Chosen by the Sky

Chapter 36 - Forging Hope

The core shone with a reddish-gold light through the thick haze of pollution.  From what I could make out, it looked oddly beautiful.  Networks of copper gears and pipes ran in intricate patterns along every side, supported by curving stone beams.  Tiny spouts poured mist in tiny white puffs, which sparkled in the glow.  And there was so much redstone, I had no clue how the Professor had gotten it all.  The sphere hung in the middle of the room, the size of a house.

"What in the world?"  I murmured, stepping closer to get a better look.  The elevator had come out onto a balcony, so that the bottom of the core was a few dozen blocks down.  I rested my hands on the cold glass railing, ignoring the bitter smell of the smog.

"Yes, yes."  The Professor said smugly, noticing my expression.  "It took me years to invent it, and even longer to convince the Red Leader to let me power the kingdom with it, but eventually he gave in."

"And it'll have enough power to detain The First Curse?"  Alex asked, skeptical.

"The... First Curse..."  Professor Red stared off into space for a moment, his voice taking on a solemn tone for once.  "Yes.  It should be able to contain even him, if mixed with enough energy from the Sky People."

"The Sky People don't have much energy left."  Alex said sharply.  "So does your 'core' have enough energy or not?"

"It's not really about the power."  Professor Red said, adjusting his goggles as he squinted at a control panel to the side of the room.  "It just needs to be... touched by them.  It needs to be their handiwork, or it won't have the repelling effect."

"Okaaaaay?"  I murmured, pivoting to look at the core again.  As long as someone understood what he was saying, it would be fine, right?

"Would enchantments work?"  Alex wondered.  "That's how we usually mark objects."

"You'd need quite a few."  Professor Red noted.  "Although I guess it depends on what exactly you're enchanting."

"Chains."  Alex answered.  "Four of them."  Professor Red nodded knowingly.

"You'd better get to work on forging them, then.  Judging by the sky, we don't have much time.  Assistant Steve, what's the status report on the core?"

"Almost ready, Professor."  the robot trilled, rapidly flicking some levers.  Screens were beginning to flash around him, popping up with warning messages.  Anxiety twisted in my gut, and I took a step away from the core.  Suddenly, having Professor Red and Assistant Steve around didn't seem like such a great idea after all.

"Wonderful!"  The mad scientist cheered.  "Why don't you three start working on the chains, then?" And with that, he bustled off to the elevator again, the doors sliding closed behind him.  I turned to Alex, feeling lost.

"How exactly do we start making chains?"  M wondered, voicing exactly what I was thinking.  "Is it like crafting?  Do we need a bench?"

"Not exactly."  Alex said, then frowned.  "But I would appreciate somewhere to work that isn't clouded."

"Aren't you used to working in clouded places?"  Assistant Steve grumbled, but he relented at Alex's fierce glare.  "Fiiiiiiiiine."  He pressed a few more buttons, and with a loud creak, a doorway opened up from the stone brick wall.  The workshop inside was filled with netherbrick benches and piles of chests, a thin layer of redstone dust powdered on the floor.  Still, the air inside smelled much cleaner as Alex ushered M and I in.

"I think this is the least chaotic lab the Professor owns."  M muttered, flicking a lever to close the door behind us.  Without the light flooding in from the core, the room seemed suddenly dark.  M crossed over to the back of the room and lit the lanterns hanging there, filling the room with a soft red light.  Alex ran an arm along the center table, sweeping off the redstone and causing a glittering cloud of it to fall to the floor.  Once the table was relatively clean, she turned to me.