9 comments/ 8756 views/ 24 favorites A New Age By: hacked_soul Chapter 1: Reality Shattered When's this dude gonna replace the fucking lock? Three weeks had passed since Zack complained to his uncle, the store owner, about the ancient lock. After fidgeting with the key for more seconds than his patience could handle, his emotions got the better of him. Zack picked up a nearby rock and slammed it into the ancient contraption until it finally gave in and broke. "Finally!" The sigh of relief was brief as his he realized the new lock was going to come out of his paycheck. "Idiot" he muttered under his breath. The Deli was small and fairly new with only being able to seat 10 people but it was a nice little establishment that made its fair share of profit. In fact, Zack was the reason his uncle Damien was making any money. He was the go to person in the family for any errand, whether it be fixing a light to finding a location to open up shop. As he thought about more and more he realized he was a tool that just kept getting used and used. As he made his way behind the counter a sharp pain brought him back to reality and well as bringing upon the incentive to take some more pills. He quickly reached into the bottom pocket of his cargos and pulled out a bottle of extra strength Naproxen, 600mg to be exact. He quickly downed two tablets and chugged down a bottle of water he pulled from the store refrigerator. As he waited for the pain to subside he remembered the dreadful visit to the doctor. ******************************** "Ok doc give it to me straight, how bad is it?" Zack often quoted bad movie lines to his aging physician. It was a tradition of sorts that started years ago and they both just accepted it. This time however there was no witty response, the man gave Zack a defeated look that only raised his already high heart rate. "Dr. Watson come on, jokes over man what's up?" One could hear the nervousness in Zack's voice. The doctor took a seat on his desk and began to type some things on the computer. Zack knew this was bad since he only did that when something was really bad. "What the fuck is going doc?" "It's your body Zack" he finally spat out. Seeing Zack's scared and confused expressions he elaborated. "Your body bruises easily and heals itself very slowly. You can't continue this boxing thing, your body cannot handle it." "Ok boxing is out. I mean I wanted to learn some other fighting styles but whatever man I'll deal, it's no big." Zack was clearly dejected but he reasoned that it could've been much worse. He just had to find another hobby. The doctor sighed knowing that getting Zack to understand wasn't going to be easy. "No Zack I mean all physical activity." Instantly Zack laughed, "I'm sorry come again?" "Your body just can't take the stress. If you continue along this path you'll do nothing but hurt yourself in the long run. I'm talking about paralysis here Zack!" "Do you know my family?" He had nervous smile on his face. "They're ALL in construction. How the fuck do I tell them that I'm too weak for that line of work? Do you know what's going to happen to me?" "You won't be in a wheelchair, I know that." Dr. Watson didn't waste a second to respond as evidence of his many years in the business. "This should help with the pain" he stated as he handed Zack the prescription. "Fuck you." Zack took the prescription and rushed out the room ************************************* "I'm paying you to daydream now?" Damien stated after he launched a paper ball at him, consequently bringing Zack back to the real world. "I wasn't dreaming" he responded as he tossed the paper ball into the nearby trash can, making it on his first try. Nice. "Come on D, give the princess a break." Zack turned to put a face on the familiar voice. "Fuck you want AJ?" Zack was clearly not in the mood. Damien came up from behind and smacked him across the neck. "That's how you talk to a customer? No wonder I'm losing sales." Zack saw the grin cemented on AJ's face and gave up. He wasn't equipped or in the position to fight this battle. Swallowing his pride he followed the orders set by his uncle, "How may I help you?" This was a daily occurrence but no matter how many times it happened he couldn't get used to it. "Still ditching classes princess?" The tailored Armani suit just made AJ look more of douche, something Zack thought was impossible. "Anyways just give me the usual, if your body can take that is." Both Damien and AJ cracked up barely able to silence, much less conceal their joy. I hope you all fucking die. Zack gripped the knife with so much force that the veins on his hands were clearly visible. Although he had been out of the gym for a while his body hadn't degraded much. He took the bagel bread out and continued to fill the order. "The usual" he stated as he handed AJ is order. "Keep the change, I know you need it" AJ stated clearly looking down on him. Zack smiled and responded with a polite "Fuck You" before getting back to work. Just for the final remark he was given the responsibility of closing up shop that night. Gazing at the barely visible moon he waited what seemed like an eternity for the train home, unfortunately there was problem in the tracks two stations away so all trains were cancelled at his station. He laughed at his ongoing misfortune, he experienced so much pain it became a running joke. "Ahh fuck my life" he stated continuing to sporadically chuckle at his woes. Walking down the terminal he saw a mouse, it was completely still as if preparing to be attacked. Curiosity got the better of him and he diverted from his path to examine the phenomenon. A small black puddle of slime was the great predator the mouse was panicking about. What a waste of time, he thought. He looked closer as the puddle seemed to ripple before his eyes. What the... He leaned closer, unease tingling down his decrepit spine. The slime came rushing towards him but halted a few inches from his feet. For unknown reasons he bent down and and gently poked the puddle, instantly the slime latched onto his finger and began burrowing inside his skin. You would think that something burrowing into your skin would be agonizing, or at the least cause a moderate amount of pain but he just stood there and watched the slime burrow itself inch by inch until it disappeared completely. The first of many drastic changes began at tips of his fingers, the black slime began tracing his veins and spread quickly throughout his body. He stood here witnessing the event completely still and quiet. Once the slime traced out the every, single, tiny vein, the black markings disappeared. Zack blinked a few times, staring at his arm when a weird sensation started in his eyes. He blinked again and moved over to a reflective piece of glass. The slime was in his eyes and made its way across the empty white canvas of the Sclera piercing the iris and attaching to the pupil as he sat in stunned silence. The earth yellow iris he proudly flaunted became corrupted with black tendrils anchoring themselves to the pupil. Home, a voice resonated inside his head finally breaking him out of a trance like state. Once again the voice echoed inside his mind, Home. What? He was well aware of the situation but he couldn't get a handle on why this creature stopped just short of taking him over completely. In most literature and modern science an infection that spreads quickly tends go all the way. Survive. He felt a stabbing sensation right above his forehead, around the cortex of his brain. There was an inflow of information, mostly memories, flooding the brain, this time causing immense pain. He fell to his knees gripping the sides of his head attempting to squeeze the pain out. Patience, echoed throughout his very being. His eyes welled up with tears, falling into fetal position he succumbed to the pain and pleaded, "Enough." The info kept flooding the brain without end, memories of pain and banishment tugged his heart until the ordeal was finally over. Home, it echoed once again. Using the nearby railing for support, he picked himself up still unable to breath normally. What did you do to me! Bypassing the interrogation, the slippery substance began to coat the lungs spreading by contact and as if the mind-numbing pain wasn't enough it began to crawl towards the heart. Instead of coating it, the ooze pierced the structure and began to fuse creating a symbiotic structure. Please! STOP! Patience echoed once again, still never increasing above a whisper. Once the slime was completely infused with the body the pain subsided and his breathing normal. Angered by the near death experience he demanded answers from the creature. Survival was the only answer he received however. What do you want from me? He thought walking up the stairs trying to establish a sense of normalcy. Life echoed inside his mind causing a mild panic attack. He didn't agree to this, he protested the infection and demanded whatever this creature was to leave. Suddenly he felt a piercing sensation near his temple causing a minor groan. I wish no harm. Surprised that it could actually formulate sentences he listened to it while on his way to the nearby train station. We are survivors, this is why you are alive. He paused for a moment letting the notion sink in that he could've died less than ten minutes ago. In exchange for your life force I offer you great power. Curious to what this great power was, he demanded an elaboration. I give to you the gift of resurrection. You will adapt to anything that killed you and become immune on your return. Revealing the paradox on this so called gift, he was told that after he dies by his infection he would resurrect hours later and be immortal in the sense that he wouldn't age, thereby having an unlimited supply of life force. We are meant to survive Zack. He felt the pressure on his temple die out and blurted, "Shit that feels better." Just then he realized he was communicating with his thoughts when the creature took over his temple region, if the thing wanted it could make him mute anytime. Trust the voice echoed, reverting back to one word statements. Zack used the train ride to learn more about the entity living inside him as well as the process of the resurrection. Instead of a direct conversation it unlocked a memory of its origin, one of the many memories that were transferred during the fusion process. The slime's original planet was light years away from Earth, taking roughly 400 years to enter its solar system. As with anything, the planet reached the end of its lifespan causing its inhabitants to flee. Some landed on Earth while others may still be traveling to this day. Not every creature had the same ability, so whoever didn't have the ability to adapt died out ages ago. Floating aimlessly with nothing in sight for years upon years until death finally calls and puts an end to the boredom. The entire memory left him in a state of melancholy before the chronic depression kicked in and added onto the misery. He walked through the door, hung his keys on the key rack and reheated the leftovers. This was the one thing that he didn't mind about his new working environment. He got off late after everybody fell asleep, which allowed him to evade the stares of disappointment from his kin. Strength the slime repeated over and over again, each time causing a heightened state of drowsiness. Within seconds Zack's head dropped lifelessly on the table. He woke up in a hospital bed with various tubes connected to his body, not surprisingly he screamed as he frantically attempted to take off the equipment. Before he even reached the IV nurses ran in beckoning the doctor as they restrained Zack. The last thing Zack saw was one of the nurses injecting a liquid into one of this veins before he fell back into darkness. Day in and day out it was the same process, Zack would open his eyes for a few seconds before returning to the darkness. It wasn't long before the creature became threatened. Just like the day before, the nurses came barging in attempting to restrain the youth. One of the nurses injected the liquid into Zack's forearm and left once he was stable and motionless. This time however, the slime used most of its strength to push the drug out but all it could do was push it back to the tip of the needle, once his strength gave way the drug would rush through Zack's body. It restrained Zack by inducing a temporary state of paralysis. Four seconds later Zack was once again in control, consequently the slime was severely weakened by its actions. With the strength it had left it merged all its knowledge of the previous week with Zack's mind before finally letting go. What the fuck was that! Why am I at the hospital!? Sensing the danger the slime kept its hold on Zack's ability to speak, soon the raging headache came crawling back. The doctor does not value your life. He has attempted to extract my essence and transfer it into himself. The injection has weakened us severely I suspect one more injection shall put an end to both of us. The voice began to get softer after each word, the mental hold also seemed to be getting weaker. No resurrection, it stated before its strength gave way. Zack could sense that the slime was still alive but it was even weaker than it was when they fused. Determined, he removed the tubes connected to his body and sat up. Once the needle was removed from his forearm, the slime pushed the remaining drug out. What happens now? I mean how do we get out of here? The whispered softly, Strength. Zack remembered the last time he heard it say that, he passed out and ended up in his situation. He reluctantly allowed the creature to take his life force since it was his only way out. Surprisingly, he didn't feel anything this time around. Moments later the creature spoke with new found energy. Instead of a verbal conversation the slime awakened another memory, causing a migraine in the process. This memory revealed more about the creature's origin. It showed flashes of humanoid creatures creating the slime. There were also flashes of these humanoids injecting the slime or swallowing it. The last image Zack saw was a mass grave, countless lifeless bodies with slime oozing out of their pores. Feeling nauseous, Zack ran to the bathroom and vomited endlessly. No matter what he did, he couldn't get the image of the bodies out of his head. It was as if Zack himself had witnessed it, these were no longer the creature's memories, and they were now his memories. He remembered seeing some humanoids injecting more than one type of slime. Soon everyone began to inject them not knowing that slime fed on their life in return. Zack saw nearly all the colors and variations of the slime but none matched the one that he fused with. Neither the color nor the texture matched the slime he fused with. If you wish to survive you must complete the fusion process. Zack positioned himself next to the toilet. I thought we already did that at the subway. When you almost killed me. The mere thought of doing it again sent chills down his spine, he didn't believe he could go through it again. The fusion process is completed when the host injects his blood into the mainframe of the ship. My original host was not a perfect match so he was not able to elude death. He injected countless other creatures from his travels in an attempt to escape his impending death but luck was not on his side. His ship crash landed here when you were but a primitive species, I have been since living from host to host in a desperate attempt to survive. This doctor somehow has knowledge of my existence and a means to eradicate it, the only option we have is to locate the ship. Zack felt immense pain emanating from behind his eyes, vision becoming blurry as a consequence. An intense sensation of dryness took over soon after. Tendrils traced the veins in his eyes, overpowering them and inducing a rapid color change. Soon the iris became pitch black as numerous tendrils swarmed in occupying every millimeter of space before reverting back to its original color. Your body has begun to accept me, the changes are taking faster than expected. The more your body accepts me the more changes I can make to maximize survivability. Your visual prowess should be greatly enhanced. Factoring in the fragile state your body you'll only be able to use a portion of the abilities. The doctor will come back to kill me again but this time he'll come alone. When he does, you must look directly into his eyes and tell him to discharge you. Before Zack could ask any questions the doctor came in and greeted him nonchalantly. Everything was taking place just like the creature had warned him about. The doctor led Zack bedside and told him that he was due for another shot. Zack quickly reacted and looked directly into his eyes. He felt a sting around his eyelids before he saw the doctor go into a trance like state. The release forms were signed and he was escorted out of the hospital allowing him enough time to escape before the trance wore off. Zack's body was already severely weakened from the drugs administered to him over the past week but now his vision had worsened as well. All he could see was smudges of different colors unable to tell the difference between people and cars. The creature guided him towards the ship while scanning the area for potential threats. Zack walked for hours relying on pure adrenaline. He heard the rustling of leaves indicating he was somewhere in the woods as the sound of street cars came to a distant halt. Zack was falling in and out of consciousness in a desperate attempt to get to ship. The ship is here was the last thing he heard before his body shut off and dropped to the floor. He found himself in a small, pure white room with only a door on his far right. Zack attempted to make contact with the creature but there was no response. Going with his gut he walked through the door and entered a larger room. The room was the size of a living room, this also with no furniture just like the last. The only commonality being the white everything. He walked a few steps before he noticed the door behind him had disappeared, there was no cut out on the wall. There was no sign of a door ever being there. He paced back and forth trying to come to terms with the situation. Suddenly what seemed like a fan turned on? Zack knew the sound was from some type of ventilation system. Zack repeatedly asked the creature for advice but there was no reply. To make matters worse his lower back began to hurt again. Right when Zack was about to lay down the door opened, the same door from before. Not wanting to miss the opportunity he ran through only to come face to face with true terror. Thousands among thousands of organisms held in tube like cylinders. Somehow Zack knew that they weren't dead, he had a feeling the organisms were in a comatose condition similar to when he was in the hospital. Not wanting to find out he darted out the door, this time finding himself in a hangar bay like the ones found on navy aircraft carriers. This room seemed completely devoid of life, surprisingly Zack found this room to be more terrifying than the last. The hangar showed clear signs that it had a crew at some point but the sheer sight of an abandoned ship sent chills down his spine. He explored the room with caution, constantly looking over his shoulder. He saw small shuttles he figured were used for local exploration. Shuttle would be an understatement, what he saw looked like a giant tennis ball. There were no wheels, no propellers, there weren't even any exhaust pipes. There was a single seat inside and no controls what-so-ever. Either this was an unfinished model or this was an alien version of a chair. A New Age Not long after he saw an elevator, the lights were still on so he assumed it was still in working order. The elevator moved as if it had just been built yet the creature told Zack that the ship was abandoned for centuries. Nothing was making sense, the creature pretty much dragged him to the ship and now it was nowhere to be found. Thoughts of betrayal kept bombarding his mind, which was already filled notions that this was a giant set up. The elevator stopped at a circular room. In the middle of the room was a single chair, the type one sees in many space travel movies. It looked like an executive chair but it didn't contain leather or mesh, instead it had a material that Zack couldn't identify. Unable to control the urge, he sat down and was immediately in heaven. The sponge like material began to mold itself to the contours of Zack's body, providing extra padding for the lower region of his back. "Welcome back Captain" boomed out from the walls around him. Startled he jumped out the chair trying to find the owner of the voice. In a gentle almost serene tone it spoke again, "I've been awakened after five hundred and thirty years. The last captain died after we crash landed on this planet." "Uhh" was the only thing Zack could manage to get out. "Specimen 4X2A3 was found in massive amounts inside your body. I took the liberty of removing and storing it back into its container in the store room." "Wait what!?" "Specimen 4X2A3 broke out of its container a century ago. I was running very low on resources so it used you in an attempt to infect the ship and take control. The specimen is known to cause vivid hallucinations, prey on weaknesses and take over the host's body under the pretense of giving the host eternal life. Zack couldn't believe how stupid he had been, he of all people knew that no one was to be trusted yet he put all his faith into something he barely knew. The specimen had full confidence the ship had used up all its resources and was dead, the only reason Zack was still alive was because the ship had a few days left of power. Dejected, Zack asked, "So what happens now?" "The ship is in your hands. You decide what to do." He lived his entire life on the orders of others, this was the first time he had been given full freedom. The ship was his and he was responsible for it. Reluctantly Zack accepted the responsibility since he in the end sparked the entire event. After the heavy burden evened out Zack remembered what the creature had promised him, greatness beyond comprehension. "What about the things in the tubes downstairs?" He still held onto a tiny glimmer of hope that he could escape death. Zack's family was riddled with health problems consisting of weak bones, diabetes, cholesterol issues as well as an early onset of heart attacks. At best, Zack would be taking eight pills a day for the rest of his short life and he knew that. "Since you took care of the parasite problem inside me, is there anything else you can do to fix me up?" To his surprise the AI informed him that he was cured of all ailments he had. The lower back pain he felt was just the aftermath of what the AI called intensive surgery. His frail bones were injected with a serum known as B7 which made them nearly incredibly sturdy and his skin was laced with a substance that made it able to withstand a the impact from a small pistol. Upon hearing this Zack was ecstatic but it was short lived. Although he was in peak health his days were still numbered. The only thing Zack wanted in life was a life with no expiration date. It turned out that even the light years advanced race that invented the ship couldn't beat the reaper. Just then he remembered the parasite saying that it was able to adapt to death and it could possibly live without end. "So is there any way that you could take whatever gives it that ability and put it in me also?" he asked with hopes soaring. The AI confirmed his theory and explained to him that the original owners wanted the same thing that he did. The only problem was that the energy required to pull such a feat was astronomical. The AI had to map the entire genome of the specimen and then identify which genes interact with each other to produce such an effect. Afterwards it needed to figure out a way to extract it and make it transferable. The AI estimated that it would take 10 years to finalize the prototype that the original owners built ages ago. Although bleak Zack didn't lose hope since it was still a possibility. The AI walked him through the rest of the ship including what was the crew quarters, the mess hall, the rec rooms, the observatory and the manufacturing station. Everything besides the manufacturing station had a ghostly presence. The beds in the crew quarters remained unmade and half eaten plates littered the mess hall. The ship showed no signs of life force, it was as if the crew had disappeared rather than expired. Zack stopped the tour at the manufacturing station, where he spent the rest of his time. The only thing manufactured at this station was crewmembers. The control panel was a ten inch tablet with a myriad of species hardcoded into it, the latest addition being humans. The sole purpose of the machine was to make robots that looked like the species chosen. Curiosity took over as he selected the human template. Suddenly a 3D hologram was projected in front of him, rotating much like the character creation screens in RPGs. There were options to change the gender, the length of hair, the texture of the hair as well as the pupil size when it was dilated. The entire ordeal caused his hands to tremble, this was playing god. He walked out the room constantly looking back at the station. Sitting in the command center he pondered his next move, there was no way he could return to his normal life even if he wanted to. The AI asked if he would like to fill the ship with a crew. He laughed at the idea of it, "A slime thing practically made me his bitch and you want me to be captain." The AI assured him that the parasite was one of the deadlier organisms that was stored on the ship and that it was remarkable that he survived that long. "Okay so you got a name or I just call you AI?" The AI, it turned out, actually had a name, Zenith. Zack resumed his thought trail as he planned an outline for events to come. "Captain, what shall be the next course of action?" He reclined in his chair and took a deep breath, "I got nothing Zenith" "I don't follow Captain" she replied with a hint of confusion barely audible with her speech programming. "I've been following the plans of others my entire life, I never had a chance to come up with one." He took the elevator up to the captain's cabin and threw himself onto the bed, the mattress soft as clouds. The temperature automatically adjusted a cool 68 degrees while the mattress began to adjust to the contours of his body. "It's too much to take in at once. You have to give me some time to make sense of all this. For now I'm just going to get some rest and hopefully I'll have a plan of action when I wake." "Understood" Zenith replied before dimming the lights to a misty dark blue. Suddenly from inside the walls came sounds of a light rain shower with subtle drips to ease Zack's quiet descent into tranquil slumber. Zack woke well rested, something that was a rarity in his life. The first thing he noticed was the lack of pain and then the absence of a headache, the two basic signs he was awake. He made his way into the bathroom, something he hadn't seen during his initial tour, and groggily started his morning ritual. It was after his zombie-like brushing session when he noticed the distinct changes on his face. The bags under his eyes were drastically reduced and the popped pimples marks were also gone. "What the shit" he mumbled, still partly asleep. He opened the shower door and took a cold shower to kick himself awake. Out of the shower he noticed his slight hunchback was gone, not only that but it seemed he had what was known to be a perfect posture. The only time he saw a perfect posture was in the books, not even physiotherapists had a perfect posture. Praising his good fortune he went down to the kitchen. The new improvements boosted his mood so much that Zack decided to pick up exercising once again. As he made his way down to the gym Zenith gave him an option to go into the transformation chamber. Not seeing the downside Zack took option A and followed her directions to the floor below, back to the cargo area where the egg shaped pods were. The space pod theory was a total bust. Instead of traveling the pods were designed to change the body type of a person. The basic idea was in line to the super soldier serum but with no customizable options. The pod would detect your race and put you in peak condition for that species, so a human couldn't become 10 feet tall with stingers for arms. Zack stepped into the pod took a deep breath as the door closed, effectively trapping him inside. A needle pricked his finger and took a sample of his blood. A holographic screen appeared in front of his eyes indicating various stats about his body afterwards. A few seconds later it displayed arrows and more stats, this time the stats were either greatly increased or greatly reduced. According to the numbers, Zack was shit. He scored low on every single category besides one, tongue length, which was the average size. The peak human height was listed at 6'3, 10 inches taller than his current state. Just wanting the screen to disappear he quickly pressed the proceed button. A pink smoke began to take over in the pod followed by sense of drowsiness and causing him to black out moments after. Zack woke up back in the captain's cabin. Passing it all off as a vivid dream he began his morning ritual. It was then that he realized that was not looking at himself in the mirror. What Zack saw in the mirror was a look only comic book character could pull off. Zack knew it was him since he had the same face, the hair, two crooked vampire like teeth but it was too good to be true. Everything else was changed, there wasn't a shred of fat on his body....anywhere. To make matters even more surreal, the body was extremely vascular. Veins were decorating his arms like Christmas decorations. Holy shit, he thought as nothing else came to mind. Several moments passed before he was convinced that it was his own body. "Captain, the ship is in dire need of resources and fuel" Zenith interrupted. "Umm, I still have no idea on what to do. What fuel do the ship need?" "The first priority is getting main power back online since all power cells are depleted. The backup power will only last for six months according to recent tests. After some of the main power cells are back-online, I can get the maintenance droids activated. The droids can work on the systems that need repairs. In order to do this you need a crew for the ship in order to return to space. After that the ship is yours to command captain." This was where Zack had begun to worry. "That all seems fine but uhh why do we need a crew? Can't we just take off to space and get the droids to be the crew?" "The power cells have been damaged do the outbreak." Zack knew exactly which outbreak she was talking about. "If you have the mechanical expertise to fix the cells, there is no need for the crew." Still reluctant to take on a crew he eventually agreed as there were no other options. "How many crewmembers do you need and what jobs do you need them for?" "We need a minimum of three crewmembers to take off into space. As stated before the main priority is the power cells. I would recommend two electrical engineers to speed up the process and a doctor. The medical facilities nearly used all their resources on fixing your ailments and abnormalities. They will be unable to function soon unless we gather enough resources." Zack sighed, relieved that it was only three members. The only problem remained on how he was going to recruit them. He had zero social skills not to mention the trust issues. Even if he overcame those obstacles he still had no idea on how to convince people that he wasn't insane let alone take them along with him. "Is there a problem Captain" Zenith questioned. "Yea, how is anybody going to believe that I'm in charge of an alien ship and that they are being recruited?" "That is taken care of. You have an appointment with Dr. Amanda Frasier at noon. I have uploaded the directions to your phone. She was a medical practitioner before she lost her credibility. She believes that aliens had abducted her and probed her for various means. She may have other contacts that may be interested. I advise starting there." "Oh thank you Zenith" Zack let out. He felt as if a huge boulder had been lifted off his shoulders but in place of it a slightly smaller boulder had been placed. "Zenith umm the probing and abducting, uhh you know is that uhh is that true?" "There are some species in the universe that study other life forms, scientists you may call them. Yes, some instances are true however in Dr. Frasier's case, it was merely a false memory." "How do you know?" "Aliens, as you call them, experiment in pairs. Probing is more myth than fact, the technique is only used when there is a problem with the diagnostics machine. In addition, Dr. Frasier stated that she was in a room with 9 aliens, a truly improbable number. It was a false memory." "Oh" Zack responded. He thought it was best to leave that detail out when he met the doctor today. "You're phone will retain a stable connection to the ship no matter where you are in the city. A step into the outskirts and we will lose connection. The ship is undetectable currently but sometime within this month your government may pick up on the residual signals. I cannot stress how important this meeting is Captain." Fuck. He was starting to feel the weight of what he signed up for. "If you wish to make the appointment you should leave now" she reminded him. Before he left a thought pounded his mind. He was still considered missing in the real world and he kind of liked it that way. A fresh start seemed like something he needed... "Zenith the last thing I need you to do is change his fingerprints and give me a new identity. I don't want to go back to my original life, we should just start with a blank slate." "Your ID is waiting for you Captain. Your fingerprints are already changed captain, it was impossible to add the second layer of skin while preserving the fingerprints." "Wow uhh cool. Yea so I'll get to the meeting then." Zack was not accustomed to such efficiency, it would take a while for it all to sink in. As he exited through the door he was presented a tunnel, something he hadn't seen on his way in. As he followed through the tunnel he heard faint sounds that resembling jackhammers and then traffic. Luckily the tunnel didn't branch out into different pathways that would've made the commute impossible. Finally at the end of the tunnel was a ladder heading towards civilization. The wooden ladder although worn was sturdy enough to climb to the top of the dried up well. You have got to be shitting me. Zack was in one of the community's camping areas, he was dumbfounded at the fact that nobody had discovered the ship yet. Zack quickly exited the park and hailed a cab, the office was a good while away. Zack simply handed the phone to the cabbie and the guy instantly knew where he was headed. He turned on the meter and Zack was on his way. Dr. Frasier's office was more of a house than anything. The house looked stable but that was it, paint was chipping off the walls, windows were cracked and the garden was more of a jungle than anything. Apprehensively he walked to the front door and rang the bell, half expecting a horror scene from the looks of the premises. He waited a few moments before ringing the bell again. Zack almost gave up on the fifth ring when finally an elderly woman answered. The 5'4 woman appeared to be in her mid-50 and judging from the hotel bath robe she was wearing it didn't look like she was doing well in any aspect. Her hair was gave the term "bad hair day" a brand new meaning as her wiry blonde hair went all over the place. If she straightened it out it would've probably reached the lower part of back. She had some type of animal slippers on but it was hard to make out the creature as they were well past their prime. Zack couldn't believe that this was once a respected doctor. One thing that kept Zack's attention were her marvelous blue eyes. They seemed almost like cybernetic contacts, a shade of icy blue that seemed to encase an entire galaxy. "May I help you?" She asked breaking him out of the Trance. He suddenly realized that he had been staring for a while and hadn't even introduced himself. Slightly embarrassed he braved on. "Yea I had the appointment today." "You're my 2:30?" She looked in disbelief. "It doesn't seem like anything is wrong with you. What's the problem?" Zack didn't feel comfortable outing himself as a lunatic outdoors so he asked if they could bring the meeting inside. Although reluctant Dr. Frasier did let him in. The house was a mess, if one could call it that. All the furniture had been moved out except for two wooden dining chairs, chairs that were barely holding up. The floor boards were cracked, some were missing all together. It looked like a house that was headed down foreclosure. They took seats on the two worn out chairs when she started the conversation. "As you can see I haven't been taking in clients." Zack almost felt sorry for her. "In your email you stated that you had a personal story to share, something that included visitors?" "I actually did but I'm not really sure if you would believe me." He nervously chuckled, still uncomfortable with the situation. "It's okay, it's hard for everyone the first time. Now tell me what's going on." She had a calm demeanor only further proving her experience in the subject. Zack went retold his experience from the beginning earning Dr. Frasier's full attention. After he shared his experiences Dr. Frasier sat in shock as she was trying to wrap her head around the situation. "There's no way. That doesn't agree with ANY of my findings." She finally came to the conclusion that I was just a sci-fi nutcase who watched a bit too many movies. "I knew you weren't going to believe me. This was a complete waste of time." Zack had no options left other than to leave. It was hopeless to talk to this woman any further. "This ship you keep referring to. Would you be able to show it to me?" "I thought I was just a sci-fi nutcase." He shot back. Zack was slightly annoyed that the one person who was supposed to believe him pretty much threw him to the curb. "Maybe it was a bit harsh but you pretty much stated that all my years of work have gone down the drain. All those papers I submitted, my books, all worthless. You have to understand why I'm a bit skeptical about all this." She was obviously in a terrible position, possibly more than Zack. Attempting to acknowledge the doctor's point of view he agreed to take her to the ship. If she attempted anything he would simply tell Zenith to put her in a containment cell with all the other specimens. "Do you want to wear something or are you going like that?" His attempt at a joke backfired completely when she stated that she was wearing the only pieces of clothing she had left. Her ex-husband apparently had a better lawyer and took everything. Like before he hailed a cab and gave the park's address. He didn't bother looking at the doctor since he already knew what she was thinking. Taking her to a park wasn't doing anything to prove his testimony. Once at the park he found the dried up well and the ladder still inside. A New Age "Okay down the ladder and through the tunnel is the ship." It was only after he said it that he realized how stupid he sounded. No sane person would go down a well let alone a tunnel with a stranger. Luckily for Zack Dr. Frasier's curiosity was stronger. They proceeded down the well and got half way through the tunnel when Dr. Frasier warned him that she had a gun if he tried anything funny. Zack raised his arms as a sign of surrender and to show that he wasn't going to try anything. "It's literally a minute away. Check my phone if you have to." "You have one minute, a second after that and I'm leaving." She was obviously annoyed and even pulled out the gun as proof. Zack prayed that the enchantments Zenith made on his body were legitimate otherwise he was a dead man for sure. Once they reached the ship's entrance Zack let out a sigh of relief. He heard the gun drop as Dr. Frasier stood in shock. Her icy blue eyes widened by the sight. Zack picked up the gun just in case and led her in. Dr. Frasier was like a kid in a candy shop unable to control her excitement. She examined every inch of the ship before she let him put a word in. Once the day long tour of the ship was over and she was updated on the condition, Zack was finally able to have a conversation with her. "No you can't tell anybody about this!" This was the tenth time that Zack had to tell her. Each time she went into a room all she could say was how many people would benefit from this type of technology. "No think of how we're going to benefit from this, fuck the people." Dr. Frasier looked at him with a hint of confusion. "I'm the captain of this ship so I decide what happens. It was my decision to bring you here." Zack decided that it was best leave Zenith's input out of it, plus this was a matter of pride. "Now if you want to be part of this...this thing, you have to realize that there is no outside contact." "Will I be able to continue my research?" Zack was surprised that she didn't even flinch when he mentioned no outside contact. The only thing she was worried about was her research. "You mean the specimens?" "Of course what else would I mean?" "Just make sure Zenith is watching you, I don't want another breakout happening." "What do you take me for? A child? I supervised three full scale labs in my time." There was an aura of arrogance surrounding the doctor, an aura severely coated with a false sense of pride. "Calm down" he stated as he half-heartedly put his hands up. "No need to be so hostile." The doctor scoffed at the statement. "You do you okay? A breakout happened while Zenith was on watch so all I'm saying is just be careful." Taken aback by his calm demeanor Dr. Frasier merely agreed and went to work in the labs. The fuck was that? Zack ran to the area where he heard a thump, his mind racing to the worst case scenario. Luckily all the specimen were in their containment cells still in stasis but Dr. Frasier was not in the best shape. She fainted mere footsteps away from the labs. "Please escort the doctor to the medic's station while I scan the area for a possible breach." The last part of the statement took the life out of Zack's body as he remembered getting infected. A chill ran down his spine as his body triggered the fight or flight response. With fear coursing through his veins followed by adrenaline he carried the unconscious doctor to the medic's station all while praying nothing broke out of containment. As soon as he reached the station he placed her body on the ceramic white table top that resembled an autopsy table. "Captain please exit the area, I must complete the sterilization procedure." Zenith opened the transparent glass doors behind them, doors that apparently popped out of nowhere. Armed with his limited knowledge of everything going on, he heeded Zenith's warning and stepped out of the room. "What happened with the scan, like you found anything?" Zack was already panting from the sprint as his adrenaline zeroed out. He could literally feel every heartbeat as he waited for the answer. "My scans found no signs of a breach." Zack let out a sigh of relief as a giant weight was lifted off his shoulders only to remember the sterilization procedure. "So why are you doing the whole sterilization thing?" "I must remove the foreign substances inside her body as well as any ailments for her to be of use." Even though Zenith was a computer he still felt that was a bit cold. Just then the doors closed sealing off the room as pink smoke completely filled out the room. Zack heard an occasional cough that soon turned into full blown vomiting. He could hear faint begging and pleading to be released but even that soon died out. "How long is it going to take?" Zack couldn't stand the sight of it, even he was sick to his stomach. Just imagining the toxins forcefully getting ejected out of her body made him cringe. Before anymore thoughts of what was happening at ground zero boarded his conscious train of thought he quickly exited to his cabin. "Would you like to make any changes Captain?" The question took Zack by surprise. When asked to elaborate, Zenith just confirmed his suspicions. He was being given the option to physically alter Dr. Frasier, much like what he did to himself. The thought sickened him, altering another being on a whim was madness. Although his conscious entertained the grey area of morality before, Zack didn't have a hard on to play god. "Na, jus... "Zack was at a loss of words. How does one even respond to a question like that? His mind was trying to unscramble itself as he tried to force a sentence. "Jus... umm Just keep her the way she is I guess." "Very well Captain. The procedure is done, you may speak with her now." You guess? Zack often thought back on his actions well afterwards. Majority of the time, including this one, he wasn't pleased in the slightest. Great job not sounding like a dumbass. Zack chided him for not being able to keep his composure, he was a Captain now and he had to man up. Get it together fucktard, can't let her see you actin' like a bitch. The walk to the medic's station, now a room, was consisted of pumping himself up as well as rehearsing what he would say to Dr. Frasier. When he reached the room all the rehearsed dialogues and answers vanished as he saw Dr. Frasier fuming. Her clothes were covered in sweat, as was the entirety of her body. Her hair looked like it went through numerous accidents and a couple of bad hair days. Some of her hair was wet while the other parts were drier than the Sahara desert. The ends of her hair took on a combination of wavy and curly while the top of her head was magnetized and pointed in all different directions. Thankfully she didn't wear any makeup otherwise she wouldn't be too far away from looking like a Halloween costume. "Uhh" Zack nervously stated as he adored an even more nervous smile. Say something! Even though Zack had a backlog of words he wanted to say they wouldn't escape his mouth. As Dr. Frasier's breathing normalized she let go of the doors that were supporting her and he she composed herself. "What did...?" She took a deep breath before starting over. "What did you do to me?" "Nothing! Nothing! I swear!" In an instant Zack was pleading to the woman trying to explain his position. "Zenith was like there might be a contaminant and I was like do a check and then you were fainted and I brought you here and then the pink smoke and you coughing and then I ran but I came back and like you're here and..." The entirety of the backlog of words came out like a flood. What sounded like a perfectly logical explanation in his mind came out like a witness statement of a kindergartener. "What are you talking about?" Dr. Frasier's breathing was still a bit heavy as she often had to use the door for support. Every time Zack attempted to take a step forward to help her she glared him down. Thankfully Zenith interrupted the standoff and brought light to the situation. "Due to a possible breach, necessary protocols were enacted to ensure the integrity of the ship as well as the safety of the crew onboard." Zenith left out the part where Zack was given the option to alter her appearance. "Yea, yea exactly. Protocol." Stop talking you retard. In contrast to a few moments before, the words would not stop flowing at this point even though he consciously attempted to put up dams. "So what did you find?" Apparently going through the ordeal was acceptable because it was protocol. Zack couldn't grasp the change or the reasoning but he didn't want to entertain the possibility of sounding like an idiot again so he did what all great men did at some point, kept shut and let the women talk. "A host of viruses were found in your system as well as a severely damaged liver. The sterilization process has rid you of your ailments." Zenith's matter of fact tone made the situation much lighter than it could've been. "Jeez. I don't know what to say." Zack saw the Dr. Frasier go deep in thought. He figured she must've been contemplating on the future living with those ailments. "Should you feel the need, you have access to the transformation pod to your right." Even Zack was surprised at the mention of it. Even he was oblivious to its existence. "Your physical form may be altered. At the moment it will only be able to alter up to a certain extent due to scarce resources." That was the moment Zack saw Dr. Frasier's eyes light up. He could already sense what was going on in her mind, the same things that went on his not long ago. She looked at Zack for permission, he was no longer a child in her eyes. His ship, His AI, His technology, His choice. Just then it dawned on her, everything was his. If it weren't for him she would still be downing half a bottle of Johnny Blue at 9 in the morning. "I don't care if you use it" he stated reassuringly. "I'm just as new to this as you are, hell you may even have more experience than me." She was giddy with excitement as she just received a do over for life. "Oh my god, Thank You!" She didn't look back as she entered the pod and closed the chamber. "Captain, please adjust the controls and submit the changes." Zack, following Zenith's instructions, apprehensively walked towards the control panel and nervously smiled at Dr. Frasier. The pod had a window that allowed Dr. Frasier to see outside as well as communicate since it was well aligned with her head. "Uh so what should I change?" The entire situation was a bit awkward for his tastes but he powered through. "What options does it give you?" Dr. Frasier's voice was slightly altered by the pod but one could clearly make out the excitement her words were laced in. "Umm height, eye color, skin color and uhh yea..." It was too awkward for Zack to mention the other options that delved into specifics about a woman's body. "Ok let's keep all that the same what else does it say?" Zack could already tell he wasn't getting out of this. "Hair specifics and weight, like fat and muscle ratio." He thought that if he tried the foot in the door technique he could ease himself into the more specific aspects later on. "Oh great okay could you increase my hair to like my waist and make the color a dark shade of blonde that turns to black towards the ends? Oh and can you make the hair simply straight with no split ends?" "Uhh ok" Zack replied instantly although he had no idea whatsoever on how to input those commands. The entire control panel was foreign to him. Luckily Zenith sensed his problem and inputted the commands herself letting Zack take all the credit. I would so hug you right now Zenith. "Done what else?" "Holy shit you actually were able to do all of that?" Zack sensed much harder requests coming. "Could you take the excess fat off my body? I want to have about 10% body fat and slightly visible muscles. I want to fit that toned body image but nothing compared to you, I don't want any veins visible." Zenith like before took care the commands while Zack gave Dr. Frasier a thumbs up when it was successfully completed. Now came the part he wished he wasn't here for. "Hey are there any other options? Since Zenith stated that the entire physical body was malleable, I thought there'd be much more options." Zack scratched the back of his neck and sighed. "No there are. Umm breast size?" Dr. Frasier giggled as she saw the redness completely take over his cheeks. If it weren't for the purple stained glass window, one could see the redness on Dr. Frasier's cheeks as well. Although embarrassed she knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and she should go full out. There was no guarantee that this would be an option in the future. "Can you make my breasts bigger?" Zack immediately started coughing as his entire face was had now succumbed to the shade of his cheeks. "Uhh yea uhh what uhh what size?" He repeatedly scratched the back of his head all while purposely avoiding eye contact, this was light years away from his comfort zone. Dr. Frasier, in contrast to Zack, had thrown public opinion out the window as she went full out describing her dream body. "I would like 34G breasts but I don't want them to be perky, I'm not a pornstar." The pornstar comment only increased the frequency of coughs from Zack. "I also want a 26 inch waist and 34 inch hips. I also want a toned butt, not enormous however but a shapely and proportioned rear. Oh and could you remove all the blemishes from my skin, I'd like my skin to be baby soft" "Done" Zack stated still not being able to attempt eye contact with the doctor. The last option, close to 90% of all available options were greyed out due to scarce resources, was that of age. Zack let out a sigh of relief as they were back to PG adjustments. Now maintaining eye contact he asked her about her views on age. "I don't want to be super young but I'd still like to be in my prime. I think 28 should do." Once all the settings were in a warning came up stating to remove all clothes. "Uhh yo the machine says to umm remove your clothes." Zack couldn't believe he was actually telling a woman to strip. He could see the reluctance in her eyes but he quickly absolved it. "I'll turn around. All I have to do is press submit and let the machine do its thing. Once you remove your clothes just tell me and I'll press the key and be out. I won't look I swear." There was a faint smile that emerged on her face before she agreed. As per plan, he rid herself of the clothes and Zack rid himself from the room. As he walked out the room he felt an uncomfortable sensation between his legs, or rather his third leg. It could've been used as a beam for a building. His third leg was at the brink of tearing through his jeans. Not wanting anyone to see him in this state he sprinted to the nearest bathroom. It was worse than he thought as his dick was already twitching with excitement. No amount of cold water would sate the beast as it had already made up its mind. His dick demanded release. Fuck me! Come on man not now! With one hand holding the wall for support Zack grabbed his dick and began to jerk it to release. He closed his eyes and began to imagine the usual, pornstars and celebrities but this time his mind went elsewhere. Every time he brought up an image of a celebrity that Zack frequently masturbated to, the image found itself morphing into Dr. Frasier and her new body. Zack shook his head a few times to switch images but each image kept transitioning to Dr. Frasier ultimately. Fuck it. He sighed and went along with his urges, the id had won this battle. Zack imagined Dr. Frasier coming out of the pod in full glory, her skin glistening with the light hitting it at exactly the right angles. He imagined her walking ever so slowly with breasts bouncing slightly with each step. As she closed the distance between them she whispered sweet nothings into his ear before placing soft kisses on his cheek, slowly but passionately making her way to his lips. Zack quickened his pace as her breasts made contact with his bare chest. He grabbed her ass and squeezed her cheeks as their tongues wrestled each other. Zack pushed her against the wall as he aligned his stiff rod with her awaiting entrance. As soon as he slid his dick inside her he climaxed, the high definition movie playing in his mind faded into blackness. Zack's breathing was fast and shallow as he flushed the evidence away. Fuck...