Double-Minded Dragon

The simulacrum’s scales shimmered a metallic red against the dense nebula cloud, its vast wings tucked in close against its body. The two pilots - Alex and Jim - occupied the body's two brains.   The conscious called Alex, the captain, took center place in the skull. Every flick of its eyes and every twitch of its jagged muscles, was controlled by him.   Jim, however, was linked via a primitive bundle of nerves at the hip. From the lower half of the simulacrum, he controls the movement, balance and fine motor control of the hind limbs; tail included. As a consequence, Jim could only perceive the outside through touch. In practice, he could only sense the motion of the dragon’s body, its shifting posture and the subtle tremours of its movements. He had no sight, no sound. Only the disembodied sensations of force and pressure.   "Jim, you holding up?" Alex’s voice came through their link, clear and strong.   Jim's response was more of a mental hum, a vague feeling of acknowledgment.   The dragon sailed through the protein clouds, its maw opening and closing as it siphoned in organic masses of protein suspended in the cosmic field. The clusters swirled in slow motion, but only Alex could see it through three eyes, while Jim could only note the pitch and yaw of they moved.   Their cooperation was less a partnership, however. As the vehicle swallowed, Alex felt a dopaminergic satisfaction shoot unevenly through himself, while Jim let the massive tail whip the left leg, jerking the whole body into an awkward position.   “Jim!” Alex’s voice crackled with concern.   Jim was already there. Despite the blindness, he felt the strain as the pressure in the rear seat intensified.   “Good job,” Alex muttered under his breath, his voice a comforting presence despite the inherent unfairness.   His mind buzzed. Breathing is a sensation he could only partly feel.   "Something is broken".