18:00

42 : Failure

A buzzing sound filled the air, electric sparks flying around. The only thing that kept them from blinding Test Tube was a pair of safety glasses placed over her eyes, though even those became a little charred along the edges.

She turned off the switch as quickly as she could think to. She shook her hand in pain, taking a couple steps back. God, and to think she had experience with this sort of thing.

She looked forward to the neatly set up electrical box on the table. Just a couple seconds ago, it had gone into an electrical overload. Although that was technically something she was looking for, it was far too powerful for now. She needed something less extreme for the moment.

With caution, she walked back towards the box. Her gloved hands began rearranging the different bits and pieces, attaching some and detaching others. Her last results technically hadn't been bad, just intense. If she could find a way to dull the effect, then she'd be good to go.

Once she finished her adjustments, she put her hand back on the power switch. This time, she was wise enough to take a couple steps back before flicking it on.

Within a second, the box was flooded with electrical energy. Cooling turbines whirled and small LED lights along the edges of the box lit up to signify it was working, though everything else stayed still, thankfully. It produced electricity just as it had before, though in a much less significant amount. In fact, it was such a small amount that Test Tube was worried it would even do anything.

...No, this was perfect. Even if she could revive O-6 if something happened, it'd still be useful to avoid that type of situation. It'd avoid another scolding from Fan, and possibly the consistent stinging in Test Tube's legs. Once the reminder came to mind, she draped her lab coat back over her legs, despite nobody else being around.

She flicked the switch back off. It took longer for the box's false life to die out than it did to appear, the turbines slowing and the LED lights fading until they emitted nothing. Well, the box was working at the very least.

Part of her couldn't help but be worried. The entire process of creating the box in the first place had been trial and error. She might technically have the ability to do that with O-6 as well, but she didn't want to dig her hole deeper with Fan.

She groaned, shaking her head. She was too tired for this. There was a reason she was planning to go to sleep after she finished the box, after all. Plus, she hadn't finished her research with O-6 yet, so she still had time to figure this out. She'd just deal with this in the morning.

Carefully, she put the now built box into where the parts came from: another box, a cardboard one at that. She left the open-wired side up, not wanting to start an electrical fire over a project she technically hadn't executed yet. Then, she placed the box into the cupboard below, locking it inside.

With a couple more breaths, she walked out of the room. It was much too early in the day to be this tired, but here she was, ready to go to bed before it was even noon. She let out a quiet groan, walking down the hall by memory.

Before she could get far, a subtle knocking sound rang through the hall. Quiet, but still noticeable in the silence of the room without stopping. Test Tube paused her stride before it ever really began, looking around.

She wasn't anywhere near anybody else in the lab. Although she had insisted on feeding Fan, he still hadn't come out of his room for much else, and the subjects should still be in their room as well. So with the process of elimination...

She tilted her head upwards, listening to the footsteps from below. Somebody was near her lab. This happened occasionally, but something about it sounded wrong.