Imposter System

Matt and Alexis sat together in the bathroom. He guided Alexis to leveling her DNA absorption with her only point. It was a lot different than when he tried to level something. Alexis had to first get a feel for it and search for the exact spot. She described it like having an itch on your back but not knowing the exact spot that would provide relief. Once she located the right spot, the process of leveling was an exciting experience for her.

Matt had brought his bag in with him and took out the seed he had gotten from Martha and gave it to Alexis to eat. Just like how it was for Matt, the seed was easy to ingest and turned into evolution points quickly. Matt found it interesting that her system didn't show evolution points, and instead, could feel it. The problem was that the feeling wasn't quantified and she could only say she has more or less than before. Matt thought that this must be how the parasite normally feels. They also wouldn't be aware of what skills they can level so it would be very random and inefficient.

The next thing he wanted to test was his own blood. He slit his finger to share some blood with her, but her instinct seemed to take over and she started to suck on his finger. Matt immediately noticed that his evolution points were decreasing. Not only that, but Alexis's support points decreased as well. After she ran out of support points, she no longer gained evolution points from Matt.

{It looks like I can transfer some evolution points to you, but you lose support points in exchange. Since you have enough, go ahead and improve your absorption again.} Matt thought. Due to his recent advancements, steak consistently gave him four points. Even though he just transferred eight to Alexis, he still had the four from dinner earlier that evening.

{Ma—Matt can you not do that again? I felt terrible.} After sucking on his blood, it felt like every fiber of her being was screaming heresy. Not only was the process of consuming blood weird for her, but the idea of hurting Matt caused her body to turn cold. In the future, she would resist no matter what.

Matt didn't quite understand her feeling since he had no issues taking human blood. However, he couldn't apply his biases onto her, so came to the conclusion that she can't stomach the idea. It is technically cannibalism since they retained their human consciousness. And since she is pregnant, her senses must be on overdrive.

He ran his hand through her hair and leaned on her just sat with her in silence for a while. Because hair grew faster in lower gravity, her once short hair had already started to get some length. Since she decided to let it grow, it was already over her ears. She had already begun to be frustrated with her hair falling in front of her face and remembered why she kept it short.

"Do you like it?" She asked.

"I like you regardless of your hairstyle. You should keep it how you like it." Matt never asked for the change, but since she had long hair in their long dream together, he assumed she preferred it that way.

"I'll let it grow." Alexis used to have long hair when she was young and cut it when she joined the military. Now that she was on leave, she figured it was worth growing out and seeing if it suited her.

Matt decided to pass the steaks over to her for the next few days until he could start producing the seeds from Martha. He hadn't checked on Alexandria in a while but with Martha guarding her it should be fine. His subordinate had confirmed she received her food. He didn't want to invest too much energy into the situation with Alexandria since he planned to take action against Willard before the first evaluation.

Once Alexis entered her second trimester, it would be difficult for her to be as agile. Matt wanted to make sure she was protected. He also didn't want to take Willard on alone. He already made the mistake once of doing things alone, since he has an ally, he should make use of her. Once Shepherd was truly dealt with, he could relax and pass the days with Alexis slowly accumulating evolution points.

Although there were some suspicions about other people on the ship and still a missing research subject, those weren't his problem. The only thing he needed to do was defeat Shepherd. Although, given murphy's law, it might not go as planned. But he would rather go down together with Alexis than alone.

The next few days went by without any problems. His task was already determined, so Shepherd left him alone until the evaluation day in three weeks. Alexis had suggested he wear the medal the captain gave him. Her reasoning was that since Shepherd was likely Willard's creation, then being monitored by an extra person wouldn't make a difference. He kept it in his jacket pocket since he didn't want people asking him about it.

Once Alexis reached level four DNA absorption, Matt finally got his order in. Outside his lab were two palettes stacked with boxes filled with nucleic acids and other reagents. Matt had only brought in half the load and couldn't find a place for it. He began work immediately and began the process of creating the solution in large quantities. Fortunately, he had enough tools to make a decent quantity.

Since Alexandria settled down, he had her go back to her room instead of staying in the lab all the time. He also gave her a job and taught her a few things in the lab. The only thing she needed to do was take out the trays of glassware and replace them. With her helping him produce the solution, he quickly created forty doses. Although Martha was an alien and likely a lot more durable than humans, Matt still decided to put the doses away and see if there were any stability problems.

"Alexandria, good work today. I'll clean up, you head back." Matt said as he took off his lab gloves and tossed them in the nearby trash bin.

"Ma… Dr. O'Connely, its okay. I'll clean, you head back." She seemed adamant, but he needed to discuss something with Martha. Although he could do it while she was invisible and with telepathy, he still felt weird with Alexandria being around. At first, she was too shy to do anything. But every now and then she would subtly flirt with him. He couldn't send her away because of the experiment but also because he pitied her.

"Don't pretend, I can tell that you are tired. The infection slowed down a lot but its still taking a huge toll on you."

"He's worried about me…" Alexandria mumbled in a barely audible voice but Matt still heard her. He chose not to respond and let her leave with a bit of happiness. He already determined that she wouldn't survive. Even if his parasite could save her, there was still over ten months until he regenerated a sub-body.

Since Matt encountered the monster in her dreams, the metal stopped spreading. This was something worthy of exploration, but every time he left in his astral body, he felt something was watching him. And it wasn't a peaceful presence. Until he leveled his Dream Walking, he decided he wouldn't use that power. Whatever was stalking him in that black and white world wasn't weak.

Matt sighed once the lab door closed behind Alexandria. He walked over to where Martha was sitting and started talking with her. She had been steadily getting smarter and denser. Even with his improved strength, he couldn't pick her up anymore. However, what amazed him was that she didn't make a single sound when she moved. Even though she was very heavy, her steps were still as light as a feather.

{Food.} Martha placed her paw on Matt's face and sent a message over the telepathic channel. She had become sensitive to the feeling and was able to tell when they were connected. Although this scene seemed very cute, if Martha decided to put force into her paw, she could crush his head. Matt reached out and rubbed her head.

{I made a lot for you, but you'll have to wait so I can make sure its safe.}

After talking with Martha about random things, Matt prepared to leave. As he was locking up, he received a message from the captain. At first, he thought it was a private message, but then realized that it was an invitation to a celebration that would be held in the large conference room on the first deck.

'You are invited to Matthew O'Connely and Alexis Alexevey's wedding…' He checked the recipients and there were over a hundred. 'What the hell Captain, how is this small!?'