My Human

Chapter 38 The Pretender

I tugged uncomfortably at the snug dress Trish had me put on while I tried to analyze the contents of the Project Phoenix folder. My head throbbed trying to make sense of it but no matter how hard I focused it still eluded me and this invasive outfit wasn't helping. I shifted in discomfort, wishing I could claw it off.

"Stop fidgeting," she ordered, clasping a sparkling neon pink diamond necklace around my neck.

"I'm sorry," I huffed, adjusting the form fitting azure dress. It was a silky neoprene type material halter dress with thin silk extending from the halter top all the way to my wrists.

"I thought Torians were so advanced, why are these clothes so uncomfortable?"

Trish laughed. "Because if one concept stands the test of time it's "beauty is pain" and if you don't feel it, you don't got it."

"Way harsh," Teo chuckled as he sat nearby tossing pieces of purple popcorn into his mouth casually. "How's the data analysis coming along, Aeris?"

I groaned. "It's not.  It seems just because I can read it now, doesn't really matter. I was just a bio programmer, understanding only the basics of neurological programming. I merely programmed but this..." I stared hard at the statistics and notes. There were enzymes and terms I had never heard of it. It was passed my scope of knowledge, but one thing was clear, my body chemistry had been manipulated.  "This is playing God," I said with disgust.

Trish peered over my shoulder to look. "We need a science guy, she murmured looking over the data on the screen in front of me.  Her jaw dropped a little.  "Wait a second. Your levels are reading high in the amplified C neuron. That is a neuron only found in Ceres, that's the base of our abilities."

She looked me over as if analyzing me. "That would explain this energy coming from you," she murmured in realization. Her face fell. "Have they... figured out how to manipulate it?"

"What would that mean?" Teo asked, still vigorously eating his popcorn.

Trish stepped back and sat down with fear painted on her face. "That's why they did so much to me and my mother. They wanted to be able to control our power and manipulate it to their whims.  But that was the Torian government and they hadn't been able to create the C neuron in beings. How did Phoenix Rize figure it out?"

"It doesn't matter how they figured it out," I murmured, staring at the charts again. "Because when I get to the bottom of this I will destroy every last piece of research they have so they can never do this again," I spat, feeling the heat rise off of me with this intense anger.

"Geez," Trish muttered, "That's a powerful energy you're emitting right now. You must be pissed."

I looked back at her worried. I did feel it, like adrenaline pumping through my veins but in a much more overwhelming way. This could easily overtake me if I let it. I needed to find a way to be in control.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes in a pitiful effort to calm down.

"It's easier when Xan does it for you, isn't it?" She asked.

I peeked at her with one eye slightly open. "What?"

"This energy is directly connected to your emotional state. He was able to keep you calm to prevent its escalation," she asserted.

Teo chuckled. "I guess he was useful."

Trish snickered and punched his arm playfully.

"It doesn't matter though," I said with a another deep breath. "I can't rely on someone else to control this for me. I need to have some semblance of control over my own life."