Imposter System

Matt instantly fired off a Mind Blast, however it fizzled out without a proper target. Matt was surprised and as he looked closer, he could see that there was a slight shimmer to Willard. Additionally, there was no impression on the couch or scent from the popcorn. After his attempt to blast Willard immediately, he received a strange look.

"Did you just try to hit me with something? You didn't think I'd actually come here in person, right? I was just kidding. What do you take me for? Since you stirred shit with your recent actions, Shepherd has increased surveillance and taken an active effort to block me out from systems."

"Then what are you doing here? If Shepherd finds out… dammit, leave immediately."

"Stop worrying, I've taken care of everything. I need you to tell me what happened after you entered the central room."

Matt thought carefully before briefly describing his meeting with the Cyborg Cindy and saying that she died from the experiment. Willard only believed part of the story and could clearly see that Matt was hiding something. In order to evade, he dropped a bomb that Willard didn't seem surprised at.

"Shepherd is the AI."

"Alright, it looks like my time is running out. It took a lot of effort to set up this meeting. I probably won't be able to do it again any time soon."

"Good, stay the hell away." Matt said angrily, but Willard only chuckled as the hologram disappeared. A small gadget unfolded into a mechanical spider and entered the vent behind their couch. Once it was gone, Matt heaved a sigh of relief and inspected Alexis for any issues.

{I'm fine, Matt.}

{Okay. Let's rest for now, there are some things I have to tell you tomorrow. Martha, can you stand guard?}

After getting confirmation, Matt and Alexis quickly washed and went to bed. Martha had joined them in the bathroom and Matt had to stop her from absorbing the toilet water. Although it was clean, it still felt strange thinking about it. Instead, he showed her how to turn the faucet on the bath on and off.  The two of them were able to see a cute scene of Martha playing with the interface to get her own water. The faucet would start and she would swipe at the stream only to turn off the flow and it repeated a few times until she figured it out.

The next morning, Matt woke up earlier than Alexis. He didn't create any dreams that night to let her rest well. He did some morning stretches and entered the bathroom only to discover that everything was on the floor. Martha was lying in the tub looking slightly bloated with a satisfied expression. Matt wasn't sure what happened but started picking up all of their toiletries and putting them back where they were supposed to be. Martha woke up to the noise and realized what she did.

{So, are you going to explain what happened?}

Martha didn't reply and walked over to Matt's legs and rubbed her head affectionately on his thigh. This was clearly an attempt to distract him, and it worked. He started petting her and got lost in how soft her leaves were. There was something special about being able to bury your face in something soft. He didn't realize how long he was indulging himself until Alexis opened the bathroom door. The first thing she saw was Matt sitting on the floor rubbing his face against Martha's body.

{Oh, Lexi, good morning…} He thought with an awkward smile.

{Carry on, don't mind me.}

Alexis had a mischievous smile on her face as she walked past Matt and started to wash her face and brush her teeth. Matt shamelessly stayed on the floor hugging Martha and watched Alexis do her morning routine. Although he was calm, there was the occasional stray thought of self-blame because of what happened. If he had been more careful or noticed the signs, Alexis wouldn't have entered Shepherd's crosshairs.

Matt thought about the team he had to lead and what he would do about the research. He hadn't checked the living metal parts he took from the cyborg yet but wanted to test them with his ability. There was an issue with how he would ingest the living metal since biting it would be a fruitless effort. The research notes should talk about the process of turning the cells malleable to create the various weapons.

After leaving the bathroom, he checked his tablet and saw that the researchers had sent him all of the files already. He did a search for the living metal and found the main research on it. The articles dated back over twenty years ago when the organism was first discovered. The derelict from his parent's notes was mentioned again. After reading for a bit, he arrived at an article titled 'Dangers of utilizing TK45 in biological systems.' This was a very early article written twenty-one years ago.

However, it wasn't the title nor the date that caught his eye. In the author section were James O'Connely and Fiona Doyle. These were his father and mother, respectively. Although there were thirteen contributors to this article, his parents were the main authors of the article. He took his time to read every page and eventually came to an understanding about the living metal.

Rather than an organism, the cells that make up the metal are actually just an organ of a different organism. By using this logic, he could already figure out what organism produced this type of cell. Due to the compatibility and high grade, it was simple to deduce that the living metal was a product of a parasite evolution. Looking at his innate ability, the ancient derelict, and the space metal Matt came to a conclusion.

The parasite that he was implanted with is the sub-body of a faceless devourer. Either the parent parasite had a unique ability related to creating this organic metal or the parasites host was of a unique species. The question of whether or not the main body existed came to mind. He walked over to Alexis's office and knocked lightly before entering. She was doing some paperwork to finalize the appointment of Ren as acting-leader. The expression and aura she gave off when she worked was pleasing so Matt leaned against the door and watched her.

"Okay, I'm finished. Did you need something, Matt?"

"I just wanted to see you…" The two made sure to keep up appearances. It would be strange if they didn't talk to each other ever but still were able to communicate. The AI would eventually figure something out.

{How do you feel towards me?}

{Wha… what kind of question is that? O-of course I l-love you…}

Matt slapped his forehead and clarified.

{I know, I know. I meant, our connection through the parasite.}

{Oh… Well, I didn't feel any different with my thoughts or emotions. But, whenever you aren't in sight, I still feel you near me. Does that make any sense?}

{Yeah, that's perfect. Thank you. Oh, and…} Matt trailed off as he got close to Alexis. He leaned forward and whispered into her ear.

"I love you too, Lexi." Then, he immediately exited the room like a fox stealing chicken eggs. Alexis threw a book to try to intercept him, but it just hit the door with a thud. Her face was red and she was frustrated that he caught her off guard like that. She decided to give him a good beating later.

Meanwhile, Matt paced in the other room. He felt Alexis's presence very subtly. Like how someone is aware that they have legs without having to look at them. It was natural and didn't need any specific focus. However, when he tried to sense any other presence, there was nothing. So, it was very likely that his progenitor was dead. In the game, when the main parasite died, it was game over. Killing spawns didn't have an affect on the game except for a solo game over for the one that died.

There was not a lot of lore about what happens to the other parasites when the main body dies, but he had always assumed they died as well. Hence why the game ended. But, what if instead of dying, they lose the binding to the main body allowing them to return to normal? Perhaps they would then receive treatment and become human again. But then, in Matt's case, is time the main factor of his existence, or is he choosing to live with the parasite? These thoughts were confusing and jumbled up so he took a step back and focused on the facts.

The space metal is related to the host or the parent parasite that Matt's parasite originated from. That parasite was most likely a Faceless Devourer based on the information from the secret documents and the paper written by his parents. The ancient derelict was likely the body of the Faceless Devourer. Only being limited to transforming into people was likely just a game feature. In reality, a Faceless Devourer should be able to take on any form.

In conclusion, he would have a high chance of acquiring a very powerful ability from the cells of his 'parent.'