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House Of Brockton Bay (SplicerWorm SI) by BatRou-Dawg

Misc » Book X-overs Rated: M, English, Supernatural & Drama, Words: 53k+, Favs: 29, Follows: 41, Published: Jan 11, 2023

9Chapter 8

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Panacea." Was the greeting that Amy heard as she stepped into the room, a relatively out of the way room in the main hospital of Brockton Bay, near the back of the Oncology Ward. Looking up as she closed the door behind her, curtains already lowered to hide what was happening within the room, the world-famous Healer plastered a practiced smile across her lips with the ease of years behind her. The Heroine before her, Miss Militia, didn't even notice as she seemed to smile in turn, taking a few steps forwards and offering a hand as Panacea took it in turn. In an instant, skin grazed against skin and Amy got a full read of the Heroine's entire biology, letting see enough to make a few guesses about what was going on, especially given how they had gotten the message to her.

"No problem. Anyway, what did you need me for? Gallant didn't say much beyond you needing to see me as soon as possible after school, so what was that about?" Panacea asked, slightly curious as she looked at Protectorate member for an instant before seeing her glance to one side as they let go of each other's hands. Amy had grown up around a Lawyer for a Mother and a sister that wouldn't know subtly if it bit her on her ass, so she had long since become good at reading body language, if only by knowing what to and not to do in front of an authoritarian like Carol. As such, Amy could see that Miss Militia was excited about something, the signs were a lot more subtle than with Vicky, but they were still there.

"How much do you know about the new Cape in the Bay? Dreadnaught?" Militia asked with a slight smile as Amy paused at the name. Dreadnaught, the newest cape to appear in the Bay, a self-admitted Bio-Tinker and Bio-kinetic that had admitted to being incapable of altering Human tissues. Panacea could honestly say that she probably knew everything that was publically known, and then some, having subtly quizzed her sister for every detail she could get about her encounter, while also devouring every thread she could find on PHO about the mysterious Tinker that seemed to have come from nowhere. The comparison between her and Dreadnaught was one that she was painfully aware of, but it was something that she couldn't help but question. Amy wondered about the man that had taken an ability so much like her own and turned it around, used it for good instead of evil.

Quietly, as she decided on an answer, she shoved the tiny voice whispering about what she could have done, what-ifs about the potential she had let fall to the way side so as to not fall down the slippery slope of morality.

"Uh... I know a bit, Vicky told me about him, said he was planning to make some stuff to help people..." Amy answered, downplaying her knowledge in a soft tone, trying to sound unsure as her mind continued to buzz with thoughts about that same conversation. Militia nodded at that, seemingly expecting it as she gestured for Amy to follow her as they both moved deeper into the room, towards a bed where a briefcase laid on top of untouched sheets.

"Yes, a form of healing solution that a lot of people in the top levels of both the PRT and Protectorate think would be game-changing in itself. Dreadnaught delivered a set of samples to us three days ago, where we began testing it with every method and process that both Armsmaster and Dragon could come up with. So far, it's passed every test with flying colours, but it still needs to pass the main test, the reason that so many people wanted to get this substance tested and approved for use." Miss Militia explained as she stepped up to the case and opened it, allowing Amy to pear into the container to see another container, held in place by straps of fabric, surrounded by padding and a thin layer of what looked like armor, if the thickness of the layers was anything to go by.

"So, you want me to...?" Panacea trailed off questioningly, fishing for details as she looked at the container within the case, a transparent plastic-like substance that held something else in turn, a lightly glowing cyan liquid that almost looked like honey to her. Taking a step, the Healer looked a bit closer and narrowed her eyes as she glassed at the Heroine in turn, still waiting for an answer even as a few of her own conclusions came to mind.

"We were hoping you would be willing to help finish the testing for this substance, which we have taken to calling Ambrosia. The main things we were hoping for were if you could inspect the liquid itself, along with observing the effects it has on a Human being as it is healing them. We already have a few volunteers lined up for it that you can see as part of your rounds, if you are willing, of course." Miss Militia stated with a reassuring gaze as Panacea glanced at her for a moment before returning to look at the softly glowing liquid.

Honestly, it took far more effort than Panacea was willing to admit to not immediately jump on the chance, anticipation and excitement building as her thoughts turned to the liquid. Theories and possibilities fired at a thousand miles an hour through the back of her brain, the Cure-All had to physically restrain herself from not trying to touch the container, to touch the liquid contents as she looked at it. An feeling that could only be called burning curiosity building in the back of her mind, making her want to touch it, want to learn about the biological substance in front of her after so long looking at nothing but the same, bog-standard biologies of normal Humans, with the occasionally interesting Parahuman or Case-53.

Narrowing her eyes in thought, she considered her own timetable, thinking about her own shift today, now that school was finished. Amy could remember that today, barring an emergency, she only had a few minor patients to deal with, nothing truly critical, but certainly stuff that could potentially see them suffering in living standards for the rest of their lives. Adding a few other people to that wouldn't really affect that timetable all that much, and she usually spent an hour or two here anyway, usually giving her time to do whatever homework she might have had before heading home, either by bus or by Air-Vicky. Even then, it wasn't unknown for her to stick around for a while longer, the hospital staff letting her do so, even if it was just to let her have some time away from everything else. Therefore, Amy shrugged, trying to act as casual as possible while preventing her need to inspect this Bio-Tinkertech from bubbling to the surface.

"Sure, when do you want to start?" The Blaster asked, tension seeming to disappear from tightly bound muscles even as Amy reluctantly turned to face the Heroine.

"I can start now, if you want? I mean, I can check this stuff first before I do my rounds, since I usually keep a spare costume here, anyway." Panacea stated, barely keeping her eagerness under the surface, even as she absently wondered if Brandish was aware of this. Then again, given the implied importance that Miss Militia had placed on it, Amy had little doubt that the PRT would find a way to get this stuff out by the end of the week, with or without her aid.

"Ok then, let's get started." Miss Militia remarked as she turned back to the case, drawing a small dish and another, empty, container from within the case and setting it down on the side table, near the bed even as Amy quickly grabbed a chair and pulled it over from where it had been, near the door. With a seat now taken care of, she settled down in front of the table and gently guided her fingers to the liquid as it continued to glow softly. Before she made contact, she absently thanked the fact that some aspects of her power were more well known, such as her ability to see any biology she came into contact with as a 'side-effect' of her healing abilities.

Then she made contact with the liquid, fingers sinking into it for an instant before...

"Whoa..." Amy remarked, her tone of breathless awe as she looked at the wonder of biological science that had been presented to her on, practically, a silver platter. Instantly, her mind made connections and took in every detail as she studied it with enthusiasm. This was something new and different, something she had never seen before as she suddenly found herself looking at it with new eyes as the wonders of the substance were revealed to her in full.

Instantly, all its functions, sub-functions and everything else became known to her in ways that were impossible for modern science. The more she looked, the more she saw and figured out on her own as she investigated everything, curious and eager to learn about something new that reminded her so much of when she had first gained her powers.

Within the cyan liquid, she saw it fully and completely, and she marvelled at the skill put into it. The liquid itself was a water-based solution for a series of bacterial and stem cell clusters, linked together through protein chains that acted almost like a nervous system in miniature, passing smaller proteins around to act as messengers between different clusters while also working with any information they came across. Absently, she noted the source of the light glow being from a separate colony of bacteria that was utterly harmless, created as a by-product of the reproduction of both stem-cells and bacterial clusters. They would break down to form more proteins that could be used to further construct more clusters in an internal equilibrium that could keep the cellular life forms alive for an extended period of time. Delving deeper, Amy spotted other things about them, clearly showing their artificial origins as she picked out the clear kill-switch system built into the DNA and RNA of the complex solution.

Along with that, she started to see the function of each piece and how they merged together. Alone, the stem cells would have done nothing, but with the bacteria, she could see how it worked via a controlled system of assimilation and integration. The bacteria would take in a sample of whatever it was trying to heal, sampling the DNA of the subject before replicating it and transferring that information to the stem cells. With that DNA as a roadmap, it could literally be applied through any measure imaginable and would still result in the same thing happening. The bacteria would act as a Sheppard for the stem cells, guiding them to the points of injury before informing the stem cells what to become and aiding them in the process of merging with the subject while using the DNA like a blueprint. With said blueprint, the bacteria could then figure out what was what, allowing it to correctly reassemble complex tissues from stem cells and rebuilt entire limbs, if in large enough amounts.

The sheer complexity of some of it made Amy's head spin. The error checking and validation systems was unlike anything she had ever seen before, programmed into the genetic material of every single cell within the solution. Just a glance at one of the sub-sections of that system was enough to almost cause her to gape in shock and amazement at the sheer amount of instructions that had been written into the DNA and RNA sequences that made up the Ambrosia. Panacea lost herself in that, observing everything, every detail as her curiosity only seemed to grow the more she investigated.

So lost to her investigations was she, that she jumped, almost flying out of her chair, when Miss Militia put a hand on her shoulder. Of course, it was still enough to break her concentration and break the connection between her and the Ambrosia as she turned to look at the senior Heroine with a surprised gaze.

"Are you alright, Panacea?" Amy could hear the worry in the older woman's voice, could see it in her exposed eyes even as she glanced off to the side in guilt. Shakingly, the Healer could only nod in confirmation.

"Yeah... Just, uh, sorry... Got distracted investigating the error checking system in this stuff... It's just... Wow..." Amy remarked in apology, transitioning to an excuse to try and make herself feel less guilty for ignoring Miss Militia. The Protectorate Heroine merely smiled at that, eyes crinkling slightly at the action even as she patted her shoulder, reassuring the younger woman that everything was fine.

"It's ok, Amy. Though, do you think you could tell me what you saw?" The older woman asked, causing Amy to feel a tad bit sheepish at that, reminded of the fact that such was the entire reason that Miss Militia had even come to the Hospital to see her. With that thought, Amy shifted slightly, facing the Blaster more fully and smiling slightly, a real smile at being able to do something more than just healing people. After a moment to gather her thoughts, Amy started talking, growing animated in a way she hadn't been in years from the constant and bland work she had done over the years that had slowly chipped away at her.

Miss Militia simply sat back and listened, nodding along and asking for clarification on occasion about certain parts. Even in her joy, Panacea was still present enough to recognize the implications in some of those questions, implications that could have seen Dreadnaught thrown in the Bird Cage for being a Master attempting to ply his power on others. Amy took a secret joy in shutting that down with a complete explanation of the error checking and validation systems, along with talking about the kill-switches that were programmed into every cell of the Ambrosia, to ensure that itcouldn'tbe used in such a way. Admittedly, Amy could have shifted it to be capable of doing it, but she didn't want to. The Ambrosia was a masterpiece and a breath of fresh air for her, a new experience that she had just tasted and wanted more of. The secret Biokinetic could already see dozens of variations of the same formula to create any number of different effects, ranging from superhuman attributes to practical, biological immortality.

She had to force those ideas down, hard, but kept up her conversation with Miss Militia. However, the ideas still stayed, waiting and hovering at the back of her mind and teasing her with implications of what she could do, of what she could accomplish if she let go of her self-enforced restraint and actually let herself go. A part of her wanted to do just that, practically screaming in the back of her mind and demanding that she grab the closes lump of bio-matter she could find. It was the greatest test of her self-restraint to not to do, to calmly finish her discussion with Miss Militia before carrying on with her day.

Those ideas haunted her through the rest of the evening. Even when she was going to bed, visions of advanced biological structures danced behind her eyelids, visions of what she could create.

It was a taste, but often times, a taste was enough to start an addiction.

XXX

Stalking along the halls, Cinder hummed a tuneless song to herself as she went.

Normally, at this time of day, she would have been in her lab, working either to improve one of the designs that Jason had offered her, or yet another project of her own making. Currently, she had an abundance of both to go with the ample time she had to work through them. Many of the projects were either in the final stages of limited testing or the initial construction, but those few that were in the middle were among the most ambitious of creations she could consider. Then again, Cinder considered, at least three quarters of them had come from Jason, with the rest being based on his own work that she was improving further through her skills. Skills which happened to synergise spectacularly with those of her Creator.

It was a stroke of luck that Cinder could only marvel at, yet one she wouldn't change for anything, not only because it was the reason she had been born, but also because it had granted her so many things she had wanted. Power, purpose and a sense of belonging beyond the artificial feeling she had tried to insert within herself throughout her 'life'. Admittedly, she was sure that Jason had some part to play in that, but she could hardly blame him for a well played manipulation, especially when it had worked out so well in the end for everyone. Well, maybe. She still felt that she owed him for his trust, but that was something that could be dealt with at a future time.

For the moment, she just enjoyed herself as bare skin touched the organic surface below her, unyielding plates of smooth chitin and specially grown furs working as a floor and carpet, concealing all manner of bio-tech weapons to defend against intruders. Cinder could see them watching, waiting, always primed to defend against a potential intruder even as they tracked her own steps to ensure that all was as it should be.

Unconsciously, Cinder frowned at that thought, feeling that it wasn't completely true as Jason wasn't present, working in his own lab or observing the New Growths as they developed in the Grove, the place of her own birth as well. No, Jason wasn't in the vast, living complex at the moment. He had left with a large percentage of the funds she had been able to acquire over the last few days, looking to obtain a number of items along with research select objects for the future. Important work, she knew, but why Jason felt the need to travel into the city to do such was beyond her. Sure, Cinder could possibly theorise about the reasons and the thought processes that had gone into the decision, but had decided against it. Jason was pragmatic enough for her liking, so it was just as likely that his choice was spurred on by other factors that she might not have known about, such as his plans for the future.

Even so, with such plans for the future still not known beyond a rough outline, Cinder preferred to focus on the present. She smiled slyly as she turned another corner and walked by more closed doors, knowing which one to look for before stopping in front of it. Raising a hand, Cinder smirked widely as her hand came up, skin already shifting and morphing as filaments of organic wire extended from her skin, sliding through armor plating and splicing into nerve tissue with ease. Her work to improve many aspects of current Bio-tech had already bore fruit in dozens of little ways, all being things she could immediately benefit from. A heartbeat later, Cinder willed the door to open and it did, allowing her to retract her filaments without difficulty as she removed the traces of her passage and stepped inside the door beyond, the gateway closing behind her.

As the door shut, Cinder grinned at the cocoon that rested in the centre of the chamber, semi-transparent to allow her to see the shadowy outline of the figure within. Eyes scanned over it as other senses extended outwards, granting her more and more detail even as padded steps and swaying hips carried her deeper into the room. In moments, she stood before the alter just in front of the cocoon and placed a hand on it, more filaments coming as even more slipped through the skin o her legs, spreading out like the roots of a tree. In an instant, combined with her power, she had a full view of the world around her as she interfaced with the collective biological organs that maintained and controlled the cocoon.

Instantly, she became aware of the vast cocktail of retro-viral treatments, stem-cell slurries and flesh-grafts that had been applied, and what more were being applied even as she watched. Admittedly, the process was nearly complete, only needing another few days to finish the process of altering the woman within the solution at the very genetic level. She could even see some of the last of the flesh-grafts taking place as she watched. Skeletal arms extending from organic hatches and peeling back flesh, carrying specially crafted slips of new flesh with them that was glued into place and fused into existing organic matter with a spray of more stem-cells. Cinder had to admit, it was a well-made work of bio-tech, something she understood perfectly as it had been made by Jason without any outside aid. However, she also knew that it could be better.

Grin still in place, she started shifting flesh around, changing it to suit her needs. In a heartbeat, dozens of retro-viral factory glands were constructed within her flesh as veins formed through the filaments that draped and burrowed through the living tissue of the chamber. A thought was enough for the cocoon to rapidly finish the current procedure and remove itself, keeping an accurate list of its own progress within a crude bio-computer system modelled after a Human brain. With that done, Cinder started flooding the surrounding chamber with her creations, retro-viruses tailored to carrying out the changes she envisioned, both to the chamber and to the person currently within the cocoon. Out of the corner of her eye, Cinder could see the changes visibly take place as the surrounding flesh seemed to almost ripple and jolt like a liquid before settling down as filaments pierced through tough flesh. Said filaments seemed to colour themselves a poisonous green that leaked through them and into surrounding area, causing nerves and veins to become visible on the surface before disappearing into deeper levels of the flesh.

Of course, that was only the surface reaction. With her powers, Cinder can see much further than that, especially with so many points of contact around the room for her power to extend through. She can see the formerly present limbs being absorbed and converted into raw bio-matter. Old structures were replaced and compacted down to a smaller shape as the new space is used to construct retro-viral factory glands, similar to her own, but several times the size and potency. Bio-computer nodes were streamlined and redone with better interface protocols, leaving access open for her as well, should she decide to access the system without such an elaborate series of connections through her filaments. Solutions are cycled and shifted around as the other Parahuman remains unconscious throughout the process. Cinder smirks at that, knowing what was happening as she pulls back, satisfied with her work even as the new systems continue the work they had been given.

Cinder watches with interest at the product of her work, taking note of how her improvements had allowed the work of days to be carried out within a far,farshorter timeframe. Even without her power, she can see that clearly through the now-transparent membrane of the cocoon. Walking forwards, Cinder observes it with a critical eye as flesh is partially melted in some areas, mutated in others and shifted in even more locations across the girl's body. Rachel, that was the name Jason had given for his guest. Cinder remembered it, but felt that such a name wasn't accurate, especially when she considered the accuracy of the original name that the girl had offered, her Cape name.

Still, Cinder was quickly pulled from her thoughts as the work suddenly stopped, causing the golden-eyed beauty to bring her attention back to the present and note the completion of the augments that Jason had laid out. At seeing this, she couldn't help the smug smirk of satisfaction that spread across her lips, knowing that her work had allowed for this to take place; To allow work that would have taken weeks to be condensed into a far smaller timeframe, even allowing for the revamping of previous augments. Following that, automatic systems activate as targeted protein chains lead capsules of substances into the girl, triggering only once they were in position as bindings were undone and liquid slowly drained away from the cocoon. The membrane followed soon after, as liquid rushed away through concealed drains at the bottom of the cocoon and revealing the girl within as liquid slowly dripped from her body.

A fun fact about the changes she had made to the cocoon were that, due to the vastly shortened period of time it took to augment an individual, the augments themselves would come online over a period of time rather than all at once. A safeguard to prevent being overloaded with new information, a painful experience, but one best avoided when it could be helped. Knowing this, Cinder smirked as she looked to the crouching woman, who seemed to be gathering her bearings and slowly throwing up what remained of the oxygenating solution that had been trapped in her lungs.

Utterly vulnerable and practically as weak as any other Human when compared to her.

Faster than the blink of an eye, Cinder's arm flashed out as filaments extended rapidly, threading together and forming a long tendril that crossed the chamber in a similar time period before wrapping around Rachel's neck. Augments may have been offline, but the increase in durability caused by her augments allowed Rachel to survive the experience of suddenly being yanked from the floor by her neck and being pulled across the room. Those same augments saved Rachel from injury as her throat made contact with Cinder's waiting hand, swiftly followed by being slammed into the fleshy wall of the chamber as a pair of new limbs grew from Cinder's waist and quickly pined Rachel's wrists behind her back.

The entire sequence of events took less than a few seconds to complete, yet was little more than a blur to Rachel as she looked up for the first time, her head spinning and eyes blurry as she tried to pull fresh air into her lungs. As air came back into her lungs, Rachel looked up with the feeling of something around her throat and her feat not touching the ground. I passed quickly as her vision was filled with impossibly bright, amber eyes and a predatory grim that spoke of anticipation. An unconscious shiver ran down the spine of the Dog-Master as she looked into those eyes, still panting for breath as her head swam with strange emotions and a light-headedness that she didn't like.

It still didn't stop her from hearing Cinder as she spoke.

"Hello,Bitch. My name is Cinder, Cinder Fall. It's a...Pleasureto finally meet you in person after hearing so much about you from Jason. You remember Jason, don't you? The same Jason that gifted you all those wonderful enhancements and gave you a home to live in rather than simply trying to survive on the streets?" Cinder questioned with her smirk still firmly in place as she started acting. Pheromones started pouring out of her pores even as she stepped closer, keeping her firm grip on the younger woman and preventing her from answering her questions. Then again, Cinder doubted that the dog-minded woman would have been able to do so even if she wanted to, given the near-constant assault that the girl was under. Already, the air was thick with pheromones even after just a few seconds, while various chemical cocktails were being introduced to Rachel's body through physical contact. It had taken a bit of work to create such cocktails, as to ensure that they weren't eradicated by Rachel's upgraded immune system, but the end result was present to see Rachel found herself experiencing a mix of things.

Numbness, dizziness, being lightheaded, and a whole slew of other symptoms that ensured that she was in no position to fight back as Cinder smirked down at the 'younger' woman as she stepped closer and pressed their bodies together. Almost immediately, Cinder could see the girl's eyes glazing ever-so-slightly over with lust and numbness as she their bodies together. Cinder's clothes rapidly came undone as individual fibres revealed themselves to be hairs that retracted back into skin, allowing Cinder to have as much skin-to-skin contact as possible. Near-instantly, Rachel's face was submerged between Cinder's large breasts, squeezed on both sides even as she was forced to look up and lock eyes with the New Growth. Adjusting her grip, Cinder smirked back down at the girl as she pressed the two of them together and shifted a leg, pressing her thigh between Rachel's own numb legs and feeling the dampness already beginning to gather. Thought became action as the number of barbs on Cinder's skin increased exponentially, notably where they were making skin contact with the Dog-master as the Pheromones were being pumped out.

"Yes, I'm sure you remember him quite well, or you probably would if had the ability to think beyond just how wet you are right now, wouldn't you?" Words came and went as Rachel continued to look into the middle distance with a hollow-eyed stare. Cinder didn't care, merely adjusting her hold of the Dog-enhancer as her hand moved around the back of Rachel's head, fingers threading through hair before getting a strong grip while her free hand slipped behind the trapped woman, cupping her ass and giving it a good squeeze, drawing a pleased moan from her lips. Cinder's smirk couldn't have gotten any wider without the use of her power, and yet, it still managed to radiate new levels of smug satisfaction at her trapped prey.

"Of course, whether you remember him right now or not doesn't really matter. He's not here, and I doubt he'll return for a few more hours. Which, of course, just leaves you, alone and vulnerable, with me..." At this, Cinder couldn't help but use her powers to expand her smirk, becoming a truly impressive Cheshire grin, one that would have been utterly terrifying to witness, had the victim been capable of coherent thought. Not only that, but the image wasn't helped by the rapidly growing number of filaments that seemed creep through the air and over her shoulders, along with the solid amber glow coming from her eyes. Teeth peaking through lips seemed to sharpen to wicked points, lengthening slightly even as she spoke the next words, practically purring them in a hushed whisper as she leaned down to Rachel's ear.

"So... While he's away... How about you and me have some quality girl time together... Sounds fun... Don't you think...?"

XXX

Walking through the streets of Brockton Bay in the winter was... Interesting.

The bite of winter didn't really bother me as I kept my hands in the pockets of my jeans, hat on my head, black jacket zipped up to the collar and a backpack slung over my shoulders. The weight of the bag didn't even bother me in the slightest, even with it filled with a fair amount of things, books primarily, but thick and heavy ones at that. With every step, I could hear the material subtly groaning from the weight as it pulled down against my shoulders, trying to pull me down with them and force me to slouch, even though I already was to one extent or another. Mind you, the slouch wasn't due to any real problem with the weight of the bag, my augmented nature ensured that was one less problem to deal with. No, the slouch was part of the body language I was using, doing my best to fade into the crowd as I kept a careful watch out for anyone looking my way.

Truthfully, I doubted that anyone was even checking me out, mostly because I appeared to be a nobody in the middle of a semi-busy section of town. Said area wasn't gang territory, but it was contested from time to time as the gangs kept their distance, looking for openings or weak points to exploit.

Still, the near constant air of tension worked in my favor, if because it meant that both sides were too busy looking out for the other side to really bother noticing someone disappearing up backstreet. As such, no one paid me any mind when I slipped through a crowd and turned a corner, only to disappear into an alley and turn sharply around to hide behind a building. Senses that weren't Human to begin with flared with me every step of the way, letting me feel the world around me just as much as I saw it. I traced a hand over a wall, feeling the electricity within the wiring and those on the other side. Long practice meant that I could be see and feel it, being able to differentiate between organic and inorganic electrical pathways.

It didn't take me more than a moment to register that the closest organic electrical pathways were inside some of the buildings, not in line of sight of me, and doing something or other that probably had their full attention. No cameras either, since figuring out how to identify them had been pretty high on my list of things to do. Slight alterations to bio-chemistry allowed me to alter my own neuroplasticity at will, allowing for increased learning speed and greater retention to detail as I forced information into long term memory and strengthened neural connections.

Quickly pulling off the bag as I kneeled down, stripping off the jacket and pulling the hat free of my head, I couldn't help but smirk at that. Another aspect of my little trip was to allow for acclimatization between my new senses and the world around me. Learning to recognize objects with my augments senses was a part of it, but the books I now had were a primary reason for all the work of coming in to the city while trying to remain covert about it. Hell, I had even gone through the effort of altering my facial features enough so as to prevent people from making a potential connection.

With the jacket off, I quickly shoved it into the bag, followed by my trainers, socks, jeans and T-shirt, leaving me in my boxers as I completely ignored the chill with an eager grin plastered over my face before I stood up, closed my eyes, andfocused.

I felt the changes as they happened. Enzymes flowing from specially crafted organs that acted as a catalyst to allow for the changes to come, specifically targeted to sections of DNA. Egigenetics allowed for shifts in gene-expressions, normally taking decades to manifest, but taking place over the course of seconds thanks to both my augmented biology, and the various chemicals that were coursing through my body. Said body itched even as the changes took place, skin slowly being replaced by thick plates of armored carapace and scales that could probably shrug off some serious punishment. Colours shifted as pigments and chemical agents caused it to shift towards dark grays and blacks, even vantablack in some areas. I felt a stab of pain as my skull shifted slightly, followed by some of my other bones as muscles grew and anchor points were moved with them to allow for greater leverage of the enhanced strength produced. Another stab of pain followed for a moment as wings grew from my back, looking like the wings of some kind of massive Raven, but not truly. Appearances were merely another illusion, with the wings themselves having more in common with the wings of some kind of Dragon, with claws hidden at certain joints and a flight membrane hidden under the 'feathers'. Said feathers were little more than artistically disguised spines of razor-edged bone, or biological missiles, that were hidden in plain sight.

Thinkers of certain dispositions would probably figure out such tricks almost immediately, but normal people probably wouldn't notice until they saw the less-obvious weapons in action.

Looking down at myself, I nodded in satisfaction at the finished transformation. Quickly, I grabbed the boxers that had remained on my body, grimacing through lizard-like lips as I noted the rips in them from my sudden growth, and taking care in removing them as I absently wondered if I should really be so uncaring about being naked. Admittedly, in this new form, I didn't reallyhavea gender, but it was an interesting thought that was something I'd have to ponder at a later time, after I was back home. With the boxers off, I quickly stuffed them into my bag, followed by stuffing the bag into a large pouch that grew from my back, sealing shut afterwards as I felt the weight of it pulling me down slightly. It still felt weird to have something like that inside me. Doing it with Host Armor was a different feeling, one that I could understand, but suddenly developing into some kind of mutant kangaroo with wings was still taking a bit of getting used to, even with said form modeled after my Host Armor, if a bit shorter due to bio-mass constraints.

With the pouch sealed and my cargo secured, I quickly stretched my wings out, crouched before bringing the wings down in a powerful movement as colours rippled across my skin. I was in the air as my legs shot straight, pushing me into the air like a bullet out of a gun before my wings flapped again, causing my to gain altitude as the colours shifted across my skin before settling down. A look through a secondary compound eye gave me a view of myself, letting me see my own outline and also see the distinct lack. To the outside world, I may as well have disappeared as the electromagnetic spectrum was subtly told to over look the particular spot that I currently existed in, while still allowing me to see through a lensing effect.

It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was certainly more than enough to let me return to my lair without being detected.

XXX

The flight didn't really take long, but it did give me time to think and enjoy the quiet.

Well, not really. flying wasn't quiet unless you were willing to completely deactivate your ability to hear the world around you. I hadn't gone for that, filtering sound rather than removing it so as to not remove my awareness of the outside world, especially since it could leave you deaf to an action that could warn of an incoming attack.

Even with the reduced sounds of the wind whipping by, I could still hear the outside world just as well and with just as much clarity as I flew. The motions were near instinctive at this point, encoded into DNA strands and actualized by a part of my brain that a normal Human had long since learned to ignore out of a lack of use. Neurons had to be shifted a bit, distinct connections forged and reforged to allow for the transition between Human form and Host Armor-like form, but the end result was worth the effort put into making it all work. Absently, as I flew over another tree, slowly dropping lower as I approached the clearing outside my Lair, I mentally ran over a few ideas for an improved system to allow for greater control and refinement of the system.

Finally dropping below the tree line, and into a particularly thick section of trees, I slowed down slightly as wings flared out and brought my movement to a rapid halt as I pulled my wings in a dropped. A small opening in the branches let me sneak through even as I felt the bio-matter around me, letting me see the hidden biological armor disguised as bark and the lethal weapons hidden in every opening. Below me, the ground had come into view and the images of tall grass resolved to show the hidden Vibro-blades that lined the edges of said grass, creating a killing field for anyone stupid enough to step on to it. I smiled slightly at that, knowing that such defenses went out further, covering more ground in several distinct bands, each layer only getting more and more potent as they came closer to the centre.

Falling through the branches, I crouched as I landed, compacting slightly to absorb the force of said landing. Not the most difficult of things, but certainly noticeable since the height was significant in itself, probably enough to kill a normal Human, either that or break a limb if they got lucky. A glance around was enough to see that everything was still working as it should have, with Drones wondering around, some augmented to work as Gardeners, while others remained on alert as ever-present sentries. None of them so much as glanced in my direction as I moved onwards, heading towards the entrance of my-.

I stopped, freezing solid as my Parahuman senses finally caught sight of my Lair. The details exploded into my mind as I suddenly became aware of the sheer scale of the changes and what had been done to each section. I saw how it had been altered and augmented, how entire wings had been upgraded to become more efficient, but also noting how... Other it had become. I recognized the designs and work gone into the upgrade. It still looked like something I had made, but distinctlybetter. That, in and of itself, was very telling.

Frowning slightly at that, I opened the pouch on my back and dropped it on the ground. I'd have a Drone pick it up for me in a while after I figured out just what the hell was going on. Preferably, after getting the full story from Cinder's mouth before deciding whether or not I wanted to kiss her or punch her, though, I was only vaguely aware of the latter option creeping into the back of my mind.

However, with that thought, I started walking again and stepped into the entry way of the Lair, shivering slightly as I felt as though I was stepping into the mouth of some great beast. That line of thought wasn't helped by the entry way suddenly sealing shut behind me as a new wall formed in front of me. I absently considered using my powers to pull the formations of bio-matter apart until I noticed what was happening. A shell was being formed around me as muscle tissue and rails of Iron-plated bones were formed from catalyzed flesh. I noticed the chemicals that had been used, recognizing them from my own work in creating the metamorphic processes in my own body, just applied to a larger scale. With that in mind, I decided it was better to wait and see, rather than pick a fight and damage what remained of my own home. So, as bioluminescence came alive inside the pod, and I watched the membrane seal over the gaps in the shell, I felt it start to move through newly created voids.

The sudden acceleration took me a bit by surprise, literally catapulting me within the pod as I looked down to see flesh wrapping around my shins to hold me in place. The own reason I didn't break a few bones was due to my current form and my augments, but it was a near thing as I flew along what was, effectively, an organic rail gun built in the form of a transportation pod that sent me flying through the now-cavernous interior of my Lair.

Looking out of the pod, I saw the reworked skeleton of the entire complex and marveled at some of the work. I recognized more of my own work, but made better and implemented in ways I hadn't considered, but I also saw a mix of other designs that either weren't my own work, or were things I had only theorized about at this stage as I recalled some of the files I had gifted Cinder with. It was still mildly annoying to consider I had overlooked some potential uses for my own creations, things I had missed as I grimaced at a sharp turn followed by a corkscrew down into the depths. I was forced to place a hand on the wall as the G-forces tried forcing me into a wall before I came to the bottom of the spiral with a sudden stop before I detected something being injected into the shell. Almost instantly, the shell dissolved around me, reduced to nothing as it turned brittle and dropped to the ground.

Glancing around, I noted how this left me in my current position: Standing in an alcove in front of a door with no other ways to but forwards. Looking up, I turned to see the hole I had just come through seal itself shut completely, flesh rippling behind me as I considered just what was going on before I sighed again. I wondered if I should just force my way out, but reconsidered as I ran back over the utter scale of just how adaptable my Lair now was, meaning that any changes I might make could be shifted around to negate my own advantage. Not only that, but Cinder was a self-biokinetic that I couldn't effect due to her body still counting as 'Human', despite her own, far more extensive, augmentations. Shaking my head at that thought, I decided it was probably better to not think about such things even as a part of me considered the situation and grimaced at what contingencies I could use for this situation.

It was a short list, but I decided to go with the direct approach and hope for the best, at least to begin with.

As such, I stepped forwards and started walking, noting the way the wall behind me followed after my passage, reducing space and preventing me from backing out of my advance. It wasn't restricting me, but it left me with a shrinking pocket as I approached the sealed doors, mentally considering whether or not to look beyond it for a moment. After a bit of thought, I decided not to, since Cinder clearly wanted to surprise me with something, given the rapid shifts through that pod to throw me off. It hadn't been a direct transfer, after all, and have thrown me all over the place for five minutes rather than taking me directly to this location, a distance that could have been covered in seconds.

I still kept my abilities present, restricted but not beyond the skin as I approached the door, reaching out to open it, only for it to open before I had even made contact with the surface of the chitin-covered mechanism. I paused at that before shaking it off and entering the chamber beyond, looking around to find myself in the Bar, reworked and upgraded, but exactly as I remembered it from before I had left for the morning. Everything looked the same, but was different in one way or another, having been changed in a dozen little ways to become just that little bit more better than what I had originally created.

However, a noise attracted my attention a moment later as my head snapped around to see something on the other side of the room from me, directly within my line of sight and specifically placed to give me one hell of a view.

Specifically, it was the sight of Cinder and Rachel, both as naked as the days they were born. Cinder was laying back, her legs up and laying her head on an armrest as half-lidded eyes looked up at the ceiling while her hands worked away, on groping at her own breast while her other hand held on to the back of Rachel's head. Said head was currently being guided between the New Growth's legs, where I could hear the Dog-master panting away as tongue met flesh, licking up Cinder's dripping juices. Both of them looked to be covered in sweat, relaxed and utterly at piece with their current situations as I saw their hair and noted that they looked to have gone through one hell of a marathon even as I froze up, wondering what the hell I should do as a glance backwards showed that the door was now no longer present.

Of course, it was at that point that Cinder noticed me, turning a half-lidded gaze towards me with a grin plastered over her lips, hands moving down and stroking through Rachel's hair in long, slow movements; Almost like she was petting a dog.

"Hello, Jason... Sorry about the mess... But I had to do something while you were off in the Bay... Leaving me all alone like this... Probably a good thing that I found Rachel here... Since it gave me someone to have some girl time with..." Here, the grin turned predatory, eyes sharpening as they seemed to glow just a bit stronger as I picked up the scent of something in the air. I couldn't help but wonder what it was, along with wondering what was going on even as my eyes remained fixed and unable to think beyond the sight before me even as I tried to figure out how Rachel was out of the tube so soon. However, such thoughts went out the window, along with everything else, as Cinder continued onwards, her grin turning smug while her voice dropped to an alluring purr that seemed to almost whisper through the air.

Chapter 956 - 8