A\N: (7/8/21) So to clear up any confusion about chapter numbers and to make sure no more chapters went missing I went through and edited each chapter before reuploading them all. Everything should be clean and correct now.
Alex had waited for as long as he dared before making his way to Mikhaila's quarters. He was not one to demand unreasonable hours from his 'employees', especially during their off hours or special moments like Mikhaila and Ko were enjoying, but after the station's shift rotation signifying 'morning' had occurred neither of them had appeared for breakfast. Even then he was willing to ignore it given what the two had likely been up to the previous night, so he had let it go. But as the day progressed and neither of them had even bothered to check in he had become a bit impatient. Naturally he refused to be an uncultured savage and so he attempted to contact Mikhaila on her Transcribe rather than barge into her room unannounced. After several failed attempts in that regard he had tried Ko's Transcribe, expecting that even if Mikhaila were out cold due to their...energetic activities, Ko would still have sufficient consciousness or presence of mind to answer given his alien biology.
When that also failed his impatience had morphed into actual concern.
As he made his way through the corridors of the crew area he considered what he might find upon arrival. He had no expectation that he would find a mutilated corpse or anything so grotesque. After all, Ko's entire biology was wired for empathy and he cared for Mikhaila more than anyone else. He also had no reason to believe Mikhaila would have the ability to harm him, at least physically, though mentally and emotionally was another matter altogether. Given Ko's lack of experience as a sexual being he expected them to have had a rather rough night of it, like any teenager's first time. Mikhaila would no doubt help him but it was likely a night filled with sloppy attempts, coitus interruptus, and various other embarrassing moments as they tried to figure out the best way to enjoy their love-making.
After all, sex with an alien might be the dream of most nerds but the practical realities of differing biology would make such attempts difficult at best.
He hoped they were merely sleeping heavily due to their various attempts throughout the night and part of the morning tiring them out. If that was all it was he would give them time to refresh themselves but the station still had need of Mikhaila and they would have another chance to try again. Ko wasn't departing the very next day after all.
Making his way to the door he pressed the stud that functioned as the doorbell. A moment later the door opened.
"I trust you two had...ah…" Alex said before trailing off.
He had expected to see either Mikhaila or Ko answering the door. What he had most certainly not expected to see was a tall, nude, hermaphrodite Typhon-like being with features of both Ko and MIkhaila standing before him.
"Alex Yu." It said in a harmonic voice that was both masculine and feminine at the same time. "Our mating and subsequent integration was eminently successful."
"Ohhh boy." Alex muttered as a sinking feeling made his stomach drop into his shoes. "How the hell am I going to explain this?"
The being before him cocked its head curiously. "You seem off balance, Alex Yu. Does this form distress you? We can cover our body if that will ease your discomfort."
Alex forced his mind to work as he desperately attempted to reconcile what he was seeing before him. "Ahh...no, you being naked doesn't disturb me exactly. I'm just...surprised."
"Your psychic aura suggests otherwise." The being stated melodically with a hint of gentle reproach. "The turbulence and hues I perceive along with your tonal inflections suggest that the sight of us has distressed you considerably. I admit to being somewhat confused by your reaction as this integration would appear to be the realization of not only your goals but Dayo Igwe's hopes for humanity. Please, come inside and explain what troubles you. We have no desire to see you in such a state." It suggested gently before guiding him into the room with a hand and shutting the door.
Alex slowly moved to a nearby chair and seated himself in it with the being merely standing a few feet away, utterly motionless except for the occasional rippling of its skin.
"I would ask who you are but that question is rather redundant, not to mention obvious. I suppose the better question would be to ask what actually happened." Alex offered.
The being before him nodded. "My Aspects of Kobalt and Mikhaila Ilyushen successfully merged as a result of our physical and mental joining. At the moment of mutual orgasm the feedback loop of euphoria it generated disrupted their already weakened sense of self identity due to their sharing of psyches and physical union. After coitus was completed their prior memories, experiences, and personalities coalesced into the being you see before you. Kobalt and Mikhaila Ilyushen are now one being."
Alex felt himself become cold at the implications of this. "You haven't...absorbed Mikhaila's body or broken it down have you?" He protested anxiously.
The being shook its head. "We did not. That body resides within us acting as a core structure. The outer layer is composed of Typhonic exotic matter."
The rotund man sighed in relief. "So you...engulfed her." Alex clarified.
"We became one." The being clarified. "Our body moves as one, we draw upon the memories and experiences of Kobalt and Mikhaila as a single mind."
Alex licked his lips anxiously. "Can you...separate?"
The being gave him a somewhat confused look. "We see no reason to do so. Our integration has allowed us to become whole in the truest sense of the world. We are both genders combined into a single organism. Two minds joined together in harmony. We are the apex of both species, having all of the emotional and intellectual capacities of a human alongside all of the skills and capabilities of a Typhon, with a few exceptions." It admitted with a hint of self-depreciation. "What reason would there be for us to become separate again?"
"Because you're no longer Mikhaila or Kobalt but something completely different." Alex replied. "Something...unforeseen."
"Project Cobalt itself could be described in such terms given its nebulous end goals and uncertain final expression should it succeed." The being chided him gently. "You and Morgan could not have fully anticipated the final outcome of the experiment nor what form it would take."
"That's why it's called an experiment," Alex replied firmly, "but at least we had some notion of what to expect and a general idea of the result. This is...unprecedented!" He exclaimed with a wave of his hand at it.
"It is." The being nodded. "There has never been something like ourselves before that we are aware of. Of course given our limited frame of reference it is impossible to know for sure. However…"
"However, that's not the point." Alex insisted. "I'm worried about what has happened to you and whether this can be...undone." At the being's darkening frown he held up his hands placatingly. "I realize that's the last thing you want but we need to understand whether this can be reversed or not as well as duplicated."
The being examined him for a moment. "You hide your true fears beneath a veneer of scientific curiosity." It stated quietly. "You fear you have…'lost' Mikhaila and Kobalt due to our merging."
Alex swallowed quietly before nodding. "Yes." He replied huskily, glancing down at his shoes. "They're both very special to me for a variety of reasons as you well know. I don't want them 'replaced' with someone or something new, amazing though it might be. Call it selfish if you want but…"
When he looked up a moment later the creature was kneeling before him, a compassionate look on its face that was inches away from his own.
"We understand." It murmured gently to him. "We have erred. In the joy of our coming together and the realization of what we had become we did not consider how others would perceive us, especially those closest to Mikhaila and Kobalt. We are...sorry."
"Can you undo this without causing them harm?" He pressed anxiously.
The being leaned back slightly with a thoughtful look. For a few seconds it was silent before nodding. "We believe we can separate into our constituent bodies with the memories and experiences of both Aspects being intact. Fortunately the integration has not lasted a considerable amount of time."
"Right." Alex nodded as he stood, his mind racing. "We need to do this as soon as possible but we also need to take readings and scans to see what exactly happened in case this can't be reproduced."
Grabbing his Transcribe he began to manipulate it. "Cover yourself up so the rest of the crew aren't as shocked while I bring the others up to speed." He instructed briskly as he moved to the door. The being's body was immediately covered in a red bodysuit similar to the environment suits Alex and the others wore while on station.
"We have a situation regarding Kobalt and Mikhaila." Alex stated urgently into his Transcribe as he started marching down the hall. "It's non-critical but it is extremely time sensitive so I need everyone on board right now. We're heading to the infirmary to do a medical scan. Dayo, get Psychoscopes from Psychotronics for everyone and meet me there! Danielle, get the medical staff prepped and warm up the scanners! Sarah, make sure the area is clear, we're taking the back routes but I don't want anyone to get too close. No...no this isn't a hostile situation but I just need to make sure it's essential personnel only. I'll explain the rest when I get there. Go!" He ordered before shutting off the device and replacing it on his belt.
By the time they reached the Medical Center all of the medical staff was assembled as well as Danielle, Igwe, and Sarah with a pair of guards at the door. Elazar ushered them in with everyone staring at Alex and his companion.
"What the hell happened?!" Danielle exclaimed as she rushed over to them.
Alex held up a hand brusquely. "Let's get started first, I'll explain as we work." He insisted. "Psychoscopes! Dayo, I want everything recorded!"
"Cameras are set to high fidelity." Igwe replied with a nod as he placed his Psychoscope over his head. "I assume something unexpected happened last night?"
"That's the understatement of the century." Alex grumbled as he retrieved his own scope and placed it on his head. "Ko and Mikhaila lay down under the scanner please!"
The being frowned slightly at the designation but nodded, laying on its back as the high powered imaging scanners began their work..
On the screen nearby the image began to resolve itself.
"Are you serious?" Danielle asked in surprise a moment later. "Mikhaila's literally...inside Ko?"
"It appears that she was engulfed during their...tryst." Alex stated, making the medical staff glance at each other in surprise before refocusing on their work.
"So far nothing has changed outwardly regarding Kobalt's physiology or Mikhaila's." Anna stated, looking at the scans intently. "No hard physical connection points between the two or overlap of any of their bodies' systems. They're not sharing blood or any organs like conjoined twins."
"So their bodies aren't literally meshed together." Elazar remarked. "Mikhaila is just wearing Ko like a bodysuit."
"But their minds are connected." Alex explained pointedly. "They basically confirmed as much. They're sharing memories, experiences, psyches, as if they were one person."
"This is astounding!" Igwe murmured in amazement as he examined the scans.
"You once indicated to Kobalt that your hope was that humanity would be able to fully merge with the Typhon in order to combine the abilities of both and become god-like." The being informed him. "You see before you the realization of that desire Dayo Igwe." It said kindly.
Igwe stared down at the being with wonder in his eyes as it smiled gently back at him.
"We are glad to see such joy encompassing your mind. For all the difficulties and conflicts of personality between yourself and our Aspects, both of them respected you and harbored the same hope for humanity and the Typhon. I am glad that I was able to grant you such an opportunity to see your grand dream fulfilled."
Igwe stared at the being intently for several seconds before Alex interrupted his pondering.
"Dayo! Focus please!" Alex insisted.
Igwe twitched before nodding. "How do you reconcile the two different lives they have lived within your mind? Some form of cognitive dissonance?"
"We were once two Aspects of the same being with different sets of experiences but now have become a singular whole." The hybrid explained patiently. "The divergent life paths we experienced do not disrupt our thought processes. Regarding Alex's initial concern, we have the ability to filter and separate the memories and knowledge of our Aspects. However, the personality separation will be...traumatic. I cannot say for certain what physiological impact it may have when the process begins."
"In other words get the emergency kits and crash cart ready." Anna remarked quietly in reservation.
"If it comes to that, yes." Dr. Bay stated firmly. "But we have no idea what will happen so we will be monitoring everything. Can you reveal Mikhaila's body to us so that we can attach some sensors to her to monitor her vitals?"
"I can." The hybrid stated.
"Are the initial scans finished?" Alex asked.
"I have finished the Psychoscope scan." Igwe reported. "Externally there is no change in Kobalt's physical structure, however beneath it I am seeing a solid psychic mass around Mikhaila's entire body."
"Medical scans are finished." The tech confirmed.
"All of Mikhaila's internal organs and structures appear unchanged and seem to be functioning normally." Dr. Bay reported. "At the very least I don't see any gross abnormalities or changes."
"Right." Alex nodded. "Would you...open up for us please?" Alex asked.
The being nodded and a moment later the dark matter outer layer of its body began to split open from the top of its head to its groin, flowing back like water parting along a seam revealing Mikhaila's face and naked torso.
"Holy…!" Alex murmured in shock a moment later.
"Incredible!" Igwe said, stunned.
Dr. Bay looked at them in confusion. "What are you seeing that I'm not?" She asked in concern.
"See for yourself." Danielle replied as she removed her Psychoscope and handed it to the surgeon.
Sliding her hair back she slipped the scope over her face, adjusting it before looking down at the figure. A moment later she gasped softly.
Covering Mikhaila's entire body beneath the Typhon skin was a solid layer of golden filaments.
"What is that?" She demanded softly.
"Coraline neuroconnections." Igwe informed her. "Thousands, perhaps millions of them. Ko uses them to receive and transmit information such as memories and experiences directly between himself and any others who connect to him. I've only seen perhaps a dozen such connections linking their heads at any given time. What we are seeing here is beyond anything we have ever recorded in our experiments."
"The integration." Alex realized. "They created such a deep connection between them that the fibers grew everywhere, linking their bodies together psychically so that they move and think like a single person."
Dr. Bay looked over at him anxiously as she removed the scope. "Is it even safe to unlink them if they're that connected? I don't know much about the Typhon research you guys do but I've heard of psychic shock. This could kill them, couldn't it?"
"If the connections were broken within a short period of time, yes, the shock of the disruption would likely destroy us psychically." The being said calmly. "However, a gradual reduction in the connections will help to minimize the shock of being separated. The bodily connections can be retracted fairly quickly without serious consequence so long as the pattern is widespread and gradual instead of sudden and focused in a single area. The connections around the head that connect our mind, however, will be the most delicate part of the task." It informed them with a hint of warning at the end.
Alex nodded. "Let's get started then."
"Alex," Igwe interrupted as he held up a hand. "Might we have a word in private before we begin this process?"
Alex frowned but nodded as the group moved to the other side of the room in a loose circle.
"Igwe, if you're going to suggest what I think you are…" Danielle warned him.
"I am not for a moment suggesting that they should stay that way permanently!" Igwe insisted firmly. "However, I would be remiss if I did not insist that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us. Such a melding of minds has never occurred before and may never happen again! We should take this opportunity to learn what we can!"
Elazar pinched the bridge of her nose. "Igwe I swear to god…"
Alex held up his hands. "Normally Dayo I'd agree with you but this is a very precarious situation and we don't have the luxury of time to study this in depth. The longer Ko and Mikhaila stay mentally linked the harder it will be to separate them without the possibility of permanent psychic damage, assuming it isn't already too late. I don't want to risk their sanity, not to mention potentially ruin our only shot at having Ko's mission succeed."
"This new state of being they have achieved could be the answer we need to ensure its success!" Igwe protested. "Are you really willing to destroy it and lose that chance forever?"
Alex sighed heavily. "It's a risk we have to take." He insisted. "There's a higher probability of Ko and Mikhaila being able to duplicate what happened then having them separate sometime in the future and have them emerge unscathed. I refuse to take a chance and ruin both their minds on a gamble that it might help the resistance."
"But…!" Igwe protested.
"People are more important than your dreams Dayo!" Alex retorted heatedly.
Igwe froze for a moment before he sighed with a nod. "You are right, of course. I allowed my passion to overcome my good sense."
"Let's get this done." Alex told them as they made their way back over to the examination table where the hybrid lay.
"We overheard your conversation with the others and we cannot help but agree. However," the being said sternly with a grim look, "understand this. We do not desire for this separation to happen but we are doing so because you and the others fear for our Aspects' sanity and safety. It pains us that our word is not sufficient for you but we understand your incomprehension and so we are accommodating it, even though it will destroy us. Even if our Aspects were to rejoin in the future there is no guarantee that the self-identity we would become would be the same as the 'I' we are now."
Alex gazed at the being before nodding gravely. "I understand. I do." He insisted quietly. "I have no desire to destroy you either, this is potentially the culmination of our work here and the solution we've been looking for, but we need to make sure what you've done to each other is safe before we can offer it to humanity and the Typhon. If everything that's happened with the Typhon has taught me anything, it's that I'd be a fool to try something like this without fully understanding the consequences. Far too much has been sacrificed already."
The being stared at him penetratingly through Mikhaila's eyes for a long moment before nodding. "Then you have learned from your previous mistake. Let us hope that this wisdom will continue to guide you on the proper path going forward."
"We'll be monitoring everything while the process happens." Dr. Bay informed them. "If anything concerning happens you'll know immediately."
"Is there anything we can do to help with this process?" Igwe asked.
The being's eyes glanced over at him. "You do not have the tools or knowledge required to assist us. This is something we ourselves must do in order for the process to complete successfully."
As the group watched the exotic matter peeled itself back even further until the front of Mikhaila's body was completely revealed, the golden filaments curving from their connection points on her skin to the edges of the Typhon material as they slowly began to retract.
Slowly, over the course of several hours, the filaments retracted themselves back into Ko's body. Unnoticeable at first, it soon became apparent that the mass of connections was thinning across Mikhaila's body. Fortunately, while the hybrid twitched uncomfortably and hissed softly several times, no drastic changes were seen in its vitals.
Finally the Psychoscopes showed that the only strands remaining were those around Mikhaila's head.
"We are ready for the last step." The being told them. "The original psychic engrams and memories are still, of course, stored in the neuronal patterns of the two nervous systems but both sets of memories had been shared. During the disconnection of the two bodies we were also eliminating connections between the various memories so that each mind only contains one set of memories appropriate to them. They may still recall some information but it will be vague and impressionistic at best. At this point all that remains is the separation of the psyche into two distinct halves."
"How confident are you that they'll retain their original self images and identities?" Alex probed.
It looked at them in consideration for a long moment. "I cannot be confident as this has never been attempted by us before. However, given the limited time frame we have been merged it is likely that they will revert to their prior mental states pre-integration due to their familiarity. As I said, they will likely be traumatized by the separation. Be ready."
Anna nodded as she held up a pair of hypo sprays. "Sedatives. One for Mikhaila, the other for Ko. Both are tailored for their biologies."
"I suppose we have you to thank for that." Danielle remarked to Igwe with a glare.
"It was considered a necessary precaution in case he ever became violent or irrational like the other test subjects." Igwe defended.
"Just be ready to apply it if necessary." Alex told her before nodding at the hybrid. "Go ahead.".
The hybrid nodded in return before closing its eyes and focusing. One by one the various threads began to retract from Mikhaila's head back into Ko's. As the connections began to lessen the hybrid's face grimaced before it hissed quietly as if in pain. A moment later it began to thrash about.
"Heart rate's starting to increase." Anna remarked quietly. "Must be the stress."
The being began to breathe deeper and faster as more and more connections were retracted. Suddenly it let out a loud cry of anguish in Mikhaila's voice alone. A moment later Ko let out a loud hiss of radio static.
"Heart rate 130." Anna said tersely as she examined the various monitors. "EEG's starting to spike."
Mikhaila let out several more anguished cries as she thrashed about while beneath her Ko groaned, spitting painful-sounding static before they both let out a terrible scream in tandem.
"NOOOOOOOOO!"
"Heart rate 150, she's going into tachycardia!" Anna said urgently. "EEG's are off the charts! Blood pressure's dropping!"
"Come on…come on!" Alex muttered in consternation, his eyes flicking back and forth behind the Psychoscope between the retreating filaments and the monitors reporting their vitals as they continued to blare warnings.
The two continued to hiss and scream loudly as Ko's body began to lash out beneath Mikhaila's in a slew of tentacles while the woman jerked and spasmed until only about a dozen of the links remained.
"Pull them apart! Now!' Alex ordered.
Dr. Bay and Anna moved to the table and quickly rolled Mikhaila away from Ko while the other held him down, the final threads snapping from the distance. Both of them let out wails and cries of despair before becoming deathly silent as Mikhaila collapsed to her knees on the floor, panting harshly, Ko's body slowly reformed into its normal Phantom state
Anna quickly checked the monitors nearby. "Vitals are stabilizing, returning to normal parameters." She reported in relief before examining Ko. "Neuro-electric signals appear stable and consistent."
Alex quickly knelt down in front of her, pulling off the Psychoscope. "Mikhaila! Are you alright?" He asked urgently.
Her head jerked up suddenly, her eyes wide and manic before a look of utter fury contorted her face. An instant later she surged to her feet, dragging Alex with her and shoving him against the wall, gripping his shirt.
"WHY?!" She screamed. "WHY DID YOU DO IT?!"
"Mikhaila!".Alex began only to be cut off by the raving woman.
"I WAS HAPPY! I WAS WHOLE! IT WAS PERFECT! THE MOST AMAZING THING I COULD EVER HAVE AND YOU TOOK IT AWAY FROM ME!" She screamed in fury and despair as tears fell from her eyes. "YOU TOOK IT ALL AWAY! YOU TOOK IT…!" Mikhaila began to sob, clutching at him as she shook.
A moment later Anna quickly stepped up behind her and pressed the hypospray against her neck with a hiss. Mikhaila's legs slowly gave out as Alex caught her, a grimace of sorrow on his face.
"I'm sorry." He murmured to her as she began to lose consciousness. "But I had to save you."
Her eyes rolled back into her head a moment later as the sedative took effect, rendering her limp. Dr. Bay quickly picked her up and carried her to a nearby examination table to lay her down while Alex moved to the original table.
In the middle of the table lay a simple white pillow.
"Ko?" He asked cautiously, afraid of a repeat of the same behavior as Mikhaila.
The pillow didn't move.
Alex rested his hand on it lightly but there was nothing, not even a quiver to suggest there was intelligence just beneath the surface.
Alex sighed quietly before looking over at Elazar. "Take him back to his room. At least he can be in familiar surroundings when he comes out of it."
"And Mikhaila?" Danielle asked.
"Given her reaction I'd like to keep her overnight for observation." Dr. Bay suggested. "I don't think she'd do anything...harmful to herself but when you're in an altered state of consciousness like this nothing is certain."
Alex nodded. "Let me know the moment anything changes for either of them." He told the others. "Igwe and I will be analyzing the data in the meantime."
The others nodded soberly at this.
Alex looked at each of them in turn. "They'll be alright." He assured them quietly. "We knew this might happen, it'll just take a little time for them to readjust. Just be there for them if they need it. I certainly will be."
Danielle walked over to the table and gave the pillow a few gentle strokes before moving to Mikhaila's bed, taking her hand and squeezing it.
"We'll look after her." Dr. Bay insisted gently. "If anything happens with Ko let me know immediately or bring him here if you can."
Elazar nodded as she carefully picked up the pillow and began to make her way out of the medical center. "I swear if you transform on me while I'm carrying you I will kill you ten different ways before your feet hit the ground." She swore quietly.
Alex smiled quietly before looking over at Danielle, the woman giving him a cold look.
"If anything happens to either of them, I'm blaming you." She told him grimly. "And you won't like what happens next."
"I'll make sure my dental records are up to date in case they need to identify me by them." He told her seriously with a completely straight face.
Danielle gave him one last look before leaving the room.
Alex sighed quietly before looking over at Igwe. "Come on. We've got work to do." He said quietly, the two men making their way out.
LINE
8 hours later...
Dr. Bay rubbed her eyes as she finished the latest report. It was nearing midnight and she wanted to head to her quarters but she had a duty to perform. The sedative that Anna had injected into Mikhaila would be wearing off shortly and the last thing the woman needed was to be alone when she woke up. Dr. Kohl really should have attended to her, and technically he was on call if she needed him, but she had the feeling he wouldn't be able to connect with her as easily as she could.
Standing up and stretching she made her way over to the medical bed where Mikhaila lay, the leads on her chest and head monitoring her vitals with a sheet draped over her for modesty. Thankfully there hadn't been any physiological side effects of the separation but she was still concerned that Mikhaila would be mentally unbalanced when she came around. Fortunately she'd had the foresight to lock up anything that could conceivably be used as a weapon and she had her Transcribe set to send out an alert with the push of a button. All in all she was as prepared as she could be without putting on body armor and arming herself.
Glancing at the monitors she noted Mikhaila's EEG readouts becoming more active as the woman woke. A moment later her eyes flickered open and she gasped quietly, partially sitting up.
"Easy Mikhaila! It's alright. You're safe." Elizabeth insisted gently to her as she rested a hand on her shoulder. "You're in the Medical Center."
Mikhaila looked about frantically for a moment, her eyes darting everywhere. "Where is he?!" She asked urgently.
"Ko is just fine." The surgeon assured her. "He's resting in his room at the moment. Just relax. Everything's alright."
"No!" Mikhaila exclaimed. "Everything isn't alright! I didn't want to leave! Everything was perfect! Beautiful! Alex had no right...he destroyed it!" Mikhaila cried.
"I'm sorry you were...torn away like that." Dr. Bay said gently. "But we had no idea what had happened to you. We didn't know if you were still in there or if you were just...gone."
"I WAS GONE!" Mikhaila shouted, her face scrunched in anguish. "But it wasn't like...like I was dead! It was...I was part of something bigger! I wasn't me but I was something else! It was like I was...disconnected from everything but it was all so clear! Everything made sense! I understood what it was like for him and he understood me! But it wasn't us it was...IT! I wanted it more than anything in the world!"
Mikhaila buried her face in her hands and cried for long minutes as Elizabeth rubbed her back soothingly.
"I can't begin to understand what you experienced." She murmured. "I know it was something beautiful and wondrous beyond words. The last thing we wanted to do was hurt you but we were afraid for you."
"Didn't need to be." Mikhaila muttered into her hands.
"We didn't know and we didn't dare take a chance with your safety." Elizabeth murmured. "I don't know if it will make a difference or not but the...being that you became agreed to let you go even though it meant destroying itself in the process. It was willing to sacrifice itself to give you back to us. Don't let that be for nothing."
"He...he killed something beautiful...perfect..." Mikhaila whimpered mournfully.
The woman nodded. "Yes he did. And he feels terrible for doing so. But he needs you and he needs Ko."
Mikhaila finally looked up, her eyes puffy and red as she focused on Dr. Bay. "Is Ko okay?" She asked timidly.
Elizabeth nodded. "He's...retreated into himself but there's nothing physically wrong with him. I think he just needs some time to process what happened, just like you." Elizabeth gently pushed her back down onto the bed. "Get some rest Mikhaila. As soon as Ko is up and about we'll bring him here. I just need to make sure you're alright before I let you go."
Mikhaila nodded silently, taking in a shuddering breath before closing her eyes, her face flushed as she rolled onto her side and curled in on herself.
LINE
Some time later…
How long he had laid there on the mattress he didn't know. All he knew was that it was safe to stay this way. Safe to be a pillow. Pillows didn't think. Pillows didn't remember.
Pillows didn't...couldn't cry.
Just the flicker of thought made his insides clench horribly, making him pull himself even tighter into the construct he was. He didn't want to think about what happened. Didn't want to remember her screams, his own screams, the terrible wrenching and tearing feeling as his mind was torn from...whatever they had been. From the moment the overwhelming euphoria had surged through his mind to the moment he and Mikhaila had been pulled apart there was only confusion and an inkling of an unknowable, almost cosmic truth just beyond his reach. Recrimination and self-loathing surged through him again like acid scouring his insides. It was his fault. It was always his fault. Every time he tried something new...something different...horrible things happened. Mikhaila had told him that his transformation was safe, given him a second chance, and then he had ruined that by trying something completely untested. Losing control of himself and merging the two of them into that...something he couldn't define or grasp.
And now he had no idea if she was alright. Was she a vegetable in the medical bay? Was she even sane? He had heard her start screaming at Alex just before he had withdrawn into himself and he prayed he never heard such a terrible sound ever again. He couldn't bear hearing it again.
He heard the door open but paid it no mind. He didn't want to face whomever it was, see the looks on their faces, their auras filled with loathing and fury over what he had done to her.
There was no way they would let him go to Earth now. Now that he had done something so utterly stupid and foolish. Even if Mikhaila was whole their trust in him would be shattered. If he could do something like that to the person he loved, what hope did humanity have that he would do the right thing? Especially when he didn't even know what the right thing would be when he got there.
Perhaps it would be better if he simply left, drifting across the cosmos for an eternity as his punishment, clinging to some asteroid or comet with only the cold stars and empty void of space for company. It would be so easy. Just open one of the airlocks and launch himself out into the void. He would be gone long before they realized what had happened.
"Ko." A quiet voice came from nearby.
Uh-uh. No one here by that name.
"Please. We need to talk."
Just us pillows. Go away. Nothing to see here.
He felt the mattress cave as something heavy sat upon it next to him, a hand resting gently against his outer covering. "Please Ko. Come back for me. For Mikhaila."
He didn't want to face her. Couldn't face her.
"She's worried about you. She needs to know you're okay. We need to know you're okay."
I'm not okay. I'm never going to be okay.
Suddenly he felt himself being picked up before a pair of arms encircled him, hugging him close to a warm body and squishing him slightly.
"She needs you Ko. Now more than ever. Don't run away from her...from us." The voice pleaded quietly.
The anguish slowly filled him like a terrible scalding pressure broiling his insides until he couldn't bear it a moment longer. He shivered violently and the arms let him just as he erupted into his Typhon form, his feet landing on the floor before the bed. Crashing to the floor on all fours he let out a wretched howl of static that filled the room as his body shook. The pair of arms was around him again in an instant, hugging him tightly. Desperately he hugged the warm body back, uncaring who it might be as he sobbed harshly, letting out gasps and bursts of static as he shivered, kneeling on the floor.
Finally his sobs eased, his body feeling wrung out and limp, as he slowly looked up to see Danielle gazing down at him sorrowfully.
"I'm so sorry!" He croaked in his static-laced voice.
"It's alright." Danielle murmured comfortingly. "Everyone's alright. Mikhaila is doing better. She's been worried sick about you. Will you come and see her?"
"How long…?" He asked softly.
"Almost 24 hours." She replied.
Ko slowly pulled himself together, dark matter replaced with human flesh as he wiped his face. "She really wants to see me?" He asked sorrowfully. "Even after what I did?"
Danielle smoothed his hair gently. "Ko...I promise Mikhaila isn't angry with you. If anything she's angry at Alex for making the two of you separate. What you did...what you both did...we're still trying to figure it out but we're just glad you're back. We just want to make sure you're alright. I promise."
Ko nodded with a sniffle and Danielle slowly helped him stand.
"You feel up for a little walk to the Medical Center?" She asked.
Taking a fortifying breath he nodded. "Okay." He whispered.
Danielle put her arm around his shoulders, guiding him out of the room.