Second part of Chapter 16, the final part!

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**

I'd offered to carry Iczer-2 to the work area, even if she wasn't
conscious, I'd hoped she would feel my presence. But Urd had vetoed
it; in my current state I wasn't just subject to uncontrollable
trembling, but kept stumbling, not the best way to carry someone
already suffering from major injuries. Instead she wrapped her
carefully in the sheet, and picked her up in her arms with an easy
strength, a quick motion of her head ordering me to follow along.

I kept my attention on Iczer-2. Not only did it help me feel my
presence might reassure her, if she could still feel it, but it helped
keep my attention off the tension that was growing steadily inside me,
adding a sick, tight feeling to my already-unhappy state.

Belldandy motioned me over, away from where the other two were busy. I
looked back for a second, fascinated despite the circumstances; Skuld
was buried in a pile of components big enough to almost bury her,
while Urd had a book in one hand and was drawing some sort of magic
circle, the writing of which tried to writhe around and get behind my
eyeballs every time I looked at it.

"While they are finishing the preparations, I'd better tell you a
little about Iczer-2, since its quite possible you will be living in
that body a fair bit, at least until you can get everything fixed."

I gulped, and hoped that we _could_ get things fixed. Well, better to
hope. Anyway, this would take my mind off the preparations for what I
_hoped_ wouldn't be my funeral... "OK, I guess I do need to know."

"Very well. Now, firstly, you should realise that while she looks
human, she isn't. Although we were surprised to find that she is
basically a modified human, an least physically."

I blinked at that revelation.
"Human? But she's a Cthulu - an alien! How can she be human??"

"Well, I did say basically. Her DNA seems to be a genetically modified
human structure. Maybe these 'Cthulu' aren't so alien after all?"

I shrugged helplessly. What did I know, I'd only seen the anime...

"Anyway, physically the main differences are strength and speed. She's
both _very_ strong and fast, and pretty tough as well. Most of the
other physical differences are fairly minor, those are the ones you'll
probably notice most. I do hope they also aren't the ones you'll need
most."

So did I!

"However, the non-physical differences are _far_ more interesting.
Basically, she's psionic. A very powerful one, too, but the most
unusual feature is her ability to act as an amplifier for someone
else's power."

"Someone else? Like me??"

"Yes, like you. Her 'partner'. She links to one person, and draws on
their power, amplifies it and controls it. That's what you were doing
during the final fight with Loki. Now, as a result of what we are
about to do, that ability will be affected. We aren't sure exactly
how, we'll do another analysis after the operation."

"Even without a partner, though, she is very powerful. She's a
receptive empath, and can create and manipulate energy fields. That's
how she controls the 'sword' she used, and she can also use it for
protection, although its more effective against energy than physical
force. She can use them to allow herself to fly, and she also has some
control over dimensional manipulation. We can use that to allow you
both to leave this universe, after we teach you how."

I looked rather stunned. THIS was what I was getting involved with!?
"Ah... right. Is that it, or are there any other little gems of data
you've glossed over" I get sarcastic when I'm upset...

"Oh, one thing I forgot. She has a certain amount of precognition, but
it seems tied to her combat skills. So don't count on it."

"Count on it?? Belldandy, if it IS me who ends up in control, how am I
going to even _use_ these abilities?? I don't suppose I'm going to get
a manual!!" 

She smiled.
"Oh, I'm sure it won't be that bad! After all, even without them you
will have a lot of advantages. Just be careful, and remember that
using those abilities takes power. And may be very obvious to, well,
certain entities."

Oh, this just got better and better. So when I used those wonderful
abilities (if I ever found out how) I could point a big neon sign at
myself saying 'Look over here!!'

All this was not doing me any good at all. The 'butterflies' in my
stomach seemed to have grown to the armour-plated, B-52 size right
now. 

My worrying was interrupted by the touch of Urd's hand on my shoulder.
I'd been so absorbed I hadn't even realised she'd walked over to us.

"We're ready."

I took a deep breath, and nodded.
"What do I do?"

She smiled. Her air of reassurance would have worked better on me if
my mind hadn't insisted on popping up all those bits of manga where
she used magic.

"Just stand in the triangle. We stand in the other three, and Iczer-2
is already in her circle. We'll do the rest."

I nodded, and walked over, fast, to where she had indicated. I had to
do it fast, if I'd let myself think I don't believe I could have gone
through with it.

The three of them took position in the other circles as Urd gestured,
the candles positioned around the area flaring as they started to shed
a flickering light. I had to shade my eyes for a moment against the
soft glow as their garb changed into their 'working' outfits. The glow
didn't exactly fade, but it seemed to concentrate inside them, making
their bodies almost luminescent, and somehow making them seem more
real, more solid.

"Just shut your eyes, and let your mind go blank."

I took one last look over to where Iczer-2 lay on the floor, her body
wrapped in a sheet. She looked so frail, it was impossible to think of
her right now as the fighter who'd stopped Loki. Then I closed my eyes
in resignation, trying to blank my mind.

What happened next I flatly refuse to describe. In any case, I can't
recall it clearly, even now, although Iczer-2 says she understood it.
Anyway, the next clear memory I have is opening my eyes again, still
in the circle, and noticing that the candles had almost burnt down. I
felt odd, tired, and very stiff from standing.

"Did it...?"

Urd nodded, looking tired herself.
"It worked. Everything seemed to go fine, but we'll need to do some
tests next to see in detail."

I looked over at where Iczer-2 had been, and then blinked, rapidly
looking around for her. "Where is she??"

Skuld looked up from her instrumentation.
"She's merged with you, just like we planned!"

Well. Now I guess we have to see what happens...

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**

I looked over at Urd, my body trembling. Whether with reaction from
the operation, or fear, I didn't really know, and right know it hardly
mattered.

"So... how do I 'switch', as you put it earlier??"

Urd frowned slightly as she bent her head next to Skuld's, watching
with her the data zip past on the VDU, then straightened up with a
half-smile that I hoped was good news.

"Well, based on what we had in mind, and what the preliminary data
says, its emotional/glandular based. Given the nature of the way the
two of you were initially bonded, it pretty much had to be."

I kept looking at her.
"And??"

She grinned.
"Just get mad! Or upset, or... _excited_, or anything else that 
generates a lot of emotional strain and energy, and stimulates those
changes in your body!"

I blinked. Just get mad? It sounded easy, until you tried to do it on
demand!

Urd must have sensed what I was thinking, my expression wasn't exactly
guarded. Stepping closer, her expression changed from a grin to almost
a sneer. "What's the matter, boy? After all, it's all your fault,
isn't it? Can't you do a little thing like change?"

I looked up, startled and hurt, as she poked me.
"Well, come on! Don't just stand there, why don't you do something!"

I growled, stepping back as I felt anger grow in me. While it was
pretty obvious what she was up to, I played along, trying not to think
but to let the irrational anger response grow and deepen. I felt
warmer; odd, it was fine in here a moment ago, now it felt
uncomfortably hot.

"Shut up, Urd!! It wasn't my fault!"

Urd grinned, nastily, as this time she slapped my face, hard, making
me take another step back, looking back angrily at her contempt-filled
face.

"Oh yes it was! And now you can't even do a simple little thing like
change! You're such a wimp, no wonder Loki used you!"

This time I almost snarled, as I gave free reign to the tension
burning in me, letting it grow and flower, as another wave of heat
flooded through me. I felt incredibly tense, and my body locked, as I
stood there, limbs simply refusing to answer to my commands. The
burning heat grew, a wave of itching growing across my skin, my bones
aching as I started to shudder convulsively and blacked out for a
second.

I regained my senses oddly. It wasn't just that I opened my eyes, but
the images I saw were more, well, clear than before, as if I was
seeing the world for the first time without glasses. Every sound in
the room felt much louder, as I looked over to Urd. And realised with
a shock that this time I had to look UP a couple of inches to meet her
eyes, instead of meeting them directly!!

"Wha..."
I broke off with a gasp! It was a totally _weird_ feeling to know you
were speaking and to find the sound coming out in someone else's
voice. Then I looked down at myself...and grabbed for the edge of a
table, as a flash of weakness flooded through me, leaving me trembling
in reaction.

"Oh my God...you did it!!!"

Belldandy was looking at me with concern, but didn't seem too worried.
Urd was too busy smirking at me to say anything.

Skuld put her tongue out at me.
"That's Oh My Goddess, not Oh my God!!"

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**

Belldandy slipped a hand around me, helping me stay upright. It wasn't
that I felt weak, but I was having difficulty balancing, everything
felt different. I held out one arm, slowly looking at it, trying to
make myself realise it was mine. The sight of the slim, pale and
shapely limb instead of the arm I _was_ used to made me shiver and
close my eyes again for a moment. Then I gave a deep sigh and opened
them again. This wasn't going to go away, and the sooner I got used to
it and accepted it the sooner we could be off and look for a solution
to our problems. A small background part of my mind registered that at
least they had healed Iczer-2's physical injuries, although 'my'
shoulder and left hand still ached, but right now even that hardly
seemed to matter.

"I didn't really expect it to be like this. I thought Iczer-2 would be
in control"

Urd shrugged.
"I did warn you, we couldn't control it. You seemed to come to some
sort of balance between you when the merge was going on. You should be
able to feel her, though, maybe even talk to her?"

I frowned, and closed my eyes again as I tried to search for Iczer-2.
I realised after a few seconds that I could 'feel' something. I tried
mentally to 'talk', but nothing happened. It was an odd feeling; have
you ever had someone standing right behind you, not saying anything,
out of sight, but you _knew_ they were there? It was like that, only
more intense. I could somehow sense an emotion of reassurance and
relief coming from the other presence.

"She's here. I can feel her. But I can't hear her, or anything, she's
just there."

"Well, that's a start. At least it shows that you both made it OK.
With practice, you should be able to communicate better."

Skuld nodded, her head still buried in a bank of equipment.
"She's fine, I have the readings here. It may take a while for the two
of you to get used to each other, though, just practice, and don't
rush things. The rest of the transfer worked fine, too, and she's
pretty much healed! I'm _such_ a genius!!

Urd sighed deeply at that last comment, rolling her eyes at the
ceiling. "Oy, and _who_ had to be convinced it was possible...!!"

Belldandy smiled fondly at both of them.
"Now, we have to let David...ah, Iczer-2...mmm, what _do_ we call you
both?"

I 'felt' an amused feeling from deep inside me. I wondered just how
much Iczer-2 could sense of what I was seeing and hearing. And if it
was that much, how I'd adjust to the lack of privacy...

"Uh. How about just Iczer? I always thought the -2 thing was tacky,
and I certainly don't look like a 'David' any more!"

"That will do. Iczer. Well, the first thing is for you to practice
walking and moving, get used to the different way that body feels.
Once you've done that, we can test that you can change into David
again."

I shivered. I wondered just what the chances were that I couldn't
change back into my old body. I was getting a nasty suspicion that all
this was a _lot_ more experimental than I'd been told earlier. While I
could hardly accuse Belldandy of lying, I had a feeling she was being
seriously economical with the truth. 

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**

Under Belldandy's careful eye, I practiced moving about. Once I got
used to the differences, I seemed to adjust very easily, surprisingly
so in fact. I mentioned this to Belldandy, who looked interested.

"I wonder how active Iczer-2 is. Although you can't speak to her yet,
I suspect she has more input than we first thought. You are right, it
should take much longer to adjust. I would think she's helping."

I nodded, still wondering how Iczer-2 really felt about all this. This
was _her_ body I was using, after all. I don't think I'd have been
very happy about someone else using mine in such a fashion.

"Well, at least I can move around normally. But am I stuck like
this??"

Belldandy looked at Urd.
"Sister, you're the expert on shapeshifting. Would you show Iczer how
to change back to her other form."

I looked at Urd hopefully. 'Her' other form. I was beginning to wonder
how I was going to refer to all this, the genders were already
starting to get confusing!

Urd hopped up off the corner of the desk she'd been lounging
gracefully against, stepping up to me and looking closely at my face.

"Right. OK, I'll lead you through it. Just relax, its easy once you
know how."

Her eyes looked into mine, and I felt my attention trapped there like
a fly in amber. I couldn't really tell, or at least explain to myself
in words, exactly what she did then. It seemed to make sense at the
time, and I followed it OK, I just can't describe it. I felt a soft
tingling slowly spread across my body, and my vision got fuzzy, a soft
throbbing noise growing louder in my ears. Then I jerked abruptly,
spasming as I felt an almost tangible *click* inside me, instantly
followed by a wave of agony as I doubled over, clutching myself as I
tried not to collapse, every muscle and nerve screaming in agony. I
don't know how long that horrible pain lasted. It may only have been a
second or two, it just felt like hours. As it far-too-slowly faded, I
straightened up, trembling uncontrollably as sweat poured down me. It
took me some moments to realise that I had successfully regained my
original body, such was the shock, as I looked up to see Belldandy and
Urd looking at me worriedly.

"I'm sorry... was it supposed to be this painful? It didn't hurt
nearly so much going the other way."

Urd frowned.
"I don't see why. Hmm, we need to take a few more
measurements...Skuld?"

Skuld nodded, starting to work at some of her instruments.

I panted, the sweat feeling achingly cold against my skin. I was still
shivering, stomach knotting with cramps as I drew the blanket closer
around me, waiting. Belldandy was still looking worried, and that did
nothing to improve my confidence.

Eventually, Skuld finished whatever she was doing, and passed her PDA
to Urd, who looked at it with interest.

"Well, Urd? What's the story?

She looked at me over it, then put it carefully down.
"It could be better, I'm afraid. It looks like the change puts a much
higher shock to the system than we thought. Iczer-2's body is quite
capable of handling that, she's very tough. But yours isn't. In fact,
there's an indication that the change actually causes a small amount
of damage. Not enough to be a problem, normally, but you aren't in the
best of shape right now."

I looked at her unhappily. I had just _known_ something like this was
going to go wrong.

She smiled in reassurance; such a pity I wasn't reassured.
"Don't look so worried! Firstly, the damage done is miniscule.
Secondly, the change does work, even if its painful. So it means that
what we did can be undone someday. But until then - well, I'd keep the
amount of changing you do to a minimum, just to be on the safe side.
That way your body will have time to recover from the damage"

I wiped my face with my hand, feeling the cold sweat wet my palm,
feeling suddenly very tired. Inside me I could still feel Iczer-2,
indeed if anything her presence was more marked in my body than in
hers, offering me what comfort she could, but all I really wanted to
do right now was rest.

Belldandy looked sympathetically at me.
"I think you'd better lie down, and get some sleep. We'll make some
more tests, but there's no reason why they should disturb you. And as
we said earlier, we need to see about getting you safely out of this
Universe"

I'd almost forgotten about that. It was like a bad western, 'Get out
of town by sunset!'.

Urd wrapped an arm about me, pulling me gently away.
"Come on, you look like you're about to fall over! And if you did,
Skuld would never forgive you if you damaged her so _precious_
equipment! Lets get you to bed, we can brief Iczer-2 while you sleep"

I yawned, and nodded, letting her guide me with no resistance. After
all that had happened, I was thankful just to follow someone else's
instructions for a bit, and not to have to make decisions for myself.

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**

So now it's all ready. Belldandy says they will help 'us' leave
tomorrow morning, as soon as I have recovered a little.

As I lie here in the dark looking up at the ceiling, I wonder if this
is all real, or am I dreaming it? Am I now sharing bodies and minds
with an alien killing construct who has the body of a beautiful girl?
Or am I just imagining that I can feel her presence within me, her
soul gently touching mine?

I could get mad and find out, of course. 
But I'm afraid I might be.


not The End.