Symbiote 0221: Competency

"What?!" The golden-skinned woman was outraged at Alex's proposition.

[I remember you very promptly begging in front of me downstairs. Kneeling shouldn't come as too much of an issue for you.] Alex spoke in her head.

"That was a different situation," Ayesha said with gritted teeth, "I am the ruler of the Sovereign. The High Priestess — Argh!" A painful shock that ran through her entire body made her fall to her knees with an expression of agony.

[You are my subordinate. Slave. Nothing more, nothing less. Any other identities that you held or hold in the future are inconsequential.] Alex spoke in her head as Ayesha writhed on the floor, shivering from the aftereffects of the shock that had just traveled through her entire being.

Instead of the outrage that should have followed Alex's words, what escaped Ayesha's trembling figure was a weak whimper of pain and desolation. The voice had invoked a feeling of subordination in Ayesha that she had never quite felt before. Not even her creator had ever invoked such a feeling of submission in her. She stayed on her knees, her head cradled in her arms while it was pressed on the floor.

[I will not be using hypnosis on you anymore, you need not worry. Not because it doesn't work, but because it's more fun to break someone in the traditional manner.] Alex's light chuckle sounded quite maniacal to Ayesha, making her think that he was crazy. The feelings that had been invoked in her by a mere few words from him wouldn't just disappear, but they were indeed mellowed down after a few seconds.

What followed those feelings that had been forced upon her was indignation, "What do you want from me?" Ayesha looked up with a defiant expression — still on her knees, but not seeing anyone to direct her anger to, she felt her aggressive momentum being impeded somewhat. It wasn't very easy to express anger to a voice that was merely in her head. It was already incomprehensible to her how this same voice was able to make her feel so helpless. It gave rise to a sense of suffocation as if she was trapped in a cage, unable to even move freely.

When he spoke in her head again, she could've sworn that she identified the amusement in his voice, [It's simple really, Ayesha. You have the potential to be a very competent ruler. You merely need to be trained to work on my whims and you will be a perfect little queenie.]

"Don't call me that!" She snapped, but seeing nothing in front of her, her eye twitched as she lost the fury in her words, "It sounds like the name of a pet."

[Don't you get it yet?] Alex chuckled in her head, [That's the point, my queenie.]

Ayesha's nostrils flared as she decided on another approach to deal with the being that was talking in her head, "The High Evolutionary could be upon us at any time — he may already be at the Sovereign belt, destroying my people as we speak. I cannot partake in these games with you anymore. I have to protect my people."

Regaining her bearing as the ruler of a planetary empire, she stood up from the floor, fixing her disheveled gold robes. [Fine, you aren't wrong. Tell me about your version of the High Evolutionary first. I'll think of a solution for you to deal with him in the short term.] The woman was still defiant, but Alex continued, [Remember the reason that you accepted my presence.]

The words made Ayesha suppress her annoyance as she nodded with a hum, "I will not be kneeling or anything of the sort," She spoke defiantly before recalling the words spoken in her head, "Your words imply there is more than one High Evolutionary …" The undertone of dread would be heard by anyone who heard her words.

[Yes. If there are multiple versions of Thor, why not the High Evolutionary? Why not of you?] He asked the very questions that Ayesha had been dreading ever since she was ordered to capture the different versions of Thor. She hadn't dared to entertain those possibilities solely because of how dreadful the idea of more than one High Evolutionary existing was to her.

Weak, she fell onto the couch, barely sitting on it, "What do you need to know about him?"

[Where is his base of operations?] Alex asked her, [Counter-Earth?] He pulled that specific name from the 616 variant of the High Evolutionary.

"Yes," She nodded, "He tells us that he traveled to Earth in the past once and that gave him the idea to create Counter-Earth."

[Is he an Earthling?] He asked her next.

"Impossible," Ayesha spoke, "I examined the species that so fascinated him along with their planet when I found out about Counter-Earth, but he is nothing like them."

Alex had doubts about Ayesha's conclusion but didn't oppose her words since there weren't any signs of him having existed in MCU Earth. The MCU's High Evolutionary had no hand in the creation of Wanda and Quicksilver, nor were there any signs of him having operated in Wundagore. Putting his internal thoughts aside, Alex asked her, [What exactly is the deal with Adam? You previously said that he was pulled out of his pod early.]

Ayesha hesitated for a moment, shuffling in her place on the couch, "The Sovereign Empire disdains the natural birthing process," She said, hints of pride in her tone, "We birth our children in pods, extracting the egg from the females of our race and inseminating it externally. The young then undergo accelerated germination that quickly matures them."

[Way to suck the joy out of life.] Alex mumbled, [You must be in a very unique situation that you care for your son to such an extent.]

Ayesha frowned, "W-why?" She couldn't quite make sense of Alex's words.

[Statistically, the most emotional part of being a parent is the birthing process. Not to mention raising your child from the time they are completely helpless to being independent. Developing the kind of motherly bond that you have with your Adam is a rare thing among your people, is it not?] Alex asked her.

Ayesha had to take a few minutes to think, "You are correct …" She said, "Our culture is fiercely independent. We don't have concepts such as raising our young or marriage …"

[As I said. Your bond with your son is a unique one.] Alex said, [Anyway, we're getting off-topic. The High Evolutionary is the one we need to be talking about for now.]

"Is there anything else that you need to know?" She asked, a hint of impatience slipping in her tone.

[What does he exactly wish to do?] Alex asked, [Or is he just interested in mindless destruction?]

"The High Evolutionary …" Ayesha said. "His goal is to create a perfect species out of lower life forms. A utopia, as he calls it. Beings that require minimal energy; use it to the peak efficiency and more." The hints of awe in her tone weren't missed by Alex.

[So a geneticist with a god complex. Understandable. I don't think he told you the reason behind him wanting you to capture Thors for him.] Alex said.

Ayesha shook her head, "You're correct." She started fiddling with her fingers, bouncing her foot anxiously.

[You are hurried. Is there a way he can take care of your people within minutes?] Alex asked, not sure of the methods of the man. They had merely spent a few minutes talking about the High Evolutionary and Ayesha's impatience was making him think that the man had an instant kill-switch on the entire civilization.

"From what I know, he has bombs planted all over the Sovereign planet belt, ready to be detonated the moment he deems that he has no more use for our civilization," Ayesha spoke with a tired tone while leaning back. Alex calling out her impatience had sapped out all of her strength.

[How long will it take for us to reach the Sovereign belt? If I'm on the planet, I can intercept the self-destruction signal that he might send.] Alex told her.

Ayesha shook her head, "We'll be too late under any circumstances. Fortunately, I prepared for such an eventuality," She spoke, "With the control chip in my head taken care of. I can safely take command of the evacuation fleet of the Sovereign. I have been prepared for this for a long time."

[You're coming off as more and more of a competent woman, Ayesha.] Alex praised her, [You might just be a very useful part of my forces in the future.]

"Please," She spoke, "If you would give me some time to issue the necessary commands, I will stand true to my word. I will follow along with your whims as long as you heal my son."

[Fine. As impatient as I am about examining your body closely, I will let you take care of your things. Just call my name out once you're done.] Alex decided to agree to her bargaining.

"What is your name? You never told me …" She spoke softly while standing up from her couch.

[Apex.]

***

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