Imposter System

The next few days Matt and Alexis took all of their meals in their quarters. Matt wasn't even able to leave to his lab and had to coordinate with Alexandria to keep preparing more solutions. If there was a mistake in the formula, it would all go to waste, but if the material just sits there, it would be annoying later. Hopefully the formula was correct and he could begin generating seeds for Alexis.

After three days, the Captain released an itinerary for the events. This also coincided with Alexis getting level five DNA absorption. With this, she would be able to absorb the seeds fairly effectively. Because the Captain released more information, people were more focused on preparation than bothering the couple. This allowed them some more freedom.

Matt took this time to go to his lab and start testing the solution. Like normal, whenever Matt went somewhere, he activated his detect life to get a feel for the situation around him. He saw two life signs in his lab other than Martha. One was obviously Alexandria, since her vitality was still slowly being consumed by the black light. And the other was a life sign he had never seen before.

Matt figured out that each person's life force had unique variations and he had already begun to categorize people. It was something like a fingerprint. And the difficulty of memorizing each person's life force was as difficult as memorizing someone's fingerprint. However, it would be very useful in the long term. When he entered the lab, he saw that it was just one of the researchers dropping off breakfast.

"Ah, Doctor O'Connely… I was just leaving."

"Good work, keep it up." Matt said to him as he exited the lab. The researchers were still nervous around him and he didn't really care to make a good impression. He intended to call them all together at some point and use them to level his hypnosis. Matt felt that he would need to improve his proficiency if he wanted to face off against Willard.

"D-doctor… Its good to see you…" Alexandria was very nervous since their interactions were very few and she seemed to like him. Matt didn't really care for her affection and gave her no chances to think otherwise. He retrieved a few bottles of completed solution from storage and placed them on the counter.

The solution was originally made to be taken up by plant roots, and since Martha still absorbed water through her root-like pads, this should work just fine. The reason Willard used an injectable form was likely because he wasn't aware of Martha's physiology or simply didn't care. The latter being more likely, he clearly wanted to force it onto her. He removed the stoppers and walked over to the next room.

Matt had set up a separate access code for the inner lab where the animals were kept to make sure none of the researchers or Alexandria could gain access. He also locked the rooms with vents from the outside so that Willard couldn't sneak in. He poured the solution into a large basin and the invisible Martha quickly absorbed it.

Matt opened a channel of telepathy with her and felt her satisfaction from the 'meal.' After absorbing all of it, she laid on the ground and her invisibility wore off. She lazily waved her tail around and seemed to be in a food coma. Matt wasn't sure what the process was for her, but eventually, her tail began to sprout two pinecones, which she flicked off. After they formed, she got up and was full of energy again.

'So depleted radioactive material and excess genetic material are formed whenever she takes in this solution. Doesn't that mean these seeds are a waste product?'

He picked up one of the pinecones and his eye twitched. Matt decided not to mention this to Alexis to save her from any possible trauma. He used two doses of the solution and Martha produced two pinecones. He talked with her for a bit and found out that she could eat more after a while, but two was already reaching her limit. However, she seemed to suggest that once she got older, she would be able to take in more at one time.

Although Matt was after the leftovers, he didn't want to turn Martha into a seed producing bioengine. Overfeeding her might have some adverse effects so he let it be for now. Matt looked down at the two seeds and smiled. Although it would be slow, it is also worth it. He stroked Martha's leaves for a few minutes before heading back to his quarters. He told Alexandria to keep making the solution every day.

When he returned to his quarters, he caught Alexis trying on dresses in their room. She saw him coming in from the standing mirror so she turned to show him two dresses. One was black and didn't have very many special additions to it. It had silky transparent sleeves with a floral design and the solid material stretched down to her ankle. The other dress was an opal-like color with various designs and embroidery. It didn't have straps or sleeves and was form fitting around the bust.

Matt didn't know anything about dresses and decided to do the only sensible thing in this situation. He activated Hypnotism and asked which dress she wanted to wear. The winner was the black dress and Matt was satisfied with his strategy. However, once Alexis realized what he did, she was upset. Before she could say anything, Matt dodged the subject and led her to the bathroom.

"You're not getting off—what's that?" Alexis was about to berate him but saw Matt take something out of his pocket. Unlike a certain short-statured trickster, he took out the two pinecones he got from Martha.

{The solution is safe and Martha can make a few a day. Now that you're able to take in Grade 2, this should be a great benefit to you.} Matt sent to her telepathically.

Alexis took the pinecones and inspected them carefully. She didn't get the same prompt as Matt when he received something that contained genetic material, but she had the instinctual understanding that it was useful to her. She started biting into one and realized that it wasn't bitter at all. The texture was a bit hard, but the flavor was like a pistachio. Due to the properties of the parasite, the portions of genetic material were dissolved and absorbed, only leaving the rest to be digested normally.

However, Matt suddenly realized something and grabbed her wrist. He stopped her from taking in anymore and slapped his forehead. The seeds contained a trace of depleted radioactive material. He had ignored this because he had Toxin Resistance and Improved Metabolism, but Alexis didn't have either of those. Not only that, but she was pregnant and the waste material could have a negative effect on her body.

{What is it?} Alexis said, seeing his reaction made her nervous.

{There's potentially radioactive material in those. I had forgotten about it. You don't have any abilities to protect you, so it's too dangerous… We have to find another way.} Matt realized his mistake and kicked himself for it. It's thankful that he remembered in time because he couldn't forgive himself if something happened to Alexis.

{What if… I took it with iodine?} She suggested. Although her knowledge of chemistry was low, she at least understood the concept. Her strengthened body should be able to deal with some trace amounts of potentially radioactive material.

{It's too risky…} Matt was worried about her health and also being discovered. They would want to know why she was eating those pinecones and that would start a series of questions that he didn't want to answer. {Let me look at some articles first. We'll figure it out after the wedding ceremony, okay?}

{Okay.} Alexis smiled at him. His worry for her made her feel warm inside. Although their circumstances were far from safe, she still felt the safety of being in his care. She promised that once she gave birth, she would return to her peak condition and fight beside him.

"Did you look at the itinerary, by the way?" Alexis asked.

"No, I didn't get a chance, I only know that it's been made."

"Hah, well, you should take a look. This isn't anything like those Earth weddings from a few centuries ago."

Matt opened his email and looked at the listed events. First there was a reception with food and drinks, that was fairly normal. Then, the group would change into uniform and participate in a mock battle. Matt blinked a few times and shook his head in confusion. He read the details of the mock battle and it would use specialized rifles and vests that detect where the person would be hit without actually firing anything. When certain vitals were hit, or enough spots were tagged, the person would be eliminated.

'This is a laser tag event? The Captain wants to have laser tag for my wedding event?'