155. Alpha Gene

August 1, 2010.

- [Darling, wake up.] - Morgana's voice rang out, which immediately woke me up.

- Mm, what is it? What time is it now? - I asked with difficulty opening my eyes.

- [It's almost three in the morning, but I thought you'd be glad to hear this news.] - Morgana said with a little mystery in her voice.

- Hm? Have you finished analysis? - I quickly got up from my bed and asked with anticipation.

- [Yes. I've finished analyzing alien DNA for the Alpha Gene. I'm sure you'll like the results.] - Morgana confirmed with a smile to be heard in her voice.

- Don't go on, I'll be at the lab right away. - I said, and ordered the Cloth to change its appearance from pajamas to casual clothes, I headed to the exit of the bus, trying not to wake anyone.

Luckily, I succeeded, and when I went outside, I ignored the beautiful view of the ocean at night, activated the Infinity Tattoo, the power of which transported me to Bellwood, Ohio.

Once in the Cave, I turned into Fasttrack ​​and immediately headed to my laboratory, where a holographic projection of Morgana was already waiting for me.

- So, here I am. You can continue. - I said hurriedly, sitting down in my chair, ready to listen attentively.

Morgana only smiled at my impatience and began the story with a smile, displaying the necessary data on the monitor: - [As you can see, I was able to find the Alpha Gene in almost all of your aliens. The exceptions were the Celestialsapien and the Osmosian.]

- With Alien X, it's clear why, because I haven't even turned into him yet, and we don't have a sample of his DNA. It's still too early for that. What's wrong with the Osmosian? - I muttered thoughtfully, looking curiously at my beautiful AI.

- [As far as I understand, this race is already in its highest form. They just don't need the Alpha Gene as they have reached their peak of evolution a long time ago.] - said the girl.

- Truth? How curious. Any guess why this happened? - I asked with interest, looking at the helixes of the DNA of the absorbing race.

- [I do not have 100% proof, but I can assume that this is not their natural state. Someone interfered with the natural course of things and changed the race that was the ancestors of the current Osmosians. By the way, this is where their abilities come from. In the past, they either did not have such powers, or they were much weaker, but as a result of interference with their gene, they became what we know them now.] - Morgana explained in detail.

- So, experiments. Not too surprising, considering how vast and mysterious this universe is. And this may explain the absurdity of the Osmosian forces, who, if they want, can become the strongest beings in the universe. Have you been able to find something similar in other samples? - I asked.

- [No, all the other aliens were far from their evolutionary peak, and had an inactive Alpha Gene, which I found, but Osmosian DNA helped me notice one detail.] - Morgana said, again remaining mysterious.

- Don't torture me with your pauses. Be honest already. - I said irritably, bringing a smile to the girl's face, who liked to publish over me like that.

- [Well, I also need to somehow have fun. You know, I get bored, especially when you're busy.] - The Artificial Intelligence said with a smirk, having already crossed the line of this definition a long time ago.

- I understand, I will devote more time to you. When the virtual world is ready, we can have plenty of fun. - I promised, rolling my eyes, then elaborated: - Is that enough?" We can continue?

Morgana wouldn't be Morgana if she didn't decide to torment me a little more by giving me a displeased look, which, fortunately, didn't last long.

Showing her beautiful smile again, Morgana said: - [Okay, you convinced me. Looking forward to the day when we can be together in our shared world.]

- Me too, trust me. - I said with a smile, really looking forward to this day, although there is a lot of work to be done first. At the very least, it's a very exciting task...

- [So, back to the topic. After studying the DNA of your Osmosian and comparing it with some other DNA, I can come to the conclusion that this race has achieved its current state thanks to the Alpha Gene, which disappeared after completing its task.] - the girl explained, reinforcing the whole story with colorful anomalies.

- Are you sure? - I asked seriously.

- [There are some differences, but I found the same markers to confirm it. It looks like the Osmosian gene was just a prototype, while the rest of the aliens have a more advanced version.] - Morgana said with a nod of her head.

- If what you say is true, then it can be assumed that someone very long ago artificially introduced the Alpha Gene into all existing races of the universe, the work of which this someone tested on Ashley's race? - I asked, hardly believing everything I heard.

- [It turns out that it is.] - Morgana confirmed.

- And it looks like the Osmosians are a successful experiment, since they all activated the Alpha Gene a long time ago, while the rest of them don't even know about this possibility. - I thought thoughtfully.

- [Or vice versa, a failure. Perhaps the one who started all this did not want the Alpha Gene to be active in every representative of the race. At least this is confirmed by the fact that the new gene has several differences from the prototype.] - suggested Morgana.

- Yes, you are right, this option is more likely. I think this gene is a kind of chance for the true chosen ones, who are able to independently activate the gene in order to transcend the limits of their races. Something like an award for the exceptional members of the race, as Technorg might have been. Although, we can only assume and build hypotheses, since we have no other evidence for what this was done. - I said, continuing to comprehend new findings.

- [Or who exactly did it.] - Morgana added.

- Several races are capable of this, perhaps this is again the tricks of Contumelias, but again, this is just an assumption, not supported by any evidence. Besides, it's not that important to us. This happened a long time ago, and there is no point in changing anything, because it does not seem to have any negative effect, but rather the opposite. What matters is that the Alpha Gene is useful to us. - I said, leaning back in my chair.

- [And now, all you have to do is find a way to activate it.] - Morgana said with a smile, supporting my enthusiasm.

- Right. And what do you say about this? - I asked, eager to hear my trusty AI's suggestion.

- [During the analysis, I was able to notice a certain pattern in the location of the Alpha Gene in the DNA strand. Basically, it depended on the physique, the place of origin of the race, the basis of unique abilities, and so on. Over time, I was able to develop a template that helped me find the hidden gene faster, which greatly reduced the search itself, and will make life easier for us in the future.] - Morgana said.

- This is of course very good, but what are you leading to?- I asked, frowning slightly.

- [Because of this, I was able to roughly predict the wobble of the activated gene. It, of course, brings to the peak of evolution, but on some aspects the influence is much stronger. As far as I can guess Alpha Gene improves different aspects of the race and it all depends on the characteristics and characteristics of the race. Some will have more physical characteristics, some will lose their shortcomings and weaknesses, and some will get an increase in racial abilities.] - added the girl.

- Clearly, this means that the method with the serum injected specifically for me will not work. Serum implies a comprehensive improvement, and in this case, this option is not suitable for us, since we need to take into account the specifics of each race, which has its own characteristics. I can't create and inject myself with a different serum for each alien. Even with my special body, this could be fatal. - I said, understanding Morgan's train of thought.

- [I thought so too. Therefore, the only option left is to influence the DNA of the aliens themselves.] - nodding her head, Morgana said.

- And given that the DNA samples themselves are not stored in the Omnitrix, we need to create some kind of device that will activate the Alpha Gene during the transformation. Well, or change the Codon Flow itself, but at the moment, this is not possible. - I said, already starting to think about how to implement this.

- [Since the Omnitrix itself is a receiver that receives data from Primus, it is necessary to work with this data.] - Morgana continued my thought.

- Right. The device would need to be able to influence this data in order to unlock the Alpha Gene for each transformation. It's difficult, but with Corrodium is possible. Add a few useful features for convenience and everything will work. Just have to get into the Omnitrix itself. - I said, continuing to think.

- [It's good that you figured it out yourself. It's time to do it.] - Morgana said seriously looking into my eyes.

- What is it'? - I asked, averting my eyes.

- [Don't pretend you don't understand what I mean. We both know that I need to move into the Omnitrix in order to fully seize control of it.] - Morgana said a little pathetically.

- No, it's too early. - I said categorically.

- [We studied the watch for two months, you received the access codes from Xylene, what else do you need? Now is the best time to do it, especially if you want to implement the Alpha Forms project.] - Morgana asked, leaning towards me, clearly not letting me get off this conversation.

- It's too dangerous. Even with access codes, we won't be able to completely disable the entire security system, and it will have to be hacked. Who knows what precautions Azmuth took in this case. He's also paranoid and probably has a lot of traps, and don't forget about the Omnitrix AI. - I said as I stood up abruptly from my seat.

- [This AI is nothing in front of me. You know that I can easily erase it. And the security system will not become a problem, since we have already studied it enough. In addition, after scanning so many aliens, it had noticeably weakened. ] - Morgana said categorically, showing her hologram, right in front of me.

- There is still a 30% chance that nothing will work out. I'm not going to risk you. Let's wait a little more and I'm sure we'll find another way to integrate the new system into the watch.- I said confidently.

- [But I was created specifically to hack the Omnitrix and take the place of the AI ​​in the clock so that you have full control over it. So that I will always be with you, even when I have a body.] - The girl said adamantly, speaking the pure truth.

- That is true, but I believe that the time has not yet come. I have a bad feeling about this and I think you underestimate Azmuth too much. I already made a mistake once with Gwen and the Charms, and I'm not going to risk you. This conversation is over. - not wanting to argue any more, I said, preparing to leave the laboratory.

- [What about my opinion? I also have freedom of choice and now I want to fulfill my destiny. My place is not in the server in your basement, but in the clock on your arm. And you do not dare to resist this, otherwise, why then did you create me and give me free will?] - removing the hologram and showing herself on the main monitor, Morgana demanded an answer.

- But… - I tried to object, but she did not want to listen to me.

- [Please, I want this. Moreover, an 70% chance, with the power of your tattoo, is already a lot. Everything will be fine, just trust me and I will complete my task.] - Morgana asked.

- … - I kept silent, knowing perfectly well that she was right, but I did not want to agree with this and take such a pointless risk.

Looking at the screen again, I saw the look of the AI ​​I created, and I realized that she would not listen to me and, in any case, she would try to hack the Omnitrix, even without my help. It looks like she got my stubbornness…

- Eh, okay, let's do it. It's better, I'll control everything myself, so at least I'll be calmer. - I said with a sigh, completely surrendering.

- [Well, fine. Do it.] - Morgana said as she disconnected from that computer.

With another sigh, I turned into the Two-Tails and moved to the basement of Max's house, where the server was waiting for me, which contained the original code of Morgana, which I have to upload into the Omnitrix.

Having created a clone that turned into an Upgrade, I began to observe the process. The clone itself soaked into the server and, after upgrading it, created a wire that connected to my alien clock without any problems, starting Morgana's transmission.

- [See you soon.] - Morgana's voice was heard, for the last time from this particular server.

- I hope so. - I said with concern as I activated the power of the Lucky Tattoo. More, nothing depends on me....