Chapter 60: The Science of Chaos
Dr. Marcus Vance stood behind the thick, soundproof glass of the observation room, eyes fixed on the two subjects in the training chamber. His usual analytical sharpness dulled for a moment as the scene in front of him played out.
He had watched countless sessions in this very room, analyzing the powers of metahumans for years. But today, something unexpected happened—something he hadn’t anticipated in all his meticulously crafted scenarios.
Elias Hale had just transformed Levi Blackwell into a ball. A perfectly spherical shape, with Levi’s head on top, his large eyes blinking from the smooth surface, his mouth still intact, making offhand remarks about his new form. Elias stood nearby, looking on with detached calmness, playing the part the Academy had molded him into, manipulating Levi’s molecules as if this was just another day in the high-security wing.
Then, with a seemingly casual remark from Elias about wondering what it would be like to be a ball himself, Levi did something unexpected.
Vance’s grip tightened on the edge of the console in front of him, his knuckles whitening as he leaned forward. Levi, with that blank, detached expression, sent out his emotional waves directly into Elias. There was no hesitation, no mercy—just controlled, concentrated feeling.
Elias barely had time to react before his own body began to shift. His eyes widened, for the first time showing genuine shock as his molecules twisted and bent. The control he usually wielded over his own powers backfired, and in a surreal twist of fate, Elias found himself… a ball.
The air in the observation room went silent, save for the hum of the machines tracking the subjects’ vitals. Dr. Vance remained utterly still, his mind racing to process the data and implications of what he had just witnessed.
Two of the most dangerous metahumans in the Academy’s custody, reduced to bouncing spheres.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
He blinked. His rational mind screamed for him to assess the situation, to categorize the implications of Levi’s power and Elias’s unexpected clown show. But his thoughts seemed stuck, tripping over themselves as the sheer absurdity of what had just occurred settled in.
And then, it happened.
The other scientists in the observation room, normally so stoic, so professional in their duties, began to laugh. First, it was a single chuckle that slipped out, muffled by a hand trying to stifle it. Then another joined, unable to contain the bizarre hilarity of the scene in front of them. Before long, the entire room was filled with the sound of suppressed laughter, bubbling up from each of the scientists.
Dr. Naomi Wells, Vance’s assistant, stood beside him, her face contorted as she struggled not to join in. A few meters away, another researcher wiped tears from his eyes, his laughter bordering on hysteria.
Vance, still rooted to the spot, remained silent, his expression stiff as he glanced around the room. How could they find this funny? He wanted to be furious, to reprimand them for their lack of professionalism, but… he couldn’t find the words. His own mind was still grappling with the utter foolishness of it all.
The situation was laughable in its sheer unpredictability. Despite all his research, despite all the control measures and inhibitors, the Academy’s best-laid plans could be upended by the wild nature of these metahumans. And now, two of their most dangerous subjects were rolling around like children’s toys, reduced to harmless spheres in a high-stakes game they didn’t even seem to care about.
Vance exhaled slowly, loosening his grip on the console as he watched the scientists around him lose themselves in the moment. Perhaps he, too, needed a second to let go of the weight that pressed on him. This was supposed to be a serious experiment—an analysis of how two powerful individuals interacted, an exploration of their abilities, their personalities under pressure. But it had devolved into a chaotic farce, revealing something even more telling than Vance had originally planned.
Levi Blackwell, despite his emotional detachment, had shown that he could influence Elias with terrifying precision. And Elias, despite his calculating nature, had been outplayed, undone by a single flicker of curiosity from Levi.
Vance didn’t laugh, but he couldn’t deny the strange sense of irony that threaded through the room. Maybe the Academy’s experiments had become too focused, too rigid. Maybe there was something to learn from the unpredictability, from moments like this.
He turned to Naomi, whose lips were still pressed into a tight line, struggling not to laugh outright.
“Make sure this session is thoroughly documented,” Vance said, his voice calm but with a trace of bemusement. “I want every variable accounted for.”
Naomi nodded, composing herself quickly as she tapped commands into her tablet.
“Of course, Dr. Vance,” she replied, though there was a hint of amusement still dancing in her eyes.
Vance turned back to the window, watching as the two spherical figures bounced slightly in place. Levi’s voice, muffled but clear, rang out from his form: “Well, this is… interesting.”
Elias, silent but clearly annoyed, rolled slightly, his form wobbling as if trying to adjust to his new shape.
Vance allowed himself the smallest of smirks before quickly returning to his usual, measured demeanor. Chaos and absurdity aside, the Academy still had control and that was all that mattered.