I made the mistake of watching Humans, the TV show, and felt down from how shit they treat the synths.

So in response, it's fluff time.

Isolation Ward Epsilon

Caprica City University Hospital

Caprica

Time passed, as it was wont to do at the most inconvenient moments. The entire day had been an emotional rollercoaster, from the highs of the Irregular's greeting me when I woke till the lows of Jessie's... admissions.

I think the worst part was that I was unable to see anything when everyone went mad. For all that my sense of smell was off the scale, it made discerning people's emotions a total crock with so many men and women in a room together. Thankfully... things had sort of calmed down in the end, the pungent sulphuric scent my mind interpreted as anger never completely leaving but nowhere near the cloying amount from the height of the arguments.

Forced the rely on my other senses, trying to describe things without sight was a pretty disturbing experience, not gonna lie. Ironically enough, like when I'd discovered the ability to link with technology back in Phoebus, being blind here had... unlocked, for a better term, some sort of bioelectric sense. Honestly, with how many random species they nicked traits from for Khanivore, I wasn't surprised in the slightest to discover this, knowing my luck I'd discover I have gills. As for the bioelectric sense, it was like seeing vague outlines of people filled with little blue sparks, though I did notice there was a couple of seconds 'lag', so to speak, from when a person moved and the outline mirrored it.

While it wasn't true sight in the slightest, it did help me adjust to being blind for however long it would take to heal.

As for how things went after Jess had her talk... well, I didn't want to dwell on it overlong, even thinking about it threatening to drive me into a funk that would make the previous ones look like a tantrum in comparison. I knew expecting the Irregulars to stay for longer was a forlorn hope, duties, needs, and everything in between calling them away one by one. One of the last to leave was Milo, sulphuric anger clashing with pine-scented concern filling my nose as the young man wrapped his arms around my neck with a surprisingly amount of force. Any claims I made a noise akin to a purr when he embraced me was lies and slander, throne knows that mission was hell, and any comfort I could provide I would.

It must have been a minute, likely two before he let go, the blue outline standing there with what I knew was an embarrassed look. To say Milo loved making people happy would be an understatement, but every time he did the kid always got embarrassed as heck by it, an endearing trait of his.

"I-I hope you get better soon Nike, I'll send a prayer to Asclepius for a speedy recovery... I... best be going, G'night", At that moment, I was grateful my body had no ability to blush, the earnest concern in his voice would have lit me up like a bonfire otherwise.

Okay, this called for a snout-boop! I'd gotten it down to an art, the nudge soft enough and at just the right angle to avoid the edge jabbing somewhere painfully.

"Thanks for coming by Milo, it means a lot, truly, once I'm all healed I want to see the art you've done, alright?" Giving him my equivalent of a smile, I 'watched' him leave, though not without hearing him exchange terse words with Jess, who was hanging by the door.

It said a lot about his nature that Milo didn't take the chance to verbally lash Jessie, I'd caught enough snippets while she'd clung to my neck to know Milo felt betrayed... not that I blamed the kid. That she'd kept silent about it did more to create a rift between the Trooper and Marine than the revelation about my conditioning. As Milo left, Jess and I were the only people still here, though why she was hanging by the door was a mystery to me. The reason for that came with the familiar yet different scent of Michael, Jess's brother. After he'd recovered from the fainting spell, the guy had exchanged a few words with me, a nervousness following him like a cloud. Given he sounded like a dead ringer for Samuel Anders from the show, I couldn't help but picture Michael looking like him.

Using the Bioelectric sense was giving me a low-key headache, the blue outlines fuzzing away as I focussed on my other senses for now. There was a rustle of cloth, something being handed to Jess maybe? Straining my hearing, I could make out snippets of a whispered conversation between brother and sister, my poor high-range struggling to make out parts of it.

"There's your kit... doing with... Frak no!... It could eat you!" Michael's deeper voice didn't sound happy, given his reaction to me, the 'it could eat you' had to be aimed at me.

"She.. a friend Micha... own up... mistakes like Da... nd of saying!" It was darkly ironic that I'd found a better friend as a monster than in 22 years as a human, not that it stopped me feeling happy Jess was sticking up for me against her own brother.

I couldn't make out how the conversation ended, but Michael's scent departed, leaving us alone once more. I heard more rustling moving in my direction as Jess messed with whatever her brother had left, objects hitting the floor beside me at a steady pace. Now was probably the best time to ask Jess about what she had planned... hopefully.

"Ahh... Jess? What exactly are you doing?" A chuckle from the Marine and the noise of a zipper was the only reply I got, what I figured was a bag being emptied on the floor judging by the noises.

"What do you think it sounds like, I'm changing into something warmer, it's gonna be chilly in here tonight." For a second there, I heard a faint amusement in her voice, some of her usual snark coming back to my internal relief.

"Does that mean you're sleeping here ton... wait, there's no beds, where will you sleep?" The only thing resembling a bed here was the desk... and the huge pile of blankets I was laying on given there wasn't a bed large enough to fit me... or handle my weight.

A sound suspiciously like a muffled laugh came from Jess's direction, the noise of bare feet on tile heralding her dumping a pile of cloth in the space between my forelegs, the woman herself following a second later. Well... I guess that answered the question about sleeping arrangements, Jessie having wrapped herself in some kind of fluffy coverall from the soft fibers rubbing against my torso and neck. For all that such a degree of familiarity would have me dead from embarrassment as a human, here and now I cherished the feeling of contact that wasn't dulled, only a few places on my body having sensitivity akin to a human.

"As you can guess, I'm keeping you company tonight", there was something in her tone, nothing I could put a claw on, but something, "And every night until you're healed and have your sight back... however long it takes."

Steel... that was it! Jess had that same tone she used when she'd made up her mind, daring anyone to question her at their peril.

That she was determined to stick with me every night, even without knowing how long that would be... it was heartwarming and sobering in equal measure. I'd always considering Jess to possess balls like a Guardsman and this just reinforced that thought. Here she was, mere hours after admitting to hiding a secret I had every right to lash out about, and she still chooses to stay here every night because it was the right thing to do. The web of medical equipment, IV lines, and sensors attached to my body prevented my tails from moving, but there was one thing I could do.

Nudging Jess to the side was the easy part, laying my head down in the freed-up space to rest against her side slightly harder. My dorsal plate wasn't exactly the comfiest surface to lay against, that problem solved as Jess threw a blanket over my neck and leaned into it. With that, Jess was securely snuggled against my neck, the extra blankets she'd brought helping to soften the harder edges of my exoskeleton.

This... this was nice, in its simplicity and just how darn comfortable it felt to cuddle, discovering my body enjoyed cuddling was a surprise, but a welcome one indeed. Saying anything right now felt wrong, this moment not something I wanted to disturb. I had a gut feeling Jessie felt the same way, my friends breathing slowing bit by bit until she was asleep. I desperately wished to see it with my eyes, wanting to make a memory of this... with that option off the table, I decided to try and sleep myself. The faint, sterile smell of the ward was diffused with more familiar scents, each and every Irregular leaving their own mark in a way none but I could understand.

The omnipresent triple thump of my heartbeats slowed, my mind following suit as I drifted off to a hopefully nightmare-free sleep.

Observation Room

Isolation Ward Epsilon

Caprica City University Hospital

In a small room disguised behind a one-way mirror, the two occupants looked on as Jessica and Nike fell asleep. The taller of the two, a man wearing an unmarked fleet uniform watched the scene with no small amount of disbelief, what he'd witnessed something the reports he'd read never mentioned.

"I dare say, Major, that's the only time I can admit to being rendered speechless, no small feat I assure you." The sailor's Sagittaron accented voice was not much louder than a whisper, his eyes glancing to the ton of armored monster sleeping in the room beyond.

Smirking at the Spook's reaction, Valerian Matos offered the younger man a glass, non-alcoholic of course, they were both on duty after all.

"If it's any consolation Commander, Nike does tend to cause that reaction in people who've only ever read about her in reports. In the flesh, she's something else entirely."

Ithan Zares accepted the offered drink, feeling like watching people gape about the Asset's actions was an activity the former Army Major thoroughly enjoyed doing.

While he would have preferred something with more... kick to it, professional pride and a large helping of personal curiosity kept his mind clear while he studied the literal treasure trove of Genetic and Biological mastery sleeping not ten feet from him. The urge to conduct extensive batteries of tests hard to resist with the subject of his interest right there sleeping. Of course, given what had happened to the last man to let his urges regarding the Asset override common sense ended up... disposed of permanently.

Very few things truly scared Ithan, General Lysander on the warpath was one such thing and his orders regarding the Asset were clear, no tests without consent, no exceptions. His current companion was busying himself writing out a report of one form or another, uncaring of how Zares reacted to this entire thing.

"Major, would you be able to answer a question for me?"

Valerian looked up from the page, expression perfectly neutral in a way Ithan knew was deliberate, before the Professor's removal, the disturbing little man had made mention the members of the Unit distrusted speaking with him, an attitude which looked to extend to the entire Zoological Warfare Division.

"It depends on the question Commander, anything personal regarding Nike you'll need to ask her yourself." The non-answer was expected, the Major's private file noting the man guarded his subordinates to a surprising level.

"Nothing of the sort Major, I'm just wondering if that", the arm holding his glass gesturing through the mirror, "is normal behavior for the Asset and Corporal... Anders, was it?"

No answer was forthcoming from the Major, the soldier swirling the liquid in his glass gently.

"I would say... it is, for as long as I've known the two they do trend towards spending much time together... usually never to this extent, but something similar certainly."

And wasn't that an interesting answer, Ithan's mind racing at the implications of what by all accounts was an instant, if incredibly unlikely friendship between a Marine noted for being somewhat standoffish with strangers and a literal Alien, every genetic test they'd run through the labs reporting the same thing. While there were enough similarities in most of the DNA, it was divergent enough to very much not be from the Colonies... and perhaps even Kobol. For a moment Ithan considered the idea that perhaps the 13th Tribe had created the Asset, the sheer absurdity of such beyond compare.

For all intents and purposes, the Asset was an Alien, any genetic similarities divergent enough to share no common ancestor for tens of thousands of years, if not more. What was most interesting to the Commander wasn't the admittedly exciting chemicals and compounds that had Julia is a frenzy, but the purpose of the Asset. When he'd received the first images and video of her, his people had pegged the creature as something created for a purpose, but what purpose was fiercely debated.

Ithan, along with most of her staff regarded the Asset as a biological weapon, forged in a society with an incredible command of biology to wage war. The Battle-Rage she would fall into, the incredible regeneration backed up with a frankly absurd redundant biology, and the enhanced senses they possessed pointing towards something made to hunt down creatures similar to its own. Why else would someone combine such lethality with a requirement for a staggering amount of calories every day, unless it was intended to feast on the corpses of defeated foes?

The second most popular opinion was that the Asset was created to engage in terror-operations against weaker opponents. In their favor was the sapient nature of the Asset, the fear it incurred in humans exposed to its presence, and how she had been designed visually. Ithan had to admit it was a convincing argument, the idea it had been designed from the group up to terrify and shatter the morale of people's unequipped to fight it. The possibilities for Psy-Ops warfare against human opponents with even a single squad of these creatures was something Ithan honestly would be proud of seeing happen.

The smallest of the opinions was that the Asset was designed to engage in blood-sports, for the enjoyment of a crowd. While the idea was laughable on the surface, there were some minor hints they may be on to something. The reported insistence in fighting opponents that the Asset regarded as their equal and engaging in threat displays fit their opinion more than any other. Her fighting style in combat was noted by a subordinate who had previously fought in underground arenas as flashy and designed to draw it out for the spectacle. The video evidence of the fights the Asset had engaged in was striking, her preposition to ripping Cylons limb from limb in a gory display of screaming and hydraulic fluid certainly hard to ignore.

Of course, for that option to be true it would require an intelligent society with a mastery over genetics and biology that beggared belief to dedicate resources towards wasting such beautifully lethal creatures in pit-fights!

What sort of society would expend creatures of undoubtedly stellar expense in blood-sports?

Britains Chav's say hello, Commander.

It's honestly pretty crazy how casually Sonnie and her crew can create Khanivore before you consider that universe has biological spaceships.

I did say there would be fluff and there was, Y'all get Jess and Nike cuddling while Ithan Zares is just hella confused about Nike's...everything.