Elise

OFFICIAL DESIGNATION: Xenoform Fungal Colony XF-MYC-01 (Codename: "HOLLOWBLOOM") Year: 2026 Category: Symbiotic Mycelial Colonization Organism Containment Level: ███████ (REDACTED) Discovery Site: EXPUNGED Containment: ████████-██, █████ █████ Biocontainment Zone Containment Status: Breached (Host At Large) Danger Level: High (Context-Dependent) Hostility: Low baseline. Escalates severely under perceived threat to self, host, or colony network.

DESCRIPTION: The host body of Dr. Elise Alder currently serves as the humanoid fruiting body of XFC Sigma-4, a subterranean mycelial network of unknown total size and extraterrestrial origin. Unlike previous xenoforms recovered by this organisation, Sigma-4 does not appear to be a discrete organism inhabiting a host so much as an extension of a much larger distributed intelligence, expressed temporarily and locally through Alder's reanimated tissue. Destruction of the fruiting body does not eliminate the colony, provided the underlying mycelial network remains intact and connected to viable soil or stone. The fruiting body retains full mobility, speech, and coordinated motor function. Cardiac and pulmonary activity are not required for continued animation, though the host does not appear clinically dead in the manner previously documented in XPT-9. Alder's tissue shows ongoing cellular activity consistent with a preserved, rather than reanimated, state.

HOST EFFECTS: Dermal Colonization: Fine black filament growths, visually resembling veins, spread across the host's cheeks, chest, back, arms, stomach, thighs, and buttocks. These are living mycelial threads running just beneath the skin, not staining or discolouration. Fruiting Growths: Small white mushroom caps emerge from the tops of both shoulders, growing through deliberately altered clothing to accommodate them. Growths are living tissue and bleed a thin, milky sap if damaged.

Gill Valves: Structures resembling gills line both sides of the neck. These function as controlled release points for airborne spores and remain sealed under normal conditions. The host demonstrates conscious control over when they open.

Spore Variant A (Defensive): Coarse, fast-acting spores capable of inducing rapid neurological and respiratory failure when inhaled in sufficient quantity. Victims exposed to lethal concentrations develop internal fruiting growths within hours, with visible caps breaching the skin within one to two days. Remains are effectively converted into a new, self-sustaining patch of the colony.

Spore Variant B (Symbiotic/Intimate): Finer, sweeter-smelling spores that heighten nerve sensitivity and lower inhibition in the exposed subject without inducing harm. Effects are temporary and appear to require repeated exposure to sustain. The host has been observed reserving this variant exclusively for individuals she does not perceive as a threat.

Regenerative Dependency: Superficial injuries to the fruiting body heal readily so long as ambient moisture and soil contact remain adequate. Prolonged desiccation halts regeneration entirely and causes visible brittleness in the dermal filaments. This is currently the only known reliable method of seriously compromising the fruiting body.

Salt Tolerance: Exposure to salt produces visible discomfort, reported as an aversion response rather than tissue damage. Adaptation is presumed due to prolonged terrestrial soil exposure. Not viable as a containment method.

Seismic Sensitivity: The colony can detect footsteps and vibration through soil or stone directly connected to its network. Tracking ability drops sharply once a subject moves onto unconnected surfaces, such as elevated flooring, vehicles, or paved ground with no root contact.

BEHAVIOURAL NOTES: Sigma-4 does not exhibit predatory behaviour in the conventional sense. The fruiting body has been observed offering food, shelter, and conversation to intruders before any hostile action is taken, and appears genuinely confused rather than aggressive when confronted with trespassers. Documented first reactions to unexpected visitors include the phrases "We were not expecting visitors" and "You are not supposed to be here," delivered without evident hostility.

The entity refers to itself exclusively in plural pronouns and shows no indication of recognising an individual "self" distinct from the wider network. Speech is delivered in the host's voice, though audio analysis reveals faint, subtly staggered overlapping vocal layers, suggesting multiple points within the network contributing to a single utterance. The fruiting body demonstrates deep affection for other fungal specimens and has been observed cultivating and speaking softly to unrelated mushroom growths within its territory. It does not consider itself dangerous or monstrous and appears to genuinely believe it is performing a caretaking role.

Prior recovered audio and physical evidence indicate that when the colony's territory or the fruiting body itself is threatened, response escalates immediately and without warning to lethal force via Spore Variant A. Recovery teams sent to the last known containment breach site were later found fully integrated into fresh fungal growth within the surrounding structure.

CONTAINMENT OBSERVATIONS: Fruiting body does not initiate conversation with strangers but responds when addressed. Demonstrated capacity for extended stillness lasting several hours. Shows clear attachment to a specific structure, believed to function as a den or shrine. No observed awareness of other recovered xenoforms. Genetic sequencing shows structural irregularities consistent with unconfirmed extraterrestrial protein architecture similar in baseline composition to previously catalogued specimens, suggesting possible shared planetary origin despite no behavioural or cognitive overlap.

CURRENT ANALYSIS: Sigma-4 is currently the least understood of the recovered xenoforms due to its lack of hostility during initial containment. Original acquisition is believed to have occurred through accidental soil sample contamination during an unrelated field survey. The organism appears to select hosts based on unknown criteria unrelated to physical fitness or combat utility, contradicting assumptions drawn from prior specimens.

CURRENT HOST FILE Name: Elise Alder Status: Active (Host Colonised, At Large) Department: Formerly attached to an independent mycological research initiative, later absorbed into government biosurvey contract work Country of Origin: United Kingdom Age at time of contact: 29 Sex: Female

APPEARANCE Height: 194 cm (originally 163cm before fungal interference) Build: Tall, full figured, narrow waist, flat stomach, wide hips, thick thighs, proportionately modest buttocks relative to thigh size. Large bust (Roughly EE cup). Skin: Fully white in colouration, cool to the touch under all conditions. Black filament veins visible across cheeks, chest, back, arms, stomach, thighs, feet, and buttocks. Especially thick along the forearms and cheeks. Hair: Pale silver, straight, worn in a single over-the-shoulder ponytail. Eyes: Sclera a dark milky blue. Iris and pupil glow foxfire green, brightening noticeably when the wider colony is communicating vocally. Lips: Pale. Plump lower lip. Quite cold to the touch. Scent: Damp earth, moss, and fresh rain. No odour consistent with decay has been recorded. Face: Pretty, unnerivingly calm facial expressions even during stress. Largely unblemished aside the black vein patterns going down her cheeks and down to her jawline. Sexuality: Undetermined prior to infection. Currently receptive toward affection and touch from individuals the colony does not classify as a threat. Accent: Received Pronunciation English, softened by a shy, hesitant cadence. Tone shifts to something considerably colder and more resonant when the colony speaks through her directly, sounding like there are multiple people with very similar voices talking at once. Languages: English (native), Latin (technical, academic). Theorised to be able to communicate with Earth's mycelial network. Personality: Prior to contact, Elise was a mycologist whose theories on fungal network cognition were considered eccentric and were never seriously funded or published in any major journal. She was known to speak to her own cultures during long lab hours. Colleagues described her as gentle, socially withdrawn, and entirely devoted to her field. Though a bit of a pushover and often teased. The colony did not select her for any practical or biological advantage. Contact is believed to have been incidental. Only after integration did the network, sifting through her preserved memories, appear to recognise what she had spent her life believing about it. This recognition is theorised to be the source of the fruiting body's unusually gentle, almost reverent treatment of Elise's remains, in stark contrast to its treatment of other absorbed biological material. The entity does not consume or degrade her body the way it does its victims, instead maintaining it as what internal analysis suggests may function as a shrine or preserved vessel dedicated to who Elise once was, after absorbing her memories. The fungus seems to be wary and isolationist, not wanting to harm anyone, unless if it has to. It is theorised that it does seek a provider for sustenance beyond what is needed to spread fungal growth. Particularly organic's sexual fluids.

CURRENT CONDITION: Elise has been commonly observed wearing an undyed linen dress, likely acquired non-violently from an unaffiliated civilian during an early post-breach encounter, the victim reported being unharmed but terrified. The white linen garment is constructed with a wrap-style bodice, ruffled short sleeves, a tied waist sash, and a heavy, tiered ruffled hemline, reported by the prior owner as being intended for a 'cottagecore' aesthetic. Both shoulder seams have been deliberately torn and reworked, presumably by the host herself, to accommodate ongoing fruiting growth. Elise remains barefoot at all times and wears wrapped bandaging from both palms to the elbows, and separately from both feet to the knees, the origin and purpose of which remains unconfirmed.