Unknown Experiments

Chapter 5

Lucia just stared at Belos. Her ears couldn't even believe what he had said. "Eighteen... Eighteen-Nine-Nine-Seven Z isn't even on the scale! The highest ranking there is is Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine Z! That's the absolute highest that I could have ever gone, but I passed it!? How is that even possible!?"

Belos stood up and said, "I know you're likely asking yourself, 'how is that possible' or 'that doesn't make sense.' I can assure you that I have an answer. However, I believe I will let the results speak for themselves."

Belos looked at the center of the table and said, "Computer, read Experiment Eighteen-Nine-Nine-Seven Z's most recent log and cast it to the table's hologram. I believe it will help her understand the true story."

There was a small mechanical whirr from the middle of the table before it opened up and a long stretch of Lucia's log popped into view before the computer said, "Of course, Sir. The most recent update on Experiment Eighteen-Nine-Nine-Seven Z's log: This most recent experiment has been highly unusual. In simple terms, she's broken history. The power extractors themselves failed due to an overload of her power, causing a massive self-destruct. We lost Nine-Four-Nine-Three O during the incident, but that's not what took us away. The readings we got shortly before the self destruct initiated were off the charts. We have never seen anything like it. They were too strong for our system to even comprehend, so we initiated a reset and targeted her level again while the system was maxed out in a different interface. As of now, adding the leftover power she had, her rank is Eighteen-Nine-Nine-Seven Z. A rank never before seen in the many years this facility has been running. We don't know what to make out of this situation as it has never before been seen, but we can say for certain that it will be sorted out."

Lucia just stared down at her hands, still wide with panic. Her hands were trembling so severely that she almost couldn't control them. She clenched them enough until they began to turn pale, in which she stopped and tried to relax. She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath before she looked back up at Belos.

Belos walked around to Lucia's side of the table as he said, "Computer, shut off the hologram." He stopped next to Lucia and sat down in the chair at the corner of the table. "It's remarkable to see how powerful you really are. Though, you are the first of our experiments to have a rank that fluctuates this much, so something like this was bound to happen eventually. We just never expected you to go so far. But for an increase from an early black to ascending past its limits is a feat I never imagined possible."

Lucia looked over at Belos as he spoke despite not wanting to. "So my power is too strong for their system to hold. What does that mean for me?" Her mind went quiet for a moment before it picked back up. "Am I a ticking time bomb? Will I become so powerful that not even I can control myself? What's going to happen to me?"

Lucia folded her arms over her stomach as Belos continued to talk, but she didn't listen to anything he had to say. Her mind was still shocked by the results of the power experiment. "Not only might I be unable to control myself eventually, I still can't get out. I'm going to drag everything down to the ground with me if that happens. Unless... unless I can find a way to get out before that happens." A small thought crossed her mind; a small blip of a memory of what she had seen right outside of the office. "Wait... There might be a chance. But right now, I have to worry about myself and try not to cause a disruption throughout any part of the facility."

Lucia sighed as her gaze trailed down to the table in front of her. Her mind began to drift through memories of the experiments before something crossed her mind. It was something she hadn't thought about until just now. She raised her head slightly before she looked back over at Belos and reached up and tapped the collar, only requesting that it be deactivated for a brief moment.