Studying the Unloved

by Krin

An old scientist does the unthinkable studying Metal Heads. What happens when J&D show up, following orders to blast the enemy apart? Research verses survival. Good!OC. Jak2 fic, AU because it was started before J3 and JX came out.

1. Embryology

Chapter 1: Embryology

The amniotic fluid is a viscous mix of metal ions and a semiconductor liquid. This fluid also cushions the embryo, and is located between it and the egg shell. The shell is metal and slowly disintegrates while supplying the growing embryo with ions.

There is a large allentois which stores waste. This is the visible coating of a Metal Head egg. The allentois quickly swells with the byproducts of the embryo's internal reactions and envelopes the egg shell. This serves two purposes; to conceal and to protect the eggshell. The allentois skin contains a poison to deter egg eaters. It also retains a large static charge over its surface area, which will shock any fleshling that touches it.

Metal Head eggs can be found in any environment with a heavy supply of dark eco or metal, but never both. Eggs deposited on the sides of buildings or in veins of ore underground usually give rise to the small to medium sized subspecies. Eggs deposited in pools of eco quickly produce a stalk and right themselves, often swaying in their own electrostatic breezes. These eggs usually hatch into the larger subspecies and all of those able to fly.

It is not exactly clear why eggs are not deposited, say, on the side of a building submerged in eco. My guess would be this: the ratio of eco to metal ions within the "skull gem" (or cranial scintillation) determines which of the many subspecies the organism will develop into. A ratio of 1:1 is probably a terminating factor. The liver equivalent in a Metal Head (known in the scientific community as Klaxon's intermediary) serves three purposes; to filter toxins from the blood, to break down eco into usable packets of energy (alpha function), and to prepare ingested metals for use in the body (beta function). If the ratio of eco to metal is 1:1, both the alpha and beta functions must work to full capacity, quickly killing the organism because there is not enough time to ingest material fast enough for the remaining body functions.

After four to six months of development the eggs are ready to hatch. The egg shells are all but gone at this point with the metal having been incorporated into the exoskeletons of the baby Metal Head. The embryos secrete a sticky substance just before hatching so that they are not poisoned by their own allentois. A clutch of Metal Head eggs often hatches simultaneously, resulting in siblicide as the babies fight for food and other resources.

Reference, Chapter One of "Studying the Unloved"

Dr. T, PhD Biometallics, Herbal Medicine, Universal Anatomy and Physiology

Published and supported by Praxis Publishing; Slave Labor, You Get What You Pay For