Opening her eyes, the Chosen Siren was greeted by light and color.

The room was a blur of whites and grays, the gently glowing lights of the machinery next to her bed reflecting off of the walls. The whirr of the ship's engines had returned to her, just as well as the rush of her breathing to her ears. The bed underneath her was pleasantly cool as she felt her hands over it, contemplating it. She was sitting up on the bed in her little room, just big enough to not be claustrophobic. Just having woken up, she took the chance to just... take it in. Come to terms with the fact that she was seeing, hearing, feeling again.

Of course, she was trying desperately not to look at herself.

But she felt it all the same. She was distinctly taller than she last remembered, even accounting for the fact she'd been blind for... she didn't know how long. Harder to ignore was the second pair of hands, feeling the bed just as well. She ran her tongue against her teeth. Her molars were still intact, but... the front ones were definitely sharper.

As she was in the middle of taking stock, there was a knock at the door. "Eliza?" Right, that was her name. That was Tygan, voice muffled by the door. It was soothing to hear him again, but as she opened her mouth to reply... she couldn't bring herself to say anything. What would her voice sound like? How would her psionics react? Eliza closed her mouth, carefully getting up. Her vision lurched as her longer legs propelled her closer to the ceiling, and she noticed she was far closer to the top of the doorframe than she had been before. The feeling of walking on stilts was very prevalent, and she teetered towards the wall, steadying herself. Her muscle memory was still so used to her old legs—at least her arms were still mostly easy to navigate. Well... the top pair. It was then that Eliza noticed her bottom pair kind of just naturally hanging at her sides, and she pressed one of them against the wall as well. She was not going to look dignified for a while, that much she could guess. Eliza eased her way over to the door pad, opening it.

As promised, Tygan was on the other side, a datapad in his hands. His face softened as he saw Eliza, and that was enough to soothe her worries at that moment. "I see the concluding surgery was a success. Do you think you can walk outside?"

Well... that much she wasn't sure of. Her eyes darted to the side, and Tygan must've caught that. "I supposed it might be hard getting used to your new legs." He reached for something against the wall, and brought out what was essentially a Chosen-sized walking stick. "Perhaps it may not be the most becoming... but I know you would shun a wheelchair in favor of getting used to your new legs as soon as possible."

She was glad that Tygan knew her so well. Eliza consciously reached for the walking stick with her free lower hand, planting it against the ground before grabbing it with all her other ones. It was very steady, and it looked like there was a material on the bottom that was preventing it from sliding on the ground. Giving Tygan a smile, she ducked under the door, firmly placing the walking stick down as she went. She felt—and must've looked—like a baby deer as she walked out.

The inside of the Genetic Lab was more of the same, and very similar to what she had blindly seen—including the operating table in the middle of the room. How many times had she woken up on that thing in total darkness, just for that Thin Man to materialize from it and taunt her with the fact that she met her fate on her way to avoid it? Eliza tore her eyes away from the table, looking at the rest of the room. Sherry, Samhien, and Argus were in attendance, and there was a table near the door littered with odds and ends—bits of broken armor, keepsakes, photos, and a few mugs of coffee. Must have been the last of the "tributes" her soldiers had been leaving her. She didn't know how many times she'd been handed a mug of coffee that had been hopefully cooled down, or given something crumbly that turned out to be her favorite type of cookie. She smiled—

—and one of her hands shot to her cheekbones. Ah, right. She felt like there was something foreign on them, and in a way, there was. Feeling across them, they definitely had to have been those strange scales she'd seen on the Chosen's cheeks, and she began to notice them out of the corners of her eyes. Her hands were... purple. Right, right. Done distracting herself, the last object of note in the room was a tall, rectangular object, leaned against the wall with cloth over it. A mirror, most likely, and that was the very last thing she wanted to confront. She looked to Tygan for guidance. "We're just going to do some tests to make sure everything is working correctly. Can you sit on the table?"

Nodding again, Eliza carefully took her place on the table, looking over to Samhien, Sherry, and Argus while keeping a hand on her walking stick. The former two's eyes were notably more purple than before, with Sherry even having a slightly more pink-ish tinge. They both offered smiles to her as she felt Tygan putting a cuff on her upper arm. She was only wearing a hospital gown, but thankfully it was less flimsy than some of the ones she had worn before. As Tygan put a stethoscope under the cuff and inflated it, she took a moment to consider her arms. Her light blue, glowing veins stood out against purple a little less, but they were definitely still there—maybe even more pronounced. They'd kept her muscles, thankfully, and as she reached back to feel her hair... there wasn't any. Just fuzz on her scalp. She frowned, knowing they likely had to shave it to get into her head, but still.

"Your hair will come back in, I assure you." She looked to Argus as they spoke. "Even before, your genetics cut in favor of accelerated hair growth rather than its absence, but I made sure it would stay regardless. If you feel that it grows too fast, do let me know."

Well, that was comforting. Maybe she just needed to channel her psionics very hard to get it back within a reasonable amount of time. Tygan quickly finished the blood pressure test after that, deflating the cuff and taking it off of her. "Blood pressure is at your new normal, and I'm not hearing any irregularities with your pulse. Do you feel like something might be out of the ordinary?"

Eliza shook her head. Yeah, she felt like she was walking on stilts, and she was a little warmer than what she was used to, and that her psionics had massively expanded in her mind, but none of it seemed more weird than it should have been. Honestly, at this point, she just wanted to wrap Tygan in an enormous, now four-armed hug and not let go of him for about an hour or so. Or any of her lovers. Or... or Asaru.

Perhaps it showed on her face, as Tygan moved along. "Right. Can you speak?"

This wasn't a hurdle she was ready to leap over. She opened her mouth for a second, then closed it, looking away. Argus approached. "Eliza, I assure you your normal voice will be unaffected by your psionics. It may sound slightly deeper, but I did what I could to keep it within the same range as it was."

She was still unconvinced, right up until Tygan took her hand. As the relatively cooler warmth from his palm set in, he leaned in closer. "I want to hear you, Eliza. Please."

Of course Tygan would prey on her like that. Eliza squeezed his hand back, faltering a few times before she spoke. "—I'm..." Her voice was slightly deeper, but it wasn't too bad. More importantly, her psionics didn't react whatsoever to her speaking. "I'm able to speak."

Tygan calmly smiled at her, but he was quick to go back to professionalism as he tried to take away his hand. The key word was tried—Eliza quickly reached out and snagged it again, and he got the message. "Good to hear." His hand didn't fit like it used to in her palm... but it fit nonetheless. Just like a favorite pair of socks, re-tailored to fit growing feet. "Any dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath?"

"None." She looked back to Argus. "Did you do what I asked?"

"Yes. I can confirm you are non-viable for children, like the other Chosen."

Like the other—? So the others were sterile? Shelving that fact for later, Eliza moved to stand. It was hard going, but eventually she shakily got to her feet. "How many tests do I need to go through before I can go resume my position?"

"Only one more." Tygan motioned to Sherry and Samhien. "... I know this won't be easy, Eliza. But you should see yourself as you are now."

He was right—it was the last thing Eliza wanted to do. But she didn't resist as Samhien and Sherry went over to get the covered mirror, bringing it over. She closed her eyes for a second, but opened them as she heard the fabric hitting the floor.

She hardly recognized herself. They had to hold up the mirror to catch her full height, and even then her legs got cut off a little. Her face was what she supposed was typical of a Chosen—sunken eyes, prominent cheekbones... and a set of tattoos. Dark purple like the others, two sets of curled lines coming from either side of her upper lips—one set curling and then hooking under her cheek scales, the other going up and tracing the outline of her eye sockets before tapering off into points. Argus had at least kept her nose somewhat, as it was bigger than the other Chosen's, but that wasn't saying much. Indeed, white fuzz clung to her scalp, and her hairline had stayed where it was. She thought she spotted another set of pecs right where her two other arms started, and a quick feel confirmed they were there. Eliza was taller, maybe starting to scrape at Fal-Mai's height.

She was the Chosen Siren. Kon-Hur Dessurik. Depthssinger. Yet she was not. She was the Commander. Eliza O'Leary. Unlike the others, her Ascension did not strip her of her past—if anything, the memories hurt more. She wanted to see the others so badly.

Eliza steeled her will. "I'm done looking. I'm probably going to need some more presentable clothes before I go out there, though."

"Indeed. The Tailors have made a new form of your outfit, and there was something I wanted to approach in regards to your mementos." Tygan gestured for the mirror to be set aside, and it was. "Many of the soldiers, wishing you luck, donated bits of armor that had saved their lives. I asked them regarding the idea that had come to me, and they had responded universally positively. It's... inevitable, that you will need armor." She could guess why. Looked like nobody had come up with an answer about operating the Gate other than putting her through it. "I thought a sentimental and practical solution would be to melt the life-saving armor pieces down and use them in the compound for your armor. Or reconstitute them in other ways, if they cannot be made into the alloy."

Honestly? Eliza liked that idea a lot. But... she wanted to see them first. She nodded, squeezing Tygan's hand one more time before walking over to the table, picking up the pieces and inspecting them. She... she recognized all of them. This one, mag armor that halted a shot to Herod's heart. That one, a piece of conventional padding that had just barely stopped a mag shard that would've taken out Mary's shoulder and ended her career. Then, the plate of Arsozu's, completely caved in. A measure of what started it all.

From Mordenna, to Fal-Mai, to Jax. Wiki, to Schro, to the others. The Rulers. Argus. So many people she wouldn't have known as she did now, if she had never given them the chance. She kept looking over the pieces of armor, even reminding herself of the soldiers that had made it all possible in the first place. They didn't have to trust her as they had. They didn't have to accept the Chosen, and all the others that came after them. They could have resolved to only listen to Bradford. Yet... they listened to her. They carried her this far, on shoulders of faith and trust. She was here today thanks to all of them. Thanks to Bradford. If not for him... she would still be in that tank. Or she would be as she was now, but under far less favorable circumstances. They helped her live.

All of these, marks of that trust. Marks of wanting to continue to support her.

Eliza didn't stop the tears when they inevitably came, holding one labeled piece to her chest. A conventional plate, from a shot in the back. It was Bradford's, and the dedication? Better me than you.

"I... I approve of the idea. B-but. I want a picture of each piece. So I can remember them even after they're a part of what protects me." She wiped at her eyes, dispelling the tears for now. There were more tributes, ones she'd have to work through steadily. One caught her eye—it was a tape player, with a rather simple set of headphones. Perhaps Bradford had finally found that Life On Mars album and got someone to burn it to tape. She picked it up. "Where's my outfit?"

"Over here." Sherry approached with it. As she handed it to her, it was clear that she wasn't having the driest eyes, either. "It's... it's good to have you back, Commander."

Eliza smiled back, taking the full outfit and looking to her room. "—I suspect I have an audience out there?"

"Surprisingly not, but only because we mandated it." Tygan readjusted his glasses. "The soldiers were... hard to convince, but I assumed you would not want to be so crowded when you are just getting used to yourself. As of right now, it's just your immediate loved ones."

She appreciated that, even if she was going to take her first unsupervised chance to throw herself at her soldiers. Eliza took the tape player and put it on top of her clothes. She held those in one hand, putting the rest on the walking stick. "Let them know I'll be right out, and I'm more than ready to get back to commanding. Twenty years didn't put me down. A month is nothing."

Tygan smiled again at her as she passed, making her way to the small room once again. Once the door had closed behind her and she was sure she had her privacy, she let out a breath. This... this was a lot at once. But she was fairly certain she could handle it. She shed her hospital gown and sat on her bed, quickly changing into the underwear and the outfit provided to her. It really was just her old outfit, but now suitable for her size—and, of course, with an extra set of sleeves for the uniform. She finished putting it all on, then looked at the tape deck. Hell, a song to reminisce and settle her nerves wouldn't hurt. She settled her headphones over her now-pointier ears, making sure the tape was in before hitting play.

The opening notes of Hooked on a Feeling hit her ears, and she chuckled. Ah, maybe a more general mixtape, then? Bradford was very resourceful.

But then, the lyrics hit her.

"I can't stop this feeling

Deep inside of me

Girl, you just don't realize

What you do to me..."

It... it was Jax. Jax was singing the song. Her next breath caught in her throat as his baritone dominated the song, infused with a warmth she'd never head out of his voice. Maybe she'd heard him hum in passing, and she knew he played an instrument or two... but she'd never heard him sing. Tears came to her eyes once again and she hugged the tape, laughing and giving half-sobs.

"I'm hooked on a feeling

I'm high on believing

That you're in love with me..."

By the time that Eliza was done listening to the song, her face was soaked and she'd been using her extra set of hands to make sure none of the tears got to her collar. She... she loved Jax, so much. She loved all of them so much, and they loved her. Eliza knew that, with each note Jax sang. She'd never been alone, even if it had felt like it, and now? She was going to get to see them again.

The song closed, and the opening notes to Space Oddity began to play. She was somewhat eager to see if Jax sang that as well, but she knew she couldn't keep them waiting forever. She stopped the tape player, taking off the headphones and heading to the bathroom to splash water on her face, drying it with the towel. Her eyes—black, but glowing light blue with the halo that was her irises—were a little orange-tinged, but not enough to really notice outside of the mirror. Eliza took a deep breath, finishing tidying herself up and left the room, grabbing the tape player as she did.

On the outside, the staff were waiting for her. She put the tape deck down on the mementos table, certain they would get all the extras moved to her room to properly pour over later. Eliza looked towards the door, hearing faint murmuring on the other side. They were waiting for her. She just... she just wondered if they were actually ready to see her as she was now.

Only one way to find out. Eliza tapped the pad to open the door, ducking through the doorway.

Sure enough, she had quite the gathering on the other side. Directly across from the door was Bradford, hands behind his back and Asaru floating to his side. Once she exited the room, the change on his face was measurable. His now-periwinkle eyes brightened and a genuine smile crossed his face. He moved to hug her, but Asaru was far quicker to the punch, launching himself at her and wrapping his arms and tentacles around her. Eliza laughed, hugging Asaru tightly back—but of course, not forgetting Bradford as she knelt down, offering a free arm to pull him into the hug. He joined it, and Eliza was never more happy to feel the warmth of his body seeping through his clothes, never more happy to hear his breathless chuckling as she hugged him close.

They held the hug like that for several moments, but Eliza knew she had other people to address—and likely work to get back to. She released them both from the hug, but not before Asaru took his tendrils off of Bradford's shoulders and swapped to hers, linking with her again. Her son was just full of joy to have her back, and she continued to keep an arm around him, almost cradling him as he leaned against her. The rest of her lovers were crowding the hallway. The Chosen were off to one side, with Lily just behind Mordenna, and the rulers were on the other. Mordenna was the first to approach after, wrapping Eliza and Asaru in a tight hug, and Eliza revelled in the ability to easily lean her head against his chest. Mordenna's voice was vulnerable, despite his words. "I—I knew you were going to make it. Always did. I'm so happy to see you again, Liz."

Another person joined the hug, and then another. Jax and Lucifer had her double-teamed, and she was getting surrounded with love. "—my love, you are as beautiful as ever," Jax said, almost breaking up. "I... I love you."

"And I love you too." If Revenants could cry, Lucifer probably was. "I'm so happy for you. You get to see all of us again."

Eliza, even with her new additions, hardly had enough arms to spare to hug all of them. "I love you all, too. Thank you for waiting for me."

They—extremely reluctantly—eventually broke off the hug. Fal-Mai was quick to move past her brothers to get to Liz, and it was then that she really felt the height comparison. She couldn't have been more than four inches shorter than her. "Eliza! Oh, look at you, you look like me! You—you are so cute!"

What a classification, but it made her heart leap to hear it from Fal-Mai. Feeling infinitely better about her hair situation, Eliza wrapped her arms around Fal-Mai. "Not as cute as you, baby."

Fal-Mai laughed, squeezing her tighter—and when she pulled away, she had tears in her eyes. "Oh, I wish today was my day with you..."

Come to think of it, who's day was it? Something to be thought on later, she supposed. As Lily came up, Eliza eased herself into kneeling. Lily buried her face into Eliza's shoulder. "—can't believe this," she began, voice choked up. "I can't believe you're e-even taller than me than y-you used to be."

Eliza restrained her laugh, squeezing Lily and kissing her on the head. "Hopefully not in a bad way...?"

"N-no. Never. I'm just happy to see you again."

As Lily parted, next up was the rulers. Eliza made her way to them, but didn't grip her walking stick hard enough as she was almost there, tripping. She surely would've fallen, with maybe Asaru too—if she wasn't completely surrounded by her lovers. Rodin had reacted the fastest, with Vel'kiin and Shazara-Ta right behind him. Celosia chuckled, coming up to the hug and joining it. "Like a new sprout into the world... but I much prefer this over the alternative."

"I'd know a thing or two about getting used to new legs," Rodin empathized. "If you ever need assistance, my darling, you may seek mine."

"Don't go hogging her," Shazara-Ta replied—but she could hear the quaver in his voice that told her he was overwhelmed to see her safe. "Some of us would like to attend her, as well..."

Vel'kiin sighed something, and with her growing grasp on her language after being taught, Eliza caught a snippet of "runts." The Berserker leaned in, pressing her forehead against Eliza's in a loving gesture. Eliza returned it. "—thank you all for being there for me, even now. I promise, whoever's day it is, I will see you all in time."

"It's Jax's, as of the moment." Eliza turned to face Bradford as the group hug broke off. "But... I have something to say first, Liz, and preferably somewhere private. It's... it's critical. Mission and planet critical."

No rest for the wicked. But there was someone missing from all this. She nodded, looking back towards the door. "Of course. Just—one second, if you wouldn't mind?" Being more mindful of her grip on her walking aid—and remembering to actually hold it with her lower arm that wasn't holding Asaru—she walked to the door pad, opening it and sticking her cane in the doorway to keep it open. "Tygan. Get over here, you're not missing out."

Tygan turned from where he was talking with the others. She half thought he was at least going to put up some resistance to her request, perhaps in an effort to remain professional or just properly reunite in private later. However, their eyes met, and she guessed something in hers really must've spurred him on—he left without so much as telling the others to give him a moment and came over to her, hugging her as she kneeled down to do so. "—thank you for keeping me safe," she whispered, mindful of Argus.

"I never would have let them hurt you." Tygan's voice was calm, but there was very much the sense behind it that if Argus had tried anything, Tygan likely would have beat them to death himself. "I love you, Eliza. I'll see you soon."

With that out of the way, she gingerly stood back up, letting Tygan get back to what was likely followup work. She turned back to Bradford. "Alright. Let's head over to the Resistance Ring—that's close enough. Could Jax and Lucifer be outside the door?"

Bradford nodded. "Absolutely. Chosen?"

The three others nodded, parting. Lily also moved out of the way as Bradford walked forward. Eliza made to follow him, but Jax approached her. "... Eliza. I know you would prefer to learn on your own, but... please, indulge me. May I carry you and Asaru?"

He was right—she really didn't want to be coddled. But something occurred to her, and she supposed a compromise could be reached. "Ok. But we're going to the GTS right after and I am learning to walk again. Also, maybe Lucifer should hold Asaru, because that's gonna be a weird pileup."

Asaru hugged her tighter for a second, then relented, floating over to Lucifer and settling in one of his three pairs of arms. Jax wasted no time in picking her up, carrying her bridal style and taking the chance to kiss her forehead. "Anything you wish, I will do. You are the guiding star of my sky, Eliza, and I will always follow your light."

Eliza was touched for all of a second before Mordenna spoke up. "Get a room!"

Jax turned his head. "—that will be Eliza's tonight, I assure you."

Mordenna burst out laughing, and a few of the others joined in. Jax looked back ahead with a grin, finally following after Bradford. Having turned back to see what the holdup was, Bradford shook his head, going back to walking. Eliza reached up and snaked her arms behind Jax's neck—save one hand that went into his hair, because she'd be damned if she wasn't going to feel it after what was likely a month-long absence. In response, Jax held her up higher, smile softening. The warmth of his body... well, it was no longer as hot to her as it had been. It almost felt like what she'd had with other people—other humans—before. This was her new normal, after all.

The walk, indeed, wasn't too long. They were eventually at the door for the Resistance Ring, and Bradford stopped in front of it, looking up at Jax. He took the cue, and gently began to set Eliza down. She put her feet down first, then her walking stick, making sure she had all three on the floor before moving forward, out of Jax's hands. Bradford gave her what she was sure was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it was clear there was something heavy on his mind once the initial reunion had worn off. "—Asaru? Can you stay with your father Jax for right now? You'll get to see your mother right after, I promise."

"Aww..." Still, true to Bradford's request, Asaru retreated from her mind. "Ok. I can wait."

"Thank you. Liz?"

She nodded. "Lead the way."

Bradford opened the door and walked in, keeping a hand on the doorway as he did. She carefully maneuvered herself in, making for one of the couches and sitting down. Bradford shadowed her as she did, and only relaxed when she was secured. He let go of a sigh, kneading the bridge of his nose. "... I don't want to do this. I don't want to spring this on you when you're just out of there, trying to get used to yourself again."

"Just give it to me plain, John," she softly replied. Clearly whatever was on his mind needed to be addressed.

He let his hand drop, his gaze avoiding hers. Bradford got his datapad out, accessing a file on it and handing it off to her. "The Baroness did an emergency call to me a few days ago—honestly, I think she skipped her usual encryption channels to do it. She sent me this file, and... long story short? We're running out of time."

As he described the situation, Eliza looked over the file. There were numerous ADVENT seals on it, pinging some forgotten Network memories. One of them was the seal of the Collective—this was handed down straight from one of them. She opened the file proper. It was supposed to be sent to all gene clinics across the city centers, mandating new shifts, and... "'—the processing of all non-essential human life, to begin on the outlined date.'"

"They're going to wipe out the planet getting everything together for that Avatar Project," Bradford grimly confirmed. "What's more, they're going to push the envelope by announcing a major breakthrough in those gene clinics—basically a cure and vaccine to everything outside of dying of old age, and even then they're probably gonna dress that up. If we don't act by that date... there won't be anyone on this planet left to save."

The clock was ticking. Eliza swallowed thickly, rubbing her head. Where the Baroness got this info, she didn't know, but she was probably risking a lot to get it to the Avenger. "—how are they doing that broadcast?"

"We don't know yet. The file mentions another document but the Baroness was only given the one. Suffice to say, that's going to be top priority. We're going to be pulling every favor anyone's ever owed us to get this wrapped up."

Eliza wanted to stand up and pace, but immediately knew that was a bad idea. She had so much nervous energy and nowhere to put it. Setting the datapad down, she looked up at Bradford, a silent plea in her eyes. He, as always, knew what to do. Bradford sat on her lap and wrapped her in a tight hug, which she instantly returned. Eliza loved him, so much, and she hoped that showed as she turned to kiss his cheek. Like before, instead he caught it, and their lips met for the first time in what felt like months. He was her rock. He was her anchor in the storm—and she would never let him go again.

She broke back from the kiss, putting her forehead on his. "—tell me what to do, John."

He rubbed his hand against the back of her head, over the peach fuzz that used to be her hair. "We're going to get you used to your new body. You'll go with Jax to the GTS, and I'll start getting all of the factions up to speed in regards to what's going on. We'll find out how they're going to get that broadcast out. At some point I'll jump into the Psi Lab for a few days to get my psionics, but I'll make sure you can have the others look after you and support you. We will make it through this."

That was what she needed to hear. Reassured, she guided her bottom set of hands into rubbing his back, one of her top ones stroking his hair. "We'll make it through this," she echoed. "I believe you. Is that all the news?"

Bradford nodded. "Thankfully, it's about everything we have to deal with right now."

"Thank god," she muttered. She pulled Bradford in for another kiss—and it was tempting to go further with it. But then she thought of an escapade in this body and she broke off the kiss, maybe a little quickly. "I should get back to Jax so I can get on my feet as fast as possible."

Looking like he knew something was on Eliza's mind, but was going to press on it later rather than now, Bradford gently got off of her lap. He handed her walking cane to her and helped her in getting up. "I'll make some calls. Later today I'm going to schedule the faction leaders into a meeting so they can see all of you, and I'll buzz your earpiece about that."

She nodded, grabbing her cane and beginning the walk to the door. "I'll be happy to see them again. It's been a while—schedule a landing at the Templars in the future, if we don't have to be located anywhere else."

"That I can do. Don't go too hard on yourself, Liz."

Eliza got to the door, smiling back at him. "Jax is going to be there, so even if I wanted to, you know he wouldn't let me."

Bradford smiled back at her as she opened the door. "Be safe, and... I love you."

"I love you too."

She made it through the door, where Lucifer, Jax, and Asaru were still patiently waiting. Jax turned and approached her, looking her over. "Is everything alright? Is it something you can divulge?"

Eliza sighed, then nodded. "Yeah you're going to learn eventually—everyone will have to, just... don't go shouting to everyone else about what I'm going to tell you. Carry me to the GTS—I'll tell you as I do my stretches."

Jax easily picked her back up, walking off. As he did, Asaru floated around and connected with her again, making sure he wasn't floating right in front of Jax. He grabbed her hands, holding them. "I missed you, Mom..."

Figuring Jax could withstand having his vision blocked for a moment, she brought Asaru in to kiss him on the head. "I missed you too, my baby jellyfish. Mom's fine, even if she has work to do."

Asaru giggled for a second, then grew quiet. He was thinking hard over the word "jellyfish." "—what's a jellyfish? Um, it's likely a kind of fish, and I can't imagine it's literally made out of jelly."

Eliza hadn't even seen pictures of jellyfish in a long while, so having him pull the info from her brain may not have been the best strat. She instead accessed the Network, going through Wiki's database. Yes, she had an entry on them. "—why don't you look it up on the Network?"

"Oh! Right. Info at my fingertips." Indeed—Asaru opened an interface, light blue in color, which amounted to a few hovering screens in front of him. Jax watched with amusement as he quickly flipped through a few files, and Eliza could see the reverse side of a document he pulled up. He read over it, and then got to a picture, of a jellyfish slowly turning in the water, tentacles and tissue trailing after it gracefully. Asaru's eyes widened, and he frantically scrolled, looking for more pictures. As they popped up, his tentacles began to curl and whip around until he finally dismissed the interface, flapping his whole arms. "I'm—I'm a jellyfish, Mom! I look like a jellyfish!"

She laughed as he dove against her, and she hugged Asaru tightly. "You do! You're my little baby jellyfish."

As Asaru giggled, Jax spared a psionic arm to stroke his head. "As you are mine, as well." He looked to Eliza, and she got a Network message. My thoughts immediately turn to telling the Mystics this info. Does this sound well?

Oh, they are gonna drown him in that stuff, she replied, loving the idea. Go right on ahead.

He smiled, and Lucifer came around. "Hey, Asaru, maybe I can show you how to make them out of your psionics!"

Asaru's joy was overwhelming in Eliza's mind, making her laugh as he did. "Yes! We'll do that in the GTS, while Mom is on the treadmill!"

Eventually, they reached the GTS, and Jax opened the door. Thankfully there was no one inside, but she had to wonder when she was going to start seeing her soldiers. Jax carried her over to the exercise mats, setting her down gently and taking her walking stick. Asaru floated off with Lucifer, and already began to mess with their psionics. Jax remained, crossing his arms. "So."

She nodded, very gently leaning down to touch her toes. "It's... heavy." She took in a gentle breath as her muscles stretched. She had a bit more flexibility than she was used to, easily able to put her whole hands on her boots. "Bradford got an intel file from the Baroness. Without Argus, the Collective is essentially going full steam ahead with the Avatar Project." Eliza stood back up, lowering her voice. "—they're going to start just processing everyone. Not even the genetically viable ones, all of them. And we've got a few weeks to stop them."

Jax's mood dampened, and he looked over to Lucifer and Asaru, obliviously playing with each other. He turned back to her. "So the conclusion comes for us. I believe we had been intending to take the fight to the Elders once you were out of surgery, but this..."

"Presses the issue a little, doesn't it." She leaned back down, including her lower arms. "Bradford says our best option is to find the way they're going to broadcast the announcement and sabotage it."

"So they're broadcasting it?" When she stood back up, Jax had his eyebrows pushed together, and there were gears turning in his head. "—if I was the Elders, it would be off of one of the Towers. They are made for mass transmissions of such a type, though you would have to speak to Mordenna for the particulars. If they are attempting to broadcast, do you not think we could override it with one of our own?"

"That's an idea." Eliza sat down, further stretching. "You sound like you have something specific in mind."

"What better candidate to decry the Elders than their former greatest champion, hm? And I can readily claim to be one of the better public speakers aboard this ship."

"Good idea, then." Ah, stretching felt so good. She eased herself into basically folding in half as she stuck one of her legs out. "Run it by Bradford—and I'll drop it by him that we can likely ask Mords for more help on the Tower. You'd make a good face for the video, whatever we do with it." She smiled up at him. "I know your voice would be good for it. Heard the tape player, and all."

Jax immediately flushed orange, looking away. "I-I... I am glad y-you liked the song I had recorded for you. Bradford provided the suggestion, Mordenna sourced the tape."

Eliza carefully got to her feet again, taking one of Jax's hands and pulling him close. "I want to hear more," she murmured. "I adore hearing you, Jax."

Jax was easy to fluster, for her at least. "Y-yes, p-perhaps I could—perhaps a solo, in private? A private concert? Ah, i-if that would be ok..."

She laughed, bringing Jax in for a hug. "Oh, of course, big guy. I'm all stretched out, help me over to the treadmill?"

He nodded quickly, picking her up again. Naturally, Lucifer and Asaru floated a little bit closer, staying in the area. When he got to the treadmill, he set her down on the track. Eliza consciously put all of her hands on the rails, and Jax switched it on to its lowest setting—practically a dead man's shuffle. Still, had to start somewhere, so Eliza began keeping up with it. As she did, she looked over to Jax. "... I know I don't need to eat or drink anymore, but could you get me some water? I always have water when I'm walking."

Before Jax could reply, Lucifer looked up. "Oh! I'll get that, hold on." He parted from Asaru and flew over to the water cooler—which was a fair way across the room. Even farther than she took his range for Jax to be, actually. She exchanged a look with Jax, which he returned, but with more questioning directed at her rather than Lucifer. Lucifer came back with the cup and Jax took it. "... is everything alright?"

"It is," Eliza assured, "I was just... curious. Did you two ever define a maximum range that you two can be separated?"

"... not really." Lucifer looked at Jax. "I think I can basically be in the same room as him? But I guess that depends on how big the room is. I never had much cause to go any farther than that."

"Nor the inclination," Jax followed. "I've speculated a range of about fifteen feet, but we've never tested that."

Eliza turned her attention towards Lucifer as Asaru floated over, curious. "Well, Lucifer? Do you think you could walk to the end of the hallway outside and back? You can come back if it starts to... I don't know, feel unpleasant."

He glanced at the door. When he didn't move, Jax patted his shoulder. "Go on. This could be useful info for the future, and it's not as if it will be regular if you don't want it to be. If anything, it may be good to know if we ever need to take a break from each other."

At that, Lucifer relented, sighing. "Alright. I'll be right back, just... you also do something if you start to get a bad feeling about it, ok?"

Jax nodded, and Lucifer made his way over to the door, opening it. He looked back once more, then floated out into the hall. The door closed behind him, and Jax didn't seem any worse for wear at the moment. Eliza kept up her walking on the treadmill, eyeing the speed buttons. "—I guess it never occurred to either of you to do this test, huh?"

"Not really." When Eliza gestured for it, he handed her the cup of water. "It never did cross my mind. Neither him nor I have ever had the reason to part from each other, especially after his... extended imprisonment. If he ever needed to rest or simply did not wish to speak to me, he would take refuge in my mind, away from my thoughts. He could even venture further down to completely cut himself off from my senses and consciousness." He chuckled. "If this works, I will at least know I can have him run errands, depending on his range. Failing that, I may take a page out of Fal-Mai's book."

She nodded. Eliza was half-tempted to sign up for that, herself, but... one thing at a time. She could see about modifying her body after she got used to it. "Any change?"

Jax furrowed his brow. "—the most is just feeling almost all of his presence fade. Almost all. It is... still more than before, when he was not awake. I would say we are bound by our very soul, but perhaps our mental link diminishes over distance?"

"That would make sense." Eliza went ahead and went to the next speed on the treadmill, carefully pacing. Asaru hovered around her as she did, making moon jellyfish out of his psionics and having them swim through the air. She smiled at the sight. "Did Lucifer teach you that, Asaru?"

"Yeah! Lucifer's great at giving psionics a better form. I'm not used to it, but I'd like to get better!" He made one gently bump into her forehead, and his tentacles curled as she laughed. "Like you... I have to start small. Like Dad Mordenna teaching me how to engineer. Maybe if I get good enough at manipulating the physical form of psionics, I can make myself look more like a jellyfish."

Now, the idea of that was adorable. It was Jax's turn to reach over and pat Asaru's head. "I believe that would suit you well, young jellyfish. Perhaps—"

The door opened again, with Lucifer scrambling in, hooves scraping against the floor. "Ok I did it I made it to the end of the hall but can I just stay with you please?"

As he approached, Jax hugged him readily. "Of course, and sorry to make you go through that. Just a simple test out of curiosity."

While Jax was hugging Lucifer and Asaru was continuing to make jellyfish float through the air, Eliza found herself steadily getting used to her new legs. It wasn't quite like being on stilts anymore—just like someone had stretched out her legs. Which, fair enough, that was what they had done. She had more control over them now, and used that to ever so gently take her hands off of the handle bars. Eliza wobbled a little, but found herself able to keep her current pace fine enough. She'd give herself a bit to get used to that.

Asaru floated back over to Lucifer. "Um, Lu? If now isn't a bad time, could we go back to playing?"

"Yeah, of course." Lucifer parted from Jax, and as Asaru followed him to the middle of the room to about the limit of his tentacles on Eliza, the jellyfish lazily trailed after them. Somehow, Eliza felt like Asaru was now going to surround himself with marine life wherever he went.

Lucifer and Asaru launched into conversation, leaving Eliza largely alone with Jax. He looked over to her, smiling. "You are a natural, my love. It does me good to see you succeeding."

She chuckled. "Only you could hand out glowing praise about me relearning how to walk."

"As you deserve. It is praise that drives improvement better than a stern hand. Lambast me for 'spoiling' you if you wish, but I prefer to give my love generously rather than sparingly."

Eliza carefully reached out, patting his shoulder. "You and me both, Jax. I'm more than happy to be spoiled by you."

He caught her hand, making sure not to disrupt her balance. His voice lowered to the point where only she could hear him, and his eyes were soft, but hesitant. "... I think... if you and I are ready... I could spoil you in private."

Was—was Jax propositioning her? Her answer would have been a resounding "yes," but then she immediately thought back to the body she was getting used to. "I—Jax, I'd like to say yes, but... are you sure? I mean..."

"I'm quite sure, Eliza, and I have thought on it. Do you have reservations?"

"Well, I'm just..." She gestured to herself. "I don't know. I'm not the woman I was. Are you sure you're still physically attracted to me?"

Jax blinked a few times. When he began speaking, his voice was measured, like he was trying very hard not to joke. "Eliza. You are a Chosen now. Technically speaking, it is more normal for me to be attracted to you now than it was before. And I assure you I am. My complete romantic love comes first, but I can assure you that you are taking my breath away just as well. Perhaps I will miss having you so short, but as it stands..." He patted her head. "I am still doing that very thing well above you."

It was... reassuring to hear that. Plus, it was a little funny to realize she'd been going on about her "transformation" to someone who was the exact "species" she'd been turned into. Eliza squeezed his hand, shaking her head affectionately. "Ok, ok. I... sure. It's gonna be tentative—still getting used to everything. And there's just... me being ok with my body, getting used to thinking that other people can still see me that way. Didn't have so many physical image problems as a human. Maybe I shouldn't now, as I'm still in top form, but still..."

"Your worries are valid, however unfounded they are." He leaned in, kissing her cheek. "I look forward to our evening. And, a necessary question—would you be alright with Lucifer joining?"

Hm. Was she mentally ready for that? "As long as we don't get too intense, I think we're good. This... forgive me for being presumptuous, but will this be your first time?"

At that, Jax blushed once more, glancing over to make sure Asaru and Lucifer were still distracted as they spoke. "Y-yes. But... I have confidence that we may muddle it out together. Are you, too...?"

She shook her head. "Mordenna popped that cherry his first morning with me."

Jax doubled over a little, obviously holding in mortified laughter. "—alright! I... I suppose I should have expected such, considering I heard him going on about it that one day before we went to the Market. I had thought he had just been meaning to tease Bradford, then... My brother isn't the lecherous sort, but for you, I'm sure he makes an exception. Still, that is the most I want to think on that subject."

Eliza chuckled. "I gotcha. Still, we'll all take it easy." Speaking of taking it easy. She felt like she was getting better with her legs. Stopping the treadmill, she took a drink of her water and gingerly stepped off of the machine. Yeah, it felt quite better now. Still a little wobbly, but it seemed like she was getting a hold of her new body fast. She gave Jax the cup again, doing some pacing before getting back on the treadmill. "Got a day ahead of me. Several long ones, I'd wager. Can I count on you and the rest to be there?"

Jax smiled, leaning over and kissing her again. "Of course. I would not have it any other way."

She took the chance to kiss him back, smiling as she looked over at Asaru and Lucifer. Things were going to be ok. She was going to be ok.

She just had to live that long...


The day had come. The Overmind could finally throw off his mortal bonds forever.

The air in his chamber was still and tense as he watched, through surveillance, the scientists putting the finishing touches on his new body. Smaller than he was, yes, but tailored to still be bigger than the other Avatars. Cloaked in red and gold, clothes fit for a born-again emperor. His old body sat, languishing on life support.

That was no longer his life. He would stride anew, any second now.

Finally, the message was relayed to him that he could begin the upload process. He promptly responded for them all to vacate the room and lock it behind them. There would be only himself as his own witness to his new Ascension. One free of those that left him behind. One free of the dubious standards they tried to impose on him. An Ascension of his own. Mentally, he closed his eyes, beginning the upload process. His galactic consciousness was being shifted, moved from its long resting place on his home planet...

When next he opened his eyes, it was to blinding light.

His breathing came without labor. His joints bent without pain. Everything was easy, and nothing hurt—but he could not see. He closed his eyes for a moment, and they readjusted slowly to the light of the room. He lifted one of his four hands to the glass above him—and with a quick psionic shockwave, it burst outwards into a million shining fragments. As they fell back towards him, he gripped at their very structure, ripping them apart into nothingness, casting the remains aside.

He had never felt so powerful.

The Overmind rose, as if by strings. Sandaled feet touched the ground beside his cradle, and he stood tall on youthful legs. Splaying his arms out, he stretched—and felt something inside of him daring to squirm. His face twisted, and he immediately pushed the feeling down, back into his subconscious. "Back," he hissed at it. "You would ruin everything. They already know of my power. They need know not of you." The fact that it thought it could do this at all... unforgivable. Despicable.

Frustration welled up from within him, but with his increased strength, that which festered inside of him dared not challenge him. Maybe it would have been useful, had it taken any other form. But no matter how much he forced it, it remained a figure of disgust to him. It simmered down back to nothingness, and he flexed his fingers. As it should be. His own anger remained—and there was something constructive he could take it out on. He was in his new body now, and his old one had its DNA copied. The Overmind had no need for it anymore.

He channelled the Void, breaking boundaries apart that no one else could. He flew through the ephemeral landscape, traversing lightyears in seconds. Impossible distances, yet it was merely child's play to him. Especially now.

Eventually, he found himself in his own chambers. His pod lay in the middle of the room, and within was his body, laid to rest in its ceremonial robes. The monitors were reporting no signs of life, and the room was awash in harsh light to his sensitive eyes. Those eyes fixed on his coffin, and he felt his psionics rise to a cosmic crescendo, his signature beginning to play in his ears.

He reached for it. Wires snapped as it was lifted in the air. He brought all four hands to the gesture, psionics truly awakening as he took hold of the very essence of everything within it, reaching for its core. Grabbing the core, he ripped it apart. With a monstrous screech, metal, flesh, and liquid was torn asunder. He grabbed, and tore again, and again, and again. He shredded the body that had caused him so much pain, destroyed the prison he'd sat in for so long, punished the version of himself that had not been able to Ascend to true godhood.

Only when it was but slag and unrecognizable materials did he stop, letting it all fall to the floor. He wished the Ascended could see him now—and, he supposed, one would. Child or not... all of them would be punished for leaving him behind. This world, this galaxy, this universe would pay for what it had done to him. He would use this new body to do it, to carry him to the furthest stars and snuff them out if need be. Nothing would get between him and what had to be done.

He turned towards the door. The first to feel his wrath? Humanity.