BLACK

ONE

"Griot, confidence rate?" Her hands moved swiftly, rapidly, typing on a holographic device.

"-0.000002521917161%."

Bam!

She smacked her device down. "Assurance check?"

"Affirmative. Running calculations again."

Swallowing hard, the millisecond provided not a moment of pause; she bounced from chair to chair and desk to desk. Each spot anew, she snatched up micropipettes and holographic syringes, forcing the devices to use.

"Griot, confidence rate?" Her eyes never leaving the quick, precise movement of her hands, she extracted various liquids from test tube vials.

"Calculations and assurance check completed. Confidence rate is assured to be -0.000002521917161%. Would you like me to perform another---."

Gripping her pipette, she darted over to a large capsule sized machine. "---Move!" The moment her aggressive demand reached their ears, the royal lab attendants near her scattered. "Griot?" she shouted, prepping her pipette with fast twiddling of her fingers.

"Yes?"

"Compute 6.421Ϫ to 8.1092Ͼ on a molecular base. Again."

"Confidence rate may remain the same. Are you certain you would like me to perform the---."

"I said calculate it!"

"Affirmative. Running calculations again."

Slick. Tip. Tear!

She jammed the needle of the pipette into the capsule machine. "Griot, force function materialize template #1821-98291."

"Confidence rate is assured to be -0.000002521917161%. Are you certain you would like to force function materialize template #18---."

"Griot, now." She slammed the small door on the capsule machine shut.

"Affirmative. Materialization of force function template #1821-98291 is beginning."

Breathing deep, she locked her jaw as she watched the machine in front of her whirr and churn. Various light beams shined down on the liquid sample and in the glow of the iridescent light, the liquid bubbled and pulsated.

Moving from the device, she paced over to her work desk, hastily scribbling on a glass tech notebook. "Estimated time?"

"2.344 seconds left."

She kept her back turned as she focused on her calculations. "Vitality of sample?"

"Error, materialization incomplete. Vitality of the sample has failed complete materialization. There is no sample to be acquired. Cleaning up incomplete atomic radioactive splatter."

Scwhip!

She scribbled more formulas down. "Run it again."

"Confidence rate is still assured to be -0.000002521917161%. Are you certain you would like to force function materialize template #18---."

"---Again." She circled around the lab, writing and scribbling

"Affirmative. Materialization of force function template #1821-98291 is beginning."

"Zuri." A voice echoed from the door.

She stopped, then turned only her head to the source.

Her mother stood in the doorframe. Her normally firm and straight posture appeared weighed down by unseen boulders while her royal attire was scrambled: flowing purple dress stained, tall Candake headpiece flattened, face haggard, makeup smeared, and eyes watering.

"Zuri," her mother repeated, with trembling lips.

She whipped her head away, scribbling more things down. "Griot? Vitality of the sample?"

"Materialization incomplete. Vitality of the sample has failed complete materialization. There is no sample to be acquired. Cleaning up incomplete atomic radioactive---."

"—Then run it again." Tossing her notes aside, she hurried over to the machine inserting more liquids.

"Zuri."

She heard her mother but she focused on the clicking and shifting of her pipettes.

"Zuri, please."

"Griot, confidence level?"

"Confidence rate is still assured to be -0.000002521917161%. Are you certain you would like to force function materialize template #18---."

"Just do it!"

Clatter!

She threw her hands down, knocking over vials and tubes to the ground. "Run it again, Griot! Just run it again!"

"Everyone, please leave."

She could hear her mother dismissing the other lab attendants, but her focused remained steady on the task at hand.

"Affirmative. Running materialization again."

Breathing even more deeply, she gripped her fists. "Estimated time?"

"1.092 seconds."

"Vitality of sample?" She tapped her foot impatiently peering at the capsule machine.

Again, the lights glowed, and the liquid vibrated and shifted but all to no effect.

"Error, materialization incomplete. Vitality of the sample has failed complete materialization. There is no sample to be acquired. Cleaning up incomplete atomic radioactive---."

"Run it---." She paused, a hand resting on her shoulder.

"Zuri."

They shared eyes.

"He's gone." 

Author's Note:

Hope you're enjoying reading! You'll notice most of the story for this will follow very closely to the events of the movie. So again, I implore you, if you haven't seen the movie SPOILERS AHEAD!