"Wait, don't--" But it's too late. As Helex scoops him up he pushes against the behemoth's chest, trying to put distance between them. Tarn looks past him at the wide swath of destroyed flowers from his trip over. Helex is probably already infected anyway. He relaxes slightly into the smelters arms. The infection courses through his systems, overheating him and activating his interface protocols. The first drops of lubricant begin to gather against his closed array.

"The spores from the flowers. They seem to have a strange effect." Tarn only feels slightly awkward having his conversation with his subordinate. "They force to body to gather charge and overheat." That infuriating staticky quality creeps slowly back into his voice and his cooling fans switch on as if on cue.

This is mortifying. Tarn tries to look anywhere but up at Helex's concerned face.