"Well wait a sec...Do you even know how to get to that state of mind by willing it? If so, then that's like, totally awesome by the way." Nami said.
"As a matter of fact, I do. Part of our training Vantz and I had to do consistently was meditation while we trained under Master Ao. Man, we used to hate it as teenagers, but that practice is really coming in handy now" Caiden replied optimistically.
“Well if anyone can pull this type of crazy shit off, it would be you Caide,” Hitomi said.
“Nami, gear up the bio-scanner while I do this. We’ll need Xandra to record the data,” he said.
“Good idea,” she replied.
They walked over to the training area. He took off his jacket and sneakers and sat down in the Burmese pose. His arms were relaxed by his sides, and his palms were open, and rested on his knees.
“Whenever you’re ready, Caide,” Nami said.
“Do it now,” he said.
He closed his eyes, focused on his breathing, and tried to empty his mind. A minute and thirty seconds passed. Nothing happened. He remained silent. He imagined the holo-watch sinking into his wrist. At three minutes, his mind’s eye presented him with the turquoise light, that shifted, swirled, and flowed. Something incredible began to happen. His wrist lit brighter and brighter until a big flash of turquoise light illuminated the room before it died out. Caiden opened his eyes.
“Caide, you did it!” they screamed.
“Holy shit!”
“How do you feel? Does it hurt?” Hitomi asked as she gently held and rubbed his left wrist.
“No, not at all. It stung, but it didn’t really hurt at all,” he said.
“Hey, look! I see something. It’s like a thin line of that weird light coursing through the skin around your wrist,” Nami said.
“Whoa! You’re right,” he said.
“So, does that mean that the watch is like, in there now?” Nami asked.
“It’s weird. It's like I can feel it there, but not physically. There’s something more. Like another sensation I can’t put into words. But it doesn’t feel uncomfortable or anything. It’s weird, I know. But, I know it’s there somehow,” he said.
“Well since you absorbed it, you should be able to bring it back, right?” Nami asked.
“It should work the same way, really. Let’s try it! Cue up the scanner to record this,” he said.
The twins skipped over to the hub to initiate the scanner. They enjoyed this just as much as he did. Again, Caiden assumed the Burmese pose. Once he had calmed down, he entered a meditative state. A little after thirty seconds had passed, the same glowing light flashed, albeit less intense, and quicker than before. As the light faded, the holo-watch appeared.
“Whoa!” Hitomi shouted. Nami was at a loss for words.
Caiden was already planning his next move. He took off the holo-watch and placed it on the lab table. He then prompted a sequence on his main computer to examine the physical composition of the holo-watch. He paced back and forth awaiting the results.
“Amiko’s tests revealed a significant change in the anatomy of the nanocells after they absorbed the titanium. That turquoise light showing through my skin must’ve been the molecular imprint of the watch taking on a dematerialized form within my wrist,” Caiden thought aloud.
“It’s likely that your nanocells, like the ones we saw on Dr. Amiko’s tests, physically broke the watch down while showing its ability to not only understand what it was absorbing, but to memorize its shape and function, and somehow improved it,” Nami asked.
“That’s a great guess. Xandra will tell us in a few seconds,” he said.
“Diagnostic tests reveal the object was composed of titanium, quartz, glass, and hardened pliable urethane foam. Object’s new composition is currently an unidentified material. It can only be attributed to an unnamed, advanced, versatile polymer,” the AI system said.
“That would make sense. My body absorbed it and improved it, like Nami hypothesized,” he stated.
“Since it’s, like, sort of some nanocell enhanced-polymer material, wouldn’t that explain why it was much easier for you to bring it back out with less effort?” Hitomi chimed in.
“The timing intervals were much shorter. Let me check to see if it works” he said. He operated the watch; it worked just as well as it did pre-assimilation.
“Oh my god Caide! You’re turning into an alien right before our very eyes!” Nami laughed.
Caiden rolled his eyes.
“I wanna try something else” he blurted out.
“What now?” Hitomi asked.
“My gunblade.”
“Okay, Caiden. Don’t you think you’re pushing it too far?” Hitomi asked warily.
“These last few weeks have been some of the most exhilarating that I can remember. But wouldn’t you agree that it’s been pretty insane, too?” he asked.
Nami and Hitomi looked down at the floor with the sobering realization of what Caiden was saying. “It’s just that, well, it’s like you’re doing all this. Risking your life, all for us, and—”
“I’m thankful I found you guys. You taught me to face my own fears, and helped me to decide that I want to do what I can to change this city for the better. If it wasn’t for you two, I would have never got the nano codec. I would have never discovered all the things I’ve always wanted to understand about myself. There’s still a lot I don’t know, so I can’t stop now. And now I know that the more I meddle, the more trouble may be in store for me. So, I need to be prepared as best I can,” he said. “Besides, I still gotta make good on the promise I made to you guys. We gotta get you home to Rune Village, right?”
The twins both looked up and smiled affectionately, as if the weight of their guilt had been lifted right off their shoulders. You’re our angel Caiden, a thankful Hitomi thought. Caiden went to get his gunblade and held it in his right hand. He was
