The hivemind is conquering for me? - Chapter 335

Chapter 335: Building Blocks
A few days later, I was in my lab holding Zircon above my head. On the table before me was a large claw attached to a very bloody creature. I had been running tests on Keyla for the past few days, wanting to understand more about her incredible phenomenon.

After being assisted by Jewel in uncovering her form, Keyla has mentioned to me that entering the form is now as easy as breathing. All she has to do is think about murdering something in cold blood and apparently she always does that anyway so the change is not a difficult one.

As I swung my blade down, I chopped into Keyla’s arm halfway up her forearm cleanly. The Bloodfiend grunted, though not in pain, more at the psychological impact of your partner cutting off your own arm in front of you.

As I had speculated, I did not have long so I could not remark on the fact that Zircon was definitely sharper than the last time I wielded her in true combat. Looking closely at Keyla’s stump, I watched in awe as her skin seemed to be bubbling as in a rate visible to the eye Keyla began regenerating an arm and after 11.25 seconds, The entire arm was back to normal, completely rejuvenated.

Being a genetic scientist, I knew that her regeneration was not genetic as I mumbled in fascination. “Incredible. It seems Keyla’s regeneration comes from a completely different source than how I or Orchid would regenerate ourselves. Working theory. Being a Psionic being, The Bloodfiend is able to tap into the latent Psionic energy around us in a way I yet to comprehend. As such it is able to use it to make its body complete once more.”

Keyla squirmed in her Bloodfiend body. If she wasn’t enraged, she couldn’t keep it up for too long. As Apollo held her arm, she turned into a mist of blood that Psionically materialised her previous form back together, not too dissimilar from how the teleport array worked after I had investigated a few times.

Back in her little body, Keyla looked at me uncomfortable and said. “Apollo, you are creeping me out a little when you talk like you have an audience watching your experiments.” She said, causing me to reply on reflex.

“Talking to yourself allows you to retain the information better. I am learning about a real cutie pie, everything about her should be easily remembered. Or do you want me to forget about you?”

I looked up from the arm on my table and smiled lovingly at Keyla. Her eyes fluttered at the attack and she said. “Who am I to say what’s creepy? You talk away my love.”

Looking away from Keyla, I turn around to grab some equipment. Turning back to the table, Keyla tried not to laugh as I suddenly looked like a mad doctor from a tv show she watched before she became deranged.

“Pfft! Apollo, what’s with the goggles? You look like a dweeb.” She commented, causing me to frown. “Oh? So now I am wearing something you dislike, I am not attractive? Really shallow babe.” I jested and ignored Keyla’s back peddling follow up.

The goggles basically acted like a wearable microscope. Being able to witness things at that level while I worked was beyond useful. Honestly, I sort of wanted a Psionic ability that allowed my eyes to do that, but my Origin was weird with my powers in its infancy and who knows where and when I will randomly get my next one.

Positioning my scalpel, which was made of the same material as Orchids swords, I slowly began to cut into the amputated arm in front of me, zooming at different levels as I did so. Keyla watched on from the side for thirty minutes watching Apollo root around her hand going ‘Oooh, mmmh, Interesting, Why? Oh? Very intriguing, oh that’s why? Goodness it is beautiful.’

Keyla had to admit, she was slightly turned on watching Apollo work so intensely, especially when he was focusing on something that was recently attached to her body. Looking over quickly to her right as a blush threatened to take over her face, she looked at Orchid who had a bunch of food as she watched on silently. Keyla understood exactly why now she had done that.

Turning back to Apollo, she asked. “What have you found Apollo?” I looked up “Hmm? Oh right, you are still here.” Grabbing her by the arm, I pulled her over to look at her other arm that had been cut open and dissected.

“It’s glorious isn’t it! look at the structure of your muscles. Goodness, I am getting hard just looking at it. They are so dense and well packed. No wonder you gave Orchid a run for her money.”

As we both ignored Orchids grunt from my comment, I pulled Keyla close to her arm and began. “Look! Do you see it!” Keyla was not sure what Apollo was going on about so she replied with a simple no.

“Oh right!” I muttered and tapped my forehead. “Goggles.” I took them off and unceremoniously placed them onto Keyla’s head. I wanted to make a quick quip about her looks for calling me a dweeb, but.

“No, still a cutie with them on.” I whispered before pulling Keyla’s attention back to the arm. “The goggles are a baser hive entity dear, similar to how my armour works, just think your intentions and they will zoom and unzoom at will.” Keyla had some fun getting used to the goggles for a moment before she looked back at me, wanting to know why she actually had them on.

“Begin zooming in on where I have cut to the bone. It’s the best place for an unpractised eye to look.” I said with trace excitement in my voice. Keyla began zooming in as far as she could go. Eventually, all she could see were just a bunch of black dots.

“Apollo, should I be seeing something? All I can see are black dots.” She suddenly felt two strong hands grab her shoulders and shake her body slightly, causing her to become extremely unwell under the heavy zoom.

“So you can see them as well! Oh this is amazing!” I then took the goggles of Keyla before putting them back on my head and began fiddling around, letting Keyla catch her bearings. Just as she was about to ask, I pulled an old switcheroo on the hive and began saying.

“If you used my goggles on me and zoomed in that far, do you know what you would see? Atoms! The building blocks of all life. I have them, Orchid has them, the whole hive has them. Of course inside of atoms are protons and electrons, which I learnt can be charged with Psionic energy and the void between them can also be filled with energy, but that’s not the point.

The point is, where there should be atoms in that arm, there isn’t! On this table right in front of me is a mass of meat that does not play by the rest of the universe’s rules. No atoms, no physical structure. Yet, here we are.”

Orchid chose to stay silent. If Apollo figured this next part out in such a short time, he would put Jewel to shame. And she would be so proud.

“So what? How does my Bloodfiend body function if I am not composed of anything?” Keyla shivered as Apollo looked up to answer her question. The lack of visible eyes with his smile made him look like a serial killer…

“That’s just the thing my love. You are made up of something in that form of yours, something that breaks the laws of nature all the time. Psionics.” Keyla felt a little out of the loop suddenly and had to ask.

“Wait, hold up, head hurts. It was already well established that my Bloodfiend is a psionic entity, why are you getting excited like you have just figured that out?” Not responding right away, I grabbed Keyla by the shoulder, causing her to shriek as I pulled her back to her arm.

“Yes, yes. I knew that, but I always assumed that Psionic energy needed material to pass through a body, atoms, but these black dots. These are Psionic energy that has been condensed into living matter! Acting as its own matter! Acting as its own life! Making its own building blocks…”

Keyla tried to wrangle herself free from Apollo’s vice hands. She loved the man, but he sure acted completely different while working. Once again, looking at Orchid watching from a distance, she understood why she was at a distance.

“The possibilities for my future enhancements with this information. Replacing myself with concentrated Psionic energy in such a way. Of course, I need to learn how to do that first and I might need decades before I figure out how to do that. Sapphire!”

Calling on the chonk abruptly, she materialised next to me and after a quick check of her structure. “Yep, Psionically charged atoms. Eat that and go back to sleep.” I pointed to the arm on the table and she happily obliged.

Once she was gone, I turned to Keyla and smiled. “Keyla, my love. Would you be willing to give me more samples? Perhaps your tail this time? Or maybe a leg? What would happen if I bisected you? Or what if…”

Keyla thought back to the other day. She thought about the play with Apollo in the water, faking being prey. She had always been the predator, but today, as Apollo slowly walked towards her with Zircon in his hand, talking about cutting her apart. She truly felt like she had come across a greater predator.

“Kiyaaah!” she screamed and ran out of the room as fast as she could.

Taking my goggles off, I looked over to Orchid, confused. “What was that about?” Orchid knew exactly, but decided against telling her love.

“Who Knows Apollo-love, though perhaps its time for a break? Someone is about to wake up after all.”