Laden with confusion in their eyes, Prime and Sara fixed their gaze on the spot they were at just seconds ago, specifically on the bed where Annie was sleeping. Both were surprised to discover who, or rather, what had attacked them: a tangle of hair.
"What the heck is that?" exclaimed Prime, internally wondering what was going on.
(I think... it's hair... hair that looks extremely sharp and lethal.) Sara commented, incredulous.
"Yeah, I noticed that too, especially how sharp and lethal it was" replied Prime.
What really surprised them wasn't the attack itself, but its origin. The hair that had attacked them came from Annie, who was still asleep. And even more impressive, it was Annie's hair, now in shades of yellow and red.
Prime and Sara watched, astonished, as a gelatinous layer slowly enveloped Annie, covering her entire body. Gradually, this substance completely altered her appearance, transforming her into something Prime was very familiar with. He was familiar with this metamorphosis, as he had been transforming into one of these creatures for some time.
"I guess I was right to suspect that the symbiote inside her was awakening" said Prime, as he fixed his gaze on Annie, now completely transformed.
Slowly, Annie, now transformed, rose from the bed. She was significantly larger than normal Annie, though still smaller than Prime. Her new coloring, a vibrant mix of yellow and red, gave the impression of impressive strength. What caught Prime's attention the most, however, was Annie's long hair, the tips of which were now transforming into sharp blades.
(Do you think she'll recognize us?) Sara asked mentally, her voice echoing in Prime's mind.
At that moment, Annie's symbiote turned towards Prime and narrowed its eyes, as if evaluating him. Prime remained still, avoiding any sudden movements. He didn't want to hurt Annie or start a fight before understanding exactly what was going on. Additionally, Prime felt a connection with the newly formed symbiote. He had the feeling he could control it, but he didn't know if that would affect Annie in any way.
Prime realized that the symbiote had completed its evaluation when, without saying a word, its hair began to rise, floating in the air. The sharp tips were all directed towards Prime, making it clear what this implied, even to the most inattentive observers.
"Does that answer your question?" Prime spoke ironically.
The symbiote attacked Prime by launching its hair towards him. With ease, Prime ducked, allowing the hair to pass over his head. If it hit, it might cause him some pain, but Prime doubted it could truly hurt him.
(Weren't you the one who created her? Can't you talk to her or send a telepathic message or something?) Sara asked in Prime's mind.
"I'm trying, but the fact that Annie isn't awake is triggering an automatic response in the symbiote. It's similar to what happened at the Xavier mansion; it's fighting to protect Annie because it considered us a possible threat. Sometimes, I regret not implementing some kind of master control" Prime said, his voice filled with irritation at the situation.
(Do we have other options?) Sara asked mentally, her voice filled with concern.
Hearing Sara's question, Prime pondered the matter for a few seconds. However, he couldn't envision another solution other than knocking her out. Prime was confident he could do this easily, without causing any real harm to Annie. After all, he himself had created the symbiote and was aware of the weaknesses he had put into it.
Furthermore, Prime was considerably stronger compared to the last time he faced another symbiote. The question was how he would do it without harming Annie. However, Prime knew that a characteristic of his race was their almost invulnerability and immunity to almost everything, except for a few exceptions. He had never really tested his own limits, so he couldn't be sure.
"I think, in the end, we'll end up opting for the least lethal sound" Prime said, with regret in his voice.
(No problem, I'll apologize along with you later, we're in this together, remember?) Sara spoke in Prime's mind.
"Are you ready?" Prime inquired.
(Always) Sara replied, with conviction.
Hearing Sara's words, Prime looked at his hand and quickly molded it into a kind of megaphone. This caused the symbiote to narrow its eyes and aim its hair back at Prime. Observing the reaction, Prime also stared at it for a few seconds before acting simultaneously: the symbiote launched all its hair towards Prime.
Observing that, Prime jumped to the side, but unlike what had happened before, the symbiote's hair also changed direction, continuing to pursue Prime. Although the room was large, it wasn't spacious enough to allow Prime to continue dodging for long. If the fight didn't end soon, he'd likely be the first one caught.
With that in mind, Prime didn't hesitate. Pointing at the symbiote, he shouted with all the strength he could muster. Although he had considered setting aside this idea due to the noise it could generate, he couldn't wait any longer. Plus, they were on the top floor of the building; Prime found it unlikely that anyone downstairs could hear what was going on upstairs.
A loud noise was directed towards the symbiote, which was instantly affected. It put its hand to its head, writhing and screaming in agony. Prime didn't hesitate; instead, he intensified the sound waves even more.
(Prime, look! It seems to be working!) Sara commented in Prime's mind.
As Sara pointed out, the symbiote seemed to be detaching from Annie's body, desperately trying to return to her to protect itself. It was at this moment that Prime caught a glimpse of Annie's face, which also expressed pain, just like the symbiote.
At that instant, Prime halted his attack. He didn't want to inflict more pain on Annie; after all, she was just a child. If he continued, there was a risk of causing irreversible damage, or even death. Now all he could do was wait for Annie to wake up.
Prime watched as the symbiote seemed to recover from the injuries and slowly began to re-encase Annie's body. At that moment, the door to the room was opened, making Prime and Sara realize they had completely forgotten that Ema was sleeping in the living room.
"Daddy, Sara, what was that noise?" asked Ema, with an innocent expression, as she crossed the door.
Prime didn't have time to respond to Ema, for at that moment, Annie, transformed into the symbiote, had already recovered and was starting to rise. She was now behind Ema. Prime acted quickly, fearing that something might happen. However, to his surprise, Annie behaved differently towards Ema than she had with him.
To everyone's surprise, the symbiote advanced in front of Ema and assumed a defensive posture, clearly indicating its intention to protect her from any possible attack. Both Prime and Sara were puzzled by the situation. Why did Annie, now transformed, seem not to recognize Prime or Sara, but clearly recognized and wanted to protect Ema?.
(What's happening? Why did she recognize Ema, but not us?) Sara asked in Prime's mind, confused.
"Honestly, I have no idea" replied Prime. "But she seems calmer now. Maybe we can talk to her and help her remember us. If she recognized Ema, she should be able to recognize us too"
With that thought in mind, Prime undid his transformation. Slowly, alongside Sara, another body began to form — it was Prime in his human form. Now, with Sara and Prime in their human forms, both observed the symbiote. This time, the symbiote looked at them and tilted its head slightly to the side, resembling a curious little animal from Prime's perspective.
Anyway, the symbiote didn't seem poised to attack them, which was enough for Prime at the moment. As he pondered what to do next, the symbiote unexpectedly began to retract, slowly dissolving and returning inside Annie. In a few moments, Annie returned to her normal form.
Prime was confused by the situation. Annie, who seemed asleep, slowly began to open her eyes. She looked around, confused to see her room completely messy. Besides Prime and Sara, her sister Ema was also present. Still dazed, Annie asked, trying to understand what had happened.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Did something happen?" asked Annie, with a confused expression on her face.