It was his own fault, Kane realized as he watched the dark metallic door of his craft begin to buckle inwards. His own university, who had reluctantly funded his solo expedition, had warned him not go to the Atalan ruins. Archeologists had gone missing before and the place was thought to be cursed or even haunted. Even people he considered rational scientists had refused to go near the ancient world of ruined kingdoms.

But he had had to go, he knew, and the reason wasn't scientific glory or academic curiosity, but rather Laura Adams, that beautiful, enchanting woman he'd fallen in love with when they were both archeology students together. She never knew of course, he had been too shy to ever tell her, but they had kept in touch, off and on, over the years, even when her career had taken off and he found himself stuck in the ranks of the mediocre.

In all that time his feelings for her never changed.

He remembered the message she had left him before she went missing:

JOSEPH,
GOING TO BE PART OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION TO ATALAN. WILL CALL YOU BEFORE I LEAVE.

But she never did. And she had never returned from Atalan.

That had been eight years ago. A rescue mission sent out for them had met the same fate.

The heavy bolts locking the door in place began to bend under the enormous pressure. Kane looked at the high powered blaster in his hand and despaired. He had only caught a glimpse of the thing in the palace labyrinths before he had run, a huge mass of tentacles and thorns, but he had seen enough to know he could never hope to stop it with a hand held weapon such as this.

The bolts exploded, the pieces flying through the air with lethal force. One of them just missed his head. This was the end. He wondered if it would hurt much when the thing tore him apart.

The misshapen, crumpled door was flung back revealing the cold, dark night of Atalan outside. Kane peered out into the darkness but could see little despite the artificial lighting that radiated out from the craft's interior.

And then he heard the strange harsh voice.

'Joseph Kane,' it said. Kane froze, unsure if he had imagined it or not. But how could anything have called him name? Out here, so many light years from Earth? But then it came again.

'Joseph.' It sounded more personal this time.

He leveled the gun at the darkness.

'Who are you?' he cried, his voice trembling. 'How do you know my name?'

Creaks rang out around the ship as the creature's body constricted around the hull.

'It is me Joseph,' the voice went on. 'Laura.'

'Liar,' Kane screamed, shocked by his own sudden emotion.

'No,' the voice went on. Kane wiped his free hand across his forehead in an effort to keep the beads of sweat running down into his eyes.

'Show yourself,' he cried. The blaster shook in his hand.

There was a scratching around the entrance then the tip of a huge, barbed tentacle slithered inside. It snaked across the floor and rose up so that it was roughly at eye level with him.

The tip seemed to twist and mutate until it looked almost like a human face, like ...

Two eyes suddenly appeared, large blue eyes, that he knew only too well. They were the ones he had loved since he was eighteen.

'Oh, dear god,' he whispered. 'What are you?' The mouth opened with a sticky, gooey sound.

'We are many Joseph,' it said, 'don't be frightened. Every time we absorb another life form we become stronger.'

Kane pointed the blaster directly between the eyes.

'You couldn't shoot me could you Joseph?' the thing said. 'Not me?'

Kane backed away,

'Join us Joseph,' it went on, 'join us and live forever. The eyes narrowed,

'Don't you want us to be together?'

Tears began to run down Kane's face,

'No,' he screamed. To exist like this would be a nightmare.' The features suddenly hardened,

'You have no choice,' it hissed. 'You will be absorbed.'

The creaking around the craft grew louder. The creature had to be massive. There was no way he could escape.

In front of him the tentacle writhed, coming gradually closer. The mouth opened further and long spines began to extend. Perhaps that was how it was going to absorb him.

His eyes fell on his blaster. He had only two choices left him, he realized. Either join, become part of the creature forever, or take his own life.

He had only moments to make up his mind. The blaster wavered as he tried to decide.