Aptom, who had made it into a clearing by now, stopped suddenly as he felt something was wrong with him. It was as if one of his meals was trying to escape. But that was impossible, since all of the Zoanoids he ate always became a part of him and were therefore under his control. Just as Aptom was about to take another step, fiery agony ripped through his body, and he was blown apart from the inside.
Standing where Aptom had been, crackling with electrical energy and screaming in pain, was a strange amalgam of human and Elegen-type Hyper Zoanoid. Elegen's four lower tentacles still stuck out of Ryan's back, and Ryan's eyes were glowing yellow and crackling with hot, white arcs of electricity. Somehow, though neither of them would ever know quite how, Ryan managed to assemble the surplus air he needed to speak.
"Guyver!"
The pressure-field that surrounded Ryan blew the remains of Aptom's body even farther away. As the Guyver's protective armor closed around his changing body, Ryan wondered idly just what would happen to Elegen once the Guyver finished forming. For a few seconds, Ryan almost thought that he could still feel Elegen's lower sets of tentacles wriggling around under the armor covering his back.
)Let me handle this next part, okay, kid?(
)Elegen?(
)That's who I was the last time I checked,( Elegen sent with dry humor.
)Would you be able to tell me just what's going on, maybe?( Ryan asked, feeling that this whole situation was too strange for even him to handle.
)I'd guess that when our bodies merged, our minds didn't do quite the same thing.(
)Ya think?(
)Hey, you're acting like I knew this would happen. I just thought we'd… well, I never thought… oh, never mind.(
)You thought that what?( Ryan demanded.
)I just thought that my mind would either fade away when my body fully merged with yours, or that you would just end up knowing all of what I know. But it looks from here like you ended up like Aptom.(
)Great. This doesn't mean I'm going to start craving Zoanoids for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, right?(
)Sheesh, I hope not,( Elegen sent, with the mental equivalent of a shudder.
While they were talking, Aptom was working to reform his destroyed body for the umpteenth time. It was kind of annoying, having one of his meals interrupted like this, but Aptom was nothing if not persistent. And there was also the fact that he felt like he was missing a part of himself. Just as he was starting to regain his bearings, Aptom felt something hard slam into his face.
"That was for Zancrus, you bastard!"
It took a minute for Aptom to fully realize what Guyver V had just said. And only that long for him to pin down the feeling of something missing.
"So, Elegen," Aptom grinned sadistically, the only way he knew how to grin, "you managed to hitch a ride out on Guyver V."
"Wow, Aptom, you managed to figure that out all on your own. I'd really be impressed if I didn't hate your guts," Elegen said in Guyver V's voice.
Aptom laughed. "Well, this is going to be interesting. Though I hope you didn't plan on being free for very long."
"Just come and get me," Elegen growled.
Aptom leaped forward, right into a blast of electricity from Ryan's – or rather Elegen's – right hand.
)How in the hell did you manage that with my body?!(
)You know, kid, I'm not so sure myself.(
Aptom shook off the pain from the blast and the urge to demand just where the hell it had come from as he moved out of the way of any other attacks that the Elegen-Guyver might try to use on him. Aptom didn't know just how he was going to deal with something he had never thought could even exist, something that seemed to be equal parts Guyver and Hyper Zoanoid, but he was sure going to have a hell of a time trying.
Another blast of electricity from the Elegen-Guyver sizzled the air, nearly catching Aptom in the gut.
)You know Snake-head, when we finally get out of this little skirmish, we're really going to have to try and figure out just what we can and can't do.(
)I know that, kid,( Elegen sent. )And when are you going to stop making up these bizarre names for me?(
)Oh, I don't know. Around the same time you start calling me something that's not 'kid',( Ryan sent, with a definite undertone of mocking.
)Well then, I'm glad we could come to an understanding, kid,( Elegen sent, a slight teasing note in his mental voice.
)Yeah, me, too, Snake-head,( Ryan sent, in the same tone.
Aptom came at them again, but this time Elegen was more prepared for the charge. Knowing that he couldn't let Aptom get within touching distance or he'd risk getting absorbed again, Elegen fired another blast of electricity.
"How the hell are you doing that?!" Aptom demanded, as he leapt out of the way.
"Wouldn't you like to know!" Elegen taunted.
)Yeah. I think we'd all like to know, Snake-head,( Ryan sent, slightly sarcastically.
)Hey, nothing wrong with trying to keep the Zoanoid-eater off balance,( Elegen sent.
Rolling out of the way of Aptom's punch, Elegen decided to see if he could use any of the Guyver's weaponry. Focusing, Elegen felt the Guyver's Gravity Controller respond to him. But it was as if something was keeping him from fully accessing the Gravity Controller. For a minute Elegen thought that Ryan might have been the one doing it, but the kid was still watching from his back corner of their shared mind.
)I think I'm going to need your help here, kid.(
)Yeah, I think you just might,( Ryan sent. )Hey, Snake-head, do you think it's possible for us to share control somehow?(
)Huh? Well, maybe. I've never thought of that, though,( Elegen seemed to be considering the idea. )All right, kid, go ahead and try it.(
)Just gimmie a sec,( Ryan sent, trying somehow to mentally "wedge" himself back into his own mind. )I think I got it. Try it now.(
Aptom, seeing that the Elegen-Guyver was standing completely still, naturally figured that this would be a good time to attack. Leaping forward with his hands outstretched to grab and infect, Aptom was met with another rather unpleasant surprise. This one came in the form of Guyver V's Pressure Cannon hitting him in the face. As Aptom stumbled backwards, minus a head for the second time that day, he cursed internally.
)Okay, kid, I think I got it worked out: you're the only one who can control the Guyver's weapons, which makes a lot of sense since I remember hearing the docs say that the Guyver only responds to the brainwaves of its host.(
)That makes sense,( Ryan sent. )I'd even venture a guess that I probably wouldn't be able to use your powers. They do only respond to your brainwaves, right?(
)Dunno,( Elegen seemed to shrug. )I don't really know all that much about my own physiology beyond what works and what doesn't.(
)Oh.(
Guyver V leapt out of the way of a blast from the laser set into Aptom's palm, them fired another blast of electricity from his own.
)I know what you're thinking, kid. And I gotta say, that's a pretty interesting idea,( Elegen sent.
)You know what I'm thinking?(
)Hey, we share a brain now, remember?( Elegen sounded a bit indignant, if "sounded" was really the right word to describe someone who was only speaking mentally.
)Point taken. All right, let's get this done.(