“Very well. Sit on my arm and lean on me. It always helps us both to touch.”
Renee go up and sat on his arm as he laid down. Renee closed her eyes and enjoyed the connection she and Sparky shared, plus the lasers from the hovering ball were annoying her sight. She detailed the scan to her own face to realize “Sparky, it increased the blood flow around my lips to darken them, but the blush and eyeliner were darkened by the dermis in the skin itself. Like a tattoo of sorts. It just reprogrammed the cells coloring in those areas.”
“Attempt to remove a single freckle to find if it is dermis altering.”
“How about I break up this big one I’ve always hated on my right shoulder. If I can make it smaller like the rest is sprinkled it’ll be less noticeable as a birthmark.” Renee willed her long sleeve to open around her right shoulder and felt the change. She looked at it and found the lasers scanned the freckle and around it. Another series of lasers were on her bracelet that soaked back in and traveled up her arm. Before her eyes she watched the largest birthmark on her body seemed to break apart like continents and turn to tiny, cute freckles. “It did alter the dermis. It acts like nanites, but these are so tiny and responsive… I don’t know how to explain it away. Hold on… look at my bones.” Her focus went to the anomaly the scan picked up. Red highlighted areas throughout her entire skeletal structure.
“What is it?”
“I think… no way. Look, some of the bracelet pieces are making the outer wall of my bones more dense and even made an outer hollow ring. Look, that is my marrow, but there is a widening gap those things are making. What the hell, the outer layer’s bone density is twice my normal…”
“Netul explained you’ll be able to store cures and poisons. It makes sense to store in bone, outside marrow which produces blood and is safeguarded from fracturing. The object’s programming must be highly advanced to do what it is doing inside you without intent. Are the hollow areas storing anything?”
Renee altered scan parameters and levitated her injector to pierce the bone and gain a sample which she didn’t even get up to get analyzed. It only took a minute and she said “Raw plasma without my DNA… How can that be?”
“You’ll be making universal solutions to patients. No DNA means no rejection to the patient’s system. Try imagining through the chip the chemical makeup of endorphins and see how it collects.”
Visually she saw a three dimensional representation of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers and euphoric drug. A shaving that the human eye could not detect on the bracelet entered her body and traveled up into her pituitary gland to gathers the chemicals, took a vein to travel to the nearest bone, her skull, and an opening allowed the collected to pass into the plasma solution. But Renee and Sparky watched through her readouts as the particles started doing something to the endorphins. She then began to see how the solution condensed and started gathering in one place. “It’s concentrating my endorphins by over a thousand percent. I’ll only need one one-thousandth the same quantity I’d normally synthesize and it’s still gathering gradually.”
“Try seeing how far it can multitask. Go to the adrenal glands on your kidneys.”
“On it.” A few more shavings did as the previous. “Sparky, do you mind being a test subject?”
He gave his consent and bit his own tongue. Renee took what endorphins already been gathered and a needle thinner than the eye could see stabbed the tongue from the bracelet. “My entire tongue has gone numb. Perhaps you should collect all the solutions you know of and test their strengths on animals. Preferably mice I may enjoy eating if you accidently kill them.”
“Sorry about the tongue. I’ll whip up a counter for it. You do have to admit, this can come in handy. I won’t lose it without the entire arm being cut off and I can keep making more.” She got up and synthesized a counteragent so his tongue was no longer numb.
They talked about it, but Renee let her chip show every medical cure’s composition flash by and her bracelet sent an adequate amount to start gathering and storing without the fear of taking too much her body needed to thrive on. When every known cure and combination was shown, six microns of her bracelet’s thickness was constantly inside her working nonstop. Volatile cures were stored in separate bones of her body so as to not combine with others and damage her own physiology.
Oliver returned about fifteen minutes later with her breakfast and told him all about how she learned her bracelet did and he was glad she was so excited. No matter the situation, she’d be ready for any emergency. The only thing she added into herself was extra nanites, but not before her bracelet took hold of them first and made them better.
“My, don’t we look sexy today?” Jessica sauntered in to find Renee finishing her breakfast, sitting between Oliver’s legs.
Renee winked. “Watch this.” She got up and her clothes transformed to a sexy blue dress with a short skirt, and classy high heels. Then she altered the shape and color as well as her heels adding fishnet stockings.
She put on a quick fashion show.
“No fair!” Jessica stomped her foot in outrage. “That’s SO cheating! I want one set to change to the occasion!”
Renee ran her hand over her curvy body. “I’m so sorry.”
“You whore.”
“Skank.” Renee sneered right back.
“Cunt.”
“Tramp.”
“Bitch.”
“You insufferable little harlot.”
“You say the nicest things.” Renee changed back into pants and a shirt. “Good morning, Jess.”
“Bah. So aside from cheating in every way possible, I take it you had a good night?”
“The best. The first date wasn’t a fluke. So are you coming?”
“Where are we going?” Jessica took a seat Renee dropped from the ceiling.
“Back to Galicom to get the visa renewed.”
Jessica sputtered as she let it sink in. “Like hell you’re going back! Jake said you’re keeping your freckled ass on this ship. You worried us greatly already. Forget it.”
“Oh, I’m definitely going back. I’ve got a score to settle, but I’m not going alone this time. Sparky and Rose already plan to accompany us. Besides, you need more therapy to get used to the alterations done to your body.”
“Jake said…”
“Papa said to get me back aboard and I am. You know how I get when I leave business unfinished. I’m just as stubborn as the next Dorgen.”
“Speak for yourself. I’m hardly stubborn. You get it all from Jake, not me or your grandmother on my side… But I do need more therapy though.” Jessica knew fighting would not solve anything and gave in, but not without a compromise. “I’ll go on the condition Steph and Stone tag along.”
“Stone’s back?” Oliver asked.
“Yeah, Stone returned after you two were slapping skin between the sheets.” Jessica winked her hazel gaze and Renee smiled lazily, winking right back. “He and Satellite came back to give Abdul something from Jake. He, Steven and Visor are still doing something on-world, I don’t know what exactly. But my big brother’s always been that way.”
Renee sipped on some really strong coffee. “Sure, if it’ll make you happy. Better change clothes, Auntie. We’ll be leaving in about an hour.”
“Keep rubbing it in, Kid. I’ll find a way to get you back. Tell me to go change clothes. Bah!” Renee giggled at the comment and they hugged. “I’m glad all is well, Sweetheart. I missed seeing your catty side. Oliver’s obviously brought you back to the playful minx I sculpted since you were born. I’ll be ready.”
After she left, Oliver tapped his ear “Stone, you busy?”
“Just exercising, Brother. I’m glad you and Ms. Dorgen are safe. I’ve been briefed of your excursion and am impressed.”
“Well if you’re up to it, want to head back down?” Oliver gave the details of Renee’s need to go back.
“It will be exciting then. Satellite and I are in. We’ll meet in an hour.”<
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They ended the conversation and Oliver kissed the flower print on her neck. “Hey, can you change your tattoo too?”
“Don’t see why not, but I’m not going to right now.”
“Just a thought.” The matter dropped.
Stone arrived with the falcon Satellite perched on his shoulder and immediately they found Oliver spinning and dancing with the curved cutlass of darkness imbued with starlight. Leaning against the shuttle was Renee playing with a plasma ball between her fingers, eyes ever so faintly glowing. Sparky and Rose sat watching him closely inside the open cargo hold. Seeing Oliver practicing had Stone’s own inner warrior awakening. His large gauntlet covered hands itched and he grabbed his overlarge hatchets. “Brother, care for a quick match?”
“Didn’t you just come from exercising?” Oliver asked as he moved slow and precise, training muscle memory into his body.
“Doesn’t mean it’s as beneficial as a fight to keep ones reaction time honed.”
Oliver wiped his brow and stood tall. “Sure then. Least till Stephanie and Jessica get here.”
“Fine by me.” Stone drew his primary weapons and made them crackle with energy so as to not have them destroyed in the upcoming exchange. Energy created enough of a barrier to block the innate sharpness of the cutlass. He crouched and tightened the grip of his hatchets. Satellite glided over to watch from the single mast of the shuttle.
Oliver stood tall and grasped the hilt in both hands, a snug fit for a hand and a half blade. He closed his eyes, took a deep steadying breath and centered himself.
Ready, Stone’s helmet snapped into place and closed the distance to chop horizontally and underhand. Instead of stepping back like most would react, Oliver stepped into and lifted his right foot to snap kick Stone’s elbow aside to negate the underhanded chop as the sword knocked the horizontal strike aimed for his middle up. Stone dropped his right shoulder and drove it into Oliver’s middle and he fell back hard, but not before Oliver was sending his feet in Stone’s chest and kicking the black man over. Stone rotated and landed on his feet to find Oliver rolling with the tackle and flipped around with an acrobatic twist. Oliver drove the sword through the narrow space of the aquamarine hatchet and handle to wrench it with a hard twist. Stone, in all his strength, could not hold it being twisted in such a way without breaking an arm in the process. But Oliver wasn’t done yet as he grabbed the freed handle and now brandished a sword and axe. Stone flipped a wrist and out shot a thin dagger from the sleeve.
They exchanged blow after blow and Oliver loved how it felt to move and engage a worthy adversary. Metal clanged and sparked in rapid exchanges, but neither went for the obvious killing blow. Stone eventually reclaimed his stolen hatchet, but lost the dagger.
“Time to go boys!” Jessica yelled out loud over the clatter of blades.
Oliver and Stone had labored breathing and the former returned the knife that slipped back into hiding within the forearm. Stone huffed as his helmet retracted “Practice is certainly paying off. Your precision is better than when we last exchanged blows.”
“I find moving through the motions I was taught is as beautiful as a woman’s body.”
“As do I, Brother!” Stone slapped a heavy hand on Oliver’s back. “It gets the blood pumping and adrenaline flowing like a really good woman.”
“That’s because it’s the same thing.” Told Renee. “Both require a battle with our bodies to achieve victory.”
“Too true, Ms. Dorgen.” Stone smiled calmly as they filed into the sailboat shuttle and were soon off to return to Verard. They entered the thick atmosphere and aimed mostly at the monolith of King’s Tusk Tower. Jessica flew this time and both Oliver and Stone spoke of yesterday.
“Speaking of the lab.” Jessica jumped in and the two men as well as Renee looked to her. “I did digging on my own.”
“Did you find anything interesting?” Renee wondered.
“I’d say so. It’s one hell of a conspiracy. There is no way the prison could afford the tech I sifted through from finances, not even for a single clone stasis and growth chamber could be bought. Cloning is punishable by death to begin with and those experiments clearly overstep that ironclad law. Whoever sponsored them is a mystery and whoever procured it is in for a class one felony by having Keptl spores on hand, they deserved to be castrated before being hung. They hid their tracks even from me which is remarkable. I can’t even find where Wrangler was getting the supplies, but I did find out why he was complicit in such grievous experiments.
“His wife Juliah died fifty six years ago. He was trying to bring her back to life. Apparently the Keptl spores were used to gather the essence of her very energy we lose upon death. The theory is sound since spores do in fact absorb the host’s psionic energy. The problem is there is no solution to stop the infestation from taking over the body and becoming Keptl influenced and go on a murder streak. Wrangler was trying to resurrect his own dead wife.”
“How did she die?” Renee asked. “Did Papa do it?”
“Not directly, no. There was a rogue faction who pirated off the helpless. Rape and murder was their calling card. Jake had the Dorgenox respond to an emergency beacon and went in alone to deal with the bad kind of pirates who was not aligned under him as king. Apparently before Jake’s arrival Juliah Wrangler and the warden were hiding, but he was unconscious. The bandits found her and slit her throat after raping her repeatedly.
“When Wrangler eventually came to, Jake stood over her. He was beyond reasoning that Jake didn’t do it after he had saved the remaining crew and killed those responsible for a long list of crimes that still makes my hair stand on end to this day. Ever since, Wrangler blames Jake for Julia’s death and has been focused on bringing her back and didn’t care who stood in his way.”
“Why do I feel sad?” Oliver asked.
“Empathy.” Jessica looked over her shoulder to smile kindly. “Hearing that can make you associate that no matter how much of a monster he had become. His misguided life was all to bring back a lost love.”
“But I’m confused as to why cloning is illegal.”
“Renee, you better take this.” Jessica said.
“Sure.” She turned to her match. “Well, originally cloning was seen as a religious taboo, but once it was discarded to the winds of time, cloning took off. The clones of those days revolted. Sometimes medics of old used to clone just organs to repair degraded organs that were failing in people. With the discovery of bio-immortality, organs now regenerate like limbs on reptiles. The need to clone organs became obsolete, but full clones were found to be mentally unstable. They weren’t stupid, but they had anger issues that make a swarm of Keptl look like cuddly puppies. Their revolt killed nine hundred and sixteen million people in a fifteen year period. Since we regenerate all damaged organs anyway, we don’t need to clone organs. Besides, I can make up a solution to increase cellular division to fully grow back any organ in no more than six hours. Add to the fact of nanites, cloning isn’t a more efficient method anymore. There is no more genetic birth defects with every known human malady being cured. Good health is no longer a struggle. Why create a defective creature if there is no need? Our lives are indefinite if we are carful. Cloning doesn’t matter. And after the revolt it was illegal to clone. If a clone was found the creator was hung and the creation sent somewhere remote to not be a danger to anyone. If they were too dangerous they would be humanely killed.”
“Oh, that makes sense. But what do Keptl spores do?”
“Well all Keptl spores are, is actually their dried blood. When mixed with fresh, they mutate humans or other creatures like a virus. It not like spores plants make. We call it infestation due to the fact the spores reshape parts of the body and the individual becomes a destructive killing machine doing whatever they are commanded, which usually ends up being told to kill and eat. Watch out for Defilers. They spit their own blood and if it gets on skin it’ll be too late. Spore infestation is fast, agonizing and evolving faste
r than any cure can be made. It is a mercy to behead the person before being taken over.”
“Before becoming full Hunters, young children spend twenty years on the front lines. We fight both Beast and Keptl, but no one would dare touch an infested corpse barehanded let alone roast it over a fire for eating.” Satellite chirped.
Oliver filed that knowledge away as they made ready for landing.
As a group they made way for the pyramid shaped main hub of Galicom. The road was as busy as last time, but the crowds gave extra room. Not because of three breathtaking women in lovely sundresses and high heels nor the green and pinkish Drakes, but for the two overgrown men capable of crushing skulls with a single hand.
Oliver smiled as Renee took control of his hand by threading her fingers with his. He was in awe of her styled beauty and the flattering dress that lightly caressed her curves. He swallowed hard as she noticed his gaze linger on her chest and discretely made the material expose slightly more cleavage and winked. His stumble had her hiss lightly “Keep gathering, Idiot.”
“Then stop doing that. You know what is does to me.”
Renee grinned wider. “Yup.”
He could only chuckle as they walked through the doors and called the elevator they all fit inside with room to spare.
The renewal section opened and again the room was as sparse as before. Renee’s gaze didn’t take long in locating bright blue hair and she released holding hands to loudly click her heels on the hard floor. Soldiers from last time instantly recognized the fiery redhead and the armored giant and went to lay hands on their weapons. Sparky though entered their minds and whatever he said had them relax.
The woman behind the desk smiled brightly. “Hello. And welcome to Galicom. My name is Mary. How may I help you?”
“Ah, I forgot how annoying your screeching voice is! Look here utters, where is my visa pearl?”
Mary tilted her head and at last recognized who stood before her. She smiled manically. “Oh, it’s you. I thought you were taken to jail.”
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