3G: the Glowing Green Goo

When Aran and SG woke up from the day's meditation, concern was etched on their faces. They had been worried when he missed a few sessions in a row, but he had eventually explained his situation and new available hours.

Now they had a true reason to be worried.

"Payback?" The tall winged woman proposed.

"Karma." the two-tailed cat-vixen countered before sighing. "We can't complain."

"We're hypocrites." SG deflated.

Aran nodded sadly and wordlessly. There was nothing to add.

When Zax had learnt they had a plan related to his disappearance, worry had made him… insistent in his fishing for details. They had managed to keep it secret, but now the tables were turned.

Migo was in a sorry state, but they wouldn't explain why. His thoughts had been more and more sluggish all week, his presence fading earlier every night. This time, he had even failed to join them.

Zax had confirmed it: time was running out. When he woke up, he would execute his plan. They had inferred from his caginess a great risk upon himself, but he wouldn't admit it. He kept throwing their own words back at them and derailing the conversation back toward themselves., They could only offer moral support and empty prayers. As he had before.

Annoying.

To be perfectly honest, there was a lot to say about their own recent developments, and his excitement about it wasn't unexpected. They had both mutated, a mere day apart. His own project must have progressed well too; he had noticed before they could say anything. They weren't sure whether to be creeped out or impressed.

His first comment had been how Aran's agility and flexibility had long reached an inhuman level. She had already been aware thanks to the Stat Maker and her feats in parkour, but the genuine praise put a smile on her lips. Which he had immediately spoiled by putting her slightly above the advanced Residents he had visited the Core with, but well below the Explorers he was currently with.

What kind of monsters are they?

Her body didn't show a trace of skin anymore, only cream white fur on her front, black socks and gloves on her hands and feet, and russet-on-orange stripped fur on the rest. Her hair had kept their black colour. If anything, they had even darkened, softened and thickened. Her face was mostly complete. She didn't know if her muzzle would narrow down like a fox's or thicken like a cat's, but her split yellow eyes were as advanced as they anticipated. Her ears, pointy, fluffy and fully animalistic, had migrated at the top of her head, although she could move them around the sides and back of her skull. Her claws were now tiny nubs on the tip of her fingers, on her padded hands and fully digitigrade paws. She could extend at will to the length on her last phalange, without having to extend or stiffen her fingers anymore.

Zax had claimed an independent hybrid muscle system was in place for the last feature. Also that it was her most advanced mutation and an exceptional one. And congratulations for successfully staying on the edge between canine and feline.

The levity in his speech had been a balm to her worries.

Despite everything, this is still you.

SG's changes were deeper, but less obvious. She was visibly taller and leaner, with some colours here and there, and her spring had improved yet again. They had figured an enhancement in her legs, but Zax disagreed. Her bone tissue had evolved, in a way "suspiciously reminiscent of some of his recent subjects", to be hollow without sacrificing sturdiness or flexibility. Her body was lighter without the common drawback of brittleness. Her wings had lengthened and slimmed down, with a few coloured feathers. She was closer to actually flying than ever before; her explosive power augmented by growing grace.

All of it paled compared to her success on the mutation she was actually aiming for since de beginning: hands! Ignoring the ridicule from observers, thickening her skin, she had kept using wings and talons for every task she could. Her dexterity with both had grown, but now she had fingers! A thumb and a pointer, a hint after where her wrist bones started. They had her avian scales and talons, they still lacked in deftness, but they were fully prehensible and functional.

Zax had mentioned her wing structure was intact. Her bones hadn't reshaped to give her part-wing part-hand limbs; if she had hands she would have merely gained new fingers in front of her thumb. There were precedents, rare ones, in people with a passion for and a lot of practice in manual work. Craftsmen and such.

Using his previous experiences with "limb duplication", he had cautions to give. She could already do most of what required hands, so she could be content with her current state and focus elsewhere, or she could keep working on it and potentially develop complete hands on her wings. If she kept at it, she might end up with complete, separate arms. A variant of a four-arm mutation like Kad, both pairs being significantly different for each other. He couldn't tell how it would affect her "flight", however.

Meditation didn't allow for audio transmissions, but the former dotters could swear they had heard an awed whistle from the expert. Blushing might have ensued.

It was great news. Zax's admiration, and their plan moving to the next stage. Eh, literally. He hadn't even mentioned it; Migo's state must've distracted him.

Training and plotting had made them rising stars in the acting and stunt double scene. Their new mutations, high levelled even among Residents, would spread their fame and clout even further. Nobody could deny their potential anymore, and their allies knew how to leverage it.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Let's go." SG stood in a single, gracious move.

Aran's lip corners lifted. Her friend's colours had come with enticing self-confidence and assertiveness.

Their bodies and minds had levelled up. Time to level up their lives.

***

They are still hiding something.

Zax hadn't forgotten their mysterious plan, but their lack of worry made him put his aside. With no unexpected or major incident so far, he could only admit they knew what they were doing. It helped him focus on his immediate issue.

Migo was still meditating, as he was most of the time for the last few days. It helped managing the pain. He couldn't join them because the pain and drugs interfered. It had earned them some time, but he was reaching his limit.

It is fine. It will be fine.

Everything was as covered as it could be. He had examined everything from different angles. He had trained his body despite the cumbersome suit. He had trained his mind in simulations. Meditation helped him centre himself spiritually. His friends' faith steadied his heart.

Every part of him was in optimal condition. What scant improvement he could pursue would be outweighed by Migo's accelerating decline. The fur he was losing by the handful attested to it.

Delaying further wouldn't help.

It is time.

He opened the environmental box they were sleeping in. It was supposed to only open from the outside; a safety measure to minimise exposure, a subtle inconvenience to push an activation, or a power move against the less mutated user. Possibly a bit of all.

Nothing a prepared nanite expert couldn't work around.

< Command: Unlock >

He triggered the preset command in the sleeping layer of nanites he had set in advance. They covered the outside surface, too thin to be seen, too weak to do anything, until they were gathered. Activations among Explorers were indubitably strong, but rare. Any disruptive field was sure to fry even the simplest machine in the whole lair and beyond, but there were not enough people to make it a constant feature. Machines were likely more reliable here than in the Circle.

Love the irony.

[Complete]

Zax pushed on the lid. It rose, silently and without resistance. No sound, no light, but he knew where the box was kept. The storage room; with the furniture they used for their job. He had saved the layout, so obscurity was not an issue.

The environmental suit was still in maintenance, but he hadn't planned on using it. According to his observations on Resonance, his plan would work best if his body and mind were in the same condition as his patient's, or as close as possible.

He had no idea how strong the exposure in the Heart Beat was, but it shouldn't be too much to reach his target. It might appear reckless, but it was a calculated risk, and not the most dangerous part of his plan. His ongoing diagnostic routine was confirming it.

He grabbed the limp form of his friend, ignored the fresh puddle of puke under them, and left the room. Pimp and Hip were resting in one of the work bedrooms, they had already prepared it for the first client of the next day. Zax took the other one to avoid them. They didn't know about his plan.

It was night, most were sleeping. No need for guards in such a place; everyone knew everyone, and there was nowhere to flee or sell illegally acquired goods. The only real laws were to not sabotage the mission, and to not piss off the boss lady. Everything else was fair game, if you could handle the consequences.

"Who's there?" A voice from a side corridor startled him. "Zax? Is that you? What are you doing? Wait, where's your suit!?"

It was Zyynatrixy, the maternal tree lady. He had kept his steps as light as possible to try and avoid this type of interruption, but he never actually thought it would work. They had enhanced senses; he had no stealth to speak of. He had prepared an answer to shut down attempts at dissuasion, but he could only hope they didn't try to physically restrain him.

Fortunately, it was her. There was a reason he called her maternal; the odds of persuading her were favourable.

"I'm going to save my friend, or die trying." He signalled Migo's body, his voice steady and his gaze unyielding. "I won't ask you to help me, but please don't get in my way."

As stupid as it seemed, he technically wasn't doing anything wrong. Their own laws, or lack thereof, said so.

The human gave her two seconds to digest his words before moving on. She didn't say a word, she didn't move, and he couldn't see her worried expression change in a resolved one.

He arrived without further incident. The peapod was open, waiting for him.

Its handlers had explained what they knew of its health and biology. Using Migo's expertise, he had discreetly infused nanites in every part of the plant over several days. Including the other mutated organisms used to produce its special feed. It had painted an unusual, but complete general picture of its design, its mutations, and more importantly, its meridians.

Vegetables had meridians. It seemed obvious in hindsight, since they mutated, but the idea had taken its time blooming in the hobbyist's mind. Training specifically to feel them was a no-brainer afterwards. Their meridians were flimsy, their egg-core was minuscule, their blueprints were the simplest of his database, but they followed the same rules.

It had also confirmed deep and complex mutations didn't relate to complexity in the blueprint. The amount of 3G required was commensurate to the difference from the original, natural configuration, regardless of the current starting point. The "total distance", so to speak.

Academically interesting, but not immediately relevant.

Zax shook his head and forced his thoughts back to the present. Reminiscing did not help. He knew what it was.

Stalling.

Something he couldn't afford.

Something Migo couldn't afford.

Focus.

In the pod was a row of five indentations. Originally where the peas grew, now where patients were put. Zax laid Migo in the first one, the closest to the stem. The wolf didn't react.

Zax took his clothes off, put them in a pile next to the pod, and put his prepared letter on it. It explained what he was doing and a warning of what NOT to do before he was done, in case it took too long and someone tried to interrupt.

He had spiked most of their essential machineries with nanites programmed to vibrate and destroy their vital parts on command. Command that would trigger automatically if the peapod was disturbed from the outside. He didn't enjoy taking their livelihood hostage, but he only had one chance and he wouldn't let them waste it.

After indulging in a last, deep breath to steady his nerves, the human joined his lupine friend, hugged him for maximum physical contact, and closed the pod.

Showtime.

A greenish liquid drenched them, spewed from what was once a connector between pea and pod. Detecting Migo's state, it quickly thickened, opacified, and hardened. It could be safety breathed through.

Zax closed his eyes and focused inward.

There was no turning back now.