A laugh escapes my lips despite my trying to mold to the dark atmosphere. Harlow's lack of any response towards my laughter silences the outburst however. He says,

"My usage of English may be flawed, but you understand my tone Pyrex."

I nod ending my smile as I say, "Yeah. Sorry about that."

Harlow nods as he says, "It's a part of who you are. Do try to be tactful however. Regardless, we have a massive problem here. Your cells are evolving into those of the same hive-minded tessellate construct as Gorge."

I squint as I say, "Care to elaborate?"

He stares towards monitor as his shine towards the console while he says, "Your cells are lining into self growing patterns that mimic the growth and control of other symbiotic organisms that form together within the colony. You are becoming like Gorge."

I reel back as I say, "Hmmm. So what does that mean though?" Harlow bears a bad habit in the form of over explanation, but whenever technical aspects involve themselves in his work, he controls them with a masterful precision I lack. This drags in some of his conversations however.

Harlow says, "Your bodies beginning to become the center of its own hive-mind. Your tails are the best example of this. Haven't you ever wondered how you gained control of them so quickly?"

I squint my eyes as I said, "Not really. They just seemed to move on their own..."

Realization dawns upon me as Harlow says, "They are not you. They are each extensions of your self with their own functionality. If you were unconscious in battle, they would keep fighting to keep you alive."

I shrug as I say, "This isn't a bad thing though. It isn't like their voices in my head or something. That would be crazy, not growing tentacles. I've done that since I was eleven at the academy."

Harlow stares downwards as he says, "It is unfortunate that you are so normalized to this process. We may have been able to reverse it if not for the complications during your initial stay here."

I wince before he says, "No one here blames you anymore for your reaction at our initial meeting. You and Allure treasure one another, so of course you would lash out if you had to watch her be dragged away in some foreigners arms."

He lifts his head staring at a different portion of the tube before he says, "This is important however. We no longer find you in a position where several of this facilities key functions will no longer operate as it they will detect you as a hostile hivemind."

I shrug as I say, "I can use my tails for beds and any furniture I need to sit on. The only problem would be food, though Allure and I could just sustain ourselves of the jellyfish in the pools we found ourselves in earlier."

Bordore shakes his head as he says, "You both destroyed the entire 500 meter radius around that field whenever you both used your ice powers."

I frown as I say, "So we will no longer be able to sustain ourselves off of the mystery meat offered here?"

Harlow leans closer to the console as he says, "Unless you like eating your food as it squirms in your throat."

Ugh. I never asked for elaboration about what they fed Allure and I because ignorance is bliss more often then not. My mutations prove themselves as annoying for the first time since I've gotten them as well, but there's an easy solution to my problem.

I raise an eyebrow as I say, "Why not just have me tread outwards as a sort of representative right now?"

Bordore places a hand on his chin as he says, "I suppose that wouldn't be a bad way of doing things."

Harlow's eyes return to their normal black pitch as he says, "It would fall right into Gorge's own plan. I am glad both of you observe and utilize reason in this scenario."

Harlow words his sentences so strangely at times. I nod as I say, "I'm actually getting rather hungry right now. Damn...I didn't think I would leave so suddenly."

Bordore raises a finger as he says, "We've actually discussed this with Gorge already. She and Teralla will be going with you towards Berva. This base will be moving from our current location to underneath a mountain near there here soon, so we'll still be able to keep in touch."

Harlow lifts his spindly hands and fingers as he says, "I'm worried you'll die if your surrounded by so many strong personalities."

I grin as I say, "I doubt it'll prove much trouble. If anything, I'd prefer it if you guys were to come along as well. It would be like traveling with my military mates again."

After I say so, a wince travels across my skin as I remind myself of the day I escaped The Fog's Grasp. It evokes a perilous question that eats at me until I say moments later, "What happened to my friends after The Fog contaminates them?"

Bordore and Harlow glance at one another before Harlow says, "They have been indoctrinated at the price of their minds. They fought against the infection so viscously that few of them retained any semblance of their previous humanity. They are...well...Gorge's thralls now."

I squint my eyes as iron leaks into my voice as I say, "Where are they?"

Bordore crosses his arms while tapping tapping his side and Harlow glances downwards while he fumbles his feet. After a moment my wrath explodes as I shout, "Where are they?"

They lean backwards flinching at my stony expression before Harlow says, "Gorge is with them...She's helping them..."

I say in my mind towards Gorge with a biting ice spreading from my voice, "Where are you?"

She accepts my message before she says, "Is it important? I'm in the middle of-"

I reaffirm the anger in my voice with the same coldness as I spit, "Yes. Very."

After a moment she says in a subdued voice, "I'm in sector c quadrant 4."

I push the people beside me away as the memories of The Fog's agony spread through me. This is strange. I can't understand how I accepted their claims so easily. I remember rumors of the obelisks containing a genetic modifying agent that creates a sort of acceptance in their victims actions, but I never believed them.

They were odd fairy tales told by worried mothers who wanted their sons to stay at home, yet they seem all to real now. As I reach past sector B, visions of beetles spawning from my friends blood lashes against me. What have I been doing here. This isn't right. None of this is right.

I can't accept this. I won't accept this. The hallways newfound symmetry and luster since Allure and my stay here wanes with each step I take closer towards Gorge's outpost. Even the air transforms from a fresh breeze into a stale and stagnate sponge that dries my lungs as I breath. She understands what is about to occur. She feels my fury.

I reach sector 6's doorway as I smash through into an endless hallway lined with thousands of doorways. Beetles crawl across the ground as I scurry through the narrow corridor passing until I reach 4th set of blocky doorways. the door doesn't snap open as before, instead the obstacle slowly slides across the ground until the true horror of this world berates me.

Gorge snaps, "This isn't what it seems."

An anger hotter than molten metal shoots through my veins as I bellow,

"I trusted you."