Project 590

V

"What is that thing?" I asked motioning towards the device Mark hooked up to Sienna.

"That is one of my inventions, I call it the lifeline, it stimulates the body and accelerates its natural recovery process." Mark responded as he began to walk over to the girl I saw standing in the lab with him. "This is Oxy, my new lab assistant I took in once Sarah left, we have been working relentlessly to try to find a way to get her back but so far to no avail."

"Hey, nice to meet you." Oxy said as she reached out her hand for a handshake. "Sorry about launching that big blast of wind at you earlier, but we weren't yet sure if you two were safe."

I shook her hand reluctantly and then looked back at Mark, for the first time I took the time to assess the room, there was a lot of lab equipment on counters and what looked to be chemical mixtures in vials all over the room "So, you're subject one right, I assume that would mean you were the first one in this world, do you think you could teach me how to use my gem?" I asked.

"I don't need to teach you like Sienna would have, I have developed a device that allows you to unlock the full base power of your gem without any training, follow me." He responded as he guided me to what looked to be an empty doorframe but then something happened and his gem was scanned, which caused the doorway to become some form of a portal.

Mark walked through the doorway and motioned for me to follow. I didnt move, still unsure of whether or not I should trust him until Oxy walked up behind me and said, "Look it is safe." Before shoving me into the doorway. I came out on the other side and was seemingly fine.

"You can trust me don't worry, we have the same goal, you said it yourself, I'm subject one, Void told me he would send someone like you to help me, so I assume he has told you about me, so why wouldn't you trust me?" Mark asked.

"Oh I don't know, maybe because my first impression of you was you knocking me out and trapping me and Sienna in a cell." I responded, trying to keep my distance from him.

"Ok that is fair, but, you are the one who asked me to teach you to use your gem, so I need you to work with me if that is going to happen."

"Fine." I said and reluctantly followed him.

Todd led me down a fairly thin corridor and to some strange room with several odd devices.

The first device I noticed seemed to be a humanoid shaped mold thing with a slot in the forehead, presumably to put something into.

The second machine however was even more confusing, it had two vertical handlebars in front of another humanoid mold shaped thing with another odd device in the chest of, on the side of the mold was some lever that presumably would activate it.

The last device I noticed was some strange battle axe looking item in some energy cage, it had a similar design and look as the shield I had somehow summoned earlier.

Mark walked over to the device with the handlebars and said "Stand upright in front of the device and grip the handlebars, when I pull this lever you need to stand perfectly still, or it could go wrong.

"Ok, I'll try." I said and walked up to the handlebars and grabbed them, "I am ready whenever you are." I said to let him know he can pull the lever.

"Alright, remember, don't move a muscle and it all should go well." Mark said as he pulled the lever.

I saw the device within the mold scan me and then begin to somehow travel up the mold until it was directly in front of my gem, it immediately fired a very bright beam of light at it and I could feel the heat coming from the device hitting my skin.

About a minute after the beam started it stopped and the device returned to where it was on the mold. I stepped away from the device as Mark put the lever back up.

"So, is that it?" I asked as he walked back towards me.

"Well, it should have worked, if your gem is anything like mine then, reach at your gem and try to grab a sword." He responded.

I did as he said and grabbed something, but when I brought my hand back down I was holding the shield again.

"Ah, a shield, of course, I have the sword, you have the shield, we are two parts of the same whole." Mark told me as he was somewhat shocked when the shield appeared.

"So, are we done here, if so could we head back to your lab and out of this weird place?" I asked him.

"Of course, follow me."

As we walked back through the portal doorway thing, I saw Oxy tending to Sienna as she took off the lifeline.

"Her recovery is complete, vitals are stable." Oxy said when she saw Mark walk through back in.

"Perfect, and just in time too, we need to have a meeting, all four of us, I think I may have an idea of a way to get Sarah back, meet me in the room down this hall to the right." He said as he began to walk down the hall and out of our sight, Oxy followed as me and Sienna just looked at eachother confused about what his plan could be.