General Harlan's fingers hovered over the inserting device, his reflection visible on the shiny surface of the mechanism meant to transfer the bead's essence to the tank. A sigh escaped him, heavy with the weight of his thoughts. 'Caelum... He is strong. Getting seconds of anyone is difficult given that the world is in chaos, and most databases regarding people are destroyed. I can't stop this now, I just hope he is right,' he contemplated internally.
From behind him, an all-too-familiar laughter pierced the air. The sound was playful, hinting at mischief. Harlan's posture stiffened, his jaw tensing in vexation.
"Ah, General," said the voice, each word dripping with exaggerated reverence. "Always so stern and brooding. Don't you ever loosen up?"
Without turning, Harlan responded, "Zephyrian."
Zephyrian, or Zeph to his closer (and riskier) acquaintances, removed his sunglasses, revealing eyes that glowed a pure, intense gold. The luminescence of his irises seemed to dance with the electric currents that defined his power.
His smirk widened as he took a step closer to Harlan. "Hand over the bead old man, or you'll feel a shock you won't forget."
Harlan turned slowly to face him, his gaze unwavering. "Your games might work on others, Zephyrian, but not on me. This isn't a playground."
"Oh, but Harlan," Zephyrian taunted, allowing arcs of electricity to snake around his fingers, "it's so much more fun when you treat it like one."
General Harlan's smile widened, the confidence in his stance evident. "Listen boy," he began, his tone almost patronizing, "you're not strong enough to beat me yet. Maybe in a year or two when you can properly control that ability of yours."
Zephyrian's eyes flashed with indignation, but before he could react, Harlan swiftly inserted the bead into the device. There was a high-pitched whirring sound, and in a split second, the bead vanished, sucked into the machine.
"Ah," Harlan remarked, his voice dripping with satisfaction, "it seems like you won't be able to get the bead now."
The tension in the room was palpable. Zeph, clearly outmaneuvered, scowled darkly. With a huff, he placed his sunglasses back on, concealing those luminous golden eyes. "Old man," he retorted icily, "you'll be hearing from Father." Without another word, he turned on his heel and left, the door sliding shut behind him with a hiss.
No sooner had Zeph exited, a chorus of exclamations and urgent updates filled the room as a multitude of scientists and researchers began monitoring the progression of the bead's essence extraction.
"Extraction is at 15%," one researcher called out, her eyes never leaving the screen in front of her. "Vitals are stable."
Another chimed in, "The essence is being purified. There are no signs of contamination."
A scientist with a headset adjusted some dials on a console, "Aeliana's heart rate is increasing, but it's still within the safe zone."
The atmosphere was charged with excitement and trepidation. Each update was a testament to the marvel of the technology and the uncertainty of the procedure.
Dr. Lysa Hartwell, who had been overseeing the entire process, spoke up, "Ensure the conduit channels are clear. We don't want any blockages when we initiate the transfer."
Beside her, a tall scientist with graying hair, presumably Dr. Larson, nodded in agreement. "The synchronization between the bead's essence and Aeliana's bio-signature seems promising. If our calculations are correct, the absorption process should be smooth."
Another voice, younger and more anxious, came from Dr. Reyes, "I'm concerned about the neural linkages. There's a slight deviation from the expected patterns."
Dr. Hartwell shot him a stern look, "Keep monitoring it. Any significant deviation and we halt the process immediately."
The metallic chamber containing Aeliana shimmered briefly as the bead's essence began its infusion. A soft, ethereal glow emanated from within, casting a serene light around the room.
General Harlan leans in, his eyes fixed on the now glowing chamber containing Aeliana. "What are the chances of her turning into a monster?"
Dr. Hartwell, catching her breath, bobs her head from side to side before admitting, "There is no way of knowing that."
Together, they walk over to the panel displaying the fluctuations of the bead's essence. Harlan's fingers trace the luminous readings on the screen. "This is an A-rank bead," he begins, "from a monster that actually uses magic—or whatever form of energy conversion you call it. The problem is that the bead is in perfect condition."
Dr. Hartwell listens intently, the weight of their mission evident in her eyes. "Indeed," Harlan continues, "when we collected the other beads, the monsters had used up most of their energy, which seems to have affected the purity of the beads. But this bead... it's from a monster that committed suicide after merely seeing one man. It didn't even use its magic—it just ended its own life, leaving the bead pristine."
Nodding in agreement, Dr. Hartwell adds, "Because of that, this bead is brimming with energy. It's both astounding and terrifying. In reality, it's impossible to calculate the likelihood of her transforming into a monster. To truly know, we need to fully grasp how abilities function. If we can perfectly understand abilities, then we can predict outcomes."
She then moves to another screen, her fingers dancing across the controls as she pulls up a different set of data. "Each bead is unique," she notes. "With a comprehensive understanding of abilities, we could determine whether a particular bead is compatible with an individual."
General Harlan ponders her words, a realization dawning in his eyes. 'Wait... Caelum mentioned it so nonchalantly, according to Aeliana. If that's accurate... He's already immensely powerful. Could he possess a flawless grasp of abilities? Otherwise, why would he suggest this bead as the solution to Aeliana's control issues?'
General Harlan's eyes widen in realization, and he clenches his fist tightly. 'Just how? Abilities have only surfaced a mere month ago. How did he gain such an intricate understanding of them in such a brief period? Since their appearance, we've delved deep into studying them incessantly, yet they remain an enigma.'
Suddenly, the serene atmosphere in the lab shifts dramatically. Alarm bells start ringing, and the previously calm glow of the chamber becomes erratic. Screens flash with warnings, and the hum of machinery grows louder.
"Energy fluctuations are spiking!" shouts Dr. Reyes, his face pale as he stares at the rapidly changing data on his monitor.
"Her heart rate and temperature are rising rapidly!" another scientist, Dr. Cole, calls out, gripping the edges of his console.
Dr. Larson, looking at another screen, adds with urgency, "The essence infusion process... it's not going as expected! The bead's essence is dispersing in the water, but these fluctuations... they're highly irregular."
Dr. Hartwell's eyes dart to various monitors, trying to get a grasp on the situation. "Cycle the water! We need to stabilize the environment within the chamber!" she orders.
A researcher, furiously typing on a keyboard, yells back, "I'm trying, but the system's responding too slowly! The bead's essence is influencing the machinery."
Another scientist, monitoring Aeliana's vitals, adds with panic, "Her neural linkages are overloading! If this continues, her brain could suffer permanent damage."
The room is filled with frantic activity as researchers and scientists shout updates and instructions to one another, trying to bring the situation under control. Amidst the chaos, the ethereal glow from the chamber intensifies, casting eerie shadows on the walls.
General Harlan, looking grim, steps forward. "We need to halt the process! It's too risky."
But Dr. Hartwell, her gaze unwavering from the chamber, retorts, "We can't! The essence is already intertwining with Aeliana's bio-signature. Halting it now might do more harm than good."
One of the screens displays a graphical representation of the bead's energy as it merges with the water. Instead of a smooth curve, the graph shows wild, unpredictable spikes.
"It's like the bead is fighting back, resisting the merge," murmurs Dr. Larson, his forehead creased with worry.
Another alarm sounds, this one more urgent and piercing. "The conduit channels are reaching their limit!" shouts a scientist. "If we don't release some pressure, they'll burst!"
Dr. Reyes, sweat dripping from his forehead, tries to adjust the machinery. "I'm diverting the overflow to secondary tanks. It's a temporary fix, but it should buy us some time."
"No! Don't do that!" Dr. Hartwell's shout pierced through the cacophony of alarms and panicked voices. The tension in the room became palpable, each second stretching into eternity.
Dr. Reyes stopped in his tracks, looking at her with wide eyes. "But, Dr. Hartwell, the overflow—"
"The essence can't be diverted," she snapped. "That's not how this works!"
Dr. Larson interjected, "The channels are on the verge of bursting! We need a solution!"
Dr. Cole, always the pessimist, added, "We're playing with fire here! This could blow up in our faces."
The room became a chorus of complaints and debates, everyone voicing their concerns and suggestions. It was a cacophony of chaos, each voice adding to the overwhelming sense of urgency and despair.
Dr. Hartwell's voice rose above the rest, "This is merely the reaction between the bead and her ability! We've already seen what her ability does with her having no control over it."
The scientists and researchers exchanged nervous glances. They had all seen the devastation that Aeliana's unchecked ability could cause. The thought of such a force intertwined with the power of the bead was a nightmare none of them had prepared for.
Through the veil of steel that surrounded the chamber, the ethereal glow intensified to an almost blinding degree. It was as if a miniature sun had ignited within the confines of the lab. The steel walls, meant to contain and control, now became a barrier to understanding what was happening inside.
The alarms grew louder, more persistent, their urgency mirroring the escalating crisis. Displays glitched, dials spun out of control, and the hum of machinery became a deafening roar.
One of the scientists screamed, pointing to a console where a pressure gauge was rapidly ticking toward the danger zone. "The conduits! They can't handle this much energy!"
A thick pipe overhead groaned ominously, vibrating with the strain. There was a high-pitched whine, the sound of metal on the verge of failure. Everyone in the room instinctively looked up, dread painted on their faces.
"Use all of it at once or everything is going to fall apart!" Dr. Hartwell's voice broke through the commotion. She was pointing to a secondary storage unit, which held a reserve of the essence purification solution.
Dr. Reyes shot back, "Are you insane? We have no idea what that'll do!"
She stepped in front of him, her eyes blazing with determination. "We're past the point of caution, Reyes! It's do or die now!"
Another pipe began to quiver, rivulets of a strange, shimmering liquid beginning to seep from its joints. Dr. Cole yelled, "We're running out of time! That's the bead's essence—it's everywhere!"
The debates grew heated. Voices overlapped, each person shouting their own solutions, their own fears. Amid the escalating chaos, Dr. Hartwell took a deep breath and roared, "I am the lead researcher here, so listen to my orders!"
The room fell silent for a split second, every eye fixed on her. With newfound resolve, she issued her commands. Researchers scrambled to their stations, quickly working to release the entirety of the stored solution into the chamber.
General Harlan's eyes snapped towards the chamber as an intense glow emanated from within. Its brightness outshone all the equipment in the room, casting everything in a brilliant shade of pink. The very air seemed to pulse with the energy of the bead's essence and Aeliana's power.
Without a word, Dr. Hartwell rushed to a nearby control panel, her fingers flying across the touch-sensitive buttons. With a series of heavy clanks and the sound of gears grinding, thick steel walls—each a solid twelve inches—began to descend around the chamber, sealing it off from the outside world. Every connection, every pipe and conduit, detached and retreated into the ceiling, leaving the chamber isolated.
Silence reigned in the lab as the last echoes of the machinery faded away. The bright glow from the chamber was now completely obscured by the steel barriers, rendering the room in semi-darkness, punctuated only by the soft glow of the monitors and control panels.
With the immediate threat contained, the frenzied pace of the room began to slow, giving way to an oppressive tension. Every scientist, researcher, and technician held their breath, waiting for a sign, a sound—anything to indicate the outcome of their daring maneuver.
Dr. Hartwell, her face pallid from the ordeal, took a moment to collect herself. The weight of responsibility bore down on her, and her voice trembled as she broke the silence. "Whether she lives or dies depends on her compatibility now—"
She was cut off abruptly as the ground beneath them shuddered violently. The monitors flickered, equipment rattled on its shelves, and overhead lights swung wildly. It felt like the very foundations of the lab were being uprooted.
Then, a deafening explosion echoed through the facility, its force throwing Dr. Hartwell to the ground. Dust and debris rained down, filling the air with a thick haze.
"Dr. Hartwell" General Harlan rubs his eyebrows, rushing to her side, his eyes darting around, assessing the situation. Alarm bells resumed their shrill chorus, mingling with the panicked cries of the lab personnel.
Through the haze, the outline of the steel-encased chamber loomed. Its surface was marred and scorched, but it remained intact. The thick walls had done their job.
Dr. Hartwell, assisted by General Harlan, struggled to her feet, her lab coat smeared with dust. Coughing, she looked around the room, her gaze finally settling on the sealed chamber. "What... what have we done?" she whispered, her voice filled with a mix of awe and trepidation.