The interior wasn’t like any building I’d ever seen.
It felt less like architecture and more like the inside of a living organism — transparent floors crisscrossed with glowing cables like veins, walls humming faintly with contained power, and massive glass chambers where scientists in sleek white suits.
Above us, a domed ceiling shimmered with an artificial sky. Soft daylight radiated down without a sun.
…Awesome…!?
I spun in place, nearly tripping over my shoelace again.
“Naomi! Look at this! It’s like we’re inside a spaceship!”
Naomi yanked my sleeve just before I collided with a scientist carrying a tray of glowing vials.
“Hey, You’re going to get us kicked out before we even start.”
“I’m being respectful,” I protested, eyes wide. “I haven’t touched a single glowing thing yet.”
“Yet,” Naomi muttered darkly.
The stern woman from earlier stepped forward and clapped once. The sharp sound echoed through the chamber.
“Welcome to Helios Dynamics,” she announced, her voice amplified effortlessly. “I am Director Hargrove. You are here because your school has been granted a rare privilege — to witness a fraction of the technology that sustains Nova Yorka. You will remain in groups, follow your assigned guide, and obey all instructions without question. Anyone who breaks protocol will be escorted out immediately.”
Her gaze swept across us, cold.
“Is that clear?”
A shaky chorus responded, “Yes, ma’am.”
I leaned toward Naomi. “She could definitely glare a villain into early retirement, hehe....”
Naomi pinched my arm.
“Ow—?! What did I do?!”
“Focus.”
Our group was assigned to a tall young scientist with messy brown hair and nervous energy.
“Dr. Elias Ryn,” he introduced himself, scratching the back of his neck. “I’ll be guiding you through the Applied Energy Division. You’ll see things today that… well, you probably won’t see again.”
As we walked, we passed labs filled with robotic arms assembling sleek combat drones. Transparent tubes carried glowing liquid like neon rivers through the walls. Holographic maps of Nova Yorka floated midair, rotating slowly.
Some chambers held strange substances and objects suspended in viscous fluid — things I’d only ever seen in movies.
Everywhere, warning signs glowed:
『AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.
HIGH ENERGY RISK.
EXPOSURE LEVELS ABOVE 3.0 ARE LETHAL.』
I slowed in front of one chamber, pressing my nose against the glass.
Inside, a containment unit pulsed with faint blue light.
“Naomi…” I whispered. “Do you see this?”
She glanced over. “It’s… just a machine, Ellie.”
I shook my head slowly. “What if it’s alive?”
Naomi frowned. “stop imagining things.”
Then we reached it.
The heart of the division.
A massive circular chamber reinforced with layered glass and energy barriers. At its center floated a crystalline structure the size of a car — suspended midair by streams of rippling energy that moved like water but burned like fire.
『 The Tesseract Core 』
My knees almost gave out.
“It’s… it’s real,” I breathed, hands trembling.
Dr. Ryn cleared his throat. “Yes. This is a stabilized prototype derived from the original Tesseract artifact discovered decades ago. It is not the primary source — but this fragment alone powers nearly half of Nova Yorka.”
Gasps rippled through the class.
One student raised a hand. “Is it true heroes train here? And that our powers come from the Tesseract?”
Dr. Ryn gave a careful smile. “Some heroes undergo compatibility testing here. As for the Tesseract… it is the origin of why certain individuals can manifest abilities. But the details are classified.”
I shot my hand up.
“Is it true you take blood from powered people for experiments? And where did the Tesseract come from? Was it a spaceship or — or a huge meteorite...?”
Silence.
Dr. Ryn very deliberately looked past me and continued speaking.
The class burst into laughter.
This guy just ignored me....
He’s lucky we’re surrounded by people. Otherwise, I’d be interrogating him the old-fashioned way.....
Naomi gave me a flat look. “Stop it..... You’re going to get us kicked out asking conspiracy-theory questions you got from comic books.”
“If he’s ignoring me, that means I’m right,” I whispered, eyes locked on the crystal.
Naomi sighed deeply.
Dr. Ryn continued, slightly stiff now. “The Tesseract’s energy is… unpredictable. It interacts differently with every biological system. That is why only trained personnel are permitted within a certain proximity. Accidental exposure could—”
He stopped himself.
I leaned forward. “Could what? Explode?”
He hesitated.
“.... It Could Cause irreversible mutations in one’s DNA. Severe instability. Or worse… death.”
A shudder passed through the students.
I, however, leaned closer, eyes gleaming.
Wow….!!
The more I look at, the more I wanna—
Naomi grabbed the back of my collar and yanked me away from the glass.
“Don’t. Even. Think about it.”
“I wasn’t!” I hissed. “I was just appreciating it!”
“You were calculating the fastest way to commit a containment breach.”
“Nahhhhh......” I giggled nervously.
We moved through more labs — fusion reactors, tanks filled with nanobot swarms shimmering like silver fish, genetic interface systems that looked straight out of a sci-fi series.
My commentary did not stop.
“Naomi, what if they’re secretly building a hero army down here using dead heroes’ DNA? Or mixing villain DNA with powerless people to manufacture abilities?”
“Ellie. Stop.”
“Okay, okay — what if they’re hiding alien samples? Or! What if the Tesseract is actually a prison for an ancient space god and we’re just using it as a battery?!”
“You need therapy.”
Eventually, we were gathered on an observation deck overlooking the Core chamber again.
Director Hargrove appeared, her presence instantly straightening everyone’s posture.
“Remember what you have witnessed today,” she said, voice echoing. “This knowledge is not for gossip. The Core is the lifeline of Nova Yorka. Its secrets are not for idle speculation. Do not test the patience of Helios Dynamics.”
If it’s not meant to leave the building… then why the hell did you bring us here.....!?
I stared at her blankly.
But I can’t take it anymore....
The Tesseract..... It’s telling me to touch it so bad.....
Gotta find a way to get back in again....
Naomi nudged me. “You’re spacing out again.”
I forced a bright smile. “I’m fine! Totally fine! Not planning on stealing cosmic energy or anything.”
Naomi narrowed her eyes.
“That is exactly what someone planning to steal cosmic energy would say.”
I burst into nervous laughter.
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