The room was well lit and the bed had clearly changed to something more comfortable, with pillows, blankets and padding on the bed. He was no longer restrained to the bed, he could move freely but he did not want to. There was a strange feeling inside his body. He wanted to know what it was but felt it almost move as he did. The strange feeling made him stop, and only after fifteen minutes did he move slowly.
"So is this what they meant about having to get used to it? I can feel it any time my muscles shift, what an unpleasant feeling" Seth thought to himself as he held his hand in front of his face and looked at his fingers, slowly moving them, trying to see where the metal was. If it bunched up or anything else that would cause this feeling as something was clearly wrong with his enhancement, right?
'I cannot see the metal, my hand looks normal, but I can feel the metal under my skin, I can feel that when I move something moves slightly slower'
He slowly sat up before looking around slowly. He was looking around for anyone else. He did not know what time it was, the room was so light, but that meant nothing on such a ship with no natural light.
Looking to the side he saw a small silhouette of a man behind the curtain moving around, slowly stretching his body and slowly beginning to do basic boxing movements.
"Hello, is someone there?"
"ahh ya up" a voice came from the other side of the curtain
"Mongrel?" "Who else ya think is here with ya" said Mongrel before he pulled back the curtain slowly. He looked exactly the same apart from he was moving slowly, as was Seth.
"How long have we been here?" asked Seth
"Almost a week. Ya took a while to wake, must be that premium stuff"
"Haha yea must be, you look stiff Mongrel"
"Don't ya feel it under ya skin? It is like a wall inside my body that my muscles are pressing against"
"Yours is a wall" Seth said as he slowly moved his arm.
"How does it feel to ya"
"The metal is there, but it does not feel like a wall. It was not so rigid, it was slowly moving inside his body, when his muscles pushed against it it gave a little and when he relaxed it moved back."
"oooh that sounds uncomfortable, more so than mine"
"Have you been able to test it out yet" asked Seth
"Test it with what? They don't let ya bring weapons in"
"Hmm, I could test it for you" said Seth
"How so?" Mongrel said as he took two steps back.
"You know how"
"No, not again. Not since you tested my last enhancement"
"Oh come on that was an accident"
"I had to spend another week in the hospital because of ya accident"
"This will be different. I can barely move. Plus this one is made for defense"
"No, I am not taking any chances. Nurse, nurse" yelled Mongrel before moving quicker than Seth had seen after waking up.
"Coward" Seth scoffed before turning his attention back to his body again and remembering that dream "This feeling must be why I had that dream, It is truly suffocating. I wonder how many Mongrels had a panic attack feeling this when waking up.
Soon, Mongrel came back in with a nurse and pointed at Seth like he was a ghost "There ya see, I told ya" he said before disappearing again.
"That Mongrel is a special one isn't he"
"Yes he is"
"How are you feeling?"
"I am feeling strange…"
"Like something is inside your skin with you?"
"Yes, exactly like that"
"Well to be fair that is what has happened, you now have something else inside you"
"How do I get it to move?"
"That is to advanced yet"
"Why is it too advanced?" asked Seth
The man looked around the room and made sure no one was around before answering.
"Because we don't know how people get it to move. After training with the metal under their skin they get a hold of it, and all they have reported is that it moves how they want even if it is subconscious"
"I know this may be too late to ask, but is it safe?"
"Is anything they do to you safe?" asked the man right back
"No"
"The only thing you can do now is start moving normally. A few days after the scouts body can move like normal the metal begins to move with them, they say it feels completely different"
"Can I begin walking?" "Soon. Give your body an hour or so and some real food then try moving very slowly. Its not like you will be able to do anything else" replied the man
"What about Mongrel?"
"Their enhancement isn't like yours and his mind will eventually stop feeling the metal under his skin like you do not feel the skin when you flex your muscles"
The nurse left, leaving Seth to himself going to get something for him to eat.
"I wonder how long it will take for my body to feel normal or look it" The faint red dots littered his body, clearly they were still healing from the procedure even if they were almost finished.
Mongrel came back into the room when the food came. He did not even greet Seth, he just dug into his own food without a word, Seth did the same he was extremely hungry after sleeping so long.
"Hey Mongrel, wanna go get some training in after this?"
"I am not going to let ya hit me, no matter what ya call it"
"No, I am serious after our body starts moving we will need to train to get it back to normal"
"Who told ya that"
"The nurse"
"I don't believe ya"
"Go ask him yourself"
"Fin, I will"
"Do it then" challenged Seth before they both just stared at each other trying to figure out if the other one was bluffing, before finally Mongrel gave in.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to move my body"
"That's the spirit" said Seth before beginning to get up. He knew he should wait but that drink he had was going right through him and he needed the bathroom desperately. He put his feet off the bed and when they hit the floor he fell. His muscles were not moving fast enough and thus he could not stabilize himself in time.
"hahaha, okay now we certainly can train" said Mongrel as he laughed at Seth who was still on the floor.