-"Al?" Eve's tone was laced with concern as Al's distress resonated within her. -"We are releasing increased amounts of hormones into our bloodstream. Ones related to extreme stress, anxiety and aggression. I can also sense that you are in pain, but for some reason, I can't feel it myself. What's wrong? Do you sense danger? Are we under attack?"

Al raised his claw-like hands and clutched his head, his vision pulsating in time with the pain. -"It's nothing, just a headache."

-"Al, we have been stabbed, mutilated, ripped apart, half-digested and had our entire body rebuilt. Every single time, I have shared the pain with you, but this is different. I can't feel anything, and nothing is wrong with this body's brain. There are no electrical signals that are suspicious." replied Eve as she began to panic, trying to find the cause of her companion's pain.

-"This pain must not be linked to the body but the spirit." It only took her a few seconds to check and dismiss every possibility she could think of before she started looking to external sources -"Wait? It's not the female Rakorn is it? Some sort of mental attack?"

-"No," hissed Al as he swayed precariously. The only reason he was still upright was that he had been crouching when the pain had struck.

-"It's something... inside. It's similar to the feeling I had when we saw the children at the human camp. It's... It's... like a weight. Its heavy..." Al's words petered off as the pain threatened his consciousness.

-"Huh?" Because she was so worried about Al, Eve hadn't even bothered to check herself, however, now that she did, she could feel a gentle tug where her memories were kept.

Her soul shook with fear.

If Al could access her memories, then he would know that she had seen all of his, but that wasn't the worst thing. He would discover that she had been keeping it a secret and, even though she did it in his best interest, Al would instantly distrust her which would only serve to create a divide between them.

However, even though she was terrified of the consequences of Al discovering her secret, she was more worried about his welfare as she started frantically trying to come up with a solution.

These were not Al's memories but hers. The ones she made when his original body had succumbed to the wounds from the insect-ape attack. She had been forced to engrave them into their newly merged soul and as a result, permanently bound them together as well as seeing his entire past flash before her figurative eyes.

If she hadn't, whoever Al had been would have ceased to exist and, even though she didn't have the intelligence to realise what she was doing at the time, her instincts screamed at her to save as much of him as possible.

Eve focused on the memories that Al's subconscious was trying to access and was shocked to discover that what he had said earlier revealed a massive clue to the potential cause.

The memories he was trying to view involved a female and two children. Entities that were obviously important to him and that had apparently been erased.

They started off happy enough, or at least it looked that way to Eve's alien mind, but soon turned dark and she couldn't fathom why Al was subconsciously trying to remember them.

It would bring him nothing but pain and misery.

Even more so since she had access to his thoughts and subconscious. Not the persona he created for others, nor the one that he had made for himself but the real him. His soul stripped naked of all its defences and laid bare before her.

There she had seen what kind of entity Al really was.

His indomitable will, the drive to adapt and overcome any challenge that was thrown at him and a ruthless streak, one that would make most shiver, impressed her greatly.

But, along with the good, he held traits that, as a creature born of instinct and logic, she could see only as weakness.

To Eve, Al was a glaring contradiction that was so mesmerising, that even if she could, she wouldn't be able to turn away.

Al yearned to be trusted and loved but feared betrayal so much, he could never wholeheartedly accepted it and ended up pushing people away.

He wanted to protect, yet his methods and personality would only lead to destruction.

He desired to evolve and shed any weaknesses but at the same time, knew that if he did, he would no longer be himself and so he guarded them zealously.

And, what Eve both respected and feared in equal measure the darkness that wrapped around him as if embracing a lover.

It was cold, lonely, vicious and brooding. It was like a dark, ominous ocean that leads into the abyss promising a swift, merciless death to any that would encroach upon his inner domain.

For any but Eve that was, after merging with Al, it almost felt welcoming yet, at a primordial level, she was worried about what it would signify for him.

Eve felt a pang that, before Al, she had never experienced before. The desire to become the significant other to Al and support him, even if they were technically one entity.

This confused her considerably and so, she had been ignoring the sensation but, on the off chance that it might help, she examined everything that was even remotely related to intense scrutiny.

It was at that moment, where Eve was examining the memories along with her feelings that Al suddenly started to make sense.

She had been trying to understand Al by applying her own views and understanding of the world to him. Her mindset was a creature that had learnt and grown from the the memories of a human without context or emotions, trying to emulate them as best as she could to appease her host.

During the time that they had been together, Al may have become increasingly feral with his thoughts and behaviours, but she had also become more human bringing them closer and closer to being able to understand each other.

Eve felt her insides lurch as a fragment of a memory temporarily broke free of whatever was restraining it before she sensed Al's pain increase tenfold.

She needed to do something and fast.

Analysing what little information she had, Eve started putting together a theory.

She didn't know how it was possible, but whatever the entities that had brought Al to this world had done to his mind, it wasn't something physical and had somehow transferred with him when they merged.

It was strange that it only affected him and she didn't know nearly enough about spirits or souls, but she could only guess that they had somehow placed some sort of conditional restraint that would be activated in certain conditions.

One that no matter what he became, would remain. The ultimate failsafe in case any of the bits of information that had been wiped from when he was abducted would aid him, or at least that was her assumption for its purpose.

Al mentally screamed as the pain continued to increase and Eve realised that she needed to distract his subconscious with a different topic or risk their relationship and intervene directly and potentially reveal the amount of control she had. Control that he would undoubtedly see as a threat.

Eve decided she would try to distract him first as, by knowing him so intimately, she had a good idea of what might work.

-"Al, do you remember when we fought the Crawler? The feeling of when you stared into its eyes? When you drew first blood? When it kicked your arse and turned you into a light snack?" Eve lightly pushed the memories of the encounter to the surface hoping that he would latch onto them.

A low, rumbling growl tore from Al's throat at the provocation.

The pain that was becoming almost unbearable diminished slightly as he began to remember, with Eves gentle prodding, the battle with the enormous, chimaera-like creature.

Moments later, the pain returned to an almost regular headache as Al's mind focused on the thoughts as if they were a lifeline, realising that they were somehow linked to the relief he was feeling.

Al panted, not realising he had been holding his breath. -"What What did you do?"

-"I didn't do anything Al. I think I know what is wrong but~." Eve paused, internally grimacing as she prayed this wouldn't create a rift between them. "To find out, we will need to try something, and the pain might return. If that does happen, I would like your permission to help you overcome it."

Al frowned as sweat rolled down his forehead, the inside of his exoskeleton turning into an enclosed sauna. -"What is it? Why would you need my permission?"

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-"If I tell you, it could affect how effective it will be as you might subconsciously resist. If I have to do it, it would be completely reversible if you disagree. I promise to tell you when the time is right, and I won't leave out any details."

Al's paranoia exploded.

-"Al, please. What if this happens again when we are in a dangerous situation. It could get us killed, and we need to know if my theory is right and now that you know something is wrong, the moment you realise what it is, you won't be able to help but provoke it. Like when we got that splinter and couldn't remove it because it would reveal our position."

Al nodded, swallowing hard as he fought an internal battle. It wasn't just the pain that was making him hesitate. It was the fact that Eve seemed to know something that she didn't want to tell him.

After a few moments, he came to his decision. -"OK Eve. You asked me first and have promised to tell me about it later but if I feel like anything is wrong, anything at all, I will fight you or whatever it is every step of the way."

Eve was silent for a moment before responding, deciding that as he had just shown a high level of trust in her, she should trust him a bit more as well. She also hoped that it might soothe his concerns or at least, give him someone else to blame. -"It's to do with the memories the aliens sealed. Your subconscious is trying to remember them and somehow, whatever they did is trying to stop it."

Al could sense Eve's nervousness, and although he was dying to know what she might need his permission for, and more than a touch concerned, he forced himself to calm. So far, she hadn't done anything to harm him and while he still didn't trust her completely, he trusted her more than anyone else he knew. Not that he could remember anyone he had spent any significant time with that wasn't dead.

-"Can you imagine a wolf pup for me? Try to focus on what it looks like"

Al did and apart from the slight headache that was still receding, he felt no different.

-"Can you think of a beautiful woman. One you find attractive and would like to have a future with."

Once again Al complied, though he found it difficult to envision anyone when he focused on it and was met with the same results.

-"Can you think of your mother."

The headache intensified but compared to earlier, the pain was laughable. A dull throbbing at the forefront of his mind.

Al frowned. He couldn't remember anything about his mother or, for that matter, anyone of importance but it apparently had made the pain worse. -"Eve, just what have you worked out?"

Eve sighed, it looked like she was right. -"Can you tell me about your children."

Al's thoughts stopped as excruciating pain dropped him to his knees, his weight and the rough texture of the scale-like bone, preventing him from sliding down the hill.

-"Al, will you let me suppress the memories to stop the pain?" Eve's voice was faint as if she was extremely far away and with the agonising pain, he struggled to make sense of what she said.

-"Al" Screamed Eve. -"Let me help you."

A hospital, Cots, pushchairs, small children's toys, birthday cake.

Al felt his body roaring in pain and the sense that he was falling but he paid it no mind as his senses were overwhelmed.

Blurred photos, a grave, a courthouse full of blurs.

Raw emotions that were seemingly not linked to anything surged from the depths of his being.

A house that he had once lived in, taken from him. A small flat, four rooms, all that he needed after the...

Despair, bitterness, resentment, anger.

Instantly Al knew what these were.

These were fragments of the memories and emotions that had been taken from him. The people were white blurs, their voice nothing more than static but he could tell they had been real. It was almost as if he knew them, their names and faces just out of reach.

Something within him felt like it was breaking as the pain continued to increase until it even blotted out the memories and emotions.

There was nothing but pain as his mind felt like it was dissolving.

Suddenly, as if someone had turned on a light causing the darkness to vanish, it stopped, and Al took a gasping breath.

Al was laying on his back, shaking violently, at the bottom of the hill. The spikes on his back had torn deep lines during his decent, and he was covered in soil from his thrashing.

-"What just happened?" Al tried to recall what had happened after Eve had asked her question but couldn't.

Everything was a blank.

-"I'm sorry," Eve's voice shook, -"You weren't responding, so I had to do it without your permission."

-"Do what?" Al ground his teeth.

-"Repress the memories," whispered Eve.

-"Memories? What memories?"

He felt Eve recoil at the anger in his voice. -"I had to do it, your spirit was falling apart. Whatever they did to you before you arrived was designed to destroy you if you started to remember. They weren't even your memories. They were the ones I had gained from you when we merged. I don't know anything else. It makes no sense from what I know but all evidence points to this."

Al sat up, snapping one of his back spikes in the process as it refused to leave the earth.

-"You suppressed my memories? Can you only affect your memories or are mine at risk as well?" Al's paranoia spiked as he released a bone-chilling growl.

-"This is why I wanted your permission. I would never do something that would jeopardise us. If I had messed with them, you would know. The only reason you can't with these is that they were already blocked and so, you will think its normal."

Al was silent as he dealt with emotions Eve's actions had generated. One side, she had asked and even probably saved his life but on the other, she had messed with his mind, one of his greatest fear.

-"What the fuck do you want from me?" The silence was unbearable for Eve.

-"How would I know if you had messed with my mind. The memories would be gone so I wouldn't be able to tell, would I?" said Al in a flat voice, he had already decided that Eve wasn't in the wrong but he couldn't help but ask more questions.

He wasn't sure he wanted answers as, although he had grown fond of her and even protective since he forced her to form her original body, he wasn't sure how he would respond if she told him she could do something like changing his personality.

Eve sounded like she was about to cry, yet there was a definite undertone of anger in her voice as she believed her worst fears had come to pass. -"Oh, you wouldn't notice glaring holes in your memory? Sure, I am not that stupid Al. We are one. Together forever. Nothing will separate us, and I will not do anything that would risk that unless we are in mortal danger."

-"So you are saying you would do it if my life was in danger?" muttered Al. He considered the response somewhat acceptable which shocked him greatly. He had never trusted others easily and even if it seemed like it on the outside, he was always watching and waiting for it to go wrong. Eve saying that she would turn against him if it meant saving his life was somewhat heartwarming.

-"Our life, Al. I would do it so we could live. What would you expect me to do, wait for death? Let us die because you are scared that you will stop being you?"

-"Wake up, they have already taken your memories and made it so if it looks like you will regain them, you will die. If the loss of the memories will change who you are, then its too late. They have already changed you.They are the enemy, not me. I just tried to save your life and by doing so, have changed absolutely nothing about you."

Al ground his teeth but after a moment, breathed out as he felt his eye twitching. Eve was right, it wasn't her fault. I was those who had abducted him in the first place.

-"It's fine Eve." The gentle breeze rustled in his ears as he chuckled sadly. -"I just don't like the idea that I can't control my own fate."

An electric-like sensation wrapped around his core and somehow could sense Eve trembling but, unlike the times where she displayed fear, this was anger. He was confused, though he wasn't exactly being thankful for what she had done for him, he wasn't exactly attacking her either which he felt was a huge thing.

Al was about to apologise, another strange thing for him to do, and thank her but he was interrupted as Eve's voice cracked. -"Can't control your own fate!"

-"Like a certain companion that saved your life multiple times has no control over what they do, say or even feel. I can't even have a conversation on topics that don't interest you as you will just ignore me. I can't even turn my head and look at what I want."

-"Oh~ Yes~ I completely understand what you mean about not having control over your own fate. I probably know it better than anyone else. I wished I stayed ignorant of everything. Life was simple when I only had to worry about my next meal and not some mentally unstable psychopath who enjoys killing so he doesn't have to think about his feelings."

The silence that suddenly appeared in Al's mind was deafening after the Eve's barrage and while he initially wanted to argue back the more he thought about it, the more he felt sorry for her.

He knew he was a bit of an arsehole and that would never change and had been hostile to her as he felt like she had invaded him. But, if he thought about it, this wasn't even his original body and she wasn't just the simple voice anymore

Al shook his head, shocked at her sudden outburst and the realisations that he was having before sighing and feeling his shoulders hunch. He was never good at saying sorry. -"Time of the month?"

-"FUCK YOU!" screamed Eve, not really understanding what he was saying but instinctively knowing it was an insult.

Al's chest started to shake as he released a hiss of air through his teeth. Somehow Eve's outburst had not only calmed his paranoia, but he felt as if a weight had been removed from his shoulders. He finally felt like he was seeing the real her and not just what she wanted him to see. -"Finished?"

The silence was his only response.

-"Guess I deserve that but why don't we try to calm down." Al internally cringed at his words and he prepared himself for another barrage while hoping that as Eve wasn't a human, she might let it slide.

-"I am sick of always having to tiptoe around your emotions and feelings. What about me? Why do I have to show you consideration when you treat me worse than a lizards shit. Why don't you go kill something to avoid dealing with any real issues like normal. I'll just remain in your head, doing nothing."

-"A lizards shit?" chuckled Al, feeling that Eve's rage was almost cute. -"And I have to say your silent treatment could use a bit of work."

-"The female lizard is getting away," snarled Eve, not wanting to talk with Al at the moment.

She had been frantic with worry and used a significant amount of her consciousness to mask the target memories form Al's subconscious only for him to throw it back in her face. She had stopped monitoring most of his thoughts and emotions in her anger and so, didn't realise that the anger she felt wasn't directed at her in the slightest.

Walking up the hill, not really caring that he was spotted, and saw the female Rakorn crawling on her back, staring back in horror. -"Hmm, guess she heard us."

-"You. She heard you. I don't my own body to make sounds anymore remember."

Al rolled his eyes as he started walking towards the woman, still clutching the bundle of rags noting that he wasn't feeling any pain.