The Many Regrets of a Cyborg Werewolf

Bit by Bit - VI

Mercer finished his measurements just in time for the previous batch of vials to finish their mixing. The equipment provided allowed him to make additional Lycan Shots for the Assembler in batches of six at a time, which was far less tedious than his old setup. He also had no shortage of materials, as many of Luke and Mahi's raids on Celestial resulted in "procured" chemicals needed. There was a satisfying irony to Celestial Biotics facilitating their own downfall. What Mercer struggled with mostly was the shots for Luke's merman-derived form. It was powerful. Unprecedentedly so. The ability to atomically deconstruct and reconstruct was beyond his current understanding of science. The Assembler itself was a fusion of arcane and unknown supernatural elements guided and processed by biological engineering, but the mer form was even beyond that. Even Mercer was unsure how it worked. Why that form? Why was Luke's transformed body so visually different? How did the helmet change shape when it wasn't even part of his body? Mercer could reproduce the formula, but he felt he was no closer to understanding it. He mused that, perhaps, magic by its nature was not to be understood. Yet he recalled the quote of magic and sufficiently advanced technology, but it was another avenue of academia for biological processes to have this level of "personality." It was humbling, if not slightly intimidating, that these things were so unknown.

It also begged the question of the limits of this atomic reconstruction. Theoretically, if the process could be understood, it could be altered. Luke could achieve other states and abilities. The mer form had drawbacks. While Luke's body did not reject the biological catalysts anymore the transformation itself had a physical toll. The few times he had used it he returned to his human form nearly drained entirely. As if all the energy he had to spend was used up. Luke often "came down" from transformations normally, but the new form seemed to exacerbate this. Understanding the mechanism behind it may allow Mercer to mitigate these problems. It could even be used to streamline his normal metamorphic metabolism and leave him less depleted. Mahi could transform freely whenever he wanted with few, if any, energy consumption issues. They were different species, but the processes were similar.

Mercer rubbed his temples as he leaned back, seething slightly from the lingering pain and stiffness in his side. His gunshot wound was nearly healed, but it had torn right into his right anterior. Lifting things and putting his arm above parallel to the ground was still difficult. He lamented his pedestrian human healing rate. He was tired, hungry, and his head ached from the calculations and formulas he had committed to memory. After they were driven from the apartment Mercer was more concerned about the possibility of his research and formulas being stolen, and so decided that the composition for the Lycan Shots would remain strictly in his brain. All that would be physically recorded would be less damaging things like his research and the formula for the suppressants. Celestial already analyzed a portion of a vial, and while he doubted their ability to reverse-engineer such a small sample, it was bad enough they got that much. He wouldn't make the same mistake again, no matter how much it inconvenienced him.

Mercer stood from his desk, straightening his back. Sitting for so long was making him uncomfortable, and he was tired despite it being the afternoon. So he sent the next batch of vials on a spin cycle and left his room. As he left into the hallway he glanced towards Erin's door. He had checked on her not thirty minutes before, and she seemed especially unengaged. She almost seemed lost in thought, so he decided to give her that privacy. It was painful not being able to help, but that pain was nothing compared to what she was going through. So Mercer decided to leave her be for now and left the hallway, passing the kitchen where Mahi stood.

"Hola, Ola," he said with a smile.

"Good morning," Mercer chuckled at his wordplay, "or, I suppose afternoon."

"It's morning somewhere," Mahi chirped as he prepared some fish. Mercer glanced over at what he was making. Mahi took notice, "you like sushi?"

"I've partaken once or twice," he said as he took a seat at one of the two stools next to the island. "I suppose like Lucas you tend to prefer meals raw?"