A man shuffled into view, and Mason immediately recognized his brother. "Logan!" he called as rushed him. He took note that his older brother had a limp and blood on his shirt. "Logan, are you okay?" He wrapped an arm around him and braced his legs from the extra weight of his brother. He lead his brother to an open chair and helped him sit down. "Are you okay?" He repeated his question.
"I'm fine. The blood on my shirt isn't mine." Logan waved off his brother. "I just need to rest a moment."
"You do not look fine, Logan." Dr. Mudrov said as he approached and lifted back the pant leg of Logan's right leg. Underneath was a hastily wrapped bandage over his shin. The bandage seemed to be controlling the bleeding of whatever wound he had suffered.
"The bastards flanked us." Logan recounted what had happened. "We managed to take that wave down, but one got in close enough with a knife. Sophia bandaged me up, and it seems to be holding. She and Jackson are on there way here too... They were helping the base soldiers hold the line to the generators." Logan looked around the room and sighed. "So Olivia and Addison aren't here... or Henry or Alex?"
Mason shook his head. "No, I was the first to arrive." Olivia and Addison were the siblings of Sophia and Jackson, respectively. Henry and Alex were the best friends who were also in the super soldier program. Mason looked at the doorway again, hoping for one of the other pairs to pop in, but no one did. He noticed his brother doing the same.
The lights flickered for a moment and the ground rumbled. "Come on Mason, we got to get ready so Atlas can take care of business."
"Good, lets kick some ass." Mason smiled. 'Atlas' was the name that they had agreed on for their combined form. Not that they remembered what or who Atlas was. Logan fancied superhero stories, and he wanted their joint form to have a superhero title. The others caught on, and of course, created their own superhero names.
"You cannot be serious..." a younger man asked. He was one of Dr. Mudrov's assistants. "You're injured."
Dr. Mudrov sighed, "It is not ideal, but the injury should mostly heal during the fusion process as Mason's cells bind with Logan's. Any left over damage will rapidly repair itself afterwards."
"Its not like we have a choice anyways. We need a super soldier to help defend the base, and we're all there is right now." Logan stated confidently as he stripped out of his shirt and pants. He carefully began taking off the bandage as well.
Mason followed his older brother's lead and began stripping as well. It was a safety precaution as the fusion chamber only combined organic matter, and clothing or any other non-organic material could interfere with the process. Normally, curtains would have been drawn for them to undress in private, but that was a luxury that did not have at the moment. So, he and his brother undressed in front of the small group of researchers, though they did have the decency to turn around.
Mason grabbed Logan's left shoulder and helped him to a standing position. Carefully they stepped into the small, egg-like chamber, barely big enough for the both of them. They sat side by side, squished onto the narrow metal seat. By now, the steps to follow were routine for Mason. He pressed a button on the side, and the chamber door arched downward to seal them in. The inside was fairly dark. There was one internal light source at the top but it was dim, as if the bulb needed to be changed. Mason pressed another button, and spoke, "Dr Mudrov... we're ready." The chamber was air tight, so the intercom was needed to communicate with them outside. Mason wrapped his right arm around Logan, and his brother did the opposite with his left arm.
"Of course, initiating the fusion." came Dr. Mudrov's voice through the speakers. A few moments later, the chamber began to fill with the familiar gas.
In truth, it was not really gas but millions upon millions of nanites, tiny robots about the size of a grain of sand. They surrounded Mason and his brother like a cloud and began working. Moments later, he felt a warmth all around him, beyond his brother's body heat. That was the sign that the merging process had begun. He and Logan were now joined by skin and small blood vessels along their thighs, hips, and the arms around their shoulders. Mason's right leg began to fall asleep, but he knew that the muscles and bone of the leg were blending into his brother's left leg. A few seconds later he lost all sensation of his right leg, but his left seemed to become larger and longer. He pressed his foot up against the metal frame. Next, his right arm seeped into his brother's left shoulder, as if it was submerging into a pool of water. He felt himself being pulled sideways along the bench towards his brother, like two magnets rushing together. The small chamber no longer felt narrow and squished. Mason knew that the fusion was shifting to its last phase. He and Logan were nearly completely joined together, and he figured they were sharing a single pair of hips and one torso. The heads were always the final step as it required the most delicacy.
During their fist fusion, it had been very disconcerting feeling his body fade away, in a sense, as it blended into this brother. It was like nothing he had ever experienced. His body simply seemed to vanish. While not as unsettling, it still made Mason's heart beat faster. He closed his eyes, and trusted the nanites to do their job. But then, the chamber rattled violently and the only dim light source snuffed out. Mason's heart pounded in his chest, as if it was trying to break through his ribcage. Another thud vibrated through the chamber and it seemed to lurch to the side. His head hit the wall of the small chamber, and then something not as hard hit the side of his head. Unconsciousness swallow him.
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author
