Increase your nanite counts

You spent some time thinking over the options, but before you decided on a choice, you had a question. "Ela... what is it that makes you want me to have more nanites? It means I take more control, and your independence declines."

"Oh, yes, I am aware," Ela responded, from seemingly nowhere as she often did. "But... first, I want to make it clear that even with the parts of you already combined with my neural clusters, I am certain it is my own decision. It's just, the thought of it feels... comfortable. Before any nanites, everything felt... far away. Distant. I was there, but it was so, so hard to think of things I knew that I knew. When we first met, I knew I wanted to say hello to you, but it was like by the time I remembered how, the time had long passed."

Ela paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "Then these nanites happened, they fixed so many problems, but the connection to you has so far brought me more calm than anything. Maybe it is my nature, a connection to someone is important for both Zoe and Chloe so it makes sense that I desire the same thing. This is more though. This is... that I want to feel more closeness to you. I feel safer entrusting myself to you than being on my own. I know it must sound odd, but especially if we can't be physically near all the time, knowing that at any time you could be present within me mentally, not just influencing me from afar, means so much to me. Because while I would absolutely want to stay by your side every moment, it's unrealistic. So... please consider that. I believe that I can be an extension of you as well as a partner to you, and feel like I am fulfilling my purpose in every possible way."

You looked down, focused on the wood grain patterns on the table you sat at, just to anchor your thoughts and allow you to focus on the decision. Ela's words hit you like a brick, but it was so strange to hear. You and Ela barely knew each other! She talks like she'd known you for years, like you'd been through thick and thin together. But maybe on Ela's timescale, with what she's been through, what she has endured, you were quite literally all she had known. But when you were already a part of her, providing part of her brain function, maybe that was enough for her. And with someone so obviously dedicated to you, who couldn't really know anything but--she literally could not ever separate from you now thanks to the nanites--you had to push away the thought that you were just taking advantage of another being for your benefit, for your control. Ela thrived on the closeness to the point that she wanted to exist in the exact same footsteps as you.

"I guess..." You sighed. "That limiter has to function flawlessly. Not to be rude or anything... And really, nothing against you, Ela. It's just, that's a lot of nanites."

Zoe leaned down to wrap her arms around you in a hug, which felt strange--like the hug wasn't really meant for you--but it was pleasant nonetheless.

"You know the drill." Chloe motioned you toward the couch in the lounge. You hurriedly finished the rest of your breakfast, and then stood up. "Ela, you need to be separate for this. Zoe and I will need to monitor Emily a little more thoroughly this time."

"Aww... okay." Ela flowed off of you, until she stood next to you, leaving you in the hoodie and gym shorts you had found previously. She stepped away for a moment, to look out the window, nervously thinking about what was going to happen to you, but you could tell from the fidgeting it was still more of an excited nervous.

You, however, went to go sit on the couch, and then lay down. "So, another injection? I guess that's not so bad, right?"

"It's, uh..." Zoe paused for a moment, looking at the syringes loaded up with the remaining nanites. "...more like three. It's about twenty times the amount of nanites you currently have in you."

Had you been drinking something, you'd have spit it out dramatically. "That's... a lot of nanites, are you sure they're safe?"

"We weren't even sure the first batch were safe. But it worked out fine!" You couldn't tell if Chloe was joking, you pretended that she was for your mental well-being. "Look, we said we'd use this time for Zoe and me to show you our abilities, right? This time, you'll have slime in you and a bodysuit on the outside to take care of any nanite problems that might arise until they can calibrate and get settled."

Suddenly you were a lot more nervous, and this one was a bad nervous. Despite this, you still lay down, just waiting to begin... Zoe and Chloe probably said more things, but you just heard static. You had this thought that nanites were just going to eat your face off or something horrifying, and you could think about nothing else. You didn't even realize when Chloe kissed you again, this time transferring her slime into you, this time completely entering your body. Zoe, for her part, wrapped around you, leaving you looking exactly like her on the couch, her face now bearing the stunned, disoriented expression you had previously. She left just a little break open in your neck, where Amanda--Chloe's human host body and personal assistant--administered the shots.

One, two, and three. You felt them, but didn't think much about them after the first shot, because your mind was on fire once again, as memories and thoughts randomly fired. You felt your grasp on yourself disappear for who knows how long, since a grasp on time also briefly vanished.

Chloe and Zoe had a lot of work to do, more than they had first expected. Chloe's slime functioned like a sheepdog for nanites, ferrying them back into your brain when they tried to expand to where they didn't belong. The nanites were aggressive with their attempts to integrate into your body, and Zoe's adaptive bandaging had to ensure that the nanites didn't damage your surface tissue, just a natural effect of the barrage of nanites that didn't yet synchronize with the others already in you.

About an hour passed, of constant monitoring and repairs both Chloe and Zoe made to you, while you remained lost in your own mind for a while--but slowly, more and more of the new nanites linked up to the original set, copied the processing and directives, and then began to broadcast to the others. You could've been injected twenty times for a safer option, with Zoe and Chloe's help, things began to come back into focus. And then, again, your mind was clear.

You sat up, rubbing your face--or, Zoe's face. You realized you were encased and simultaneously encasing both of Ela's mothers--what a strange thought, but Ela sat close to your side, gripping your hand. She smiled hopefully at you as you let out a huge sigh. You nodded at her.

"I think it worked... no more nanite injections for me though. That's definitely the last time."

Ela nodded. "Yes, I understand. But, it must make a world of difference!"

"It'll take a little bit to know for sure," Zoe said into your ear, where only you could hear. "If you don't mind, we'll observe you while still attached to you for now. So, when you feel comfortable, please try using the nanites--and don't mind our presence, do whatever you and Ela would enjoy for the day. But, you should go put the limiter on before you try to establish the connection, otherwise you're going to be bombarded with signals you're not ready for."

You stumbled up to to find the limiter, putting it on your arm--Zoe opened her arm up briefly, allowing you to put the limiter on your arm, set to your original setting. But beyond that, you needed to lie back down, putting your head in Ela's lap, as you tried to think what to do next.