Post by Javier Delgado on Feb 23, 2012 15:29:35 GMT -5
Javier sat on the edge of the Indo-pacific reef tank and let his feet dangle in the water. It was a sunny day, and so he didn't feel too cold sitting there in nothing but his speedo, but then again he still hadn't submerged himself into the salty brine in front of him. "Should I really be doing this?" he wondered aloud.
Staring down into the depths of the aquarium, Javier spotted a familiar shape far below the surface. It was a nautilus. Probably the same one he had acquired so many months ago. He smiled as he remembered what it was like to bob around below the water with the nautilus's hard shell and plethora of tentacles. It was a fun and unique experience.
But a different mollusk was Javier's reason for being here today. One that would probably give him an even more "unique" experience. Javier was finally following through on his resolution to try out a morph of an animal that he could think of no practical use for against the invading aliens. It was a concept that was brought to mind when he was helping Ashley acquire her snowy owl morph. The idea was that even apparently useless morphs might surprise you with unexpectedly applicable capabilities.
"Well, lets find out." Javier slipped into the water up to his neck, then began to swim lazily out into the tank. When he was about five yards out, he took a deep breath and dove beneath the surface. He went down five feet, then ten. At fifteen feet he could really start to feel the water pressure, but he had reached his destination. The tank's one and only giant clam.
Reaching out a hand, Javier touched the lip of its shell. He took note of the rubbery feel of its interior in contrast to the tough exterior as he began to acquire the bivalve's DNA. If the clam went into the acquiring trance, there was no visual indication of it. When the process was finished, Javier returned to the surface and refilled his lungs with air. He treaded water for a few moments as he refocused his thoughts on what he was about to do.
"Well, let's get on with it," he said to himself before concentrating on the animal he had just acquired.
The first change was with his bones. Like a rippling wave from his toes to his nose, all his bones dissolved like sugar in water. It was a morphing experience Javier had never witnessed before, and it alarmed him. But even as he floated there as a boneless bag of organs, he wasn't in any pain and so opted to continue.
Not surprisingly, Javier's limbs began to retract and absorb themselves into his torso. Even with the loss of his limbs, it wasn't until the shell began to form on his back and stomach that he began to sink. He took a deep breath before completely submerging, but it was pointless since at that moment his lungs dissolved within his chest cavity.
There was a brief period of panic before the clam's version of gills formed and Javier could breathe again. Finally, the last human feature to disappear were Javier's eyes. The water went dark and he felt a clunk as he settled against some rocks in the tank. That was when the clam's instincts surfaced.
Open shell. Filter water. Close when threatened. That was the extent of the mollusk's mind. Javier couldn't say he was surprised, but that didn't mean he wasn't hoping for more. He had had bright hopes of finding some profound insights into the way animals think by morphing a creature such as this. Alas, it was not so. At least not this time, in this morph.
However, that wasn't to say there weren't some surprises. First of all, he was surprised to find just how relaxing it was to be in this morph. The giant clam had no worries or cares. It could just sit there for years on end, entirely content.
The second surprise had to do with just how powerful this creature was. It may sit in the exact same spot for most of its life, but it still had a surplus of muscle. Javier felt that the clam's muscles could be compared to the jaws-of-life that they used to cut through cars at accident scenes. It was astounding. While he still couldn't think of any practical applications for this morph, he did not regret acquiring and morphing it.
At least, not until it was time to demorph. <<This could be bad,>> he muttered to himself. He had no idea how deep into the tank he was, or in what order his human features would return. However, he comforted himself with the fact that if his features returned in the wrong order, and it appeared he would not be able to make it to the surface, he could always reverse the morph and return safely to clam form to try again.
It took Javier three attempts to make it to the surface again. And when he did, he was gasping for air. But as he pulled himself out of the water and lay resting along the side of the tank, Javier couldn't help but smile. "The "useless" morphs might not be too helpful, but man are they still interesting."
Staring down into the depths of the aquarium, Javier spotted a familiar shape far below the surface. It was a nautilus. Probably the same one he had acquired so many months ago. He smiled as he remembered what it was like to bob around below the water with the nautilus's hard shell and plethora of tentacles. It was a fun and unique experience.
But a different mollusk was Javier's reason for being here today. One that would probably give him an even more "unique" experience. Javier was finally following through on his resolution to try out a morph of an animal that he could think of no practical use for against the invading aliens. It was a concept that was brought to mind when he was helping Ashley acquire her snowy owl morph. The idea was that even apparently useless morphs might surprise you with unexpectedly applicable capabilities.
"Well, lets find out." Javier slipped into the water up to his neck, then began to swim lazily out into the tank. When he was about five yards out, he took a deep breath and dove beneath the surface. He went down five feet, then ten. At fifteen feet he could really start to feel the water pressure, but he had reached his destination. The tank's one and only giant clam.
Reaching out a hand, Javier touched the lip of its shell. He took note of the rubbery feel of its interior in contrast to the tough exterior as he began to acquire the bivalve's DNA. If the clam went into the acquiring trance, there was no visual indication of it. When the process was finished, Javier returned to the surface and refilled his lungs with air. He treaded water for a few moments as he refocused his thoughts on what he was about to do.
"Well, let's get on with it," he said to himself before concentrating on the animal he had just acquired.
The first change was with his bones. Like a rippling wave from his toes to his nose, all his bones dissolved like sugar in water. It was a morphing experience Javier had never witnessed before, and it alarmed him. But even as he floated there as a boneless bag of organs, he wasn't in any pain and so opted to continue.
Not surprisingly, Javier's limbs began to retract and absorb themselves into his torso. Even with the loss of his limbs, it wasn't until the shell began to form on his back and stomach that he began to sink. He took a deep breath before completely submerging, but it was pointless since at that moment his lungs dissolved within his chest cavity.
There was a brief period of panic before the clam's version of gills formed and Javier could breathe again. Finally, the last human feature to disappear were Javier's eyes. The water went dark and he felt a clunk as he settled against some rocks in the tank. That was when the clam's instincts surfaced.
Open shell. Filter water. Close when threatened. That was the extent of the mollusk's mind. Javier couldn't say he was surprised, but that didn't mean he wasn't hoping for more. He had had bright hopes of finding some profound insights into the way animals think by morphing a creature such as this. Alas, it was not so. At least not this time, in this morph.
However, that wasn't to say there weren't some surprises. First of all, he was surprised to find just how relaxing it was to be in this morph. The giant clam had no worries or cares. It could just sit there for years on end, entirely content.
The second surprise had to do with just how powerful this creature was. It may sit in the exact same spot for most of its life, but it still had a surplus of muscle. Javier felt that the clam's muscles could be compared to the jaws-of-life that they used to cut through cars at accident scenes. It was astounding. While he still couldn't think of any practical applications for this morph, he did not regret acquiring and morphing it.
At least, not until it was time to demorph. <<This could be bad,>> he muttered to himself. He had no idea how deep into the tank he was, or in what order his human features would return. However, he comforted himself with the fact that if his features returned in the wrong order, and it appeared he would not be able to make it to the surface, he could always reverse the morph and return safely to clam form to try again.
It took Javier three attempts to make it to the surface again. And when he did, he was gasping for air. But as he pulled himself out of the water and lay resting along the side of the tank, Javier couldn't help but smile. "The "useless" morphs might not be too helpful, but man are they still interesting."