Disclaimer: I don't own the BLoSC series or the movie. Enjoy!
Chapter 16
The Unknown
Zyra stood in front of the pristine, white gates with a Star Command Logo sign under the blinding sun:
STAR COMMAND RESEARCH FACILITY - GAMMA
Beyond the gates lay the intricately designed laboratory with observation decks. Several patrol-bots roamed about on the sides, people in lab coats chatting nearby, and sub-buildings connected by tunnels shooting off from the main laboratory. The entire place was state-of-the-art, pioneering toward new and improved developments for Star Command to use, which would also serve as a foundation for her future plans.
Zyra remained calm as she watched people dressed like her arrive at the facility. Most were older than her, their disciplined posture showing how much they were eager to get the day started at the lab. However, there were others. A group of obnoxious young individuals also arrived at the laboratory facility. Led by a tiger alien, the group was making a lot of noise and disrupting others.
Despite the distractions, she tries to ignore them and focus on the gates ahead.
However, the constant chatter and laughter from the group makes it difficult for her to concentrate. She glanced around. She hoped someone would ask them to quiet down, but no one does, only showing disdain towards the group.
It's clear that many of the other participants in the program are taking the experience seriously and are not amused by the group's antics.
Who wouldn't be? Not many could get a chance to be part of the Junior Scientist Program and they treated it like a joke, a fun gathering of sorts. She considered saying something herself, but she didn't want to cause a scene. All thoughts about them stopped as she decided to wait and see when the gates opened, silencing the group.
A woman dressed in a white lab coat with a Star Command logo on her chest greeted everyone warmly.
"Good morning, everyone! I'm Celestine, a field researcher, and welcome to the Gamma Junior Scientist Program. I'm glad to have you all on board."
Everyone around spoke in low, exciting murmurs.
"Now," Celestine continues, "Please kindly wait for your names to be called and joined your other fellows with your respective supervisors."
Few more personnel came in to view and started to call out names. Zyra took note on the supervisors, which she can befriend with or avoid any interaction with them. Some looked young while others bare unreadable faces.
There is one, however, stood out the most than the rest. A dark skinned man stood tall and attention, a scar across his left eye, staring down at them like prey to a predator. Few people who looked in his immediately averted their eyes and tremble slightly at the aura he presents.
Something tells her that he is no ordinary lab facility supervisor. A dropped-out Space Ranger? He could be. A ranger in disguise? Very concerning. So many questions and so little time to wonder when her name is finally called.
Her group consists of several seniors and unfortunately, few persons in her age group including that tiger alien. She hid her glare behind a fake smile towards her future co-workers. How lovely. Does fate hate her this much?
The one leading the group was the woman who introduced herself a while ago as Celestine.
"Greetings everyone! As this is just your first day, we will tour around the facility and you will all get to know what tasks you will do here as junior scientists. And! I hope you can use this chance to get to know each other as we go along."
She motion everyone to follow her then said, "Oh! You can all addressed me as Ma'am Celestine or Ma'am Celest in short."
The open field inside the compound is full of activity. While others were admiring the place, Zyra saw Ma'am Celestine approach the tiger alien and his two friends. She pretend to eye the patrol-bot on the side while listening on their hush conversation.
"It is an honor to have you here, sir Theodur. I hope the facility is to your liking?"
The tiger alien, now known as Theodur, showed a toothy smile at Ma'am Celestine," Yes. Quite so. Although Alpha Facility is still the best there is, Gamma holds that same quality."
Ma'am Celestine lightly laughed, "With the continuing support from your father, it has to live up to anyone's expectations."
Going by the conversation implied, Zyra finally connected the dots. She should have recognize who the tiger alien was base from his gold trimmed metal cap and tiger features.
Zyra sighed, feeling a headache coming along. She swears that any universe, be it anime, cartoon or real life, there will always be politics involved behind the scenes.
From what she knew about the Senate of the Galactic Alliance, Azarael Tigris is one of the most important member in the Senate and a strong advocate to the alliance cause. She could see the similarities of Azarael and Theodur more clearly now. There's no doubt that with his strong connections to the Senate, he might have use his power to get his son passed through the exam easily.
This grated her nerves.
At least she took the junior scientist exam, despite having fake documents of her life. She was certain that others here worked hard to earn their place in the program, and seeing others gain entry through connections rather than merit was disheartening.
However, she reminded herself that she couldn't control the actions of others and needed to focus on her own goals.
As the group entered the facility, Zyra made a mental note to avoid him during her work days in the labs. She didn't want his energy to affect her own work and progress. She would focus on learning and growing as a junior scientist, regardless of who else was around her.
Ma'am Celestine explained the various experiments and projects that were currently underway, and Zyra listened intently, eager to learn and prepared herself for the exciting journey ahead.
Two months.
Anything can happen in two months, but in her case, it took her that long to adjust well in her work environment. She made significant contributions to the program and was able to showcase her talents and skills, proving that true success comes from determination and hard work. Zyra worked carefully and meticulously, making sure to follow all the protocols and procedures.
She could almost see it now. If she kept this up, she might as well be on her way to getting promoted to work in Alpha Laboratory, where she knew that Professor Lepton spent most of his time. She suspected that it had something to do with the Crystal, and she couldn't wait to meet the professor.
Her achievements and hard work were never missed by the eyes of her supervisors. There are those who she has friendly relations with while keeping it professional and there are other people who are hard to get acquainted with. One in particular was the dark skinned man with a scar, Osmar, the one who she saw from the beginning.
He always disappears to who knows where and it got a lot harder for her to track him. Cold and stern, he is the only one who does not allow others to connect with him, even if they were his co-workers in lab work. Either he is not interested or he is hiding something. Not even a simple hello could move the man.
But he is not the only person who she is having a hard time getting along with or rather…avoid at all costs.
She knew Theodur was trouble when they first met. A troublesome guy that won't leave her alone. She was glad that he was in a different sector of the laboratory but the tiger guy. At break time, Theodur would stroll in and have a brief chat, using every opportunity he had to get to know everyone including her.
Is he seriously making use of his political power to make connections?! In a place that is dedicated to the future of science? At this point, she thinks that the facility will let anyone in if they have power and the money.
Zyra had been successful in avoiding Theodur whenever he tried to start a conversation with her. She would always come up with an excuse of being busy with work, and he would eventually leave her alone.
Despite her successful avoidance tactics, Zyra couldn't shake the feeling that Theodur was onto her. She noticed that he would sometimes stare at her for longer than necessary or seem to be listening in on her conversations with her supervisor.
Very creepy.
Setting that aside, she has more important things to focus on. Zyra had been working hard to uncover the mystery of a high-security laboratory, known as Spectra. Before she will get assigned to Alpha later on in the future, she wants to know the other ongoing projects of Star Command and one of them is the Spectra lab.
She had scoped out the area, putting her spy bugs on each security camera and even managed to obtain the vent pipe schematics, but the contents inside the secured lab remained a mystery.
Zyra was frustrated that she couldn't uncover what was inside the laboratory. From the moment she started working in Gamma, she already knew the ins and outs of the entire facility, except the Spectra lab.
The vents leading to the lab were protected by motion sensor lasers, making it impossible for her to investigate further without being detected. The entrance doors were key car activated, only authorized personnel can enter. She knew that she couldn't take any risks until she can find the security modules that held the access codes to the lasers and the doors.
Without the codes, she was stuck and unable to uncover more about it.
She wished Desmond was here but he is on a mission on her orders. Desmond in his guise as Hugh the android servant will monitor and survey the inner places of the main city. Especially around the security hold where the Galactic Alliance MainFrame is and Capital Plaza.
From what he can observe, there are a lot of Star Command robot officers patrol at night than in a day. There is a literal force field around the structure and the entrance is equipped with scanners. Getting into that base might be difficult, unless they can have access to the module. Warp had it easy since in the future there were no such securities.
This is part of her Plan B if she can't get an access to Lepton's laboratory through normal means. Using the Main Frame could help her get data without physical interaction with the mad scientist or his staff. But the base is still heavily guarded, so she has to first tackle the main problem before thinking of proceeding with Plan B.
Although, she couldn't help but wonder if Theodur knew anything about the laboratory's contents, since he works there. How does she know this? During her spy routine few days back, Zyra saw him and few others enter the secured laboratory. That day, she would never forget the sour face he made.
She had always found him to be a bit of an enigma and to see him like that raises more questions. However, it would be weird for her to suddenly ask him about the laboratory, even with her refusal to talk with him before.
So, No. She won't do that.
Zyra knew that she had to tread carefully. She couldn't afford to reveal her suspicions, especially not to Theodur. For now, all she could do was keep searching for the security modules and hope that they would lead her closer to the truth.
She became more and more engrossed in her work, and before she knew it, it was time to go home. The challenges from the supervisors keep getting harder for her work group, and there is still no progress on finding a way into Spectra.
Perhaps a nice, warm bubble bath would soothe the aches around her shoulders once she got home. What a wonderful idea.
As Zyra packed up her equipment and made her way out of the laboratory in a hurry, she heard someone calling out her name from behind.
"Hey, Penelope! Wait up!"
For a moment, Zyra thought to ignore until she realizes that it was her disguise name. Zyra turned to the voice and a surprise look adorn her face. Theodur caught up to her just as she was about to step out of the gates.
The tiger alien teen grinned as he greeted her, "Whew! I finally caught up to you. You're really good at disappearing!"
His sudden approach caught Zyra off guard, and she was a little taken aback by his enthusiasm. However, she couldn't help but notice the genuine interest in his eyes, and it made her curious about what he had to say. Best to play along for now.
Zyra gestures her hand to him, indicating that he should get to the point.
Theodur took the hint and said, "Ah, right! My friends and I along with our leaders at the sector are going out for dinner later at the new restaurant near here, and I was wondering if you would like to join us? It's been a month, and we hardly get to know each other. Well, more like it's hard for us to talk, being busy here and there after all. Hahaha."
This made her raise an eyebrow at him.
Theodur seeing that she just stares at him made him cough a little, "S-So, what do you say?"
Zyra thought for a moment.
She had been so focused on her work for promotion that she hadn't had much time for socializing with her co-workers. The idea of a dinner party sounded appealing, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to spend more time with Theodur.
However, Zyra had been frustrated for weeks now, trying to locate the security modules of the secluded Spectra in the Gamma laboratory. It seemed like an impossible task, and it was starting to wear her down. Hanging out with her co-workers just this once could be a much-needed break, and there was always the possibility of them revealing something about the mystery laboratory.
Especially since Theodur is in the party, one of the main keys to finding out what Spectra is doing behind closed doors.
This could be a huge breakthrough.
After a moment of contemplation, Zyra said. "Sure. I'll be there."
Theodur beamed with happiness and replied with a big smile, "Great! I'm glad you'll be able to join us."
He pulls out a small tablet and showed her the address where the dinner is being held. As Theodur turned to leave the place with his two friends, not before he waved her goodbye, Zyra was thinking of other plans. The comfort of relaxing in a bubble bath will have to wait.
Later in the evening, a well-dressed young woman arrived at a newly opened restaurant where Theodur told her about.
Once she was inside, Zyra looked around the restaurant and was impressed by the elegant decor and ambiance. The dim lighting and soft music playing in the background created a warm and inviting atmosphere. She could smell the aroma of delicious food wafting from the kitchen and her stomach grumbled in anticipation.
Zyra smiled as she made her way towards the long table, where she can see all the familiar faces from work. As she approached, she greeted her fellow workers warmly and was surprised to see some of the supervisors among them.
Even the elusive Osmar, sitting at the far end of the table with other supervisors. How astonishing.
"Hello everyone, it's great to be here," she said, taking a seat at the table next to Theodur, who was busy talking with another worker across him. She looked around, taking in the ambiance of the restaurant and the lively chatter of her colleagues.
A few talked with her about other work related topics and Capital Planet's latest news.
As the night went on, Zyra finally found herself in a conversation with Theodur.
"It's good that we have this one on one talk," he said, "I've been trying to get your attention for a long time."
Zyra replied as she smiles, "I know, and I'm sorry for avoiding you. I didn't mean to come off as rude or anything. I just had a lot going on."
"No worries, I completely understand. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about some projects I've been working on. I have ask people around and hear their opinions. I got a feeling that I think you'll be really impressed with how well you progress other lab works."
"Really? I didn't know you were into that kind of stuff. What kind of projects are you working on?"
"I was working on the eco system project but I didn't get much done since I was assigned to Gamma. Ah! Not that there's nothing wrong with working in Gamma," Theodur panicked a bit and went back to casual talking, "It was my father's idea that I gain some working experience but it doesn't feel right for me. So I have already put up a petition to transfer to Beta. Beta is mostly for environmental purposes and that will really help me in my ongoing work."
As they talked, Zyra started to see Theodur in a different light. Zyra couldn't help but notice how passionate Theodur was about his work. She realized that he wasn't the spoiled brat she thought him to be. He was actually a hardworking and dedicated person who cared about their projects.
Theodur seemed genuinely interested in getting to know her, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for suspecting him of something sinister.
"…I've misjudge you." Zyra whispered.
Theodur pause from drinking and said, "Huh? Did you say something?"
Zyra shook her head, "It's nothing."
As the conversation turned to their work, Zyra casually brought up the workload. She asked Theodur if he had also the same feeling, trying to sound casual and not give away her true motives.
To her surprise, Theodur didn't seem to mind talking about it. According to him, the Spectra laboratory was a huge room, which is the same size as the ones in Alpha Laboratory whenever he visits it with his father.
There are two layers. The outer and inner layer. The outer layer's purpose was to contain whatever is inside the inner chamber. He was not told what they were trying to contain but he didn't want to be nosy about it and leave it as it is.
He shrugged his shoulders and said that it might be a radiation waste management. That's why he wanted out and be in Beta to further his eco related projects. Zyra was bummed that Theodur didn't have any useful information.
Then Theodur pointed his claw finger at the Osmar.
"Now that guy over there," Theodur spoke wearily, "I always saw him in and out of the inner layer. He never bother to respond to my greetings. Always scoffs at them and went on his way. The nerve of that guy. Can you believe that?"
Oh…that's interesting. Zyra thought.
"Yeah," Zyra said as her eyes sparkle from that information, "definitely."
Theodore drones on about having good relations with people, but Zyra tunes out of his conversation. If what he says is true, then she considers this dinner party a success.
Opening her purse, she immediately searched for her compact mirror and pressed a button on the side. The compact mirror opened its lid and released two thumb-sized data bugs with serialized names Proto and Elec. Skittering out, they climbed over the purse and set their sights on respective targets. Proto jumped down to the ground and headed towards where Osmar sat, while Elec crawled over her lap and leaped towards Theodur's chair.
Proto expertly avoided being stepped on by numerous shoes below the table and finally reached its target, slipping inside the trench coat's pocket hanging on the chair's side. At the same time, Elec crawled slowly, inching its way towards one of the back pockets of Theodore's dress pants.
Originally, Proto and Elec were supposed to be the ones to search for the security module of Spectra while she focused on her promotional work projects. But both are still in their early development stages and one small mishap could lead to a disastrous outcome. So now their primary goal is to find any security key cards or codex that may have links to Spectra's security details and download its data codes through their fangs, sending the heaps of digital coding to its data storage.
With their placements firmly secured without being detected, Zyra relaxed a bit, sipping her wine and enjoying the rest of her night.
One sunny afternoon, Zyra sat in the living room area with a book lying on her lap, trying to calm herself from endless worry. She spends her weekend at home since she was given a break from lab work. Which she really needed it.
The progress of data analysing the security codex was…barely reaching half in completion.
There was no trouble for Elec to find Theodur's key card. It reported that the keycard was on the target's nightstand before getting ready to bed. The process was quick that Elec was able to download the content for few hours without interruptions. It manage to come back home with positive results. Now she has the outer layer digital code of Spectra.
But as for Proto's part…
It has been several days and no sign of the little bug on site. She knew that Osmar would be a tough challenge to get around with and it is making her anxious. The only clue she knows that Proto was functioning well is the small life line from her compact mirror, still beating at a normal pace.
Zyra looked to her left and saw Desmond on the home console, deciphering the walls of codes from Theodur's key card data analysis. He never stops working on it, barely taking any rest. There were several firewalls that needs to be decoded and reconstructed in order to be compatible with the cloaking device shield.
Here she thought the toughest thing to crack down would be the entrance to the Gamma facility, which it took them almost a week but she guessed wrong. Whatever is in that Spectra holds the highest level of security and her curiosity grew ever more.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
She heard a tapping noise from the far window and immediately saw Proto on the window sill. Zyra scrambled off of her chair and opened the window to let Proto in. The little critter looked scratched up, bits of its leg pieces were flapping apart.
With one steady hand holding Proto while the other shuts the window down, she carried Proto to where Desmond was and started the data analysis from its data storage.
The ordeal it went through…was absolutely troublesome.
Osmar is that kind of guy who builds his whole house like a fortress. High fence with laser armor grills, state of the art security doors with pin code monitors and unusual amount of weapons laying around the whole house. No wonder it took Proto to get in and out of the place. From what she can see in the small video footage, Osmar hides his key card inside a vault near his bedroom and it was difficult for Proto to get through without being seen. That would explain all those scratch marks on its back and broken leg pieces.
What concerned her the most was that before Proto left the premises, she caught a glimpse of Osmar looking in Proto's direction from his peripheral vision. Had he noticed the bug? She would need to monitor Osmar's movements closely from now on.
"You did a good job, Proto," Zyra spoke while putting Proto back inside the compact mirror compartment, "I will get a new upgrade for you and Elec real soon."
Now that she has both code in her hands, the next step will be something more challenging.
Desmond had protested of her going into the Gamma laboratory at night to test if she can get through the layers and into Spectra.
But there is no telling when they will change the coding in the security locks. From what Desmond had analyzed from those key card data, there was a well-programmed time interval in the code link, meaning the codes were set to change at a specific time.
So it's now or never.
In the cover of darkness, Zyra arrived at the lab's wall in her space suit. She immediately activated her cloaking device and climbed over the wall, barely missing the wandering drone near her.
While making her way to the Gamma's main lab, Desmond is at home monitoring her progress through her body camera and actively talking to her through the comm link for any interference. With the help of the spy bugs linked to every surveillance camera minus Spectra's that Zyra had put up throughout her working days, he is able to see where everyone in the lab is. Besides him, a monitor portrays the layout of the whole laboratory, making it easier for him to navigate.
He still didn't like the idea, but he set his worries aside and focused on the screen.
"Security Guard D is heading to your right," Desmond relayed his observation.
Zyra dodged to the left, letting the guard pass by her right side before proceeding down the corridor, where she knew Spectra was located. She skidded to a halt and hid behind a wall as she peered over. Two guards were standing in front of the sturdy metal doors. Crouching down to get into position, she pressed a button on her wrist guard to activate the outer layer coding to her cloaking device.
She waits for anyone to come in or out of the doors.
FWOOSH
A hissing sound was then heard coming from the door and Zyra immediately dashed in, right in between two staff members. Zyra felt a tingling sensation enveloping her while passing through the door. That could be anything. A hidden security scan? She braced herself to back up if the alarms start blaring but nothing happened, which is a good sign. She rushed towards an unoccupied monitor console and took a breather as the doors behind her closed.
All around her are monitors and consoles with few people in hazmat suits working on their stations. Graphs and lines are shown in the screens and this made her remember Theodur's words that he thought theses were for radiation scans.
She couldn't see any transparent glass windows leading to the inner chamber. Just a huge room with monitor displays and working tables.
Desmond relies on his body cam to view around. He notices that several monitors keep displaying the same numerical values, just random numbers that add up to nothing related to each other. Sometimes the values change from a single to double digits, but that's just it. There's something wrong with it, and both of them come up with the conclusion. All of these are fronts, a disguise to hide something far more valuable.
Whatever is in the Inner layer might shed some light to the mystery.
Activating the next set of codes from the wrist guard, Zyra position herself near the steel doors leading to the inner layer. There's no sign from anyone entering the door from her side and she clenches her fist in anticipation.
CHIK CHIK FWOOSH
Sounds of unlocking mechanism emitted from the doors and Zyra sprinted. The person who came out from the inner chamber paused from the sudden gush of wind beside her. The female staff member was puzzled at the occurrence and slowly shook her head before exiting the area.
Another wave of feeling something scanning her makes her ran faster to a nearest hiding spot.
Zyra found a space between two big machines and hid herself there. She looked around and was amazed, the whole room far exceeded any laboratory she had seen in the Gamma facility. She moved her position to stare at the center of the Inner layer and let's just say…she was so startled by what she saw that she almost stumbled out from her place.
This was totally unexpected.
"Des, Are you seeing this?" Zyra whispered.
"Affirmative," Desmond responds, "I'm picking up strange levels of radio waves through the body cam."
There at the centre of the inner layer chamber lays the infamous green rock, an anomaly that is able to transform and enhance ones' body to use its crystalline power. She questions why it was here all day but time is not on her side.
Zyra dispatches a couple of spy bugs to the nearest security cameras that will help Desmond to cover her tracks by editing the footage. As well as another bug to download the contents on one of the main monitors.
Desmond furiously worked on the firewalls, having seen the same challenge as analysing those key card data banks. He informed his master that it would take just a few minutes to finish the downloading process. Hearing that, Zyra took the opportunity to see the crystal up close and personal. She looked around the room one more time, seeing another steel door on the other side before rushing in to the middle.
Once she went down another set of stairs, she can see strange patterns from within the crystal, swirling around at random.
They look like old ancient runes, quite hard to decipher from where she stands. She sets her helmet camera on video and approached the menacing green object.
Taking a step closer to the crystal, increasing the lens to focus more on the symbols when she suddenly had a feeling that it is calling for her. Not in a bad way like dragging you to join its madness like what happened to the Scientist Lepton will experienced later on, but a calm signal from her mind that something should be noted…trying to talk to her.
She looked around to see if someone else was making that notion. Nothing. Far off, other people are focusing on the tasks at hand, leaving her confused.
She looked at the crystal again and another strangeness overwhelms her, as though sensing that it was being stared upon. She tried to sift through the feeling. It seemed to have grown stronger from the moment she looked into its symbols again.
It's puzzling and upsets her a bit that the feeling of her consciousness slipping away. She thought of a drain, of being whirled down to calmness.
"Master? Master!"
Desmond's voice rattled her mind and she took a step back from the crystal. Seeing this, Desmond was relieved. He didn't know what had transpired, but he had already gotten the runes and data downloaded into their home console and wanted nothing more than to get her out of there.
"We have the data. Please, I beg of you, escape immediately."
Shaking off the strangeness, she slowly stepped up from the platform and headed towards the doors where she had entered from. Zyra turned to take a final glance at the main attraction of the lab before leaving.
The gem crackled a bit when it felt her eyes on it before looking away. Zyra hurriedly stepped out from the lab, eyes focusing ahead on the other scientists heading out and emptied her mind from the whole phenomenon.
She couldn't help but feeling that the crystal is something more than what It is intended for.
Author's Note: HI! Sorry for the super late update. For months now, I have been thinking about my future. Hence why I pause in making a chapter to settle my affairs and when I have the time, I can get back to writing again. To be honest, I find drawing more fun than writing but I want to get this fanfic story going (Especially the BLOSC fandom) for all you readers. Thanks again for stopping by and see you all in the next chapter!