The Prototype

Chapter 8

The car hummed to a stop on the edge of the Oregon forest as Ethan pulled over. He opened his bag, hands shaking as he pulled out the stack of notes Maia had written about the crystal they'd found here—black obsidian, dense and rich, embedded deep within an ancient cave. He flipped through the pages, his fingers brushing over the scribbled notes in Maia's handwriting, all careful observations about the obsidian's resonance with anger. She'd known the material well, better than anyone, and now it was tied to the stage of grief that was consuming her.

Ethan leaned over, opening the glove compartment and rummaging through it as Rowan watched, brows furrowing. "What are you looking for?" he asked.

"Photos," Ethan mumbled, and then his fingers closed around a familiar stack of Polaroids. He pulled them out, flipping through shots of their discoveries, the black crystal glinting under torchlight, catching flecks of their lab equipment and notepads scattered around it. 

One particular photo made his heart clench—a selfie of the two of them, smiling and kissing, just outside the mouth of the very cave they were about to enter. They'd been exhausted but happy, standing hand-in-hand under Oregon's twilight sky. He swallowed hard, the regret settling deep in his chest as he traced Maia's face in the photo. He missed her—missed her laughter, her sharp mind, the warmth in her eyes that made everything feel less daunting. Now, he could barely recognize the person she was becoming.

Rowan leaned over, noticing Ethan's gaze. He offered a gentle smile. "We'll get her back, Ethan," he said quietly. Then, with a smirk, he added, "But if we want to be able to do that, we actually need to get out of this car first."

Ethan scoffed, shaking off the heaviness in his chest as he set the pictures down. "Yeah, fair point." He punched the coordinates for the cave into his watch, handing Rowan his own watch with the map already loaded.

They parked a few yards down the narrow trail leading to the cave, taking in the looming cliffs above, the trees thick and casting shadows in the early dawn light. They moved silently, weaving their way through the forest until the dark mouth of the cave came into view, a gaping maw nestled in the hillside. The wind whipped around them, carrying a chill, and just as they were about to enter, a low rumble shook the air.

The sky lit up above them, jagged lines of black and blue lightning slashing down, illuminating the dark clouds churning above. The thunder that followed was deafening, rolling through the forest with an ominous, furious energy.

Ethan's heart sank, his watch flashing a warning as the countdown ticked into Hour 4.

"It's starting," he murmured, glancing up as another bolt of blue lightning arced across the sky, filling the air with the static weight of unleashed rage. "She's about to enter Anger."

Rowan looked back toward the city in the distance, now just visible on the horizon, where oblivious people went about their day, unaware of what was building around them.

"We don't have much time, do we?" Rowan asked, grimly watching the storm gathering above. He adjusted his equipment, eyes set with determination. "Let's find that fragment before she can unleash anything worse."

Nodding, Ethan steeled himself, casting one last glance back at the world Maia might soon rip apart if they didn't succeed. Together, they entered the cave, the echoes of the storm following close behind.

Ethan and Rowan stepped deeper into the cave, their flashlights casting thin beams in the dense darkness. The weight of Maia's rage crackled in the air outside, the threat of her power a constant pulse in the back of their minds. The coordinates on Ethan's watch guided them through the labyrinth of the cave, the eerie silence only broken by faint, static-like sounds echoing from somewhere deep within.

They moved cautiously, every step echoing in the cavernous space. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Ethan saw a flicker—just a shadow at first, but one that took shape, moving silently. They froze, standing side by side, hearts pounding as they looked behind them.

At the other end of the cave, half-shrouded in shadows, stood Maia. The air around her shimmered with tendrils of blue and black lightning, the power snaking around her like living, pulsing veins. Her face was twisted with anger, a dark smirk playing on her lips as her gaze zeroed in on Ethan.

"You didn't think I'd let you off that easy, did you?" she taunted, her voice carrying a deadly calm. She glanced at Rowan with a look of disdain. "And apparently, you still can't do it alone. Are you going to toss him aside, too, Ethan? Just like you did to me?"

Ethan's heart ached at the sight of her—the woman he loved, now a fierce embodiment of pure rage and resentment. He took a step forward, pleading. "Maia, please. You don't have to do this. You're about to destroy everything. Just stop and think for a second."

Silence hung between them, her eyes narrowing as she absorbed his words. Then, in a voice laced with a quiet finality, she replied, "You made your choice, Ethan. Now... I'm making mine."

Before they could react, Maia's form lifted off the ground, her face twisted in fury as she surged toward them. They bolted, dashing through the cave, her bolts of lightning crashing against the rock walls behind them. The air filled with the smell of burning stone and the sharp crackle of electricity. Ethan barely dodged one strike, veering left with Rowan close behind him. The path narrowed, their breaths coming in quick, desperate gasps as they realized they had veered away from the crystal's coordinates.

Ethan's mind raced. Then it clicked. Something Maia had written in her notes—the one element that could temporarily weaken her powers. It was right here in the cave. Grabbing Rowan's arm, he whispered his plan, and Rowan nodded, eyes wide with understanding and fear.

Maia's voice drifted through the cave, soft and taunting. "Ethan," she called, the word dripping with malice. "You can't run from me." The pulse of her anger grew louder, her footsteps echoing closer.

As she turned the corner, they sprang into action, quickly setting up the trap. The air pulsed as the element did its work, and Maia stumbled, momentarily blinded and weakened. A chilling scream of rage filled the cave, her voice raw with anger as she called out his name, filling every inch of the space with her anguish.

Seizing the moment, Ethan and Rowan sprinted deeper into the cave, following the coordinates to the black obsidian. At last, they reached it, its dark surface glowing faintly. Rowan carefully slipped it from its resting place, and Ethan tucked it into his bag. Just as they turned to run, Maia's voice echoed once again, closer, her fury now a raging storm.

They tore out of the cave, sprinting toward the car as bolts of lightning struck down around them, Maia's wrath growing more intense. They stumbled and nearly fell as a strike hit just inches from their feet, but they pushed on, throwing themselves into the car and slamming the doors shut. Ethan's fingers shook as he keyed in the coordinates for both his and Rowan's teleportation watches.

But before he could activate them, Maia appeared at the mouth of the cave, her face contorted with rage, eyes blazing with a dark, otherworldly light. Her voice cut through the air, raw and venomous. "NO! YOU CAN'T RUN FROM ME FOREVER ETHAN! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! I'LL FIND YOU!

She surged forward, lightning gathering around her as she drew closer. With a flash of desperation, Ethan activated the watches. Just as Maia's fingers grazed the car, they teleported, leaving her behind in a swirl of violet light, her furious screams echoing into the void.

They blinked, and in an instant, they were miles away—standing in the heart of Australia, the rough desert ground beneath their feet, the oppressive heat of the Outback rolling over them.

For a moment, they simply stood, catching their breath, the reality of what had just happened settling over them. But they knew there was no time to waste. The next fragment was somewhere out here, and with every passing hour, Maia's power—and her torment—only grew stronger.