Experiment Log 04: Symbiosis

[mementomoritz]

[So, anyone who's been in Medic's lab recently may have noticed some... changes. A tank full of increasing large marimos, for one thing. Another, substantially larger tank in the back covered by a sheet, for another.]

[Also, she's been transporting a bizarrely large amount of food there, none of which seems to be the kind of thing she usually eats. The need to donate food to Gula put that on pause for a bit, but it ramped back up as soon as the layer's troubles were under control.]

[When she sends out a mass video call to her fellow Executors, the giant tank at the back is uncovered. And open. And empty.]

Good news! [Medic herself pops into view, smiling cheerfully and waving at the camera. She looks more or less the same as ever, but she's wearing what appears to be some kind of thick black glove that covers her entire arm, up onto the shoulder.] I made a new friend!

[She lifts up her gloved arm, and all at once the seamless back material surges off of her, forming into a roughly spherical shape that puddles comfortably on the table in front of the camera.]

I wasn't sure if it would be possible to create new life in a place that fundamentally contains no living beings, but it worked!

Meet my new bioengineered mycological organism. I named it Mantle! Say hello to everybody, Mantle- [She pats the top of the blob on the featureless lack of a head. It makes a happy-sounding "blup" noise.]

[Medic makes another gesture and Mantle obligingly slides back onto her arm, settling down until it could be mistaken for simple, unliving armor.]

[Until she flexes her hand and her armored fingertips abruptly sharpen into claws.]

I'm really happy with their stability and responsiveness, and they're ready for field testing now! I think it could be super useful in combat.

If anyone wants to drop by and help me test them, feel free to contribute to science!

[Yes, fellow Executors, you're seeing this right: your team's mad scientist has created a discount Venom suit.]

[This is your fault for leaving her unsupervised.]

Comments

[emberserker]

That's what you've been working on?

[mementomoritz]

Yep! [She currently appears to be holding the phone with a small tendril of Mantle's amorphous body, in order to leave both her actual hands free to write down more lab notes.]

Well, mostly I've been working on training and durability- I've had a stable base for a while, but if I didn't make it strong enough to take a hit, fieldwork would be a kind of a problem!

Also, getting it to read human bioelectric signals well enough to respond to unspoken intent instead of verbal commands was a little tricky. ...Especially since I'm not actually sure we even have bioelectricity, now that we're dead.

[emberserker]

...I see. Well, it is you. What sort of field testing did you have in mind?

[mementomoritz]

[Wolfsbane is such a good friend.]

Do you want to help me see how well it can work with other people? I think I can get it to hold an axe shape for you, if you want!

[Translation: do you want to beat something up with the Venom suit, Wolfsbane.]

I'm especially curious to see if you can channel your power through it. Mine is more biological, but if yours works too then it should be able to work with almost anything!

[Translation: do you want to use the fucking Venom suit to cast longer-range fireballs, Wolfsbane.]

[These girls are a fucking menace.]

[emberserker]

[Wolfsbane's expression twists into some kind of demented Dreamworks face.]

I certainly wouldn't be opposed. The way this layer is going, I think I might just need to.

[mementomoritz]

[Medic's own grin is much more innocently cheerful, but probably no less unsettling.]

Meet me in the Invidia lab, then- I'll clear out some space so you can practice a little before we try taking it down to the Underside.

[At least she has just enough common sense to test her new weapon before using it in live combat.]

[emberserker]

[Wolfsbane shows up sooner or later, already transformed and carrying one of those potato spirals on a stick, which she drops onto the table in front of Medic.]

Here, I doubt you've eaten since you went into the laboratory. And if I got you one of the stranger food items, you'd probably try to study it instead. Now, where is this wonder of yours?

[mementomoritz]

Ooh, thanks! That looks tasty~ [Yes please, she hasn't eaten in over twelve hours, give her the carbs.]

Who wants a treat~? [And she's just answering Wolfsbane's question by breaking off a small chunk of potato and tossing it to the excited sphere of amorphous black goo that comes rolling up at top speed when it hears the word "treat".]

[Mantle extends a small tendril of itself up to catch the piece of potato out of the air and absorbs it seamlessly into the mass, making a happy bubbling sound. Medic rests a hand gently on the top of it.]

Mantle, this is Wolfsbane- she's going to try working with you, okay? Just like you practiced with me! [She smiles and motions Wolfsbane over with her free hand.] Here, you can just touch it and it'll start getting used to you.

[If Wolfsbane does touch it, she'll find that despite its gooey appearance, Mantle is mercifully not wet or slimy. It feels soft, oddly like suede, with a consistency similar to modeling clay.]

[emberserker]

[Wolfsbane reaches a hand out. She blinks in surprise at the texture and lets it move around her hand.]

So it gets accustomed to the user, then? And that allows it to change like you demonstrated?

[mementomoritz]

That's right! It works sort of like... [She pauses for a moment, trying to think of how to simplify several months worth of mad science into a coherent explanation.] You know how when you move your body, your brain sends signals to your muscles that tell them what to do?

When you're touching Mantle, it can "hear" that kind of signal in your nervous system. So if you picture what you want it to do in your head, it can understand that- at least for simple things like "grab that" or "make this shape".

[It's a wonder of impossible science, but also like... it's mold. It can only understand so much.]

If you aren't touching it, then you have to rely on verbal commands, and it doesn't understand those as much. [She gives Mantle another couple slow, comforting pats and then withdraws her hand completely, leaving Wolfsbane the only one touching it.] For most people, their nervous systems all follow the same basic design, so it just needs a few moments to adapt to a new partner.

It should be getting the hang of things by now... Trying thinking about what you want it to do.

[emberserker]

Very well. Allow me.

[She concentrates and wills Mantle to cover her arm, like Medic had demonstrated, and then sort of form a shape on the arm, a shield in somewhat of a raindrop shape on the outside.]

Impressive.

[mementomoritz]

Offense and defense at the same time, that's smart- try striking with it, see how it holds up.

[That does explain why she has a rather battered-looking punching bag hanging up in her lab, at least.]

[emberserker]

Naturally!

[She charges the bag with the shield arm and bodychecks it, sending it back. Managing to stay on her feet, she deflects the bag when it comes swinging back.]

How is the stability so far?

[mementomoritz]

Looking good! [Medic gives her a cheery thumbs-up.] Mantle's retaining the shape you gave it without bending or deforming, that's an excellent sign. See if you can try switching between shapes while you attack, next time!

[The biggest advantage of it is the flexibility, after all.]

[emberserker]

With pleasure!

[She keeps Mantle as a shield, but when the bag comes back, has a spike protrude from the centre in an attempt to batter the bag. Probably puncture it, but Medic can probably fix that anyway.]

That's useful!