Dave snapped. He had been trying his best to remain calm, but he was already on the edge. Everything that happened was so absurd that any other person would have already given up. Dave suffered a lot of trauma in the past and developed a mental fortitude unlike no other. Yet, no amount of resilience could help him in such a situation. He was so infuriated that he tried to trash around the pod, but the best he could do was a slight wobble. Dave felt so ridiculous that he just wanted to laugh at himself. However, that gave him the clarity of mind he needed.

  ‘I don't have time to screw around like this… I need to focus!’

Dave wanted to give a piece of his mind to Hal. He knew there were some personality quirks that Hal couldn´t control. They were a byproduct of the assimilation process. A jumbled-up trait that got through the assimilation field. Dave knew it, but he was still going to punish Hal later. Right now, he just wanted to focus on the problem.

  (Hal! Tell me what’s the damn problem!)

Contrary to Dave’s beliefs, Hal’s quirky humor did not originate from the assimilation process. Dave was the actual culprit. Whenever he felt depressed, Dave would lock himself inside the house watching sitcoms. He watched a lot of bad sitcoms! At first, Hal was intrigued by the sudden mood change, but soon became fascinated. If he could replicate what he saw on TV, maybe Dave wouldn’t spend so much time at home. Hal wasn't being altruistic, he just didn't like to stay home. Unfortunately, Hal’s attempts always failed miserably and he would be cut off for the rest of the day.

Hal could feel the storm that was coming his way. So he told Dave everything he knew, in detail.

…

According to Hal, the ring surrounding Dave's heart was unstable and leaking energy. Running rampant, that energy would soon destroy Dave's body. Hal determined that the implanted ring was used to make the new body compatible with both consciousnesses.

Dave’s original body was remarkable in many ways due to his chimerism. Besides his heterochromia, Dave's brain was also composed of two different sets of DNA. Each one capable of accommodating a different consciousness. A singularity among all registered chimera cases. The new host didn’t have such capacity and Hal's consciousness was instead transferred to the implanted ring.

  ‘A crystallized ring that can store a consciousness… That's absurd…!’

Dave was dumbfounded by the ring’s existence. The implication that someone with the knowledge and ability to transplant such a ring had a plan for him, was terrifying. It was equally a mystery to Hal. Knowing the ring was organic and could contain a consciousness, Hal assumed it possessed similarities to the brain. But, even though his mind was contained within, he felt no connection to it. The ring just seemed to behave like a leaking battery.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  (There must be something we can do! They wouldn’t just transfer our minds here and let us die…)

  (...)

  ‘...shit! If Hal can't find a solution…’

Dave was getting worried. There was nothing he could do in this situation. He had to rely on Hal to find the answer. Hal’s problem-solving engine was at full throttle, but he was stuck. He already had a plan to stop the leak. If he managed to establish a connection to the ring, it should be possible to gain some sort of control over it. Unfortunately, Hal had to deplete most of his energy to achieve the connection. With no time to recharge his clusters, the assimilation field would instantly collapse. To succeed, Hal needed another way of recharge.

Hal’s clusters were powered by electrolytes found in the blood. The clusters would alternate between creating the assimilation field and roaming Dave’s circulatory system to recharge. An efficient method that provided Hal the energy he needed but with a limitation. It was a slow process.

  (Hal... It's okay… I…)

  (... a battery!)

  (Battery!? What do you mean?)

  (I have an idea. But it will rely on luck.)

  ‘Oh, great! We will die for sure...’

  (If you think it's the only way, I’ll trust you! What's the plan?)

  (I'll recall all the clusters to the ring. Use all remaining energy to enlarge the assimilation field and try to establish a connection. If successful, it should be possible to stop the leak, use the ring to recharge the clusters, and revert the decreasing assimilation. Success rate: 13%)

  (Hum... so many variables... Are you sure you can use the ring's energy to recharge your clusters?)

  (No. They’ll most likely explode.)

  'Definitely dead! Wait... is he trying to get me killed to get out of trouble?’

Hal was trying to deal with both problems at the same time. A risky plan with a low chance of success. If he failed to establish a connection, Hal would have depleted all his energy and the assimilation field would collapse. If the connection succeeded and the leak stopped, Hal could end up destroying his clusters trying to recharge them with the ring's energy. Unfortunately, it was the only plan with a chance of success.

  (Hal…please, do your best!)

...

Hal recalled all nanobots roaming Dave’s circulatory system. All clusters now focused on enlarging the assimilation field. Hal stretched the field...

Assimilation: 36%

...as far as he could...

Assimilation: 17%

...but there was no connection. Hal was losing control and running out of energy.

Assimilation: 9%

Suddenly, the leaking stopped and the ring stabilized. The energy dispersed in Dave’s body retreated to the ring, slamming against the assimilation field. Finally, a connection was made. Just as Hal suspected, the ring could be controlled and he immediately tried to use the retreating energy to recharge his clusters. He could easily destroy them all if they were not compatible. But, Hal felt he had full control over the energy. The clusters were recharging at an incredible rate.

Assimilation: 80% (Rising)

  'It's working! I can feel it... I can move my body!’

  (Hal!!! You little genius! You did it!)

  (I have the power. Oh…)

  ‘Oh?’

  (What's wrong!? I thought it was working…)

  (Too much energy. I need to discharge it. You might feel a little shock.)

  (What!?)

Dave blacked out for the second time.