Chapter 3

The world was a void made of blinding white light. Sonia looked down—she was Wave Changed for some reason.

"Where are we, Lyra?"

There was no answer.

"Lyra…?"

She started walking. Before she got very far, she felt a presence looming over her, and she grew stiff. A voice was whispering something—no, three voices, all whispering the same thing.

"Power…"

She turned around. Nothing was there.

"Power…"

A burning pressure was pushing down on her. Suddenly, three towers of flame appeared around her: one green, one yellow, and one red.

"Power…"

She felt a stabbing pain in her heart. Shaking, she asked, "What is this…?"

"Power," the voices chanted. "Power. Power. Power!"

The pain intensified, bringing Sonia to her knees. "Lyra…can you hear me? Lyra!"

The flames began to close in.

"Sonia…"

"Sonia!"

Sonia shouted as she jolted awake.

"Sonia?"

After taking a deep breath, she sighed, "Y-Yeah…uh…"

She reached for her Visualizer, continuing, "Sorry, I guess I was…"

When she put the glasses on, she saw Lyra floating in the corner of the room. The FM-ian was leaning against the wall with a sick look on her face, and an orange, flame-like aura of waves surrounded her. Sonia leapt to her feet.

"Lyra, what's wrong?!"

The aura slowly dissipated. Lyra drifted away from the wall, saying, "I'm afraid I'm not entirely sure. I've been experiencing some discomfort ever since the museum, but it just intensified all of the sudden. A burning, stabbing pain…"

Sonia stepped closer.

Shaking her head, Lyra said, "But, I'm fine now, dear. No need to worry. Are you alright? I thought I heard you shouting in your sleep?"

"I was having a nightmare…I felt the same kind of pain you just described."

Lyra raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Sonia crossed her arms and thought for a moment. "That aura you had just now…when I think about it, it looked similar to the aura that was around the OOParts. There's no way that's a coincidence."

"Agreed. I know we just left Mr. Boreal with that device, but I believe it prudent to pay him another visit tomorrow."

"Definitely. NAZA's scans are our best bet at figuring out what's up."

Lyra smiled. "Well, I'm feeling much better now. You should go back to sleep, dear—we'll deal with this in the morning."

Sonia let out a breath, slipping off her Visualizer and setting it back on the table. "Okay. Good night."

Sonia paced across the lobby of NAZA HQ. Having neither her guitar nor Lyra with her, she found herself even more nervous than last time.

She looked up to see Boreal on his way down. He looked far grimmer today.

"Is Lyra okay?" she asked.

"For the time being, yes," Lyra replied.

Boreal handed over the guitar. "I don't see anything to suggest she's in immediate danger, either in her wave pattern or your terminal. But, there's definitely a new wave pattern that's been introduced, and it's very odd. Whatever it is, it seems to be attempting to integrate itself into Lyra."

Sonia looked at the screen. Lyra forced a smile.

"But," Boreal continued, "the source of the pattern seems oddly localized. It's been absorbed by a program that was already stored in the guitar's systems: the EM Compatibility Tuner."

"Mama's program? I thought it was just designed to work with the Star Force?"

"That's why Rosa made it, but theoretically, it should be able to make an EM being compatible with any power source. Seems that it's found a new one."

Sonia turned back to Lyra. "A new power source? But what…"

She trailed off as she recalled the aura that had enveloped Lyra.

"Unless…the OOParts?"

"That would appear to be the case," Lyra said. "When they vanished at the museum, they must have been absorbed into us somehow. Oh, this is less than ideal…"

Sonia scratched her head. "I see. I'm sorry, Lyra—maybe I should have uninstalled the Tuner."

Boreal shook his head. "This pattern seems very aggressive. It would probably be trying to assimilate an EM being no matter what. If I were to take a guess, I'd say the Tuner is acting as a buffer to keep it from overwhelming Lyra, keeping it separate until it can be adjusted to a less dangerous frequency. It's definitely a good thing you still had it."

"Really?" Sonia felt herself relax. "I'm glad. So, if the Tuner is reacting to the OOParts, does that mean we'll be able to use them the same way we used the Star Force?"

Boreal shrugged. "Hard to say, given how little we know about these OOParts. Once the Tuner finishes adjusting you might find yourself with some new powers, but I can't say with certainty."

Lyra grunted. Sonia looked to see she was enveloped by the aura again, and began to feel a pain in her chest.

"It's certainly taking its sweet time adjusting," Lyra complained. When the pain passed, she said, "I suppose there's no helping it. Whatever these OOParts have to offer, it had better be worth this trouble."

Sonia couldn't help but think back to the exhibit. These were all found in the ruins of tribes who had turned on each other…is this really something we should be messing with?

"Thank you, Mr. Boreal; we shall inform you if the situation changes," Lyra said. "Setting that aside for the time being, were you able to learn anything from that strange device?"

"Oh, the eye-things from the museum? Well, I took one apart and poked around, but it raised more questions than answers. The components all seemed incredibly old—older than you'd expect—and it runs on what would appear to be EM waves of a frequency I'm unfamiliar with."

"More ancient objects with strange waves," Sonia said. "And they were stealing everything from the exhibit. Do you think someone's putting together a collection of Mu artifacts?"

Boreal shook his head. "I really don't know. Just be careful, Sonia. Whoever wanted those OOParts probably hasn't given up on them, and…"

He paused as his Star Carrier beeped, and then continued, "There might still be an unidentified EM being running amok. We still haven't made any progress on that front. If those waves start affecting you and Lyra at a critical moment…"

"Yeah, good point. I'll try to stay out of trouble until we get things figured out, Mr. Boreal."

"We'll certainly do our best," Lyra said. "It simply wouldn't do to have my reputation tarnished in such a way."

They said their good-byes and made their way out of the building. As they walked, Lyra said, "Before we do anything else, you received quite a lot of mail while I was in there. I'd recommend you respond soon before your inbox is flooded even further."

"A lot of mail?" Sonia navigated the menu and found a series of messages, all from the same sender. With a sigh, she said, "Browse, call Luna."

A holographic screen emerged from the guitar and floated before Sonia; it briefly displayed static, but this was soon replaced with an image of a very angry Luna.

"Where have you been?!" she demanded. "I've been trying to get ahold of you for at least an hour!"

"Sorry, I had to turn my terminal off for a little while. I was, um…meeting with someone interested in hosting a concert in a few months."

Lyra looked at her, but said nothing.

"Hmph! You might have let me know beforehand!" Luna said. "I guess I'll let you off the hook this time. I was just checking in is all."

"Oh?"

"I mean, I'm curious to know if you've heard from Mr. Boreal, mainly. I just want an explanation for what happened at the museum, that's the reason I'm trying to get ahold of you!"

Sonia started to smile. "Of course."

Luna fumed. "What do you mean 'of course'?"

"Nothing, nothing. I did hear from him, but he doesn't really have an explanation just yet. Once I have something substantial you'll be the first to know."

"Good!" She paused, then continued, "Also, um…I was wondering when you might have some free time next. Since the exhibit got ruined, we were all going to meet up and see a movie to make up for it, probably sometime over the weekend."

"That sounds fun! Let me think…I might be able to clear some time Friday, if that works?"

Luna nodded. "I'll make it work. Get back to me as soon as you can, alright? I'll need to round everyone up, so you'd better send confirmation soon!"

"I promise I'll get back to you tonight."

"Good. I'll talk to you later, then."

"See you, Luna."

After she hung up, Lyra asked, "You're not going to tell her about the OOParts?"

Sonia hummed and let her gaze drift. "I don't want to make her worry. I'll tell her once we know the whole story, but when things are this vague, all I'm really doing is asking her to make a big deal out of it."

"If that's your decision, then I'll go along with it. But, since this could compromise our emergency readiness, I think we should at least let someone know what we know."

"You're probably right," Sonia said with reluctance. "Well, Bud can't keep a secret, so I guess Geo's our man."

Calling up the screen again, she waited a few seconds for Geo to pick up. "Hey Sonia, how're things going?"

"Hey, Geo. Do you have a minute to talk?"

"Sure. Did something happen?"

"Sort of. I wanted to ask a favor."

Geo listened attentively as Sonia explained the situation. After taking it in, he asked, "So there's no way of knowing how long it'll take the Tuner to finish?"

Sonia shook her head. "After the attack at the museum, Lyra thinks we should be cautious in case something else happens. If you could just keep an eye out, we'd really appreciate it."

"Okay. Mega and I will watch your back, Sonia."

She felt some of her worry fade. "Thanks Geo, I knew I could count on you! Also, if you don't mind, I didn't want to tell anyone else just yet. Do you think you could keep this between us?"

Geo grimaced. "Ah man, if Prez finds out I've been keeping something like this from her…"

Sonia chuckled. "If that happens, I promise to take full responsibility."

"Alright, I'll keep quiet. Hope you're able to work this out soon."

"Thank you. If we're lucky, then there may not even be any reason to worry."

Sonia leaned back in her seat and looked around the theater. The spacious room was packed full, and the crowd chattered excitedly as they waited for the movie to start. A circular projector was built into the floor in front of the many rows of seats, and all other walls sported replicas of scenery: large, crumbling stone buildings made in an archaic style, set against the backdrop of a cloudy night sky.

Beside her, Luna said, "I still can't believe all the other movies were sold out. This isn't exactly my first choice."

"Come on, the point is that we're all here," Sonia said, lightly nudging her with her elbow. "Thanks for fitting everyone's schedules together. Again."

Luna grumbled one more time and then settled down.

A few seats over, Geo held Pat's hand and leaned over towards him. "You sure you're okay with this?"

Pat nodded. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Will you be okay?"

"You do scare pretty easy, kid," Mega agreed.

"I guess we'll see," Geo said, chuckling nervously. Pat smiled and squeezed his hand.

Zack adjusted his glasses. "The reviews say it's actually not all that scary. It relies on the new Matter Wave special effects for a lot of its shock value, so as long as you anticipate that and a few jump scares you should be able to handle it fine."

"The effects do sound cool though!" Bud said between bites of popcorn. "I can't wait to see those ghosts come off the screen!"

The already dim lighting lowered even further, prompting the audience to quiet. The projector flared to life and figures began to form. The image immediately flickered, and in a few seconds, both the projector and the remaining lights shut off completely.

Is this part of the movie? Sonia wondered.

The projector turned back on, creating a pillar of light. A soft voice called, "Good evening, movie-goers…heh, heh, heh. Tonight's feature presentation has been interrupted to bring you a special, one night only event."

A feeling of dread spread through Sonia as a figure stepped into the light. He was tall and thin, wearing a black and grey jumpsuit with armor over his lower legs, forearms, and chest that sported a few white highlights, making the outfit resemble a formal suit. In his gloved hands he carried a long cane, and a black and red cape flowed behind him. Reaching up, he pushed back the top hat he wore, revealing a green face partially obscured by a white mask over his eyes, and four crumpled shoots of blonde hair shot out from the back of his head at odd angles.

Bowing, he introduced, "I, the Dark Phantom, have the privilege of presenting to you a tale of my own design, a glorious masterpiece that will surely haunt you for the rest of your life…heh, heh, however short that may be! HA HA HA!"

"Sonia," Lyra whispered urgently, "that's not a special effect! That is an EM wave body!"

It seemed Mega and Taurus had caught on as well, because Geo and Bud were already getting up. Sonia moved to join them, but the pain in her chest suddenly returned, forcing her to stop before she could do anything more.

Not now!

Dark Phantom threw his cape to his side and raised his cane. "HA HA HA, I hope you find this show to be…a real scream! HA HA HA HA!"

More figures began to appear: small, round beings with no features aside from their simple faces and the top hats they wore. Dozens appeared, and they floated towards the audience, spreading out to surround the entire room.

Catching sight of Sonia, Geo asked, "Sonia, are you okay?"

"We…we've got to stop them!" Sonia said, still fighting the pain.

One of the ghosts threw their hat into the audience. It crushed the seats it hit, flinging their occupants back a few rows. The audience finally grasped their situation and the theater was thrown into a panic.

Dark Phantom laughed hysterically. "Yes, yes, that's what I hoped to hear! Scream for me, my beautiful audience! Cause such a wondrous scene that any would-be heroes cannot help but make their entrance! Heh, heh ha ha HA!"

He slipped back into the shadows, his laughs slowly fading away until they could be heard no more.

"That sure didn't take long!" Luna shouted with an exasperated snarl. "Sonia, you…"

She stopped short. "Sonia? What's wrong?"

The pain slowly began to pass, so Sonia was able to sound convincing when she said, "It's nothing. Stay low, and keep an eye on Zack and Pat!"

"Man, what a bummer!" Bud complained.

"Mrrgh!" Taurus grunted. "Hey, I'm always ready for action! Let's tear into them!"

Sonia, Geo, and Bud rushed to the nearest Wavehole, trying not to bump into the people currently running around in terror. Geo reached it first and came out with his buster firing, picking off a few ghosts just as they were about to attack. The swarm was quick to take notice of him.

With a gulp, Geo said, "I-I'll draw their attention so you two can Wave Change!"

"Try to sound a little more inspiring, kid!" Mega said.

He made his way across the theater, and the ghosts floated after him. Bud transformed next and quickly rushed to his aid. Sonia was last, and immediately after the transformation, the now-familiar pain flared up and brought her stumbling into the wall.

"This is absurd!" Lyra said. "…Perhaps we should simply defend the hostages this time. I don't think we'll be of much help to Geo and Bud right now."

Steadying herself, Sonia slowly said, "I…guess you're right. Let's leave this to them this time."

She returned to where Luna was, keeping an eye out for any stray ghosts. Luna gave her a confused look that made her cringe slightly. "What are you doing?"

"Let's try getting the audience in one place," Sonia said. She felt a little embarrassed. "I'll cover everyone while Geo and Bud handle the ghosts!"

Luna nodded and they started to move. Sonia watched Geo and Bud fight off the cloud of ghosts—they seemed to be fine, but whatever they destroyed was quickly replaced. The ghosts seemed to tighten formation, forming a makeshift wall around the two.

That's odd…

A scream caught her attention. She turned back to see that Luna had vanished, and instantly she froze.

"Luna?!"

She looked up when she heard a laugh. Dark Phantom was now standing on the scenery, holding Luna next to him. Sonia felt numb.

The Phantom grinned at her. "So you three were here all along? What an astounding twist! To think we'll be moving on to the next act so soon!"

Luna swung at him, but her blows had no effect. "Let me go! What's the meaning of this?!"

"Release her!" Sonia shouted. She stopped and attempted to calm herself, and then continued, "There's no reason for anyone to get hurt. Just tell me what it is that you want."

"Good, it seems I cast this part well," Phantom said. "Don't worry, I have no intention of harming the girl…at the moment. Heh, heh, heh. All I really want is to have a chat with you, heroine."

"Great! Then let her go! There's a much easier way to do this!"

Dark Phantom raised an eyebrow. "…Easy? What sort of amateur complaint is that? A meeting between a hero and villain is supposed to be a thing of drama, a turning point signaling the next phase of the writer's vision! Easy? Hah! This may not be the easiest way to draw you out, but it is the method with the most impact!"

Sonia blinked. Lyra muttered, "Seems he didn't choose a theater purely out of convenience…"

Rapping his cane on the floor, Dark Phantom continued, "Now then, line? Ah, yes, I was just finishing up preparations for the next big scene. Let's see, two of our heroes are in the clutches of the viruses, led to their certain demise by the tragic flaw of their compassion…"

Sonia cast a glance at Geo and Bud. She could barely see them through the veil of ghosts. Bud exhaled a burst of flame, but had to restrain himself so as not to set fire to the whole theater, enabling a few targets to evade and counterattack. Geo tried using a Mega Attack to leap through the cloud, only for even more ghosts to appear to block him.

"…and I've procured a hostage, ensuring that our third protagonist won't do anything rash just yet…"

She looked back up at Luna, who continued to struggle in vain against her captor. "You have no idea who you're dealing with, freak!"

"Yes, yes, all that's missing is the proper setting. Ahem…if you wish this girl to be returned safely, you will follow me. And I warn you now: one false move, and I won't hesitate to terminate my captive."

"He's bluffing," Lyra whispered. "A hostage is no good if they're dead."

Sonia shuddered.

"…Sorry dear, for some reason I thought that would be more reassuring."

"Alright," Sonia said, letting her guitar hang from her back. "Okay, I'll cooperate. Just don't hurt Luna."

"Oh, Luna?" Dark Phantom repeated. "How poetic! The moon's light stolen away on a dark night, changing commonplace darkness into a total abyss! Heh, heh, heh!"

Sonia stared at him.

"…Hm? Oh, yes, let us be off."

He faded out of view, taking Luna with him. Sonia's pulse quickened for a moment, but they soon rematerialized near the theater's exit. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards them; when she came close, they vanished again, this time appearing on the other side of the purple-walled box office. In this way Sonia was led outside onto one of the many platforms linking the various skyscrapers that made up the shopping plaza, taking a quick look down at the ground several stories below. Dark Phantom beckoned to her from the far side of the plaza—she carefully jumped across the platforms and stopped at the base of one tower that reached even higher than the rest. With a grin, the villain pointed up and disappeared.

Sonia sighed in frustration, and then doubled over in pain. It lasted longer than she hoped.

"Oh, don't tell me it's getting worse?" Lyra groaned. "Now, of all times?"

"We have to ignore it," Sonia said. "Luna needs us. We can't let anything get in our way."

She bounded up the multi-tiered Wave Road that wrapped around the tower, slowing only when she could see her target again. Luna had been tied to the antenna on top of the building, while Dark Phantom stood on a square of the Road right in front of her.

"There you are!" he said, waving cordially. "I was so hoping I hadn't lost you—you are essential to the final act!"

"Alright, I'm here. What do you want to talk about?"

"My, so cold. Must we really cut straight to the climax?"

Sonia scowled.

"I believe proper introductions are in order." He removed his hat and made an exaggerated bow. "My true name is Hyde. The power of the Dark Phantom is born from a union of myself and my dear partner, a being simply named Phantom."

Another voice appeared now, this one sounding gravelly and far older. "Greetings, my pawns. Thank you for following the script so perfectly."

"I couldn't help but notice that you and your friends are also capable of EM Wave Change—though this is the first time we have encountered outsiders with this power. Perhaps you could enlighten me with some backstory?"

"I'm Harp Note," Sonia introduced. "My partner's name is Lyra."

"You have a most peculiar wavelength, Phantom," Lyra said. "Yet, there is a familiar quality to it…I don't suppose you're a fellow FM-ian?"

"I beg your pardon?!" Phantom snapped. "What an insult! To even insinuate that I am simple FM-ian filth—the audacity!"

Lyra scoffed. "Well."

"Planet FM," Hyde mused, stroking his chin. "We suspected they may have been involved in that little incident two years ago, but to think a few of you were still here…"

"The others must be the same trash as well," Phantom said. "Appears we have a small infestation on our hands."

Sonia narrowed her eyes a bit. "Alright, so you know where Lyra and the others came from. Where did you come from?"

Hyde grinned. "Oh, I suppose a trade would be fair, wouldn't it? Heh, heh, heh. But…I do not believe our Lady would wish us revealing too much just yet. So sorry! On to my next question."

"If you won't answer our questions, why should we answer yours?" Lyra asked.

Hyde paused a moment, and then swung his cane out in front of Luna. Sonia jumped and said, "Alright, alright, fine, what do you want?"

"That's better," Hyde said. "Several days ago, a nearby museum featuring an exhibit on the legend of Mu was attacked. Were you and your friends the ones who repelled the assault?"

"We were. I take it you were the one who launched it?"

"My associates, actually. Now then, for the most part your interference was little more than an inconvenience, but through some freak happenstance, you were just lucky enough to foil the primary goal of the operation. I am here to rectify that circumstance."

Sonia locked eyes with Luna. She tried to look calm, but it was clear she was frightened.

"Now do listen closely, dear heroine, for this next question is of paramount importance: what did you do with the OOParts?"

Sonia gulped. "I didn't do anything with them." It wasn't exactly a lie.

"Hm," Hyde muttered. "You didn't. Curious."

He slowly walked around Luna.

"You're certain? Because we do not have them, and I was told quite explicitly that you were the one handling them when they disappeared. So I'll ask you again. What did you do with them?"

"You don't have to explain anything to him, Harp Note!" Luna yelled.

Sonia looked to Luna for just a moment. "…I didn't do anything with them…"

Quietly, she added, "Intentionally."

Hyde cocked his head. "Oh? My, what ominous phrasing…then perhaps I shall rephrase. Where are the OOParts now?"

Sonia set her face. "They're…"

Pain wracked her once more. She fell to her knees, grunting—the burning sensation was worse than ever before, as if her skin was about to melt away.

Hyde watched her closely. "How very strange. Is something ailing our heroine?"

"Harp Note?" Luna called out. "Are you okay? What's happening?"

Walking towards her, Hyde sighed, "It seems we aren't getting anywhere. How unfortunate."

He slashed with his cane, knocking Sonia flat. Luna gasped.

"Oh, I was so hoping you'd be the star I was looking for—I really do loathe recasting this late."

"Stubborn girl," Phantom hissed. "You think feigning ignorance will stop our plan? Outwitting a master tactician such as myself is well beyond your limited ability!"

"I'll tell you what happened to them," Sonia said, "but first, let Luna go. There's no reason for her to be involved in this!"

Hyde grinned. "Isn't there? A death on one's conscious can be a marvelous motivator."

"That's the pinnacle of lazy writing," Lyra said.

With a growl, Hyde spread his arms wide. A black claw shot out from his chest, slashing Sonia before retracting back and disappearing.

"Harp Note, don't worry about me!" Luna said. "I know you can beat him, just—"

Hyde thrust his cane into the antenna, narrowly missing her head. "That's quite enough out of you."

He put a hand over his face. "…This was supposed to be such a simple performance. How did it get so out of control?"

Turning back to Sonia, he said, "I will ask you one last time. Where are the OOParts?"

Sonia struggled to her feet. She tried to give an answer, but the burning pain only grew stronger.

"Very well."

Hyde slowly moved forward, dramatically raising one hand.

"Alas, your sacrifice shall not be in vain. With your defeat, I shall prove my power and worth; and, combined with the threat of my hostage, I should have all that I need to convince one of your friends to tell me what I need to know."

Sonia fought to stay standing. No…

Hyde drew back his cane. "Any final words? Or are you ready for the curtain to fall?"

She glared at him defiantly. "I won't let you…hurt Luna…"

"Heh, heh, heh. Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself right now?"

"Just get out of here!" Luna shouted.

"No!" Sonia yelled. An orange aura began to emanate from her. "I won't…leave you behind…!"

Hyde took one step back. "And…what is this? This wasn't in rehearsal."

Sonia grabbed her head. The pain was only growing, as if she was falling headlong into an abyss. She felt as if she would go mad from the agony, but she refused to give in, not when Luna was in danger. Mustering her strength, she raised her guitar, and the aura around he grew larger. She glared straight through Hyde.

"Get away from her!"

The orange aura suddenly turned green as it exploded outward. Hyde pulled his cape up to shield himself, and Luna shut her eyes tightly. Intense winds rushed around them for a minute, but eventually the air grew still and the green light faded away, so they both looked at Sonia to see what had become of her.

Her torso was covered in black cloth and green armor resembling a combat vest, with two narrow plates on her outer forearms; larger, more angular plates protected her upper legs, which were covered in more black that gave way to brown material with a stripe pattern near her ankles. Her face was covered by a black mask, and her helmet had disappeared. Her hair was now pulled up into a bun, held securely in place by a green comb molded into the shape of three shuriken lined up next to each other. More shuriken decorated her belt. Her scarf had turned red and grown a bit larger, while her boots had become raised platforms resembling geta, and when she looked at Hyde he now suddenly felt an unearthly sense of terror forming in the back of his mind.

"W…what on earth are you?!" he cried.

Sonia examined her new instrument: the body was square in shape, and though the neck had not changed much the head was narrower and sported three cylinders (two on one side, one on the other).

"…Lyra?"

"I'm here, dear," she replied.

"I don't feel any pain. Do you?"

"None at all. It would seem the Tuner has completed its work."

Sonia let out a loud sigh. "Good. Then that means…"

She glared at Hyde once more. He jumped.

"We can use this power to send him running!"

Holding her instrument, she lifted one hand high and brought it down on the strings. Hyde readied himself to dodge. The wind picked up slightly…and then ceased.

Sonia frowned. She strummed the instrument again. Again, only a light wind was called.

Hyde's body relaxed. With a smirk, he asked, "…Is that all…?"

"…What? Th-this doesn't make any sense…"

"Hyde," Phantom said. "That form looks just like the Ninja Tribe! And that aura from before…this girl, somehow, she must have absorbed the OOParts!"

Hyde scratched his chin. "Is that so? My word, what a reckless heroine we have!"

Sonia continued her attempts, but they were all fruitless. "No, it should—it should be doing more than this, I don't…"

"I must admit, I'm impressed," Hyde said. "To think you could harness the OOParts like this…"

Running his hand through the breeze, he corrected, "Well, perhaps I shouldn't be too impressed, heh, heh, heh. Regardless, my question was answered in the end. Now, all I have to do is recover the artifacts."

Sonia looked up at him, her fingers shaking. Lyra was at a total loss for words.

Why isn't this form working?!