The subterranean laboratory groaned like a wounded beast. Dust rained from the cavern ceiling in thick, choking clouds, and the massive stone walls trembled with each shudder that rippled through the earth. The turquoise static that usually crackled along the Celestial Transmutation Engine's surface had become a violent storm, arcs of energy leaping between the ancient gears like captive lightning.
Jannali Bandler braced herself against the wall, her athletic frame coiled with tension, her brown eyes sweeping the chaos. Her headscarf was askew, a few strands of her full afro escaping, and her large hoop earrings swung with each tremor. Gosan, her retractable spear, was in her grip, its metal humming with the awareness of the Hatzegopteryx within.
"Bloody hell," Jannali cursed, her accent cutting through the noise like a blade. "What is going on out there? Feels like the whole island's coming apart!"
Bianca Yvonne Clark clung to the side of the Engine, her grease-stained overalls streaked with dust, her waist-length black hair escaping from its messy bun in wild tendrils. Her large magnifying goggles were pushed up on her forehead, and her calloused hands—nails painted a chipped, cheerful pink—flew across the controls with frantic urgency.
Professor Manabu Kinsho gripped a random pole, his wild mane of silver-streaked dark chestnut hair standing on end, his dark brown eyes wide with horror. His rumpled sand-colored shirt was untucked, and his heavy, patch-covered utility apron flapped with each tremor.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" he shrieked, his voice rising to that characteristic screech. "I warned you! I told you the energy output was—"
Bianca cut him off, her voice flat and unyielding. "Like, whatever! This, like, has nothing to do with, like, the Engine!"
Professor Kinsho's face flushed a deep, alarming red. "Don't be ridiculous! Of course it does! The energy readings—the structural integrity—"
Asper Pale rolled across the floor, their lanky frame tumbling through a cascade of scattered papers. Their slate-gray hair fell into their large, unblinking dark gray eyes, and their voice rose in a desperate shriek.
"THE TORSION RATIOS! THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE—"
Ember hopped up and down, her neon-pink space buns bouncing with each movement, her mismatched eyes—one icy blue, one gold—gleaming with manic delight. Her tattered black-and-crimson Lolita dress billowed around her, and the charred plush rabbit tied to her waist bounced with each frantic step. Her voice rose in a sing-song chant.
"We all fall down! We all fall down! Boom boom boom!"
Charlie Leonard Wooley was hiding under a heavy wooden workbench, his vintage pith helmet somehow still in place despite the chaos. His crisp khaki shirt and shorts were covered in dust, and his overloaded cargo vest bulged with scrolls, ink bottles, and crumbling notebooks. He cleared his throat with a sharp, pointed sound.
"Ahem!" He adjusted his round wire-framed glasses, with his scholarly tone. "While I am no engineer, might I point out that it appears the Engine is, in fact, getting hotter?"
Jannali, braced against the wall, looked up. Her eyes found the pipes above the Engine, and she cursed again. Steam and smoke were bursting from the seams, thick clouds of white-hot vapor that hissed and spat.
"Bloody hell!" Jannali shouted. "What is that all about?"
Bianca looked up, her eyes widening as she took in the steam. "Like, really?"
Professor Kinsho fumbled over to the Engine, his hands reaching for the dials, his voice rising in a desperate protest. "I told you! The power output was unstable! You've overloaded the primary conduits! The energy matrix is—"
Bianca's voice cut through, sharp and defiant. "Like, those are not energy readings! There are, like—"
Professor Kinsho's head snapped around, his dark eyes blazing with fury. "I very well know what they are! And your recklessness is the cause for all of this!"
Bianca rolled her eyes, her hands still flying across the controls. "Like, whatever, old man."
And then everything went deafly still.
The silence was absolute. The shaking stopped. The crackling static faded. The steam hung in the air like frozen clouds.
Jannali, Charlie, Bianca, Ember, Professor Manabu Kinsho, and Asper Pale exchanged tentative looks, their eyes wide, their bodies frozen. They asked a silent question.
What just happened?
Then the Engine squealed.
The sound was high-pitched and terrible, a shriek of tortured metal that came from somewhere older than memory. Steam billowed out through the seams of the pipes in thick, choking clouds, and the dials on the control panel spun out of control.
Bianca looked up, her face pale, her voice flat. "Like, uh oh."
Jannali pushed off the wall, her voice sharp and urgent. "What do you mean, 'uh oh'?"
Bianca's eyes met hers, and there was something in them that Jannali had never seen before—genuine fear. "Like, run!"
Without another word, Bianca rushed to the door, her boots pounding against the stone floor.
Charlie scrambled out from under the table, his arms flailing, his pith helmet somehow still in place. He held it to his head with one hand and ran after Bianca, his voice rising in a desperate shriek.
"THIS IS NOT HOW I WANTED TO SPEND MY AFTERNOON!"
Jannali cursed again, her voice carrying the weight of absolute frustration. "Bloody hell!"
Professor Manabu Kinsho looked up at the Engine, his face pale, his voice a mutter of disbelief. "No! It can't be! The energy matrix is—"
Jannali grabbed him by the arm, her grip iron. "Suffer later, mate! Run now!"
She glanced at Ember, who was tilting her head, watching the steam with the fascinated curiosity of a child watching a fire. Her mismatched eyes were wide, her lips parted.
"EMBER!" Jannali called out. "MOVE!"
Ember snapped out of her trance, her face splitting into a manic grin. "Oh! New game!"
She giggled and ran after them, her hands clapping together with each step. "New game! New game! Boom boom boom!"
The Engine exploded.
The shockwave ripped through the cavern like a physical force, a wall of heat and pressure that sent everything flying. Jannali, Ember, Professor Manabu Kinsho, and Asper were thrown through the air, their bodies tumbling across the stone floor as a plume of steam, smoke, and a fireball exploded from the mouth of the cavern.
Jannali hit the ground hard, the impact jarring her bones. She rolled, coming to a stop in a heap of dust and debris. Her head was ringing, her vision swimming, but she forced herself to her feet.
She blinked, her eyes finding Charlie and Bianca standing at the edge of the chaos.
Bianca had a hand on her cocked hip, her expression a mixture of exhaustion and defiance. "Like, damn. That was, like, close."
Ember hopped up, her body covered in dust, her space buns askew. She giggled, clapping her hands together. "Do it again! Do it again!"
Professor Manabu Kinsho jumped to his feet, his face a mask of fury. He marched toward Bianca, his finger pointed accusingly.
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" he shrieked. "You—you—"
Bianca narrowed her eyes, pushing his finger away from her face with her own. "Like, whatever."
Everyone turned when they heard a ringing sound.
Jannali stood, brushing the debris from her person. Her hands found the transponder snail in her pocket, and she pulled it out, pressing the receiver button.
Galit Varuna's voice emerged, sharp and intelligent. "This is Galit. Checking in."
Jannali sighed, the sound carrying the weight of absolute exhaustion. "Bloody hell, mate. Made it out with our hides. All present and accounted for."
Galit's voice carried a note of confusion. "Made it out? I thought you were in a secure location?"
Professor Manabu Kinsho stomped over, his face still flushed with fury. "Are you the superior person in charge?"
The eyes on the transponder snail narrowed, and Galit's voice carried a note of caution. "I am Galit Varuna. And you are—"
Professor Kinsho's voice rose to a screech. "Do you have any idea what has transpired? The Engine—the energy matrix—the structural integrity—"
Bianca pushed him out of the way, her voice flat and unyielding. "Like, stuff happened and, like, blew up and whatever. So, like, it will, like, take longer for me to, like—"
Galit's voice cut through, flat and commanding. "That will not be necessary. Return to the ship. I will fill you in."
Bianca exchanged a look with Jannali and Charlie, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Like, where is Ember?"
Charlie and Bianca's heads swiveled, their eyes scanning the chaos. Jannali cursed, the sound sharp and frustrated.
"Bloody hell. We only looked away for a moment."
Galit's voice carried the weight of command. "Find Ember. Then return."
Professor Manabu Kinsho opened his mouth to continue his protest, but the transponder snail went silent.
Galit had hung up.
Jannali pocketed the snail, her jaw tight. "Alright," she said, her voice flat. "Let's go find our little pyromaniac."
Bianca nodded, her eyes already scanning the chaos. "Like, she can't have gone far. She's, like, probably off playing with something explosive."
Charlie cleared his throat, his pith helmet somehow still in place. "Ahem! I would suggest we check the—"
Before he could finish, a cackle echoed from the darkness.
"Boom boom boom!"
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