[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]the machine piques her interest.

"was it like a machine they had used during the ultra beast war?"

she remembers, briefly, damaged machines pulled from the carnage in the aftermath. modified shiny machines, they had been named. with a power source... they can open infinite possibilities. unfortunately, zekrom seems to have been their ideal power source.

he leans forward, then, and tugs a scale free from zekrom's body. the scientist winces despite herself. she imagines, in some way, the process of removing scales is a painful one.

and when remiel asks for her to stay, she looks a bit torn. she's quiet for a moment before finally, softly, answering.

"yeah, that's fine. i probably can't stay the full night but let me just send a text quick..."

her phone is tugged out to let Felix Gallagher know she'll be coming home later than she anticipated. scientific study and the parallel curiosity it holds keeps her schedule ever changing. she adds a final text of apology before pocketing the device and returning her attention to remiel.

"okay, do you want me to take blood samples as well?"

Remiel Calcifet

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]he's correct: it is none of his business.

and she's almost grateful he doesn't pry into her personal life, as if it had been a line she was afraid he'd cross.

"okay, that should be good for now, then."

if zekrom doesn't want its blood drawn, who is she to change its mind?

besides, she doesn't necessarily blame it. no amount of healing mist could make the art of drawing blood any better.

"to the estate."

and she follows without much of a word, content to exist in a false sense of security silence brings. the estate comes into view eventually and her chest tightens. anxiety begins to creep in, weaseling into silence and overwriting it with a faint but persistent undertone.

Remiel Calcifet

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]while he is gone, she makes herself at home in a foreign lab.

there's touches of familiarity: a fleeting scent from a memory, a picture she's seen in passing, even a sound drifting in from somewhere up above ground. she holds onto these small moments, knuckles white as she tries to keep herself focused.

and when he returns, a vial in one hand and steaming hot chocolate in the other, she glances up from the papers in her hand.

"oh, yeah... thanks."

one hand rises to retrieve the mug from him, already bringing it to her lips to take a gulp. it burns slightly with the whiskey but the peppermint eases muscles in the mind of residual anxiety.

"the scale's analysis is -- well, it's interesting to say the least."

she places the mug back down and extends the papers toward him should he want to look for himself.

"i'd like to analyze the blood sample as well, but i think we'll find the same evidence in both results."

there's a slight worry to her expression, subtle lines by the corners of her mouth that bleed into the ghost of a frown.

"the machine they were using... do you remember anything about it? any substances hooked up to it, by any chance?"

Remiel Calcifet

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]"it's possible, but this feels... different?"

not quite close to the toxins of a nihilego, but within a similar realm.

she sinks her teeth into the trammels, and the picture he paints with them.

"why would the general use zekrom's energy when ultra beasts are more than capable of opening wormholes themselves?"

it doesn't make sense, not in the way it should.

there's something they're missing.

"it could be radiation from ultra space that causes the mutation... the megalopolan technology they used could, in theory, create changes in zekrom on a molecular structure if it had been subjected to the device for long enough."

a hum escapes. she's processing, chewing through thoughts and information until its bland and tasteless on her tongue.

"the art of creating a wormhole is still foreign to us, truthfully, but i expect it is an equal exchange of energy. zekrom's for ultra space's, perhaps. if it had been poisoned, though, i imagine it would no longer be with us."

poison, no matter how small of an amount, always ends up prevailing in the end. it must be something else for the black dragon is still among them, still strong and in full control.

finally, like a lightbulb flickering into newfound life, she snaps her fingers as a thought comes. she tugs it further into the mind, allowing the concept to blossom into full fruition.

"maybe it's not an ultra beast's poison but ultra space's. radiation poisoning, to be exact, from being connected to ultra space for too long."

Remiel Calcifet

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]she hums through a sound of approval before her hand extends out toward his. palm up, expecting... waiting for the vial to be passed along.

and yet, she plucks it away with a carelessness. the liquid sloshes timidly against glass confines.

"okay."

a beat passes between them.

"follow me, then. let's see what we find."

she leads him to machines, their mechanical whirring faint but welcoming. the vial of glowing blood is prepped and after a moment, she begins analysis...

Remiel Calcifet

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]the results are interesting - existing in a realm she had suspected. curious, perhaps, is the way remiel soaks it all in. her eyes shift toward him, sharp as teeth.

is this difficult for him? to be at a loss?

his arms cross over his chest and she looks away, retreating to the analysis instead.

"yes, it's ultra space's radiation."

the problem has gotten bigger than her expertise. she doesn't see a way forward - not yet, anyway.

"truthfully, i don't know if you'll be able to reverse this. radiation doesn't just leave once its been added to the body's chemistry."

he's at an impasse, it seems. her eyes are intrigued when they finally return to him. how will he advance?

Remiel Calcifet