Chapter 102: Chapter 102 - The Brotherhood Raid (3)
As Team Alpha moved further into the winding tunnels of the mine, the air grew stale and heavy with the scent of earth and dust— the area felt so dry that the agents began to sweat in their suits. The echo of their footsteps bounced off the narrow walls, their formations tightening as the pathways grew narrower.
Lily's senses remained as heightened as possible in this unit; she was suspicious of all of this, but she mostly didn't want to lose this unit.
She couldn't shake the nagging feeling that this mission was missing key information— why S.H.I.E.L.D. had been so insistent on the Brotherhood's threat level when all they'd encountered so far were unarmed miners.
Something felt fundamentally off.
"Ant, stay sharp."
The team leader's voice crackled in her earpiece, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"We're approaching the main chamber. It's likely we'll face heavier resistance here."
Lily glanced back, nodding slightly as she looked back ahead— the man was so sure that they would face danger ahead, and she was curious why.
Though her clone body lacked the full depth of her original self's abilities, she still retained enough strength and abilities to deal with most street-level threats that came her way.
She was here to observe, blend in, and— if need be— protect her cover.
As they reached the next chamber, a sudden shift in the air caught her attention, causing her eyes to narrow and her stomach to move.
A low, thrumming energy pulsed from somewhere up ahead, and Lily could feel the vibrations intensifying as they approached the chamber— but the vibrations weren't the only thing she could feel, hunger even through a hive unit.
The team leader held up his hand, signaling everyone to halt and she reluctantly controlled her instinct to keep going towards it.
The lights ahead of them were dim with flickering shadows decorating the rocky wall. They moved as silently as they could, approaching the opened entrance and taking cover behind the edged stone outcroppings.
They peered into the chamber ahead to see what was there— but Lily could already tell what was happening inside with her senses.
Inside, a group of Brotherhood mutants surrounded a peculiar piece of material.
It was unlike anything Lily had seen before— massive, sleek, and humming with a dark blue light that radiated in rhythmic pulses, it looked as if the mineral was alive, breathing.
The Brotherhood members were busy setting up what appeared to be a forcefield around the material, each mutant using layers of their abilities to keep the material from coming in contact with them.
"On my count."
The team leader murmured, hand gripping his weapon.
"Team One, focus on the mutants at the left. Team Two, provide cover fire on the right. Ant, you're with me— target that device."
Lily tensed at the command but nodded as she readied herself for the strike.
She knew the fight ahead wouldn't be easy given the number of mutants they had, not to mention the humans with guns, but it was the purpose of this material that intrigued her more than the battle itself.
The leader counted down, giving the signal to everyone to act at once.
"Three… two… one— engage!"
A flurry of movement erupted as the teams launched forward.
Team One immediately took the left side, their gunfire lighting up the chamber, and the Brotherhood mutants while suprised by the sudden attack, quickly responded with a barrage of powers— fire bursted forth in a wave and caused the agents to move back.
However they were able to kill some of the humans who couldn't react in time and didn't have the strength of mutants.
Lily followed the team leader, both of them cutting a direct path toward the material while ignoring everything else around them; both teams did their part to keep the hostiles off them.
Suddenly, a mutant lunged at her, extending razor-sharp claws toward her stomach but she was quicker to react, dodging to the side she delivered a swift strike to his ribs, with a crack ringing out the man staggered in pain.
But she offered him no mercy— following through with a final blow that knocked him out cold; her hand caving his skull into his head.
The team leader had reached the material and was setting up small, disc-shaped charges around its base; lily's gaze flickered to him, noting the tension in his jaw as he placed each explosive with precision.
"Sir, what exactly is this?"
She asked, her voice a low murmur as she kept her guard up; eyes scouting around her as she spoked.
"Classified."
He replied curtly, his gaze not meeting hers.
"Our orders are to destroy it, nothing more."
Lily's frowned as her suspicion grew even more. She wanted this material, she didn't know what it was but it had enough energy rippling through it that it made her hunger.
But trying something here would mean giving up this body; there was no way to make it out of this mission and get it unharmed. If she killed them all and took it then the higher-ups would get suspicious— not to mention they each had cameras on them.
The Brotherhood mutants seemed to realize the team's objective, and their resistance grew more desperate, intensifying their attacks with renewed aggression.
One of the mutants, a tall woman with blazing white eyes, shouted.
"We can't let them destroy it! That material is the key to our plans, kill them!"
Lily caught the words, her mind whirling with possible ideas; from what she knew about the Brotherhood they were all about mutant rights in a very violent manner.
But before she could have the chance to properly think about it, the woman raised her hands, and an intense field of energy expanded from her, throwing several agents backward.
Lily dug her foot into the ground, bracing herself against the force.
With a surge of energy, she activated her unit's enhanced reflexes, closing the distance and targeting the mutant woman. Her movements were sharp, and efficient— striking out and weakening the mutant's shield before taking her down with a final blow to the side of the head.
"Charges set!"
The team leader called, pulling her attention back.
"Everyone, fall back!"
Lily didn't hesitate, motioning for the others to retreat as they made their way out of the chamber.
As they exited the mine, the team leader hit the detonator, and a muffled explosion reverberated through the tunnels causing everything to begin shaking; the chamber with the material instantly collapsed from the explosion and slowly the mine was caving in.
The team had to run as fast as they could and regrouped at the entrance, dust, and grime covering their gear, but their mission was accomplished.
Lily's mind, however, was far from settled.
This 'raid' felt hollow, and incomplete; most of all she didn't get what she wanted from it. For now, however, she decided to focus on her main body— it was finally waking up.
Chapter 103: Chapter 103 - The Awakening of the Matron
As the cocoon trembled deep within the nest Lily had meticulously built, in fact even in her evolutionary state her worker units were still improving the nest; they had built new locations, and chambers, collected flora, and weak animals they caught; it was looking like a proper nest now.
But she was finally coming out of the cocoon, the dense outer layers of hardened organic material began to break apart, piece by piece, giving way to something far more refined than her former self as she clawed at it.
Her Hive Units stirred with anticipation, sensing the main's body emergence and the difference in the connection already setting in; as their bond to her grew stronger, sharper, and far more intricate than before.
With a final pulse of energy, the cocoon shattered, its pieces dissolving into nothing as if consumed by the very energy that had birthed them and fusing back with her body.
Lily emerged, her form somewhat taller, and refined, with an aura that felt like an ever creeping creature lingering in the wait. Her once-silver hair now held streaks of black and deep purple that seemed to ripple slightly with a faint glow; while her skin carried a faint, iridescent sheen.
Her mind felt profoundly different; she didn't even need to focus on the hive to feel the connection to each of them.
Where before she could connect to her Hive Units with concentration, now it was as if they existed within her thoughts, woven into the fabric of her mind.
Every unit, every distant presence, felt as though they were threads she could pull at will; with a fraction of a thought she could control any of them at once.
She could sense their individual emotions, fears, instincts, and even memories were all woven together into a neat library in her mind that kept everything safe.
This depth of connection was an extension of her very being; the Hive was no longer merely her creation— it was her essence.
As she took her first step forward, her senses exploded with clarity as she adjusted to her new form, and her new abilities.
She felt the vibrations in the earth not just from herself but from every Hive Unit connected to her. She sensed the slightest shifts in the air, and could even hear the distant hum of Hive Units stationed at the edges of her nest.
Her mental reach extended far beyond the walls of her chamber, effortlessly spanning hundreds of Hive Units scattered throughout the Savage Land; the workers and hunters that had been about their business stopped as she passed through each of them.
But the most striking new trait wasn't this simple connection, she already had that, no something new had developed. She could feel its power tingling at the edges of her consciousness, her thoughts carrying subtle weight capable of influencing the weaker-willed, an ability that came with this newly formed.
She wished to test it, but for now, she held in the want to go outside; she wanted to fully adapt to this new form and learn all there was about it, she also needed to check out her status.
"Good."
She murmured, her voice resonating with a deep hoarse tone that echoed through the chamber.
"Status."
As she spoke the screen appeared before her; it was more refined than before and a few new changes had occurred.
[Name]: Liliana Goldbrone
[Age]: Physical: Unknown, Soul: 18
[Race]: Mimictarion BroodMother (80%) - Empyrean Hive Matron
[Titles]: Last of Their Kind, Hivemind, Empyrean
[Attributes]
Energy: 100
Strength: 350
Durability: 300
Agility: 100
Mental: 400
[Free Mass]: 4300
[Skills]:
Hivemind
Adapt, Evolve, Overcome
Mimic Creation
Expand Skills—
[New Evolution Traits - Empyrean Hive Matron]:
Evolutionary Willpower:
Grants Liliana subtle influence over creatures with weaker wills, allowing her to issue simple commands. The influence scales with her Mental stat, increasing in the number of affected creatures and the complexity of commands.
Hive Bonding:
Allows Liliana to mark living beings with her mental energy, making them part of the hive without full control. She can choose to take control or read their thoughts and memories, though they retain free will otherwise. The bonding requires focus and becomes more difficult as the target's willpower increases.
The first thing she noticed was the two new abilities that came with her evolution, Hive Bonding and Evolutionary Willpower. She already felt the instincts of Evolutionary Willpower itching at her mind to use it, however, she didn't even notice Hive Bonding.
It most likely only worked on beings with a sentient mind, so animals didn't trigger it; but it was a great ability regardless. This would make it easier for her to accomplish her plans in the future, without needing to kill people and replace them.
The next thing she noticed was her race name; Empyrean Hive Matron. It was added as a sub-name to her original race and the percentage had increased to 80%.
She didn't know what that meant, but the name was pretty interesting, it was most likely something her mind came up with based on novels and stories she enjoyed in her past life.
Lastly, she noticed her Mental stat had increased to 400 from 300, a jump of 100 in total. That went to show that this evolution was most likely heavily inspired by her many mental abilities, thus increasing them even further.
That was good, mental was something Lily wanted; she wanted to test them more than anything.
But there was no rush. For now, she took satisfaction in her heightened awareness, the countless minds that thrummed to her will.
She stretched her fingers, feeling the surge of raw energy ripple beneath her skin, and she knew, without question, that she was no longer merely Lily— the last Mimictarion BroodMother.
She was the Empyrean Hive Matron, the Last of Her Kind, and the world, mutant or otherwise, would feel the weight of her ascendance.
She turned her gaze toward the exit, a faint smile playing on her lips as she envisioned her next steps.
The Savage Land was vast, and it was hers to conquer.
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
12 Power
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