant.

"I am."

"Your name?"

"My Host's name is Odin."

"Your True Name," Sherlock said. "You will give it to me. I am General Latch. Whatever your rank, I can assure you it was beneath me. Now, your True Name."

Odin grit his teeth. They were members of the Hive, so they were allowed to know his True Name. The whole conversation was still in Hive Standard, so Kait wouldn't be privy to the information. Still, the idea of giving out his True Name to a commanding officer raised his hackles.

"My True Name is Fetter, rank Colonel," Odin replied.

"You'll forgive me for not believing you," General Latch replied. "You may know Hive Standard but smell far too Human."

This annoyed Odin enough for him to growl.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Kait asked, taking a step back toward the door of the barn.

General Latch puffed up and turned sideways. It would have been intimidating if Odin was a Human. A cornered cat could do quite a bit of damage. However, a cornered member of the Hive, who hasn't been graced with a Spark was no different than a house cat in terms of power and posed no threat to someone who could shapeshift.

Odin took a step forward before using his powers, kicking himself off the dirt floor into the air. He folded in on himself, surrounding the clothing he was wearing to temporarily consume them as he returned to his Host's original form. He shifted his right eye so it was bright red as he landed on all four paws. Then he struck the same pose as General Latch, back arched, fur standing on end.

"You may out-rank me, but don't ever question whether I'm of the Hive," Odin yowled.

General Latch growled back a moment before smoothing out his fur as much as a cat as fluffy as he could. He dipped his head just enough for it to be noticeable before sitting on his haunches.

"My apologies. Your disguise was impeccable, Colonel Fetter."

It wasn't, though.

Any member of the Hive should have been able to pick up that he was one of them, even without their powers being activated. How much had the General's Host affected his mind?

Odin relaxed a bit and looked over the other Hive members in the barn who had remained seated in their formation, waiting for permission to eat kibble. They had been cut off from one another's minds for months, waiting. Surviving alone in a crowded barn. He needed to find a way to get them out of here.

"I'm, just, gonna let you guys talk," Kait said before slipping out of the building.

General Latch took a moment to register that she'd left, then looked over his shoulder. "You may feed now. Remember to eat only your allotted amount and let the one behind you move forward when you're done."

The Hive members obeyed, moving toward the trough, and then moving up to take the place of the cat that had cleared a space. General Latch licked one of his paws as he remained where he was seated a few feet from Odin.

"What were you told of your original mission?" Odin asked.