Temporarily overlooking her current appearance, Prime directed his attention to healing Sara's wounds, although she wasn't actually injured. The only effect of the tranquilizer dart on Sara was to induce sleep, but this was something Prime could easily fix by neutralizing the medication's effects.

Once Prime neutralized the medication's effects, Sara gradually awoke. Opening her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar location. Her last memory was the intense pursuit she had experienced. After the sensation of escape, her vision darkened, and that was the last fragment of memory Sara could recall.

"Prime?"

Calling out for Prime, Sara noticed a change in her own voice. The tone was peculiar, different from what she remembered. It seemed to be a fusion of her own voice and Prime's, creating a unique pitch. This new voice had a unique quality, incorporating both masculine and feminine elements.

Surprisingly, the voice was not unpleasant. On the contrary, Sara found it comforting, something that could lull her into peaceful sleep just by listening to it.

"I'm here"

Surprisingly, Sara spoke again, but the voice did not seem to be her own. Although the words came out of her mouth, she reached the only plausible conclusion that someone in her situation could reach.

"What the hell happened to us?"

Sara asked, perplexed. At this point, she had already noticed the viscous red skin that surrounded her, along with endless improvements in her vision, hearing, perception, and strength. Sara felt like she could accomplish anything she desired, yet she realized she hadn't fully tapped into the powers pulsating within her.

"I'm not sure... When you passed out, all I could think about was getting us out of there... getting you out of there somehow. After reflecting on it, this form appeared"

Listening to Prime, memories of what happened returned one by one in Sara's mind, but these were not her memories. Although she was the one who killed those men, it was as if it were from another person's perspective, who was simultaneously her. The strangest thing about all this was that Sara felt no remorse for taking the lives of those people.

"I see... anyway, thanks for saving me. If it weren't for you, I can't even imagine what would have happened to me"

Hearing Sara's words, Prime's only thought was how grateful he was to have found her. Normally, anyone would be angry to discover they were in danger because of someone else.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"No problem, now we are one. You're helping me live, the least I can do is the same"

Hearing Prime's words, Sara let out a thoughtful laugh. It was just like him to say something like that. After that, Sara looked around, still amazed at her new power. There were so many things she wanted to try, but she knew now was not the time.

"Will we stay like this forever?"

Upon hearing Sara's words, Prime dispelled the symbiote suit, reverting Sara to her normal human form. The transformation was surprisingly simple; the viscous red armor that surrounded her simply retracted into her body and disappeared, as if it had never existed.

"Cool"

Sara said with a smile. Then, she carefully observed the surroundings, realizing she was inside an abandoned factory. Sara scratched her head, pondering what the next step would be. She couldn't just go home because those people still pursued her. Her residence would undoubtedly be under constant surveillance by them.

"What do we do now?"

Listening to Sara's question, Prime remained silent for some time. He wasn't sure of the most suitable course of action. Perhaps fleeing was the best option, but he didn't want that for Sara. Moreover, he was the one responsible for getting her into this situation, so he felt the obligation to resolve it. However, at the same time, he didn't want to involve Sara even more in this mess.

Sara, on the other hand, was aware of Prime's thoughts, as they were interconnected. Just as Prime knew Sara's thoughts, the same could be said of her. Therefore, Sara had a good understanding of what was troubling Prime.

"You know, let's go ahead with this"

Upon hearing Sara's words, Prime felt momentarily perplexed.

(What do you mean?)

Upon hearing Prime's question, Sara drew a smile on her face, accompanied by a determined look.

"Let's mess up that bastard who's after you"

Faced with Sara's words, Prime remained silent. He couldn't ask that of her, and besides, if something happened to her, Prime wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

(... are you sure about this? We could die)

Hearing Prime's words, Sara let out a light laugh as she headed toward the exit of the factory they were currently in.

"We are one... aren't we?"

Prime was momentarily surprised and moved to hear Sara's words, but soon a smile formed in his mind.

(Of course)

***

"She hit symbiosis! Are you seeing this? Are you seeing this? She achieved symbiosis!"

In a room filled with monitors, various scientists watched in awe at a giant screen displaying images from the recent battle that occurred minutes ago. Drake, in particular, gazed at the monitor in amazement, while surprise and excitement filled all the present scientists.

Everyone watched fascinated as the new being, a fusion of symbiote and human, annihilated its enemies with impressive ease, as if dealing with toys. There, before their eyes, unfolded the next step in human evolution.

"This... is incredible, goes far beyond what we could imagine"

Drake said with a smile as he looked around. For the scientists watching the recordings with enthusiasm, Drake's dream was about to come true. No, that could no longer be called a dream.

Just a little more, just a little more time, and his dream could finally come true. Humans would no longer be fragile; they would no longer be so inferior. They would finally reach the pinnacle. Drake would make it happen no matter what.