Jeanne strode through the dimly lit, quiet apartment corridor, her footsteps reverberating softly in cloaking silence. The result of their collaborative project would be apparent to them soon, and the outcome would depend entirely on how well they could untangle the hidden currents of the strange energy.
Through the data they had painstakingly collected in their limited facility, faint patterns began to take shape, revealing a subtle spark of hope. It was neither dazzling nor discouraging, but just enough to whisper of a possibility.
What lay next ahead was uncertain, but only that 'last step' was needed for everything to fall into place, and they would witness it soon.
Soon enough, she arrived at the research room, along with Owen, Gin, and the rest of the specialized staff. A sense of tense anticipation lingered in the air, as if the room itself was holding its breath. Their critical preparations were almost entirely complete. It wouldn't be long now before they would begin the synchronization trial to determine whether their bodies could endure the genetic convergence with the strange energy pulsing from the Evil Creature's blood.
They had analyzed Ethan's accidental convergence, studied his blood, replicated countless variables, all to make this whole ordeal entirely possible.
With arm crossed, Jeanne then spoke up.
"What's the status of our progress?"
"We're done for the most part. Our team analyst has confirmed that we've already covered everything essential. Engaging in any further research won't help in any meaningful way."
"Are you guys not going to convince Daisy before proceeding to the test now?"
"I am aware of her choice and her reasoning as well. I could understand why she holds her argument, but we should still proceed as we planned." Owen grunted quietly, rubbing his temple.
He only briefly glance at her and continued his work, focusing on Gin who was undergoing an intensive check-up surrounded by a lot of sophisticated tools and devices provided by AMA Corp. Since many of their staff resided in the apartment, their assistance was crucial and played a big role in the success of the research.
"Tell me Gin's condition right now." Jeanne took a quiet breath while looking at Gin who was lying calmly upon the bed, readying himself for the procedure that will be held in just moments away.
"More than you know. You will be surprised. He's in peak condition right now.." Gin smirked and gestured toward some readings. "All of our monitoring systems show no flaws or peculiar feedback. We've already injected a small amount of the low-density serum as a warm up, and he's performing remarkably well. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he succeeds later."
"I'll admit—I am truly impressed. It seems there is nothing to worry about, for now at the very least. But surely we've considered everything, haven't we?" Jeanne spoke, her voice sounded skeptical.
She turned her gaze to Gin with contemplative mood. It seemed that Ethan's hard work last weak made their progress much more easier which she was very grateful of. But she could not say the same with Gin this time.
With all of the preparations nearly done, Jeanne sat beside Owen. Her eyes fixed on the comprehensive screen of monitoring system. The interface pulsed rhythmically as it showed complex graphs and numerical readouts. Many staff members were also walking back and forth to do their job. Jeanne ignored them as her focus was on the countdown for the initiation phase that was steadily ticking downward.
"I hope everything goes well.." She muttered.
When the countdown was almost over and every meticulous checkup had mostly been completed, Gin slowly opened his eyes with a bright mood. Weeks of preparation had led to this and now he could not wait any longer to perform his best. But for now, he should keep his nerves under control.
A while later, Gin quickly rose from the examination cot in the research room. His half naked body showed superficial lacerations from the prior simulations. With a clear and composed mind, he made a few last-minute adjustments to his equipment to make things more convenient. It would offer marginal help at best, but everything counted.
"At last, the moment has arrived.." he clasped his hand.
The momentum couldn't be more correct.
The initiation phase was set to commence after everyone was accounted for. Half of the specialized staff members accompanied Gin to the lower level, heading toward the underground training area of the facility, while most of them stayed in the research room to assist remotely.
After a bit of hesitation, Jeanne also stepped forward and followed suit to witness the final phase that was soon to begin. She wasn't exactly the most resourceful person around, though. Despite lacking the technical expertise compared to others, she still chose to be there. After all, someone had to make sure they didn't push things too far and ended up causing something irreversible.
As a friend, of course she had to stand by their side. She could not just stay behind while Gin carried all the weight alone. So she just continued moving, ready to help however she could. Helping also showed that she cared and genuinely concerned with the success of the project.
"Get ready everyone. We're about to proceed.." Owen spoke quietly and with unmistakable clarity, as everyone marched with focused steps toward their destination.
Everyone soon arrived in the underground training area, which was now barely recognizable after weeks of tinkering and had transformed into a newly, and hastily-assembled makeshift lab. Their footsteps clattered against the surface of the reinforced spiraling staircase as the rest of them made their way down into the lab.
Each of the specialized staff members was soon quickly immersed in their duties, setting up and organizing things as they chatted about the preparations.
Owen and Jeannie ignored their surroundings. They stood at the front and remained motionless, observing their friend as he assumed his place in reverent silence at the elevated platform filled with heavy machines. Everyone else wisely kept their distance away, none dared to disturb while his mind was at its sharpest.
As Gin examined the state of his body, he found out that the results were somewhat surprising. He expected the pressure of the convergence to weigh him down, but instead, his mindset only rose. He felt a surge in his spirits, elevating his whole being even further and fortifying his mind.
His mood quickly brightened. Everyone could clearly see the conviction on his face right now. After hours of rigorous training protocols and all other preparations he had done, he was now virtually at the peak of his physical prowess.
Despite the advanced reading sensors could not capture every little detail about his mental state, it was evident—even with a rudimentary perspective—that with his single-minded focus, he was basically in the zone right now. Everyone could vaguely sense it.
Jeanne was certainly impressed with this sudden shift. As she continued observing the metrics showed on the screen, she even started to feel confident that he could perform decently well, with the final phase about to begin.
"Am I imagining things, or is this actually the real deal?! What do you make of it, Owen?" She shot a quick glance at Owen, waiting for his take.
Owen shrugged, a confident grin spreading across his face. "The measurable data are valid as I concerned, and I believe everything its showed are accurate. I was being honest with you all this time. Seriously, look at him—he's looking pretty solid on this. Unless you want to argue with facts."
The platform that Gin currently stood on was equipped with many safety measures engineered to neutralize any trouble that might appear during the final phase. It could effectively deliver an immediate safeguard for him as well as the critical survival of the rest of the staff members.
Thanks to the delicate and cutting-edge skills demonstrated by the AMA staff, Owen and his team were inherently confident in all of the adjustments they had put in place. The specialized staff assisted them with precision by leveraging their technical insights to maintain the system's stability and reduce the margin of any potential error.
Even if one or two accidents happened, they would handle them with relative ease due to their elaborate and careful planning. Also, all of the contingency plan build would ensure they were resolved carefully and conscientiously to avoid any trouble down the line.
"We will start the operation immediately!" Owen steadily announced.
The staff began positioning themselves in their own designated places. They continued with the work they had been assigned to, moving with a sense of coordination and purpose, in accordance with the strict and cautiously emphasized protocol.
Gin clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. The armband injectors clamped tighter around his forearm as it began to circulate the adaptive nano-serum into his bloodstream.
The instant the serum entered his circulatory system, a frigid shiver clawed down his spine, followed by a molten heat that stormed through his veins like liquid fire. His body immediately jolted and shook violently, as if his mind had been wrenched away by a presence that had emerged from the depths of his own consciousness. He let out a pitiful groan under the pressure of the invasive force clawing at his sanity.
"Raaagghhh—aaaghhh!" Gin's scream twisted into something almost inhuman. Jeanne's expression froze as something irreversible began to unfold.
One of the staff members flicked his eyes toward Owen with faint unease etched into his features. "His vitals are weakening, sir!"
Owen grimaced as he kept his eyes fixated on the monitoring system. "Inject the adrenaline booster—immediately. Don't wait for the green light."
Everyone looked tense, straining to maintain their utter focus at their own posts. They could not slack off a bit because even a single breath out of place would mean setting the disaster in motion.
The staff moved quickly and carefully. A large portion of the team was responsible for monitoring vital functions of Gin's body, such as blood pressure, heart rate, cognitive patterns, and pain reception, using highly specialized precision devices.
As members of a company advancing in genetic science for years, the specialized staff knew better how to proceed on the current persistent situation. Though now what they were doing was the most extreme research that they had ever conducted in their entire careers.
Though Gin's body convulsed, with the quick response from the team the system monitor began to show positive readout. Owen and Jeanne exhaled shakily and finally looked a bit reassured after this moment of tension.
"He's fighting back." Owen turned to Jeanne with a hopeful look. "As long as he holds on and the systems keep stabilizing, his condition will improve. We need to do our best to assist him."
"Are you sure he will survive the second injection?"
"I'm hopeful that he can."
Jeanne was no longer sure of her earlier confidence in the project after seeing how grueling the procedure was. Surely, they had gathered ample data from Ethan's case last week. Moreover, they had also decided to play it safe by dividing the serum into two stages to ensure that Gin could make it to the end of the final phase.
This development didn't align with their initial expectation at all.
After another thirty tense minutes passed Gin finally showed a small improvement and started to stabilize bit by bit. The main readings had not indicated a very promising outcome, but it was enough to loosen the staff's strained expressions. For the first time, they allowed themselves to slightly relax.
That said, they were only about halfway through the final phase and a moment's relief on their part could cost Gin his survival. They could not afford to grow complacent—not until the process reached its final conclusion.
Everyone kept their focus, each absorbed in their own duties with deliberate motion despite the dull fatigue that hung over their faces. Soon after, their weary gazes lifted little by little as the slow change became increasingly evident.
"Sir! All indicators are stabilizing—we're on the right track!" One of the specialized staff scanned the console, the once-unstable readings now glowing steady green.
"Alright..." Owen's gaze lingered on Gin for a moment. "Anything else?"
"We just received the analyst's report from the research room. The results indicate our subject has accumulated a considerable amount of mental fatigue!"
Owen grimaced as he heard the reports from the analyst team. Gin perhaps seemed to be showing incremental progress in his performance but but the read from his brain signal showed that he must have tried his best to gain this result!
The staff stationed around Owen also stiffened slightly after the latest analysis arrived. The latest report made it clear that Gin's apparent improvement and momentary stability were deceptively fleeting on one fragile, borrowed time.
"We can't hold this any longer—accelerate the second stage right away." Owen stated firmly.
"On it, Sir! We're almost ready!"
Owen stepped forward and took responsibility for preparations for the next stage. With the second stage abruptly accelerated far ahead of schedule, the team pressed on under a strain that left minimal room for mistakes. Despite this mounting pressure, the team moved with sharp efficiency and controlled urgency. Their hands moved in strict rhythm, leaving no room for wasted instruction.
After minutes of unrelenting pressure, the preparations were finally complete. Owen caught Jeanne's eye before the initiation, then tilted his head once to signal their readiness for the next stage.
Jeanne glanced at Gin for a little while before nodding at him. "Uh... yes. Let's proceed."
"Everyone, we'll stick to the procedure. Begin with the first twenty percent—release it gradually!" Owen declared.
The device on Gin's forearm hissed as it forced the strange substance into his restless body for the second time. When the gauge touched five percent, the air around him shuddered with a low, mournful cry that made several researchers flinch, a few rising stiffly from their chairs.
It was not a sound meant for human ears. Thin and hollow, it pressed at their skulls with an alien weight.
The abrupt disturbance also made half the monitors flicker into chaos, their readings crashing in unison. The rest flared red as the alert system seized control which indicated widespread functional halt.
Owen nearly tripped over his words as he instructed the team to enact the contingency plan and with some difficulty, they managed to switch to the secondary control grid and stabilize the systems. Sadly, the cry wavered yet did not stop, its echo threading faintly through the chamber.
"Sir, the disturbance is affecting the secondary system as well. I'm afraid it won't last long."
Owen fumbled for the console's input, his fingers trembling as he opened a direct channel to Gin. "Damn it… Gin! The stabilizers won't hold, and you're at your limit. We can't buy you more time. You have to start the convergence, now!"
Jeanne grew increasingly tense as Gin's body began to glow with strange energy. She felt her composure thinned the longer she waited. Her eyes cut back and forth between the console readouts and Gin himself, the tension in her gaze saying she was ready to end everything the instant the numbers crossed the line.
"One bad spike, Owen, and I'll demand an abort," she said, glancing at him with a look that left no room for debate.
Owen gritted his teeth with an ugly expression twisting his face. Whatever composure he had left was completely broken by now.
The disturbance that happened earlier had pushed the systems to the brink, and now only one contingency remained, which was to abort everything and purge the strange energy from Gin's body. That would mean complete failure of the project, an outcome which Owen could barely stomach.
Suddenly Gin released a painful cry that pressed against everyone's eardrums like an iron weight. His body glowed with a crimson light and the aura pulsed around him swelling in intensity.
The graphical chart indicator shifted into a clear cobalt blue which indicated that Gin was in a state of decisive stability in the critical stage of his convergence.
Owen's eyes widened, and he abruptly stood from his chair.
RUMBLE!
A deafening explosion tore through the underground chamber. The echo faded, leaving a thick, oppressive silence that pressed against every wall.
A single footfall. Then another.
Gin walked forward, each step shaking the floor slightly, his newfound power radiating like a pulse through the chamber. The air seemed to hum around him.
They had succeeded.