Binary Love (18+)

Nano Me This...

The six of them barely fit in the back lab, all cramped together looking at various test results on the screens embedded in the wall panels. The streams of data, accompanied by colourful charts and graphs, stood out in holographic contrast to the clinical white of the room.

Mark was finally becoming steadier of his feet, but still had to lean his body against a wall to keep himself upright for long periods of time. With reluctance, he had also put on some traditional lupus garb to cover himself; loose fabric hung over his hips, tapering down to a point on either side, while a leather guard piece was buckled across his chest. He had complained to Nova that clothing seemed restrictive and unnecessary, but she had explained that walking around naked was not socially acceptable, despite what he had seen on the Mayflower. 

He stood close to Nova, watching her explain some of her findings to the group.

"It looks like the Blue we discovered on Arcadia is different to the sample we found on Amaruq." Nova pointed to the two blown up images, highlighting the differences between the two.

Both Rosalind and Lucy stood close to the holo displays, leaning closer to inspect the magnified nanotechnology. Lucy's blonde hair was slightly bedraggled, seemingly displaced from her shift on the ward, but she otherwise presented as her usual put together self. Her face was covered with a light dusting of makeup, accentuating her high cheek bones and full lips. 

Rosalind's golden eyes were sharp and focused - her dark eyebrows drawn low, pulling her face down into a frown. She tugged down on the sleeves of her crisp white uniform, as if the tailored outfit somehow didn't sit right on her body. 

"I don't understand," Rosalind's voice was punctual, "the two nanobots look the same to me."

"They may look the same, but it's seems that their programming and purpose are different. They also were found inside different substances."

"What do you mean by different 'substances'?" Lucy pulled out the datapad she had tucked under her arm, ready to type any notes. 

"Amaruq's Blue had nanos mixed with alien blood and DNA, but the Blue on Arcadia were just nanos within a plasma like solution. I couldn't find any cells or bio matter similar to the first sample we found."

"So, what we found on Arcadia is the pure version of the drug?" Itsuki had perched himself on one of the nearby chairs. He looked rather relaxed, leaning back with his arms crossed, but his bunched up shoulders gave away some of the tension he was feeling. He was wearing the skin tight one piece that many ryujin wore - a black fabric that locked in moisture, and was spongy to the touch - that also showed off his lean, but muscular, figure. 

Without his space suit on, Nova could now see that his neon yellow spots appeared far more vibrant on his black skin, and that the colour shifted to turquoise on the end of his arms and legs. He was barefoot, showing off the sucker-like disks on his toes and fingertips. 

"I suppose you could phrase it that way," she mused aloud, "if the nanos were originally designed to be a drug, I would agree, but from what I could gather they're meant to be more symbiotic in nature. I think that the nanos on the market have been tailored to suit a person, or race, whereas these have yet to be assigned their purpose." 

"Does that mean that the main source for Blue in on Arcadia?" Itsuki asked.

"It very well might be." Growled Harou, who was standing behind Rosa, brooding. "The more we've tried to find out about the tunnels, and the terraforming project, the more brick walls we keep hitting. If it was all just a way to cover this up, I really wouldn't be surprised."

"If these nanos are essentially blank slates, Earth Tech would love to get their hands on them." Rosa cocked one hip out to the side, then rested her hands on her hips. Biting harshly on one of her lips, her frown still in place, the doctor clearly was not comfortable with the possibility.