Chapter 36:

It hadn't taken long for them to decide that, while shattering big rocks was fun, it wasn't particularly productive. From there, they moved on to the hard part of ingraining the new technique in their minds and bodies. They wanted to get to where they could summon the fortification of their arms at a moment's notice.

To do that, they had first practiced enough that they didn't have to really focus on the pattern in their minds anymore. After that, they decided they should practice by using a specific movement.

"Okay," Will said, "I get that we want to program ourselves to trigger the technique when we move in a particular way. Linking physical action as a mental trigger is smart. The trick is, how do we do that without looking like the stars of a kids show?"

"Oh, damn. I was looking forward to asking Artie to dye your gear green."

Will rolled his eyes.

"I'll do that, if you agree to run around in a pink miniskirt."

Cierra just snorted.

"How about we just throw our arms down into full extension at our sides, with our hands flat and fingers extended? It's simple, effective, and we can get fancier with it later if we want to."

With that decided, they again got to work. They started by repeatedly flooding their arms with energy, then releasing their mental holds to allow their systems to normalize.

It wasn't long before they felt like they had accomplished what they could with that, for the evening. Stretching after the strain, Will made an observation.

"It feels like my arms have gotten a serious workout. Like, every muscle in them is stiff and sore. Is that normal?"

"Yeah, I was told that's something to expect. The way it was explained to me is that it's kind of like working a muscle that's never been used. Technically, there is no new muscle, but we are using all of the existing ones in a completely new way.

I'm also feeling a bit of a headache, which is supposed to be normal."

"Oh. That makes sense. I hadn't realized until you mentioned it, but I do feel a little pressure up there. I was just ignoring it."

"Yup, it's a sure sign that we've done enough for tonight. It's getting pretty late, anyway."

Looking around, Will realized she was right. While it wasn't obvious yet, there was a barely perceptible brightening starting in the sky.

Taking one more drink from his water, Will walked over to the generator. After loading it into the back of his car, the pair moved to pick up any litter they might have left on the ground.

On the short drive back to his place, Will asked, "So, you still want to go up to poke our noses around HQ and Frankston's place tomor… I mean later tonight?"

"Yeah, I have a few things to take care of in the afternoon. How about we plan for you to pick me up after the sun goes down?"

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"That works. I'll probably just do some basic chores in the afternoon. That and get some more practice with trying to get the new energy technique down."

"That's a good idea. I think we should wait to decide what we want to do after snooping around until we know what we find."

Will agreed as they pulled to a stop at his house. Unloading trash and the generator from his car was quick, and they went inside. He wasn't surprised to find that his roommates weren't awake yet.

"I'm going to take a shower. I'd invite you to join, but I don't want to wake up Paige, or Jake. If you'll round up your dirty clothes from yesterday, I can wash them with my stuff today."

"Sure, give me the scavenger hunt. Sounds good to me, though.

Going their separate ways, it didn't take long before Will was clean and in his room.

Pointing at a pile of clothes, Cierra said, "There ya go. I'm going to go clean up, too. Feel free to get that load of laundry started while I'm gone."

"Yes, mistress," Will said with a smirk.

Cierra just snorted a quick laugh, and left the room.

After starting the laundry, Will relaxed and put some music on. He was just starting to doze off, when he heard the shower shut off. When his door opened and closed, he opened his eyes.

Suddenly, he was wide awake.

"I can drive home in an hour or two."

Will wasn't about to disagree.

Around noon, Will woke up and went about his normal morning activities.

Inserting his earbud as he took a seat in the garage, he asked, "Hey Artie, will the gear for Cierra be ready by tonight?

"Yes. It is complete now, in fact. She asked me to deliver it directly to her at her family compound. It will arrive shortly."

"Cool. I just wasn't sure if she'd want to have it dropped there. Should've guessed she was already in touch with you."

"I will take you at your word on that. I would like to mention something, though. In regards to the defensive matrix technique you learned yesterday."

"Go for it."

"As you are aware, you have displayed rapid growth since your full activation. The fact that you were able to establish that ability so quickly, is yet another example of your instinctive grasp of how to use the nanites in your system.

That said, you were not the only one showing exceptional ability with that exercise. To be frank, I would be surprised if any other human to date has been able to establish and use that technique so quickly. It appears that Cierra is nearly as impressive as you are where your abilities are concerned."

Thinking it over, Will eventually replied.

"Well, that seems like a good thing. She did say she came in with a basic grounding in the method already, though."

"That is true. I just wanted you to be aware that you two seem to make an excellent team."

"Oh. Well, thank you. Anyway, I'm going to get going on my chores for the day. I'm sure we'll be in touch on our way to snoop around tonight."

"Of course. Good day, Will."

The Cube was hovering in the air, well above the altitude most modern planes would achieve. As soon as Artie disconnected from his call to Will, Sil spoke to his old friend.

"There's more going on, where Cierra is concerned, than you led him to believe."

"Indeed. Though I do not, yet, have enough facts to bring it to them."

"I take it, you finished analyzing her blood sample?"

"I did."

"Aaannd?"

"I detected mutations in her genetic code. Upon closer analysis I was able to determine that, while similar, they are not the same as we found in Will.

We will need to look into her lineage."

"How are they different from Will's mutation?"

"For one, I believe them to originate from a more distant ancestor. They also do not appear to have the same function. Where Will is certainly a hybrid between your two species, I believe the mutation in Cierra’s family line to have been intentionally engineered.

Additionally, I believe that her altered genetics pre-date our arrival on this world. That would mean that someone from your world intentionally altered the genetics of at least one human line in the past. The change appears to allow for increased compatibility with her nanites, but appears to have occurred centuries, possibly millennia, before our arrival.

Beyond genetic compatibility with our technology, I cannot predict what may result from her unique nature. I do, however, strongly suggest we attempt to trace her family line as far back as possible."

"That seems prudent. We will also have to inform her of your discovery. I do not believe she will take it poorly, but we would do well to have more information on this issue before then."

"I will begin the data mining process immediately."