CHAPTER 51: Experiment 1

“You, on the right!” Eyve shouted, pointing into another open cell crammed to the brim with miscreant shayd. “Come on, get your rear in gear!” After the volunteer was collectively shoved outwards by her cellmates and grabbed by the arm by Eyve, she wasted no time bringing her up to the main floor of the laboratory. Eyve brought the ne'er do well to a room adjacent to the main work floor, past the now-empty cage. As Eyve, now joined by Ven, shoved the subject into the room, she saw that it lay completely barren, save for a small setup consisting of a metallic sphere connected to the ceiling with a thick wire, a metal plate… And a dented bucket filled with water. Ven threw a small remote control into the room and deadlocked the door behind the Shayd.

“Wait!” The shayd begged, pounding on the glass. “You told me I’d get to see a lawyer! Let me out!” Ven administered a shock to the room via her mechanical hand and spoke through an intercom mounted to the wall next to the door. 

“Do what we ask. Do you see a small device on the ground?”

“Yes?”

“Alright, make a note of where it is. Do not touch it. Do you see the bucket in the center of the room?”

“Yes. What are you doing?”

“I want you to place the metal cage into the bucket, and cover its top with the plate beside it. Do you understand?”

“Sure, I—I guess.” As the subject grabbed the cage and prepared to place it into the bucket, she managed to get a good look at what was inside it— a glittering cluster of blue and purple gems.

“What is this thing?” She asked, stalling.

“Place the cage into the bucket. Cover its top. Await further instructions.” Ven repeated in a frustrated tone.

Cautiously, the shayd did as was requested, the mixture bubbling beneath the plate to once again form the monstrosity from before. The process, however, was much slower than the last time it had formed.

“The cage must be dampening its formative capabilities,” Eyve observed

“We’ll fix that.” Ven alleviated, returning to the communication device. “Alright, good. Now grab the remote. Press the button when we tell you, okay?”

The shayd hastily did as she was told, her four eyes agape at the shambling monster forming before her eyes.

“What. In the name of Thead. Is this thing?” She managed to ask, paralyzed with fear. Finally, the abomination had reformed, its attention directed towards its new roommate.

“Don’t press it yet,” Ven assured the subject. The two cellmates slowly spiraled around the room, making a clear difference between the predator and prey in this situation. The shayd held the remote close to her chest, while the monster prowled around to face her, its faceless head surmising the shape of this intruder, and a thick cable attaching its back to the ceiling.

“Motor capabilities don’t seem to be hindered,” Eyve observed. “Should we test the suppression system now?”. 

Ven watched as the creature began to inch closer toward their volunteer, knocking over the bucket it had spawned from.

“Now! Press it NOW!” Ven screamed through the intercom. The shayd did as she was told, and a current ran its way through the wire, shocking the very core of the monstrosity. It wailed in pain, its form melting away and flailing about, splashing water and darkness about like a typhoon. The shayd watched in horror at the suffering of the being before it. The creature’s movement was unfortunately too much for the cable to handle, as it snapped from the ceiling and fell to the ground. Once the abomination realized it was no longer in pain, it returned its attention towards the shayd. She fervently tried pressing the button again, only to find that it had no more effect, as the core cage’s power had been disconnected.

The abomination pounced on the hapless test subject, shreds of her cloak flying about as Eyve looked away from the sight. Ven, however, continued looking with an expression of disappointment on half of her face. She plugged her arm into a socket near the door and pumped a massive current of electricity throughout the room, stunning the creature.

“Well, that sucked,” Eyve stated, observing the scene. “We’ll have to use a thicker wire next time.”

“It worked exactly as intended.” Ven clarified. “We’re able to pacify them with a fraction of the energy the cages use by directing the charge as close to their cores as possible.” She glowered at the abomination as it rested amongst the shredded cloth and shards of core, the wire still dangling haphazardly from its back on the floor. “The final model will have to be battery-powered, however. Mobility is what we want.” 

“So, when do you think these things’ll be ready for the field?”

Ven tapped her finger on the door for a few seconds, watching the experiment stir and wake up again, disappointed its playmate was now missing.

“One week.”

CHAPTER 52: One Last Look Around

Orsel’s core, swaddled in his cloak, clunked onto the ground after a few hours of rest and precarious positioning. He reformed in a panic, looking around dazed, trying to find the source of his disturbance— but there was none… aside from gravity, of course. He grabbed his crookshank and stepped outside, the imminent sense of danger abated as his eyes met the unparalleled beauty of the night sky once more. 

A million things should have been going through Orsel’s mind this late at night. Would Shaydon ever catch up to him? Would he and his friends succeed in stealing the pieces of the keystone from across Crux? Could they bring peace to the world with Hope’s help? Would he ever get a new visbox? But at this time, in this place, in this somewhat sleep-deprived state, there was no room for any of that. While his ivory eyes soaked in the view of the unspoiled sky amongst the pitch-black walls of the canyon, one thought floated through his head.

These stars sure are beautiful.