This is a re-post. This is a version that is slightly edited from what it was originally, only this time I intend to finish this. :)

Edd looked desperately at Dexter as the strange creatures tore off their clothes and chained them to the cold, hard metal tables. Both of them had done enough science that they knew what was about to happen. Experimentation.

"Be strong, Double D," Dexter said shakily, his accent thick.

"I'll try, Dex," Edd said softly.

They saw needles coming toward them. Large needles filled with…

"Fusion Matter," they both breathed. They looked at each other, fear permeating their very being.

The beasts spoke the hissing language of Fuse then plunged the needles into their stomachs. Agony, raw and terrible, coursed through their veins. The sting of the injection point was nonexistent as pain engulfed every inch of their beings. It hurt so badly that they couldn't scream. Through the haze, the two humans saw more needles coming. They looked into each other's tear streaked faces and closed their eyes.

Their lives became nothing but pain as the creatures studied them, invading them in ways that they thought were fairytales made to scare children. Ben Tennyson certainly wasn't like that, nor any of the aliens he faced. Broken and bleeding, they hardly noticed it at first. But one day, when they were in their cell, lying limply on the floor under thin blankets, Edd slowly lifted his head.

"Dex?" he asked hoarsely.

"Yeah?"

"Is it me or do I hurt less than I did yesterday?"

Dexter lifted his own head and stared at him, squinting to see him properly. "I think that I am not in pain like I was yesterday either. My stomach still churns and my body still aches, but it is not as bad as it was."

Double D nodded, shifting slowly to push himself up. His limbs trebled so badly that both of them were sure he was going to fall over. Once he was in an upright position, Edd wrapped the blanket around his hips to preserve his modesty, or at least give the illusion that he still had modesty to preserve in front of the redheaded teen. Dexter slowly followed suit, sitting up painfully and mirroring Double D's action with his own blanket.

"There is definitely less pain," Dexter said shakily.

"Does that mean we're dying?" Edd asked quietly.

"I…I do not feel as if I am dying. My senses are still sharp, or as sharp as can be expected with the pain. My breathing is regulated." Dexter took his pulse as best he could. "My pulse is a little slow, but steady. I do not believe I have a fever, and I do not feel icy."

Edd nodded. "Same here. I feel really tired, and I can't sleep, but other than that and the pain, I'm good."

From then on, they noticed the pain diminishing, at first in small increments, but they started increasing. Then one day they were in pain, and the next, nearly all the pain was gone. They were shocked. So were their captors. They hissed together in the corner.

Suddenly, Dexter and Edd heard screaming. They watched as Blossom and Bubbles were led in. They were covered in what looked like green water. They stood, holding the blankets firmly, and moved to the front of their cell. They watched in horror as two of the creatures grabbed the girls' clothes as if to rip them off, but before they could even begin to tug, a hologram appeared. It was Fuse.

"Do not try it on any more of them until we find out what's wrong. Dissect the two males if you must."

"Did you understand that?" Edd whispered.

"Yes. I did," Dexter whispered back. "And we're about to be…di-dissected?"

Fear bloomed inside of them as Blossom and Bubbles were led away again. The creatures then turned their attention to the two boys. They backed up as the cell was opened, but were snagged and dragged into the other room. Knives were suddenly pressed against their skin. The first cut never happened because the two boys freaked.

There was a ton of movement in the room and the lights went out. The lime green light was the only thing that let them see, but where had all that Fusion Matter come from? They had no time to wonder as there was suddenly the sensation of falling.

"We are in a ship!" Dexter shouted as they grabbed the experimentation tables to keep from flying up to the ceiling.

"What do we do?" Edd gasped.

"Pray we do not hit too hard!"

The anticipation was terrible and the crash was unexpected, even when they expected it. The ship was torn open and they were slammed into the computer. Dexter looked up and ripped something out of the guts of the machine. Suddenly there was the sound of glass shattering and the boys panicked, so they ran.

They eventually ran into Tech Square, which was a shell of its former self. Fusion Matter was everywhere, and they splashed through it as they hurried to the only place they would feel safe. As the doors to Dexter's laboratory slid closed behind them, they stood there in the dimly lit room, panting hard. Suddenly, they needed sleep. Dexter quickly set the piece of machinery down on the computer console then led Double D to some bunks. The crawled in and fell into a deep sleep.

When they woke, they felt calm and refreshed. Dexter stood and stretched. Edd stared at him.

"I know this is pointless at this point, Dex, but you are naked."

Dexter blinked at him then looked down. "Eh, what does it matter? You and I have seen every inch of each other, inside and out."

"True. So we're going to ignore it?"

"Big time."

Edd shrugged and stood. It wasn't that hard to ignore. There just wasn't any modesty left between them. After Dexter retrieved a spare pair of glasses, they walked into the main room and paused when they saw the techy looking box on the computer console.

"Is that one of yours?" Edd asked.

"No. It is not."

"It looks like it belongs to Fuse."

"Did I bring it in?" Dexter asked.

"I think I remember you taking it out of the ship."

"Ooh, let us hook it up and see what is on it!"

"But Dexter," Edd said softly. "Tech Square doesn't have power anymore."

"I have a backup generator."

"But Computress isn't here. You disconnected her from Tech Square so she wouldn't feel it go down."

"I have a backup program for that. Let us see if the Fusion Matter has ruined it."

Dexter soon had his computer and lab up and running again. He tapped on the keyboard and he and Double D connected wires to the device. The language that popped on the screen had weird characters, but, to their surprise, they could read it. It was halting, as their minds tried to interpret it as an Earth language, but they stood there reading the different files for hours and hours. Then they stumbled on one about them. The last two words stood out.

"Dexter?" Edd asked softly. "What's a True Fusion?"