Metamorphosis by Aer-ki Jyr (the two towers ebook .txt) 📕

than saying they’re ‘bigger’ than us. And if this Essence upgrade runs itself, then the intelligence of the individual is irrelevant.”

“You’re suggesting the Neofan and others are triggering unknown upgrades and, perhaps, generating biological knowledge by using their Essence to give them a gift, then analyzing it?” Gerald postulated.

“Which means they don’t really earn it,” Wilson said with a cringe. “I think there would have to be some prerequisites, otherwise they’d just hit the ‘evolve’ button over and over until they exhausted it. But you may be right. Their attitude is one of inheritance rather than merit.”

“Is this Life Spring related?” Davis asked.

“There’s no Essence rush, but then again there’s no molecular creation either, so it’s possible,” Gerald offered. “Anything going into Essence is ambiguous for me since I can’t analyze it or use it.”

“If there’s an order to how the Life Springs create different level races,” Wilson suggested, “then this very well may be a smaller utilization of it manifesting.”

“Manifesting is the best word I’ve heard used thus far,” Davis said as he got a message pinging urgent. He mentally swiped it open and read it in the blink of an eye, then put it up on hologram for the others to see.

“Morgan’s down too, and not from contact. Is this going to happen to all of them over the coming weeks?”

“If no Essence use is the relief value allowing it, then I’d say yes,” Wilson said frowning as he read the details visually. “Same course. I’d guess she was trying to replicate what Jason was doing and succeeded.”

“Why would she do that?” Gerald asked, drawing mildly hilarious looks from the other two men.

“Archons value upgrades more than anything,” Wilson said vaguely. “Beyond that it’s hard to explain, but let’s just say it’s their typical nature to dive into the unknown head first when they see a benefit.”

“I would have thought they’d be wise enough to wait until Jason and Vitor’s fate was determined. We’re only guessing this will have a beneficial outcome. It’s possible they could die if the changes don’t occur correctly, or many other possibilities that I can’t even name because I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Archons are only patient by choice, not by nature,” Davis explained. “It’s one of the attributes in the psychological makeup we look for in recruitment. Curiosity isn’t something that can be taught, though it can be drawn out and trained if already there. In order to do what they need to do, they have to push themselves rather than wait for others to instruct them to act. This borders on recklessness without becoming stupidity…usually. You never know for sure, so there’s always a risk, and risk is our business more than anyone’s.”

“Well said,” Wilson agreed, knowing Davis was speaking as both observer and observee now that he had belatedly become an Archon.

“Do I need to get an entire wing set up?” Gerald asked.

“Yes,” Wilson said, “except…” he said, glancing dangerously at Davis.

He saw it too. “Tell Kara to start using Essence again, now, and keep her away from the others. All of them, until this is over. Go.”

Wilson jumped out of his chair and ran from the office, not knowing what would happen if she also started to transform...and her Vorch’nas’ fought it.

10

September 23, 154930

Solar System (Home One Kingdom)

Earth

Jason rolled out of bed after another 12 hour nap, then groggily walked over to his quarter’s interface terminal as he brought up the recent biomonitor data to see what he’d gained. Turned out there wasn’t much change this time, but a continuing of previous changes as they morphed a bit more. The medtechs said it was not uploading a new genetic code into him, but rather crafting one to his personal status.

That meant all of the trailblazers would end up with a different genetic code, and so far they’d already seen a few considerable differences. All 99 of them here were now going through the process, some ahead of others, with Devan-000 ironically being the last to naturally catch ‘the bug’ that had them all blacking out.

Thankfully Jason was past that point, and as long as he didn’t try to overtax himself he could actually find his way to his quarters and his bed once he began to feel the deep fatigue creeping in on him. Sleeping this much was unnatural, and his Saiyan genetics had gone through several alterations early to allow it. It looked like they’d been tweaked again this time, though how he couldn’t be sure. His body couldn’t be tested like he wanted without doing heavy training, and that was the biggest thing after Essence use that Wilson had told them to avoid.

It was time to rest, he’d told them, and the more they did the more they changed, with several new powers popping up in others, though Jason had yet to have one of his own. His body was reworking itself into a more powerful form, that was obvious, but Roger-009 had already grown two inches and increased his inner skull volume by a whopping 38%...along with a new piece of his brain that contained neurons so dense they didn’t look like they belonged there.

The rest of his brain…and Jason’s…was upgrading and getting more complex, but for some reason Roger had grown this new addition, and it was suspected the body size increase had been to accommodate it. His head was also shaped slightly different now, a touch wider and a little peaked on top like a stunted Mohawk, but not outside the range of skull shapes the Human population currently had.

Nobody had grown a tail…yet…but Morgan’s Jumat tissue had spread even further throughout her body, though it had actually shrunk in size. Apparently version two didn’t require as much mass, but she could control it like Lachka within a certain radius of her body without