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Latex Lore Chapter 4: Plastic Payback

By shadowlugia249

Author's Note: I have the rest of the story all planned out, I just need to catch up with it. By now, you've probably noticed a few similarities with my story and with movies you've probably seen. But that's what's keeping this series alive, so please play along with it. I originally planned to have just four stories in the series, but something came up and now there's five. Keep reading for the rest of the story! Enjoy!

It all started with an ultimatum...

I was walking around my home two of Willmar, Minnesota, minding my own business when I suddenly noticed the power surging. Every electronic in the city was fluctuating and was on the verge of blacking out when it all came back online. But this time, there was a distinct difference. The electronic billboards and TV screens in the city had all changed to show the same image.

I had never seen such a strange creature in my whole life like the one that was on the display on every TV screen in the city. It looked humanoid, but there was something distinctly different. It looked like its skin was made of some kind of glossy, rubbery, shadowy-violet material. If I had to place a name, I guess I would call it a "balloon animal". It stood on two digitigrade three-clawed feet and was roughly seven feet tall. It was completely nude, but I did not see anything to suggest that was a problem for it.

On its chest was a pale, lavender-colored mark with a six-pack of abs molded into it. It also had a long, flexible tail with a pair of lavender spikes on the end. on its back was a set of ten lavender-colored "plates", the purpose of which I was unfamiliar with. It also had a pair of regular human arms, but I did not see any fingernails on its slim, slender fingers. Also, it had a set of strange, broad, flipper-like wings on its shoulder with five "fingers" on them that kind of reminded me of a dragon.

Finally, its head was pointed at the top and had a sharp, curved beak with two visible fangs on the top part of it. And under a pair of dagger-shaped lavender-colored flashes that reminded me of a mask, it had glowing piercing-red eyes with silver pupils.

Along the bottom of the screens was a marquee that read: "The Rubber Revolution - Humanity's last chance for redemption. You will join the revolution or you will be DESTROYED!!!"

Now that everyone was looking up at the creature, it seemed to know that it had gotten our attention. It began to speak in a dark, malevolent voice.

"Citizens of Earth, my name is Darkheart the Shadow Lugia. I am sending you this message to begin my reign as overlord of this world. I am building my power to conquer this world. You may or may not have noticed this, but the oceans of your world are full of a highly potent chemical that, when consumed, will turn the entire population into Synthetics like me. I possess the power to distribute this chemical worldwide, mutating the entire human race into my loyal servants. Behold!" The screen changed to show a shot of a satellite in space. It looked like a giant mirror with a large crystal cannon attached to the center of it. "This is my secret weapon - the Omega III. Using it, I will vaporize the world's oceans and send my chemical into the air. Once inhaled, the world will be transformed into Synthetics such as myself." The screen then changed back to the creature who called himself "Darkheart". "If you don't believe me, allow me to show you that I mean business and that resistance is futile. Fire the laser!"

The screen changed to show a live feed of the satellite over the north Arctic. Its crystal cannon was beginning to charge up energy, filling it with unbelievable power. Then when it was at full strength, it let all of the energy out of it.

I didn't need the screens to show what was going on up there. All I had to do was look up at the sky to see a beam of faint blue energy soaring overhead towards the north. It seemed that it was all true. That cannon had just fired through space towards the arctic.

When it disappeared, there was a minute's pause and then a distinct tremor in the ground. It felt like an earthquake, but not a very big one. It was still noticeable for the people of Minnesota, who had never felt an earthquake in their life.

It was all over in a minute, but when I looked back at the screen, it looked like the Arctic had just been vaporized. A thick, murky fog now hung over the Arctic, signaling that the attack had been a success. Then the screen changed to show a timer counting down from 24 hours. It was at 23:58:36. It seemed to be a countdown to the end of the human race.

It had been over six hours since that cannon had fired and every TV station except for the main news channels were blocked by the timer that had appeared around the world. The news channels that weren't blocked were discussing Darkheart's ultimatum. It was showing pictures of the satellite known as Omega III and pictures of Congress discussing the inevitable.

But believe it or not, the world was not taking this threat seriously. It was commonly discussed that no weapon created by man could vaporize the world's oceans enough to consider it a threat. Another point made was that no chemical could pollute all of the oceans at once and carry just one disease worldwide. And despite Darkheart's ultimatum, the world was unconvinced that the threat was even authentic. No one felt that a walking, talking balloon - which was an impossibility in its own - could mastermind the conquest of the entire world.

I did not know why they were not taking this seriously, but I felt that the threat was really there. This reminded me of 9/11 but on a global scale. This was some kind of super-terrorist that was attempting to hold the entire world hostage. And if people didn't take this seriously, if Darkheart was as smart as he appeared, the world was in a lot of trouble.

I just hoped that they were right and that this was all a hoax...

Back up at the Omega III Space Station, Darkheart was in a fit. He could not believe that the world was not taking his threat seriously. He had received numerous e-mails calling him a "blowhard" and that he was "full of hot air". Of course to a balloon, this was the ultimate insult. Being full of hot air to a balloon meant that he could just drift away into the atmosphere and pop. And being called a "blowhard" wasn't any more pleasant to deal with.

"Those humans have no idea who they're dealing with!" he said, slamming his fist on the control console in frustration. "I've come too far to have them just start calling me names and doubting my power."

From the corner of the room, another Balloonie and loyal servant, Shannon the Synthetic Skunk came up to comfort her master. "You shouldn't let it get to you, my lord. Let the humans doubt you. It will be all the sweeter when their skin turns to rubber and their flesh turns to gas and they realize they should never have doubted you in the first place."

Darkheart took in a few deep breaths to calm himself down, thinking about what Shannon had said. Finally, he chuckled to himself and turned to wrap his arms around her.

"You're right, my dear. They'll pay for their ignorance in the end when they are the ones full of hot air! Let them try and prolong the inevitable. In just under 18 hours, the world will be at my control."

The two of them rubbed up against each other, their bodies making squeaky music together as master and slave showed their affection for each other.

Meanwhile, in the cannon control room, another pair of Synthetics, a blue anthro fox and a black-and-red dragon known as Krystal and Vexx were looking at the timer until the cannon fired with apprehension. Krystal had gotten where she was by going against her will and submitting herself to Darkheart. If it hadn't been for him, her one true love - the human that became Vexx - would still be his old human self and they would be living on the surface as boyfriend and girlfriend. And although Vexx had since learned to deal with his new form, Krystal still felt guilty for taking his life away from him against his will.

Vexx saw his love mulling over her thoughts and wrapped a wing around her shoulder. "You worry too much, Kryst. In my opinion, Darkheart did the right thing by forcing you to turn me into a Synthetic. Life as a Balloon Dragon isn't so bad."

Krystal sighed and looked at her lover. "This still isn't right. After what he made me do to you, he continued his rampage and mutated poor Seryn. I can't help but wonder what happened to her and if she's planning to come back to us."

Vexx sighed and used a claw to get her to look at him in the eyes. "I do not like Darkheart's plan, either. But if there was a way to give Seryn more time to rise against him, I would take it."

Krystal frowned and looked away from him. "That won't matter. In 18 hours, the entire world will become Synthetics... unless..." She suddenly had a thought. "Maybe we can limit how much damage is done and give Seryn more time to think." Krystal suddenly went into a zone, typing away at the cannon controls to realign the coordinates. "We're going to pay dearly for this, Vexx... but it's the only chance we have to help Seryn."

Vexx sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing, love. Darkheart is not going to be happy when he finds out what you're doing."

Saturday: 6:33 PM - 17:26:48 until cannon fires

I don't think I really introduced myself. Darkheart's ultimatum kind of threw me off my game. My name is Mark Ramos and at the moment, I was living by myself and am now awaiting the destruction of the human race. Nice way to start out a story, eh? I didn't think so.

But even though my name is Mark, I've always been called "Mana" ever since I was a baby. (Author's Note: ?!?!?!?!) I don't know where the name came from, but I heard that I was always a magical kind of person, so as a nickname, everyone calls me "Mana". It's a strange nickname, but it doesn't seem to bother me at all. I kind of like it.

But even though I was nicknamed after magic, I feel that there's only one true magic in this world - the magic of Flammie. What am I talking about? Well, it just so happens that I have played every single video game in the "World of Mana" series. From Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore and Seiken Densetsu 3 (computer ROM) for the SNES to Legend of Mana for the PSOne to Sword of Mana for the GameBoy Advance to Children of Mana for the Nintendo DS and finally probably the best game in the whole series: Dawn of Mana for the Playstation 2.

Getting back to Flammie, ever since he debuted in the first game, Secret of Mana, I have always had a secret fondness for him. And although he didn't even show up in Legend of Mana, Secret of Evermore and Sword of Mana, I still hold true to his existence and pray that he will continue to appear in future World of Mana games.

Normally, the early games in the series didn't have such wonderful shots of Flammie in great detail. And the only decent shot I got of him in Children of Mana was when I first summoned Flammie and watched the brief cutscene. But when Flammie appeared in Dawn of Mana and ended up saving my hash after the Wyvern battle, I've gained a new respect for him. The detail and dimensions of Flammie in that game are just unbelievable! I've never seen Flammie in such fine detail in my life.

I had been lucky to see Flammie when he was carrying Keldric off of the mountain, but when I saw him take on the Lorimarian army with that energy blast that I call "Flammie Breath", I could hardly believe his courage and power in taking on even the greatest of foes. So you could only imagine the pride I felt when Keldy summoned him to take him to the Great Tree at the end of the game. Seeing him moving through the air and blasting enemies out of the sky like that made me feel honored to admire such a wonderful creature.

But for every great creature, there is normally a dark side to it. Although it only appeared once, Flammie's dark counterpart, the Mana Beast has long since scarred his reputation. I faced the Mana Beast at the end of Secret of Mana and took him on three-on-one and have always wondered if that was the last I would see of him. It turns out that the Mana Beast was created when a Flammie was infected with the Echoes of the Great Tree, but it didn't make beating on him any more bearable to do.

But with technology nowadays, I can hope to see Flammie in many more games in as much detail as the breakthrough events in Dawn of Mana. It just won't be anytime soon; the next game, Heroes of Mana, is going to be a Real-Time-Strategy game for the Nintendo DS. I wasn't expecting Flammie to make that big of an impression in a game like that.

(Author's Note: Notice that I am not using a name to classify Flammie. That's because to Mark, the only name it has is "Flammie". All of the games always call it by the name "Flammie". I just gave it a name it could use. Also, to him, Flammie is male...)

Even though I didn't expect Flammies to come to life, I could always imagine it in my head and dream about it at night. But my beliefs were completely thrown for a loop when I heard my doorbell ring that fateful night.

Immediately, that sent up a red flag. As far as I knew, my apartment didn't have a doorbell. I had looked up and down for one but had never found it. So everyone who came by had to revert to knocking at my door. A doorbell in my apartment meant that something was not the way it should be.

Nevertheless, I went to go answer the door. But when I got there, there was no one there. It sounded either a prank or a play on my imagination. I could have sworn that I had heard a doorbell ring in this apartment.

However, when I looked down, I spotted a small, plastic bag on the floor. It was unmarked, so I had no idea where it had come from, but since there was no one in the immediate area, I decided to claim it. I picked it up and carried it into my living room.

The bag contained a medium-sized plastic package with the words "Inflate-a-Flammie" painted on the outside of it. (Author's Note: Ring any bells?) It looked like it was a child's inflatable plastic toy with an old-fashioned picture of a white Flammie on it. This was another red flag since I had never seen Flammie merchandise of any kind whatsoever ever since it debuted in Secret of Mana. As to what it was doing on the doorstep of a Flammie fanatic, I had no explanation. But believe it or not, I did not dwell on the fact that it had come to me. I just grabbed a scissors and cut the package open.

The item that slid out looked like a deflated beach ball of sorts. I could see that it was mostly pure-white and there was a little orange and blue thrown into it. It sure mimicked the colors of a Flammie, but if I was going to be sure, I had to inflate it. I ran my hand around it, looking for some kind of port to inflate it with and soon found one near a crop of goldenrod-yellow plastic that I assumed was its mane. Given the proximity to this part, I assumed it was on the back of its neck, so I popped it open and began to blow into it.

There wasn't even close to enough plastic to make a full-sized Flammie, but there was enough to make a small pet-sized version. I blew into it, filling out its body with my breath and giving it form. It was filling out rather quickly for the small amount of air I had already put into it. Its paws pushed out and took form and I could see its talons growing out as well. Not only that, but its wings were inflating - something I had never seen in an inflatable animal before. Normally, I saw plastic animals with wings only have thin, flat pieces of plastic that were supposed to pass off as their wings, but each of its four wings were filling out, giving it shape and definition.

As it reached its full size, I could feel it starting to resist my breaths. That was significant since I had only given it about a dozen good blows for it to reach this size. With one final push, I gave it one more blow... and spit it out onto the floor.

What the heck was that?! I couldn't explain it, but it had felt that with that last breath, it had suddenly grown furry, tickling my lips and startling me enough to spit it out. I stared at the Inflate-a-Flammie for a moment before bending down to pick it up.

This time, I did not drop it, but it still startled me. It was like it had grown a long coat of sleek, glossy, plastic fur all over its body. It was like I was holding a real animal, but the fur was distinctly plastic. Weird. But as I held it and some of the air escaped it, the "fur" receded back into it. I didn't want it to go, so I gave it one more breath, restoring its glossy feel before I plugged the stopper and held it up to face me.

Sure enough, it was Flammie in every dimension and detail. It was bear-like in appearance and had a coat of thick, glossy, pure-white plastic fur. It four paws were padded and it had a set of three pointed, brown talons on its forepaws with a fourth "dewclaw" like a human thumb - something the original Flammie did not have. Its back paws had only three digits and talons, though - something that did match the original one. From under its throat all the way down its belly and to the end of its thick tail was a series of rugged, slightly-tougher orange plates like a kind of armor.

I turned it over and looked at its wings. Like its body, they were distinct in feel and texture. But these felt like they were made out of real yet plastic feathers. The likeness and detail of it was unmatched in the universe.

The rest of it was just amazing in terms of facial matches. I recognized those kind, round, baby-blue eyes anywhere. And while the early versions of Flammie had had pupils, this version simply looked like there were two orbs in its head instead of eyes. It looked like they were two small staring globes in its head and not eyes in any way. But it didn't scare me. It actually made me feel safer that I was looking at those orbs instead of regular irises. This way, there was nothing to disguise or conceal it kindness and beauty from the world and that no one could mistake it for an enemy.

Finally, I could relate the rest of the Inflate-a-Flammie to the real thing. It had a short, curved muzzle with two pointed, pearl-white, plastic fangs sticking out of the sides of the roof of its mouth. And I recognized those deer-like ears and that untidy crop of goldenrod-yellow hair anywhere. It was Flammie in every way possible despite being made of plastic.

The whole thing was roughly four feet from head to tail - a distinct size difference between the 40-foot-long real Flammie. It was about a 1/10th scale in terms of size, but its weight could be measured in feathers. I actually tossed it up in the air and it drifted down to the ground without flipping over like most plastic animals did.

I smiled at the Flammie. It was rather neat to have as a comfort object. Despite being made of plastic, it was actually quite cuddly. But when I went to go pick it up, I spotted something written on its back that I had not noticed before. It was tough to make out what it was through its glossy fur, but I could part its fur and make out three words tattooed into its spine.

The words were written in a language I had never seen before, but it was still in letters that I recognized. I read them out loud just out of curiosity, "Unubo! Calo! Rhoukxo!"

The instant I said these words, I felt the life get sucked out of my body and into the toy. It was like I had been electrocuted without the electricity and my body simply became limp. I felt a shortness of breath and all the feeling was sucked out of my legs. I became severely lightheaded and dropped to the floor with a distinct thump! I was unconscious in seconds.

(Author's Note: What Mana had just said were the words, "Awake! Live Breathe!" Just so you know.)

Saturday: 5:59 AM - 6:00:30 until cannon fires

Back at the Omega III Space Station, which had now been named the "Rubber Revolution" by Darkheart himself in honor of his master plan, Krystal and Vexx were putting together their last-minute plan to buy Seryn more time on the surface. After thinking about it all night, they realized that they would have to sacrifice some humans' lives in order to delay the inevitable, but their lives were just collateral when compared to the billions of other lives they were hoping to save. Darkheart was going to be in a very bad mood when he found out what they had done, but they hoped that their sacrifice would be worth it to give Seryn more time to gather together a resistance to fight him.

Vexx was keeping an eye on the power meter. It was nearing 100%, but it would be reset to zero once they pulled this off. He was also looking out for Darkheart on the monitors. If he came this way now, it was all over.

"So far, so good! The way we're going, we'll really throw a wrench in his operation!"

Krystal nodded and locked in the coordinates. She had a feeling that she knew where Seryn was, so she aimed right for it. She didn't want Seryn to think that they were attacking her, but this was the only way she could build up ample resistance in time.

"This is it! Either this buys her enough time or the human race is done for. Ready..."

"Aim..." Vexx said, crossing his claws.

"Fire!"

On the outside of the space station, the appearance of the Rubber Revolution firing would have looked like a star shining from the cannon. The crystal mirrors lining the firing point were filled with energy as the cannon sent a solid beam of blue microwave energy straight at the target. The resulting impact would not be as bad as it would have been if it had been fully charged, but it was going to do some damage to a wide area before this was all over and done with.

The instant it hit its target, the waters throughout the area instantly vaporized, filling the air with the chemical that Krystal had laced the world's water supply with only weeks earlier. When the humans in that area breathed it in, they were all going to become rubber Synthetics. Krystal and Vexx knew that it could have been worse if they had been aiming straight at the oceans, so that was an accomplishment in its own. Plus, the humans were going to realize that Darkheart meant what he had said in his ultimatum, increasing the government resistance and putting together a plan to overthrow him. But since only a Synthetic could destroy a Synthetic, their victory was limited. The best thing they could do was destroy the space station that they were hiding out on. Krystal and Vexx were willing to give their lives to ensure that the rest of the human race was saved. That part would never be forgotten. They just wished that they could have resorted to alternate means of saving the world.

Sunday: 10:25 AM - 4:25:42 after impact

Back in the "abandoned" shop of Plushtopia, Karmen Aridos had just finished developing a vaccine for Darkheart's Latex Lore chemical. He had battened down every window and ventilation shaft in his shop when he had been informed that the Rubber Revolution would be firing early so he would not inhale any of the noxious mist that now hung over a majority of the state. He just felt lucky that the blast had not been strong enough to hit the Great Lakes or the nation, including Canada would have been in serious trouble. And since he had finally finished his vaccine, he could administer it into the world's oceans to counteract Darkheart's "cure" And as a precaution, he had injected himself with a sample so that he would not be affected by the tainted mist that now hung in the air.

He had also injected Seryn with a test version of the vaccine to administer to the one she had chosen as her "partner". By now, she should be recovering from the suspension spell he had put on her to keep her identity a secret and she could begin her mission of converting her partner. But they both knew better than rush things. After the cannon had fired, the timer had been reset to four days or 96 hours to reach full capacity again, so Seryn had to work quickly to recruit Mana and find their way to the space station. But she needed to pace herself or Mana would get wary of her and abandon her before she could complete her mission.

All of this thinking made Aridos' head hurt. He could not believe how unstable the world had become in such a short time. By this time, he wished he had destroyed Darkheart when he had had the chance instead of selling him and plunging the world into total chaos. Alas, some things could not be helped. It was up to Seryn and the others to fix things and there was little he could do to help.

Sunday: 10:23 - 91:36:21 until cannon fires

I woke up feeling very strange. I felt as if all of my strength had been stolen from me, leaving me very vulnerable. I don't know what had happened last night, but it had taken a lot out of me. Was it those words I had spoken from Flammie's back? I couldn't be sure. I just felt as if I had had the life sucked out of me and I felt even worse that I had ever felt before.

I also felt a strange wet feeling stroking my cheek. I was confused as to why an animal was in my apartment, but when I finally had the sense to look at it, I tried to yell, but I was too weak to move.

The plastic Inflate-a-Flammie was standing next to me, stroking my face with a small, rubbery tongue. It had come to life! It was moving around on its own, but I couldn't do anything about it. All I could do was lie here and let it do its thing.

The moment it saw I was awake, the toy let out a little purr and placed its paw on my forehead. "You gave me quite a scare there. Are you all right?"

Okay, now it was talking! And I knew for a fact that not even the real Flammie spoke even a word! I desperately tried to move, but I was still too weak to budge.

But the Flammie simply placed a talon on my lips and whispered, "Shh... I'm not going to harm you. I'm going to take care of you until you can get back on your feet."

The voice sounded oddly feminine. I knew that in the early years, Flammie was a female, but just recently, it had been classified as a male. I had to understand this, so I forced myself to speak.

"Who... are you?"

Flammie smiled and started stroking my forehead with its paw. "My name is Seryn. I am a Synthetic and I'm going to take care of you."

This string of words seemed to confirm that it was female. But the fact that a living, breathing toy was taking care of its owner was still foreign to me.

"I... can't... move... Seryn..."

"Seryn" purred a little and put her muzzle close to my ear, whispering, "Hold still. I can help with that."

She then climbed on top of me and opened her mouth. I immediately recoiled when I realized that it was going to use its "Flammie Breath" on me. But she did no such thing. Instead of a blast of violet energy like in the game, all that came out was a small, gentle stream of clear-blue flames. The unusual fire surrounded me like a net, but I didn't feel any heat coming from them. On the contrary, I felt pure comfort radiating from them.

Once I was fully surrounded, the flames seemed to close in on me, seeping through my clothes and skin and into my body. I could not understand how this was possible, but I could feel fresh energy reentering my body. My muscles were being soothed and massaged and I felt fresh energy enter my frame. I soon had enough energy to finally sit up on my own with Seryn hopping up on the couch.

"Feel better?" she said sweetly, looking at me with those baby-blue orbs.

I stretched a little and got the kinks out of my muscles before answering. "I feel great! Thank you, Seryn."

The toy smiled and leaped onto my chest, pinning me back on the ground as she "attacked" me with that tongue of hers.

"Okay, okay! I'm up! I'm glad to see you, too! Now can you get off of me?!"

If toys could blush, Seryn did a pretty good job of doing it. She climbed off of me and sat back on her hind legs, grinning at me.

I finally got to my feet and looked down at her. I frowned at her petite frame. "No offense, Seryn, but..." I didn't know how to put it. "I was expecting you to be a bit... bigger."

Seryn looked over herself, but not like she was offended. "Isn't this good enough? I can fix it."

I watched as she opened her mouth and began to take deep breaths like I had when I had inflated her. Sure enough, she began to inflate herself to a slightly bigger frame. She went from four feet tall minus a foot of tail to about six feet tall with two feet of tail in under a minute. She now stood as high as I did and was about as well-built as bear. I stared at her as the two of us stood eye to orbs.

"Wow..." I was at a loss for words. I was shocked as to how she had done that. On a hunch, I wanted to know how she felt up-close. I held my arms out and said, "May I?"

She nodded and did likewise, pulling me close to her and stroking my back like a mother caressing a child. I leaned my head against her chest and listened to the slow, steady rhythm of her breathing. I couldn't hear a heartbeat, though.

Seryn, meanwhile, was stroking my hair affectionately and had wrapped all four of her wings around me, protecting me and creating a barrier around us at the same time. I also felt my shirt being gently yet firmly being lifted off my body. As it rose, I could feel her glossy fur rubbing against my bare skin. It felt so good that I was lost in a sea of pure bliss. She was taking my shirt off so I could experience her to the fullest. When it was all the way off, she pressed me even closer to her, as if she wanted to push me all the way inside of her. I couldn't move even if I had wanted to. I was enjoying this too much to object.

I must have blacked out for a moment because the next thing I knew, I was standing inside Seryn's plastic body as if I was wearing her like a suit. I stood there for a moment, unsure where I was, but then I realized what had happened.

"Seryn! Where am I?! What did you do to me?! Let me out of here!"

Seryn moved her arm with mine along with it to stroke her belly and purred. "Relax, Mana. I told you I wasn't going to hurt you and I don't intend to start now. Just go with me and I'll lead you through this."

I knew that I was completely at her mercy, so I gave up control of my body and let her do what she wanted. Seryn spread our arms and seemed to relax herself along with me. I then felt like she was starting to close in on me even more because that's what she was doing. Her body was losing definition and was wrapping all around me like a second plastic skin. Soon, she had completely encased me with herself, binding her body with mine until it we were so close together that I couldn't tell where I ended and Seryn began. It was like I was the one made of plastic and she was just a second presence in my mind.

I held out my arm and felt it with my other one. It was a little tricky, but I managed to figure out that I was made of plastic! Seryn had fused herself so closely with me that we were one with each other!

"Seryn... what did you do to me?" I asked her slightly quieter than last time. "I don't feel like I should."

"I've merged myself with you. Now we can go outside without suffering any ill effects." Her voice sounded like she was speaking directly in my ears, but that wasn't the strangest part.

"What do you mean by suffering "ill effects"?"

Seryn sighed and seemed to massage me by vibrating her body so that I was receiving a strange soothing sensation. "You're not going to like it, but I'll show you. Go over to the window and see."

I couldn't see what she was talking about, but I did like she had said and went over to the window. But what I saw was a little odd.

The entire city was covered in a strange thick fog. It was so thick that I could barely see anything in front of my face. I could barely see down to the ground from the third floor from here. But that was nothing compared to what I could hear. It sounded like people screaming and yelling like a war was going on minus the gunfire. Something was going on out there, but this fog was too thick to tell.

"What happened out here?" I asked Seryn, trying to see through the fog. "Is there some kind of storm going on?"

Seryn sighed and I could tell that it was much worse than that. "It's not even close to that. Let me show you what's going on."

Suddenly, my vision changed so that I could see through the fog like a kind of night vision but without the green. Down on the ground, I could see... how do I explain this? Hmm... Let's just say that it looked like a circus down there. There were balloons of all shapes and colors running around that looked like they were humanoid in shape. It kind of reminded me of Seryn, but most of them were only single colors. I could see an orange fox-man running around, a pink skunk woman, a red phoenix and a blue raccoon among others. I had never seen so many balloon animals in my life, much less human-sized ones and them running around.

"What... what happened out here? Why are there so many balloons out there?"

Seryn did not reply but instead gave a sudden shudder throughout our bodies and I suddenly understood everything. This "fog" was actually water that had been laced with a powerful latex chemical that when inhaled as a vapor, it could turn human skin into rubber and flesh into gas. Plus, it shifted a normal human's form into a random humanoid animal shape and color. In other words, the entire city had been turned into balloon animals!

"But... how did this happen? And... why hasn't it happened to me?"

Another shudder and my mind was filled in. It seems that Seryn's former "master" had stolen a government satellite and had fired it directly at this state. The only reason it didn't happen to me was because I was already inside of Seryn before I could breathe in that noxious mist.

On a hunch, I turned on the TV and looked at the clock that had been all over the network since yesterday. It had gone from under six hours to over 90 just like that.

"Seryn... this doesn't make any sense. Darkheart fired early. But why is the clock back up in the high numbers?"

One more shudder and the last piece of the puzzle was filled in. Seryn had been sent on a mission to gather a resistance to take on Darkheart, but she had been running out of time. Apparently, someone back up on the station had jumped the gun and had fired a less-intense shot at Minnesota to buy her more time.

"I see... but... I can't stay inside of you forever. If you're going up against Darkheart, you'll need more than just me, right?"

"I'm just here to protect you. I'm going to make sure that nothing happens to you so that you can help me piece together a resistance."

"But... why me? What makes me so special?"

Seryn didn't have an answer to this. Instead, I felt my body start to quiver. Seryn was starting to separate from me, reinflating her body with me inside of it so that she and I were two separate beings again. Pretty soon, she was back to six feet tall again plus two feet of tail. But there was still a problem.

"I'm still in here, you know."

Seryn remedied this problem by taking a deep breath and forming an air pocket underneath me, pushing me up and out though her mouth. She opened her maw wide and threw me up and onto the floor.

"Ohh..." I groaned, lying in a heap. "I'll never eat meat again after this."

But Seryn didn't seem to be quite done with me. As I lied there, she descended on me and sank her fangs deep into the back of my neck. I was paralyzed instantly and I could feel something hot and liquid being injected into my blood stream. Whatever she was inserting into my body was starting to burn it up like I was being stabbed with a thousand white-hot knives internally. And then it became suddenly frigid and I started to shiver uncontrollably.

By this time, Seryn had detached from me and was standing over me like a concerned parent. I tried to turn over to look at her, but I was so cold that I could barely move, much less speak.

"What... did you... do to... me?" I said through my teeth. "You... bit me!"

Seryn gently rolled me over with her paws so that I was laying face-up on the carpet, looking at her. "I had to, Mana. If I didn't, you would turn into a Balloonie like everyone else in just minutes. I hope you forgive me. I had no choice."

I guess she had the best intentions. Like she said, she was trying to protect me, and according to her, that's what she had done.

Now that I was beginning to regain control over my body, I was able to sit up with Seryn's help. "But... you poisoned me. How does that help?"

Seryn held me close to her chest but not as close as she did earlier and stroked the spot on my neck where she had bitten me. "It's not venom. It's a special liquid that I had put inside of me to give to the one I chose to protect him from Darkheart's cure."

I was still a little unsteady, but with Seryn's help, I was able to get to my feet. "Darkheart's "cure"? It doesn't look like he "cured" anything out there with all that chaos."

Seryn sighed and help me stand straight. "That's what Darkheart believes. He thinks that by turning all of humanity into Synthetics, he is actually "curing" them of their meaningless, fleshy lives. It's very sad, actually. I was created from the fluid of a human who gave his life during Darkheart's reign."

I had to look at her for a moment before I fully understood this. "You mean, you're made out of a human's... fluids?"

Seryn sighed. "It's a little more complicated than that. Let's just say that we Synthetics have the ability to convert human flesh into a special fluid that we can turn into a Synthetic of our own design."

Against all odds, this actually didn't sound that bad. "Could you do it to me? I wouldn't mind being a Synthetic."

Seryn looked shocked. "I've never known anyone to volunteer for a conversion before. Are you sure?"

I nodded. "I am. If what you said is true, you can turn me into a plastic Flammie like you. Why not do it now?"

Seryn looked lost. She had never been faced with this decision before. In fact, no Synthetic had ever been asked to be converted; they normally did it whenever they felt like it. With a sigh, she looked at me with those baby-blue orbs of hers.

"I'll have to think about it. You have to remember that once you're converted, you can't change back. Wearing me as a second skin is one thing, but this is completely permanent. I'll tell you what: I'll spend the rest of today with you and show you the benefits of a Synthetic. If you're still sure about it in the morning, I'll respect your wishes and convert you."

I nodded and held my hand out. "Deal. I really want to become a Synthetic, but I want to know what I'm getting myself into before I commit to it."

Seryn smiled and took my hand in her paw, shaking it firmly. "I'll hold you to it."

I released her hand and I heard a distinct gurgling noise from somewhere inside Seryn's body. "Are you hungry?"

Seryn blushed as she rubbed her belly embarrassingly. "I guess so. I haven't eaten in a few days. Do you have any plastic that I could have for lunch?" I looked at her. "What? A Synthetic creature has to eat Synthetic grub, you know."

I couldn't argue with that, so I shrugged and said, "Let's see what I can find."

Sunday: 1:45 PM - 88:14:17 until cannon fires

Krystal and Vexx were on their knees with their hands bound behind their backs and their heads looking down. Darkheart had obviously found out about their little "accident" and being psychic, he knew exactly what they were planning.

At the moment, Darkheart was pacing in front of them, his mood absolutely livid. But like the sociopath that he was, he kept dangerously calm as he weighed up his options. He was trying to figure out what to do with them. On one hand, they had completely thrown his schedule off by firing the cannon early. But on the other, they had demonstrated just how effective his plan was by turning most of Minnesota into Synthetics. This would certainly get the attention of the country, but most of the world was still in the dark as to what the Rubber Revolution was capable of.

"I could destroy you right now and consume your bodies before making them into more loyal subjects..." Krystal and Vexx blanched a little from his idea. "...but since you two still have remnants of the humans I killed to create you, the entire idea would be completely pointless. This would then start all over again and I would never get anywhere with my plan. It's just a waste of good rubber." The two silently prayed for his slight change of heart. "But I'm not going to let you two off the hook so easily. If two creatures could plot against me, I suppose I'd better make it less likely for my subjects to stab me in the back." The fox and dragon gulped. This was not a good thing.

Darkheart finally stopped pacing and turned to face the guilty Synthetics. "I've made up my mind. You two have betrayed my trust and therefore, you do not deserve to live the way you are." The fox and the dragon looked shocked. They knew they were busted and it was all over for them. "But I will not let your remains go to waste. I will use them to create a bigger, better creation; one that will take after my more loyal servants such as Shannon and Ranshiin. Do you have any final words for me? (Not that it will do you any good.)"

Krystal and Vexx finally worked up the courage to look at their former master in the eyes. Darkheart actually flinched when he saw the hatred and obsession in their eyes.

"It doesn't matter what you do to us, Darkheart..." said Krystal with a hate in her eyes like he had never seen before. "We'll always fight for what is good in this world! Your entire empire will come crashing down when you are at the height of your power! We accomplished what we set out for. Seryn is coming to stop you and she's bringing reinforcements that are far stronger together than you are alone. You are going to pay for what you did, you... you SCUM!!!"

Darkheart's eyes went wide when he heard that last word. He had always referred to the human race as inferior scum, but he never dreamed that one of his own would call him that!

His shock soon turned to anger. Spreading his wings, his eyes flashed a piercing-red and Krystal's body was suddenly engulfed with a matching aura. She did not look away as her body self-destructed right in front of her, her remains fluttering onto the ground in front of him.

Full of fresh rage, Darkheart rounded on Vexx, who had not flinched when his creator had been destroyed in front of him. "Anything to say, Vexx?!"

Vexx said nothing but instead hawked up and spat up in Darkheart's face! Darkheart stumbled backwards and held a hand to his face, the fury on his face beyond words. Full of rage towards his servants' last actions, he spun around and drove his tail spikes into Vexx's body, destroying him on the spot. Seething with rage, he scooped up all of their pieces and balled them up into a wad of various-colored rubber. Staring at it for a while, he popped it into the air and snapped it up like a hungry falcon, swallowing it on the spot.

After licking his chops, he chuckled to himself. "You taste even better than the human you were created from. I hope that together, you will become the most powerful servant I have ever formed. Until then, I will iron out all the kinks to make sure you are more loyal than any other Synthetic before you."

He licked his chops again and resumed his duties aboard the space station to prepare for when the cannon finally fired on schedule. And no amount of resistance from that plastic wash-up, Seryn was ever going to stop him. Even if she found enough vigilantes to stand a chance against him, there was still the matter of getting off the surface and into this space station without popping themselves. She did not possess a Teleport ability strong enough to break free of the atmosphere and still keep her body from blowing up from the difference in pressure. It was all going to be in vain...

Sunday: 2:35 PM - 87:24:56 until cannon fires

Watching Seryn eat plastic was one of the most unusual things I had ever seen before I met her. I had more than enough plastic bags, Styrofoam plates and disposable forks, spoons and knives to keep her fed for quite a while. And she wasn't exactly picky, making my menu even more beneficial to her. She seemed to savor her food instead of wolfing it down like some people I knew. And the way she at a plastic fork was rather unusual. She didn't even care that they came individually wrapped in a small, plastic wrap. To her, plastic was plastic and she bit straight through the fork and wrapper without any preference whatsoever.

And since Seryn was mostly transparent, you could look straight through her and watch her digest her food like it was just a part of her. When she finished chewing her plastic of choice, the shredded remains worked their way down an unseen passage and stopped roughly where a human's stomach was. The food would then warp and stretch and distort to become a kind of milky-white plastic liquid like it was being digested. Almost immediately, it would then spread out from her "stomach" and enter some kind of unseen capillary system, where it would thin out and spread out even thinner, finally disappearing altogether and being absorbed by her plastic body. According to her, the more plastic she ate, the thicker her body became and the less resistant to popping should the situation ever present itself.

"Wow..." I said in amazement as Seryn finally finished eating. "You're really something else, you know that?"

Seryn blushed and put her paw on my hand. "I guess I have that kind of effect on people."

"What else can you do as a Synthetic?"

Seryn thought about this for a moment. "Let's see... have you ever filled a balloon with water before?"

I nodded. "Many times."

"How about feeling the inside of a water balloon?"

"Uh... not really."

Seryn grinned. "Then you're in for a treat. I've been wanting to try this for a while." She spread her arms towards me. "But you'll need to be inside of me to get a proper feel for it."

I blinked. "Okay... just take it easy on me this time."

The two of us stood up and once again pressed our bodies close to each other. It still felt strange to be pressing up against a plastic furry, but it was just as pleasant as ever. And before I knew it, Seryn had "swallowed" me and I was once again inside of her.

"Just let your body go along with mine," she told me. "It will be a lot easier for the both of us to move with each other if you just relax."

I nodded and did my best to relax my body. Moving it without commanding it was a little awkward, but I learned to go along with it. And before I knew it, Seryn had brought us into my bathroom and inside my shower.

"I think that these are going to be a little much." I suddenly felt a tingly all over followed by a slight chill on my skin. When it finally subsided, I realized that Seryn had just turned my clothes into white plastic goo!

"Seryn! I'm naked in here! What are you doing?!"

Seryn purred and stroked her belly reassuringly. "Relax, Mana. This will feel much better without clothes."

It was very strange to be a naked human male inside of a furry Flammie female, but like she said, I went along with it. She then turned on the shower and let the water reach a decent temperature before she proceeded.

When she did, all Seryn had to do was open her mouth and the water began to flow inside her. I suddenly realized that I could drown in here if she filled herself all the way up!

But before I could respond, Seryn took a break in her guzzling to reassure me. "Remember my promise, Mana? I will not let anything bad happen to you. Just go with it."

Now that the water was reaching my waist, I realized that she had a point. Although she was being filled with water, I did not feel wet at all. It actually felt like my skin was filling up with a small layer of cushiony blubber. It was a rather strange experience, but as long as Seryn was in charge, I knew that I would be safe.

When she was completely filled with hot, fresh water, Seryn shut off the shower and climbed out of the bathtub and held her arms out a little. "How do you feel, Mana?"

Even though I was surrounded on all sides by a thin layer of water and plastic, I felt even better than I had ever felt in my life. It was like I was surrounded by a suit of liquid pleasure. Strangely enough, this was how human babies started their lives. I was more comfortable than I had ever been before and this warm, soothing feeling only added to my comfort. It was like I was back inside my mother, but this time, I could remember the feeling.

"I can't describe it, love. It's really something strange to feel from this perspective. I wish you could feel this."

Seryn smiled and poked her belly, giggling as the water inside of her jiggled around a little along with the human. "I can feel it. You feel very nice inside of me. Are you enjoying it?"

"I am. But... how am I going to get out of here without drowning?"

Seryn continued to jiggle the water inside of her, tickling me a little as she rubbed her belly. "I don't think you're going anywhere anytime soon. The only thing I have left to show you is flying, but I'm going to wait until you've been converted to show you that. For now, I'm just going to leave you in there until I feel that you're ready to come out. Just relax and go to sleep. I will take care of everything until tomorrow."

Seryn moved herself around so that I automatically curled up into a fetal position and the water around me became much warmer, calming me down and sending me off into a deep and well-deserved sleep. She was really nice... and she really cared for me... really...

Sunday: 8:50 PM - 81:09:24 until cannon fires

It had been about six hours since Mana had gone to sleep inside Seryn's water-filled body, and Seryn was feeling rather satisfied at the moment. She knew that Mana would sleep rather well inside of her with all of the warm water that she had ingested. It was like he was sleeping inside a concerned mother and was patiently awaiting for his chance to be reborn. And while the feeling might have been unpleasant for an expecting mother, Seryn was a natural at holding a person inside of her. Not once did Mana kick or punch and the feeling of him floating around inside of her made her feel like she was being massaged from the inside out. It was kind of perverse, but that was how Synthetics worked and Seryn didn't think twice about it.

At the moment, Seryn was watching the news about the aftermath of the "attack" on the state of Minnesota. Because the CNN station wasn't in Minnesota, the reporters were all human. But it did not leave out the details of what had happened to the state. There were a few videos of the Rubber Revolution firing on the state and a few shots of the rubber animals that had been created by the contaminated mist. Fortunately, the people who were in the shots assured the viewers that they were the victims of the attack and that those traveling to Minnesota should not fear the balloon animals. Once the mist finally died down, Minnesota would do its best to go along with their lives like always, despite the fact that over 90% of the population were now Synthetics.

Seryn sighed as she turned off the TV. She had a pretty good idea who had bought her some time, but she wished that Krystal and Vexx could have warned her before they fired the cannon at the state. Millions of human lives were now changed forever and there was nothing that would ever fix that. But it would be a spit in the ocean for the billions of people worldwide that would be saved if she could just find a way to shut down that satellite. She knew that they had had no choice but to fire the cannon, but she felt relieved that they had fired it at a landlocked state instead of the ocean. There was no telling what kind of damage could have been done if they hat fired on one of the oceans next to the United States.

Seryn was about to let Mana's bobbing body will her off to sleep when she heard someone tapping on the balcony door. There was someone here, but she wasn't expecting anyone anytime soon. She got up and walked over to the door, sliding the blinds open.

To her great surprise, the figure of a great latex bird of destiny was standing in its anthro form on the balcony. Although she had never seen this one before, she knew what form it was taking. It looked like Darkheart, but she knew for a fact that Darkheart's body was violet and lavender. This one was sliver-white and sky-and-navy-blue.

A name popped into her head. "Rye?"

The Balloon Lugia shook its head. "Not quite. Try again."

The female voice was obvious. "Sirius?"

The balloon nodded. "The one and only. Now, are you going to let me in?"

Seryn nodded and slid the door open. The anthro Lugia walked in and looked her up and down. "Are you expecting?"

Seryn blushed as she poked the dark lump inside of her. "Shh... he's asleep. I'm letting him have one more good-night's sleep before he becomes a Synthetic."

Sirius blinked. "Already? But you two just met."

Seryn rubbed her belly, listening to Mana's slow and steady heartbeat inside of her. "It was his idea. Ever since we met, he's fallen in love with me. He doesn't feel that his human life is worth living the way it is." She sighed and went to go sit back down. "So first thing tomorrow morning, I'm going to convert him into a Synthetic Flammie. I've got a pretty good idea what he's going to look like, too."

Sirius nodded. "You've obviously given this a lot of thought. If that's what you two have decided, then I'm not going to stop you. In fact..." She looked down at her torso and stuck her hand inside herself. "There was something I wanted to give you for your fight against Darkheart."

Seryn watched curiously as she rummaged around inside herself for something. Over time, she had consumed enough latex to make her body almost completely solid, so Seryn couldn't exactly see what she was looking for. After a few moments, Sirius pulled out a beaker of strange blue liquid. It appeared to be generating its own light and it glowed slightly from behind the glass.

"It's pretty," said Seryn, taking the beaker from her and looking it over. It had been sealed with some kind of yellow wax so that it was completely airtight, but the light generated by the liquid looked to Seryn like she was holding a small star. "What is it?"

Sirius took the beaker back and examined it as well. "Believe it or not, but this is the potion that will get us into space where Darkheart is hiding out." When Seryn looked blank, she explained. "This is a copycat formula of the magic that Darkheart used to turn other Synthetics into Bio-Balloons."

Seryn's eyes went wide. "How did you get this?!" she said in a hushed voice. "Darkheart is supposed to be the only one who knows how to do that!"

Sirius smiled and sat down next to her. "Maybe mentally, but Aridos has been monkeying with a few mixtures and has come up with a way to make a potion form of it. Now you and Mana can use this to turn into Bio-Balloons and reach the Rubber Revolution Space Station."

Seryn looked at Sirius like all her dreams had come true. "Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me."

Sirius simply wrapped a wing around Seryn's shoulder, comforting her. "I do, actually. But keep in mind that you need to be completely empty before you use it. Otherwise, everything inside of you will be turned to liquid latex (or in your case, plastic) during the conversion." When Seryn's expression fell slightly, she added, "But that won't stop you from converting Mana. Your insides will still be able to convert him; you just can't have him inside you when you drink the potion."

Seryn took the liquid back and examined it for a moment. She then nodded and then looked back at Sirius. "Thank you, Sirius. But... there's only enough for two in here. I'm sure Mana will want to be a Bio-Balloon as well. What about you?"

Sirius simply shook her head and "cracked" her neck, the motion sounding like rubber against rubber. "I've got other things to worry about. I think I have the perfect trio to help bring Darkheart's empire crashing down in pieces, but I still need to contact them before too long. If I wait too long, they'll be on the other end of the world and I won't be able to reach them before they return."

Seryn nodded. "You do what you can. I'll do my part and stop that cannon from firing again. When Mana wakes up, I'll get right on it. Thank you for your help, Sirius. Give my regards to Rye and the children."

And with that, Sirius went back to the balcony and left Seryn with the blue liquid. She had places to be and she wasn't going to keep her from her duties. They were on the verge of war and things were going to get ugly before too long.

Before she took the potion, Seryn lied down on the floor and carefully regurgitated Mana so that he simply slid onto the floor without waking up. She then went back into the bathroom to empty herself of the still-hot water. She then closed the door and stuck a hair dryer down her throat so that she could air herself out. She wanted to be primped and preened to perfection before she became a Bio-Balloon. She had a feeling that when Mana first saw her "true" form, he was going to be all but speechless.

Once she was fully aired out, she dug one of her hard-plastic talons into the wax, boring a hole through it so that she could reach the liquid inside. She then went to the kitchen and found a cup where she could split the potion in half. One half would be for her to drink now. The other half would be for the Synthetic-to-be, Mana. Then with a deep breath, she opened her mouth and downed the potion in one swift gulp.

Once the potion was in her system, Seryn suddenly felt her body start to ripple. That was some fast-working potion! While she still had control over herself, Seryn went into Mana's room and closed and locked the door. She had no idea what she had gotten herself into, but she knew that it was for the best in the long run. She just wondered what Mana would think of her before it was all over and done with...

Monday: 7:30 AM - 76:29:17 until cannon fires

I woke up feeling less comfortable than I had while I had slept. It turned out that Seryn had regurgitated me onto the living room carpet and had disappeared from the room. I could not describe how wonderfully I slept inside of Seryn that night. It was like something out of a dream that gave me the best dream that I had ever experienced in my life. It was so amazing that words cannot describe how happy I was while inside of her last night. But like most good things, it all had to come to an end. Oh well... maybe she was giving me another taste of life as a Synthetic. This must have been just another test to make sure I was ready to become one.

When I got up, I realized that I was still naked from Seryn turning my clothes into goo while we were in the shower last night. I quickly made a beeline to my room to put something on... but the door was locked. I didn't get it. The only other person in my apartment was Seryn, but she didn't have a reason to lock herself in my room... did she?

"Seryn?" I said loudly, pounding on the door. "Are you in there?"

There was a slight groan from inside followed by a weary chirp that I recognized as Seryn's. At least she was safe.

"Can you let me in? I need to get some clothes on after you liquefied mine."

"Ohh... I'm coming, love. Just give me a minute."

I did so and heard her shuffling around inside. There was a moment's pause and then a purr of happiness before she spoke again.

"Okay, here I come!" She sounded pleased with something. Just what it was was revealed the moment she unlocked and opened the door.

Oh... my... I could have sworn that I had dies and gone to Heaven! Seryn's body had somehow transformed from clear plastic to real, pure-white fur! Her belly plates were leathery and completely solid and the rest of her was even more real than I had ever seen her before. The sight of her soft, angelic fur along with her feathery wings made me feel like I was looking at a real angel from Heaven.

Seryn looked at me with a smile while I was nearly speechless. I could not understand how she had turned from living plastic to flesh-and-blood practically overnight. I automatically found myself walking into the room with her looking me up and down with a smile. Sitting down on the bed, I watched Seryn close the door and then come over to stand in front of me.

"Seryn... I... You..."

Seryn simply put a talon over my lips and leaned over me. "Shh... don't speak. I want to make the most of this."

And with that, Seryn tackled me on top of the bed so that she was lying on top of my nude form. This advance was not sexual in anyway; we were just going to take pleasure in each other for a while. The feel of her fur was like something out of a fairy tale. It was so soft and warm that I thought I was going to faint from how relaxed I was feeling. Seryn didn't seem to mind that I was naked. She took it upon herself to explore every possible part of me that she could with her paws without invading my privacy. I felt like the luckiest person in the world! I had a Flammie for a friend - something that was completely impossible, but I was living in the impossible at this moment.

After a few minutes of cuddling, Seryn leaned over me and ran her paw through my hair. "Are you happy, Mana? Is this what you've always wanted?"

I sighed and looked up at her. "Yes... I've never been happier in all my life."

Seryn smiled and gave my face a small lick. "Good. Because there is one more thing I can do to make you happy."

I looked at her. "What's that?"

"I'm going to eat you."

I automatically forgot her promise to turn me into a Synthetic and crawled out from under her. "Wait a minute. I thought there was a better way of doing this. I didn't think you were going to make a meal out of me! Besides, you're not a Synthetic anymore."

But before I could get away from her, Seryn managed to plunge a talon into my left thigh, an unknown chemical paralyzing me from head to toe instantly.

"You are wrong. I am what you call a "Bio-Balloon". on the outside, I am real, but inside, I am still synthetic. And it is my insides that are going to make you my own."

I was starting to panic now. I couldn't move and I had a Flammie that wanted to eat me! To make matters worse, I was completely unable to defend myself against the inevitable. I couldn't believe that Seryn was going to go through with this.

She held me up to her eye level and gave my face a small lick on the cheek. She seemed to be tasting me, which added further insult to this. But before she decided to go through with this, she held me close to her warm body, sending her warm body heat into my own. As she stroked the back of my head with her paw, she whispered gently in my ear.

"This won't be so bad, Mana. In the end, this will be better for the both of us when we are both of the same material."

I wasn't sure what to make of this when Seryn held me at arm's length so that the two of us were staring straight at each other. I flinched when I saw her lick her chops hungrily.

"Well, here goes. Besides... I want to see how you taste."

I would have been kicking and screaming if I could move at the moment. But since most of my body was unable to function at the moment, all I could do was close my eyes and brace for the end. Seryn took a deep breath and opened her mouth super-wide. If she wasn't a Bio-Balloon, this might have been a little difficult in her current size. And with that, she stuffed me headfirst into her mouth and I began the slow descent don her throat.

Every so often, Seryn would pause at regular intervals to give my bare body a lick with her wet tongue. She appeared to be savoring my unique "flavor" as I descended down her gullet. I could have sworn that human flesh did not taste that good, but I guess to a Synthetic, their taste buds functioned a little differently. I was being shoved into a tight, wet tunnel that I assumed was her throat, but for some reason, it smelled strongly of latex instead of body fluids. I guess what she said now made sense. She was real on the outside but was still plastic on the inside. And since plastic was made of a similar material to latex, it only made sense that she would smell like latex.

After slurping up my feet like a mouthful of noodles, I was all the way inside of Seryn. I though by now that I would have hit her stomach, but I was still surrounded by a wet, moist tunnel. But then, the area I was in suddenly hollowed out so that I was practically dumped into a dark, wet chamber that I assumed was her stomach. A thick, gooey liquid splashed down on top of me, coating me in the milky-white slime and making me smell pretty ripe of plastic. I instantly felt my body free from the numbing agent she had just used on me and I found that I could move around a little in here. But other than a cramped space full of latex-smelling liquid, there was little I could do outside of rolling around in a fetal position.

"Seryn!" I called to her. "Why did you do this?! I thought we had something together! But then this happens and I'm going to be digested for who-knows-what!"

Seryn heard every word and gave her body a quick bounce, causing the plastic goo to splash all around me and coating my body even more. "Have you forgotten your commitment already, Mana? You wanted this! You were as gung ho as I had ever seen you to become a Synthetic. You promised that you would do whatever it took to be at my side as a Synthetic. Do you remember now?"

Now that I thought about it, she was right. I did say that I wanted to be a Synthetic when I first met her and I guess I must have forgotten during Seryn's "episode".

"But isn't this a little... extreme? I mean... did you have to eat me to do it?"

I could feel Seryn nodding. "I promise you that it was the only way. If there was a more pleasant way, I swear I would have told you. Besides, then I would have missed out on your delicious taste."

I blinked as I felt my legs starting to fall asleep. They were starting to numb up and I couldn't move them as well. If there was any light in here, I would have noticed that they were starting to "goo-ify" and turn into thick, milky-white plastic goo. Soon, they would be completely useless and my torso would be next.

"That's disturbing, you know."

Seryn simply patted her belly and I could feel her purring. "Disturbing, yes. But it's all true. Humans are one of the most delicious things to a Synthetic. That's what Darkheart told me when he created me from a human's liquids."

That goo was moving fast. I was already starting to lose feeling in my chest. My organs were turning into plastic soup, but I was still alive somehow. This was just another way that magic could affect people without killing them. Soon, my arms became heavy and sluggish before they, too, became liquefied, leaving only my head left.

"Seryn... can you do something for me?" I said as my vision was starting to fail.

"And what would that be?" she said sweetly.

"Are you familiar with one called the "Mana Beast"?"

I didn't expect her to know, but against all odds, she said, "I am."

I was about to black out when I gave her my last request. "I want to be reborn as him. Please do this for me."

To show that she understood, she gave her belly a quick pat. "I'll do that. Now... sleep well, my dear Mana. Pass on from this life in peace and you will not be forgotten."

I sighed as I gave my last few words before I was reduced to a pool of liquid plastic. "See you... on the other side."

Monday: 11:30 AM - 72:29:43 until cannon fires

Seryn cooed as she felt Mana finally leave this world. But she kept his mind and soul contained inside of her because he was going to need it when she rebirthed him. The feeling of him dissolving inside of her tickled her tummy like someone felt the bubbles of a quickly-drunk soda inside their stomachs. She was now full of ten gallons of plastic human soup, which gave her a slightly bloated look. But unlike her former master, she was going to use every last drop of him to bring him back to the world the way he wanted.

Seryn was going to need some room to help rebirth Mana, and this tiny apartment simply would not do. So she decided to head for the hills and give him the benefit of all the space he needed to be reborn. Grabbing the beaker of potion that had turned her into a Bio-Balloon, she walked out onto the patio and spread her wings. By now, the tainted mist that had converted most of Minnesota had died down, leaving millions of animal balloons in its wake. She knew that this time, she would not stand out, so it did not bother her that she would be flying in broad daylight over a city of Synthetics.

Seryn spread each of her feathery wings and took off from the balcony, instantly gaining altitude and leaving Mana's apartment far behind her. She seemed to enjoy the feeling of feeling the wind flow over her new fur and feathers, making her realize the very reason why birds sang. It was just so enjoyable that she could not help letting out a cry of happiness over the city. It was just so... perfect.

As she reached the outskirts of the city, she suddenly felt like she was going to sneeze. There was a distinct build-up coming from deep inside her and she had to get rid of it before it overcame her. Pointing her head at the skies, she opened her mouth and fired off a super-powerful column of rose-pink energy. It was like she had just fired an energy cannon from her mouth and if she hadn't aimed upwards, she could very possibly have destroyed something important. The beam took about a second to fire and then dissolve from her maw, which made Seryn realize the true potential of the power inside of her. She now knew what Aridos had meant by the "true power" inside of her. (Author's Note: It was while Seryn was still with Aridos, but I didn't mention it until now because it was a "background story".) She knew that she could use this power to help shut down the cannon that Darkheart had stolen. The sheer power it contained could punch a hole in a diamond wall, so the space station would pose no problem at all.

Smiling to herself, Seryn settled down in the hills outside Willmar to find a place to rebirth Mana. She needed plenty of room, so she settled on a forest clearing where someone had once made a campsite some time ago. This would be perfect to bring Mana back into the world, so she got right on it.

Seryn rubbed her bloated belly for a moment as if to tell Mana that she was still there for him. She did not know if he could hear her, but pretty soon, that would be irrelevant. She took a deep breath and swallowed the air into her stomach. After pushing up on her stomach, she forced some of the fluids up into her throat and forced herself to "vomit" into her mouth. But unlike normal regurgitation, Mana's juices still tasted as wonderful as it had when she had first eaten him.

Seryn swirled the flavorful liquid around in her mouth, coating her tongue in the process. She then opened her muzzle just enough and began to blow. But instead of spraying fluids everywhere and wasting every drop, Seryn appeared to be blowing a bubble made of milky-white latex. The instant Mana's fluids mixed with her saliva, it created a catalyst to begin the solidifying process. And once it mixed with the air outside, it solidified into a plastic material not unlike a balloon in thickness and consistency. As Seryn continued the stream of liquid into her mouth, she blew the bubble bigger and bigger until she had used every last drop of Mana's juices in a reasonable ten-foot-wide balloon.

Just as she was about to spit the end of the bubble out, Seryn did a complex motion with her tongue and then bit down on the end. She then pulled the end out of her mouth and held the new plastic stopper in-between her talons. To the casual eye, it looked like Seryn was holding a massive milky-white weather balloon, but to Seryn, she was holding Mana's new, raw form in her paw as if she was holding him in her arms. She looked at her masterpiece for a moment before placing the stopper back in her mouth and blowing into it again.

The balloon did not get any bigger. In fact, it looked like it was getting smaller. It was beginning to take shape and definition into a crude form of a Flammie. This was going to be Mana's new form and it was exactly as he had requested. Seryn had never seen the Mana Beast in the game firsthand back in the apartment, but Mana's mind and soul gave her an image that she could use in the shaping of this balloon. It was like he was speaking to her spiritually even though his human form was no longer on earth.

When the plastic had taken the exact shape, form and definition that she wanted, Seryn pushed the stopper of the balloon into the back of Mana's neck and then examined her handiwork. It was exactly the way she wanted it except for the fact that it was still a pale milky-white color. But this was just the shell. She would soon fix that.

Seryn took another deep breath and gagged on something deep in her throat. Whatever she was regurgitating this time was really stuck there. She coughed and retched for a moment before what she wanted finally came up. And as though it didn't bother her, Seryn gave two small puffs of strange blue fire with a glowing-white core inside of them. The wisps fluttered over to the empty shell and drifted into its nostrils and mouth.

The first one contained the power of a Synthetic Flammie and seemed to dye the shell's body like a wave of energy. Within a few seconds, it was fully colored and the power it now contained would soon be evident.

The second wisp contained Mana's spirit, mind and soul and drifted into the shell's mouth. When it entered, it enhanced the shell to even greater detail that only a true living creature could give. It also brought Mana back to life in his brand-new existence.

Seryn only had one more thing to do. She walked up to Mana and pressed her muzzle against his, giving one more gentle blow that was a mix of a kiss and the Breath of Life. She then stood back and watched as Mana took his first breath in his new life.

Monday: 3:00 PM - 69:00:00 until cannon fires

I was finally able to open my eyes and look out into the world for the first time in my new life. I didn't need anyone to explain it to me - I just knew. I knew that I had been reborn as a Synthetic Flammie in Seryn's company and that was all that mattered to me. Feeling fresh, clean air enter my body was something that I would never forget. It was like you were being born again with the purest and most valuable breath you will ever take in your life. It was just that wonderful. I knew that after this breath, I would barely have to breathe again. But still, it felt as wonderful as Seryn's fur had felt against my former human skin.

Speaking of Seryn, the very first thing I saw was Seryn standing in front of me and smiling intently, tears forming in her eyes. I smiled back at her and the two of us embraced each other. It was strange to have plastic fur touching "real" fur, but I didn't care. All I cared about was that Seryn had held her end of the deal and had given me a new life - one that I would cherish forevermore.

Finally, the two of us separated and looked at each other. Seryn spoke first. "Welcome back, Mana."

I sighed and locked my wings with hers. "It's good to be back, Seryn. I hope we will always be together."

Seryn giggled and stepped back so that she could take in the details of my new form. I did likewise and was pleased to see that she had held true to her promise. I now took the form of the Mana Beast from Secret of Mana. I was a Flammie in every way except for some main color differences and the fact that I now had two fangs sticking out of each side of my maw instead of Seryn's one. The color differences were that most of my body was a deep, shadowy-violet, my hair, wings and eyes were a rich crimson-red and my pads and talons were a clear sapphire-blue. The only part of me that was still a match to Seryn were the goldenrod-orange plates on my front all the way down to my tail.

She had gotten every single detail correct and I was glad that she had been thinking about me, but one minor detail still bothered me. "Seryn... why am I a Plastic Flammie and you're still a Bio-Balloon?"

She seemed to have expected and produced a beaker half-filled with a strange glowing-blue liquid. "I got this as a present from Sirius the Latexed Lugia. This is how I turned my plastic body into "real" flesh and fur while my insides are still latex-based. I saved just enough for you to have the same luxury. With it, we can finally reach the satellite where Darkheart is hiding out. Here..." She handed it to me. "Drink it. It's good for you."

I laughed at her slight joke and she returned the humor. But then I looked at the potion with longing. After all the kindness she had shown me so far, she was still in a giving mood and had saved some of this special potion to give to me. I could hardly believe that she had once worked for Darkheart; she was just to kind to me.

I nodded and looked at her. "Here goes!" And with that, I opened my mouth and poured the liquid down the hatch. The instant it was all inside my "stomach", I felt my body start to shake all over. It looked like I was having a seizure, but I knew that this was a good thing. While my body was undergoing its conversion, I managed to give Seryn a sincere smile. "I love you, Seryn. *shudder* I hope that... unh... that we will never leave... guh... each other's side."

Seryn came over to me and wrapped her arms and wings around me to keep me stabilized during my final conversion. "I love you, too, Mana. When this is all over and done with, I hope we will live out our lives together in peace."

I tried to look up into her eyes, but a sudden pain in my stomach caused me to black out. When I woke up, I would be one step closer to living out my life with the one creature who had stood by me through thick and thin. That one creature could only be described one way - as a true friend.

Monday: 6:40 PM - 64:19:54 until cannon fires

From the control room up in the Rubber Revolution Space Station, Darkheart looked down at the world below him. He knew that Seryn and Mana were about to attempt to board his space station and try to shut it down themselves, but he was not worried. Not even his mother and father, Sirius and Rye could stand a chance against him with the kind of power he had now. They were all fools to try and challenge him in his current state, which would make his victory all the sweeter. In his current position, Darkheart was all but invulnerable. He had consumed more than enough rubber to render his skin all but impossible to puncture and in his current position, no one would be able to reach him in time to shut down his cannon and thwart his plans.

And if they somehow managed to find their way up to this space station, they still had to deal with his newly-created servant. He had used both Krystal's and Vexx's bodies to create a servant that not even Sirius could defeat. In fact, the servant in question was standing behind him, watching his master think. He had been honed to perfection and soon, he would prove just how powerful he was.

Darkheart chuckled and turned to his servant and looked up at him. "Are you ready for this? They will be arriving soon and I hope that you are as fit as you say you are. When they finally meet you, they will all tremble in fear from your great power."

The creature nodded and pulled his gauntlets tight against his paws. "I will not let you down, Master. They will all rue the day they decided to stand against the Lord of Synthetics himself. I will destroy them, no matter what form they take and I will present their remains to you as a gift of my loyalty. They will not live past their first hour!"

Darkheart nodded and turned back around. Everything was just perfect. In just under three days, the Rubber Revolution will fire and the entire world will be at his mercy. In fact, the only ones who could stand in his way were...

But he didn't worry about it. They only cared for the well-being of the environment and would never team up with the others to try and overthrow him. His victory was inevitable and judging from the malevolence in his deep, dark laugh, he was as mad as Krystal had once said he was. It was just a matter of time...

To be continued...

(SoFurry Readers: Sorry, but that's all I managed to complete. I'm actually offering anyone who thinks they can finish the series (per my criteria) free reign and full credit. But if no one is up to the challenge, I'm afraid this once-promising series is over.)