Dynamic Patrol: Gel Squad! Episode II

Chapter 22: Mimicking Merge

Kai entered the same ventilation system Cam had entered; it was clear the mouse was quite good at hiding. Kai was everywhere; he'd asked around, but everyone was too busy searching for this mysterious Omeocoon. But by golly, Kai was going to find that mouse. He'd been aware of Cam's ability to mimic objects; occasionally, he'd run his hand along the wall, searching for signs of textural imbalance. Unfortunately, Cam could hide very well. This included Kai's ability to sense thermal radiation. When he became an object, he was impervious to scanners, quite a dangerous power when it would've been used for malicious intent. But Cam wasn't trying to be hostile at all. He was trying to hide from the scornful eyes of the station's population. "If I were a mouse... where would I hide?" Kai hummed to himself. He walked along the corridor opposite everyone else as he moved along in his own bubble of thought. 

Eventually, Kai rounded his way to medical, where Narr was off the clock, presumably caught up with the search. They were looking everywhere for the intruding Omeocoon while his friend was resting soundly in a cell in the brig. "Cam..?" Kai called out to the air as he looked around; he moved in slowly, zeroing in on several objects that he thought Cam might've been mimicking. The room was half dark, but Kai could make out the silhouettes of several devices. If he were Cam, this is where he'd be. He might not have known the medic mouse well, but he didn't have quarters. He lived in medical; he was the only medical specialist. It made sense that he wanted to be close to his post during medical emergencies. "Cam... if you can hear me. There's an intruder on the station... It would help if you came out now... I'm talking to myself. Aren't I?" Kai said to the room, when there was no further response. Kai looked around what would be considered Cam's room, a small office reserved for the chief medical officer, who, in this case, was Cam. In the room was a desk, and in a far corner was a bucket, presumably where Cam would turn in for the night. There was not much internal decor, but the critical item Kai sought was the OmniHeal Backpack. And its absence indicated that Cam wasn't coming back. Not good. 

Kai exited medical and once again referenced his inner Cam. The only place he should have checked was the escape pods. Were there even pods left? Kai took the chance; it was the only area where he had yet to look. He bolted down the corridor. These pods were no longer being maintained, which Kai did not enjoy; he'd since relaxed his overly protective brotherly side to allow Bode some breathing room. Still... it would've been nice to be provided with a way of escape when this station would inevitably crash and burn on the surface of Omeocoon. With the state it was currently in, that future seemed close. 

"Cam, I know you're here. Come out," Kai called out to a semi-dismantled escape pod; the vessel was probably in this state because of the engineering kitty, who was probably foraging for parts. "Look... Tommy said it was okay. Whatever that means. Look... I have a crush on you; I don't want to dance around it. I was stuck in this... time dilation thingy when I crashed on a moon, and when I was young, my village burned to the ground... before then, I never realized just how short life was. It's why I became an adventurer. I guess it was to hide the pain of losing someone I loved; I was so terrified at the idea of losing my brother that I wanted to get as far away from my people as possible. I didn't stop to think about falling for someone again. But I really like you, Cam; I don't know what Tommy did to you, but if you don't stay on the station for those people. Stay for me. Please." Kai pleaded he was talking to open air again, but no one wanted to respond. Kai was turning to leave, but something squeaked; Cam made himself known. In astonishment, Kai looked up toward the ceiling; Cam's face seemed melded to the pod's top. "What?" Kai giggled a bit at seeing Cam's face in the ceiling. "What are you doing up there?" 

"Hiding... I tried to leave, but this pod doesn't work. Plus, I'm a coward. I wouldn't know where to go if I set off on my own. This station is all I have left. I figured I could hide up here until I died." Cam said sadly as he separated from the wall, his blob of goo squelching and plopping down on the deck as he reformed and shuffled over. "How did you find me?" Cam asked, twiddling his thumbs, "I just thought of a place where a 'coward' would hide if he tried to leave." Kai jabbed lightly, but that did not seem to make Cam laugh. "Hey, I didn't mean it." Kai corrected quickly. Cam nodded sadly. "What's wrong? Be honest with me." Cam sighed and figured it best to be truthful about the incident surrounding why he decided to be hidden; he was tired of being an outcast and bullied. It wasn't fair. "Well... I don't know much about what happened here. Yar briefed me, but I was also halfway out of my mind, so I'm not the best character judge. I've been a little weird sometimes too. But I don't need anyone to tell me who I can and can't be with." 

Kai took both of Cam's hands and guided his tail toward Cam's. He allowed his appendage to dance with the mouse's before pushing his way into Cam's tail with a soft sucking sound; Cam exhaled sharply, "W...what are you doing?" Cam asked, "I think we can just skip the chess," Kai said with a smile, "Oh... my," Cam said as he did a long blink. He could feel Kai's thoughts already. The bunny was overly open, which was a change considering no one really liked to visit medical to talk to Cam outside of Narr and D1. It was bizarre... Cam had never been with a generation two before. He could feel the shadow of a rapid heartbeat like it was his own, but it was Kai's. "Y... you would choose to be with me..?" Cam asked Kai. He had already given his feelings numerous times, but it was unbelievable. "Well, there are some 400 people on this station. I think we'll start pairing off, and I want you, not the medical doctor you, the you-- you. And I choose to be with you. I don't really want to put a label on things so early on because the last time I fell in love, they died. Let go, Cam." Kai persuaded quickly; Cam just pulled him into an eager hug, which caused Kai to scream from the surprise, but the overtaking of Cam's goo smothered his excitement as he enveloped Kai. 

Kai released his form and combined his thoughts and body with Cam, and soon enough, they shared a combined train of thought. Cam got perhaps a bit excited... and squeezed their combined blob of pink, yellow, red, and teal goo into the thin slits of an air vent. He wanted to take Kai on a whirlwind tour of the station. And with his powers, he wanted to show Kai what it was like to turn into objects, become them. His form of meditation. This was a rare power for Omeocoon, so Cam wanted to share it with Kai.