Jade stood over the lab table, watching a pink line merge into the shard. At first, nothing happened. She waited around, ten minutes ticking by. Gradually, the shard started to glow with a pink light. But that was all--just a hint of color.
Jade yawned, feeling the day’s efforts weigh on her.
"Maybe it needs more time," she thought, deciding to end her experiments for the night.
"Letting it sit overnight might help," Jade mused, heading off to bed, hopeful for a breakthrough by morning.
The next day, she returned to the lab early. What she found left her stunned. The shard had transformed; it was now a vibrant deep pink. When Jade tried to pick it up, it distorted and teleported a few inches away.
Jade paused, thoughtfully touching her chin. "This is similar to what happened with the mafia crowd. It seems the trigger has been removed, yet it still retains its properties.
Surprising, considering everything else I’ve tried ran dry so quickly." She stated outloud in the empty lab room
Over the ensuing days, Jade dedicated herself to a series of experiments with the shard. Her objective was clear: to either revert its state or unlock any hidden capabilities it might possess.
Working with the shard proved challenging. Each time Jade attempted to pick it up, it teleported away, eluding her grasp. It was only after she devised a containment strategy using metal barriers on the table that she managed to halt its evasive maneuvers.
Having successfully restrained the shard, Jade managed to chip off a piece for further examination. Under the microscope, she observed its extraordinary properties.
The shard’s molecular structure had the remarkable ability to regenerate, healing itself whenever it sustained damage.
This was especially true for the pink fragments, which seemed to possess a life force of their own.
While she examined the sample, the Director entered the lab. He still carried authority into the room, but his question sounded genuinely interested. "How’s your day going, Jade? Any meaningful breakthroughs?
I’d like to present some positive news to Ashaiki upon her return," he said, expectation and hope sharing his voice.
Jade’s response was immediate and enthusiastic. She spun around in her chair, her eyes alight with excitement. It was as if she was a student, eager to share her discoveries.
Her face, usually composed and focused, now beamed with the possibility of sharing her findings.
Jade hopped out of her chair, too excited to sit still. "Yes, Sir, you came by just in time," she declared. "Come look at this!"
She detailed her experience with the crystal, emphasizing the peculiar pink glow it emitted. Jade shared her belief that the crystal was linked to an entity from another world, attempting to communicate or assist despite being observed by others.
She explained how the crystal, a gift from Crow, not only facilitated teleportation, saving Rosa in the process but also underwent a transformation when she merged a pink strand from the crystal itself, altering its properties entirely.
The Director took her place at the microscope. As he peered into the shard, he watched the pink color intensify, fade, then return, proof that the shard was still resisting the damage.
"I see, so this shard is actively attacking and recovering. Do you think that--" he began, only for Jade to interject with a hypothesis that sparked further curiosity.
"Think if we attempt to meld a piece of flesh to this, it might start to heal it as well," Jade proposed, cutting off the Director mid-sentence.
Acknowledging the potential in Jade’s suggestion, the Director gave her the green light to proceed with the experiment. "It’s worth a try for sure. Go ahead and see what happens," he encouraged.
With determination, Jade prepared for the procedure. She retrieved a large knife and, after donning a mask and gloves for safety, she sliced off a small portion of zombified skin. She then carefully placed it atop the shard.
Initially, there was no reaction, leading to a moment of suspense and doubt.
A few minutes passed, and the Director pondered aloud, "I wonder if it only works on non-living organic objects?" Jade, sharing a look of disappointment, could only nod in agreement--until the shard shimmered.
The pink crystal began to merge with the flesh, slowly covering the surface of the skin.
Seeing this, Jade’s spirits lifted. "Well, at least it’s doing something, right?" she said, a hint of excitement in her voice.
The Director, while acknowledging the progress, noted the slow pace of the reaction as he glanced at his watch. Then, as they watched, the pink tendrils wrapping around the piece of flesh began to transform it.
The grey drained away, shifting into a solid flesh tone.
A mist of black started to rise from the shard, prompting the Director to express his astonishment, "Well, I’ll be damned. Maybe we do have some unique people helping us out."
"This should be enough for now," he advised, "go ahead and take some time off. Ashaiki should be back in a few days, so take this time to visit your family or something."
The mention of family stirred a complex mix of feelings within Jade. Her immediate thought was her family--or rather, the facade she had maintained about them. "My family... oh yeah," she mused, a hint of realization in her tone, "she lied about that.
I suppose I can do that... but so , I’m not sure if I would even know where to find a flight..."
The Director seemed ready for her concern. "Don’t worry about it. I spoke with Rosa a bit and stated how much you’ve been pushing yourself.
So, go ahead and report to the debrief room, and you’ll have a private jet ready to take you to the nearby airport."
His words offered not just logistical support but also an acknowledgment of her hard work and the importance of taking a moment to breathe. "You’ll have the day off with your family, so that should buy you some time to relax.
And I can’t say how the future will unfold, so do make sure you cherish the time you have with them."