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“When these soldiers are exposed to particular stimuli—let’s say, pheromones or specific biochemical signals associated with a female—theepigenetic framework kicks in. This framework functions similarly to a biological clock or switch, activating these dormant genes, allowing the soldiers to form connections on a physiological level. However, it’s the act of sexual climax that solidifies this process. The neurochemical surge associated with orgasm—particularly the release of oxytocin and other bonding hormones—induces lasting changes in the brain’s neural pathways, effectively ‘writing’ this connection into their neural circuitry. Think of it as imprinting: the DNA is primed, and the orgasm locks in the imprint, ensuring the connection is deep and enduring.”
“Wow, so, they can experience… arousal?” Zep asked.
“Yes, their systems mimic human physiology, including sexual response. The neural pathways for arousal are fully functional, and their enhanced abilities could amplify these experiences, making them more intense or unique.”
“Damn, bruh,” Hurricane muttered, sounding envious.
“But they need a woman to activate that?” 8-Bit confirmed.
“Yes. There has to be an encounter. The process is akin to a biological male and female interaction. When they meet a woman who expresses interest, their body is designed to respond to thosecues and initiate the physiological processes necessary for arousal and connection.”
“Justanywoman?” Traps balked.
“Hell no,” Harlow assured. “The minds we obtain have particularities and tastes. Fetch, Fathom and Fin are drawn to humans with morbid pasts because their forte is dismantling those evils. They have the ability to choose a woman, and once they do, the evolution begins. Elevated levels of oxytocin—which we call the bonding hormone—activate the soldiers transformation. It starts with their emotions; they begin to feel more. Things like empathy, compassion, and even love. Their cognitive processes start to shift as well, becoming less like a machine and more like a person, with all the complexity that entails.”
“Any physical changes?” Patches wondered.
“Absolutely. Their bodies adjust, becoming more human in nature. They might not be as indestructible, but they gain something far more valuable: the ability to truly connect with others, to think independently, and to make decisions based on their own moral compass, not just programming. None of it is instant. They evolve, much like the rest of us. Through time and experiences.”
“Now… what about the women?” Lesion asked. “There’s rumors spreading about the triplet’s wives behaving strangely.”
“Not to mention what happened with Kaphas’ wife,” Bullets reminded, or accused.
Harlow held up a hand. “That one is a phenomenon we didn’t anticipate. The hard-wired directive in each soldier to defend their link manifested in coitus and passed a portion of their powers to the wives. We do hope this becomes a trend in future soldiers since this protects their link even when the soldier isn’t there, but we’re not sure it will.
“Now, in regard to Kaphas’ situation, there’s a dozen reasons why his is the exception, and it begins and ends with Handy hi-jacking Quantum’s AI and creating his own soldier.”
“Yeah, I heard about that,” 8-Bit said. “And it’s been nagging me how he could possibly do that without having a body.”
Harlow gave him a look of exasperation. “Let me try and summarize the shit-show of our past life. So, Kult, Atlas, Pain, me, Augustine and Sync—aka the meaning of the acronym K-A-P-H-A-S were part of a secret governmental weapons program. Endeavoring to make a super soldier, they found five individuals with extraordinary gifts and placed them into a man with the ability to split his mind at will. His name is Augustine and you’ll be meeting him when he arrives next week with his wife. But, the brother that unintentionally created Handy was Sync,” he said, gesturing at his table.
The blond looking savior of the world offered a salute.
“Sync’s gift was being able to synchronize bio-energies. It washispower that enabled all our gifts to work together. But, we were prisoners and we decided to break out. That required us to wipe our memories in order to remain hidden from those running the program. Dr. David, I believe most here have met him, helped us escape by leaving a piece of Sync in us so that later, he could track us down and return us to our forgotten escape plans and physical bodies waiting for us in cryonics. Frozen, for those who aren’t familiar with the term.”
“And it worked,” 8-Bit said, amazed with the rest of them.
“It did. For four years we roamed around in Augustine’s body, lost as could be but invisible to our enemies.”
“Five men in a body with no memory,” King Rukem marveled.
“No memory,” Harlow swore. “We knew we were five men in a single vessel but had no idea how we were that or why. It was during this time that the piece of Sync in our right hand bonded with all of us, creating an entirely new personality. Handy.”
“Because he was in thehand,” 8-Bit realized, getting Harlow’s nods again.
“I was diagnosed with Alien Hand Syndrome because I knew there was something wrong with ourhand, I knew it wasn’t ours. They thought I was crazy for wanting to cut if off.”
“Youwerecrazy for wanting to cut it off,” Pain assured.
“But I wasn’t crazy,” Harlow begged to differ. “I even created prosthetic limbs to replace it with once I removed it. Anyway, Sync found us and connected us back with all our memories.”
“And you returned to your bodies, so… what happened to Handy?” 8-Bit wondered.
“We actually don’t know what happened to him between then and his reappearance. We thought he was just gone since all his pieces left the building.”
“That’s what baffles me,” 8-Bit said. “How could Handy hi-jack Quantum, especially with no body?”
“Has anybody asked him?” Bishop wondered. “I’d imagine he knows exactly how he did it and he’s sitting right there.”
