In their room, he just crashed onto his bed wanting just, a little nap. Before getting a laptop and letting his skills speak, he didn't want to wait to be upgraded so after this nap, he will get all the information he wants. Drifting deeper and deeper into sleep, he saw Val's face. Only a few emotions of him though. Val laughing, angry crying, furious, and his best look, with mischief in his eyes and a smirk on his lips. Waking up about two hours later, he could still hear Valentin's laugh in his head. Sitting for a bit, on his bed he looked around, no Zenix or Ben. The room was empty, standing up he was dizzy, not only dizzy but also so hungry. He didn't eat anything today, so he took his backpack, walked outside, and into the elevator. In the elevator he pressed the number two, on floor two he walked out and the smell of food wafted at him. It smelled like canned soup, but he was so hungry. The last thing he ate was a candy bar, sweets really can't fill someone up.
Getting in line with a food tray, in front of the man who was handing out the soup, the man asked, "ID?"
Noah showed him his ID card, the man nodded giving him a ladle of soup.
Noah wanted to sit down, but the man said, "Wait!" And then he gave him an apple, "The researchers have to stay healthy." Noah nodded, smiled a little, and said his thanks.
Noah sat down, ate, and went down to the research facility. Walking to his research station, he opened his backpack and pulled his crystals out. He put them in the machine next to him with an ethyl alcohol and isocyanate mixture. As he let that stir, he turned on the computer. It didn't even require a passcode.
Going to the settings to make one a woman on the table behind him said, "I wouldn't do that. If you die, we will have to overturn the whole operating system. And they don't want you to get access to any information you shouldn't be able to possess. So all of the computers are also lined with special programming so that if you ever try to hack them they will know." Noah nodded, stood up, and got himself a microscope. Seems like he had to put some work into it, that is until the nosey woman next to him was gone. Walking around he saw a few microscopes on display, he picked one and walked with it to his research station.
Although his table was full, with the backpack, the lunchbox with his few crystals, and the computer plus the keypad of the computer. Noah took his bag with his little finger, pulling it off the table and with the microscope he pushed the keyboard to the back. Then he sorted everything so that it sort of fit on the table, but was still usable for notes. He plugged the microscope in, got out a crystal from his lunchbox, and observed it. Professor Maclaren wasn't wrong. It looked like salt, he zoomed closer and he didn't realize anything special. He still wrote down exactly what it looked like exactly. He put the crystal under several tests, like normal water, ethyl alcohol alone, or aqua regia. The good thing was the glass plate that was under it, the crystal not only, showed no reaction, but also purified the aqua regia in the process. A ding came to his ears, his mixture-soaked crystal was ready. He cautiously got it out and switched it with the crystal that just made the aqua regia to normal water.
There was a change in the crystals molecules were black, confused Noah backed up and looked at the glass dish. The crystal still looked transparent from the outside but under the microscope, it looked black. He wrote that down, quickly got a plastic bag, and threw the excess liquid into the bag. He dried the crystal to see if it was just the liquid turning it black or if it was dyed like that permanently. From the outside he had no idea, so he put it dried off under the microscope. It was still black, and as he was zooming closer it had a pulse. He could see it vibrating, so he repeated one test from before. The aqua regia test, to see what would happen now. A trop of it was sprinkled onto the crystal, the moment they touched the crystal vibrated and then exploded. One of the crystal pieces flew on Noah's hand, he hissed in pain as it burned. A red dot was forming where the crystal hit him.
He wrote down what he did, the reactions he just witnessed and sent them to the professor's Account immediately. The accounts were saved and specially written in the folder he was given. He had to react quickly since the woman behind him could just watch him and write it down as her own. He put the crystal into the mixer with the same liquids as before. Noah wanted to try other liquids, like nitric acid or arsenic. Before he could do that the Professor already walked through the door to him.
"Very good. Come with me we will watch the cameras, since Felicitas behind you also sent a message with the same thing," she said and walked out, forward to another room in this endless corridor. Noah and Felicitas followed her, as Noah watched her, he saw her jewing on her lip. In the camera room Professor Maclaren, switched to the cameras in their room. Felicitas looked menacingly at Noah from an angle he couldn't see.
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The angle was perfect directly above Noah's research station and as expected it only showed Noah doing those tests while the woman watched curiously. Professor Maclaren smiled at Noah, congratulating him for becoming "gras". Noah nodded looking docile as he was promoted, just like that. It kind of makes him think that either the others are dumber than him or they just made it easy for them. As he also had the feeling that he was in a trap, Professor Maclaren took his ID card and key card. She then walked off and Noah walked behind her, she showed Noah to stay outside. He then waited in front of the door, but only for five minutes.
Then she came back outside she gave him his ID card and key card, "From now on you are gras level, meaning get your stuff from your research station you will be moved to another one. I will show you your new workplace after I have shown you, you should go to bed. Working hours at the grass department are sic hours and six hours only. With the key card you will be checking into your desk, the desk will ring if the six hours are over. This is to protect yourself, after six hours we will check if you are infected. The reason, is not only a flesh wound can give you the virus. We have developed a test, but no cure. Well get your stuff and meet me in the corridor where the doors are green."
The Professor then walked away, Noah walked in the opposite direction as he wanted to get his backpack. At his now old research station, he didn't find it. It was gone, together with the lunchbox.
His sight went to the woman behind him, who smirked and taunted him, "Why? Have you lost something? What was it? Maybe I can help you find it." Noah was kind of pissed off, but then again there was nothing of importance to him in there anyway. So he just walked away and ignored her. Even his crystal mixture was forgotten, if he wanted more he could make more. And if he wanted more stuff he would just ask Maison or one of the others. Even with just a few people, Noah was sure he could use the looks of the original to get what he wanted. He wouldn't prostitute himself, but he could provide a hug or a handshake.
Walking for what felt like hours, and through a white maze he finally found a green door. Well, more than one, about six to eight doors. He just went through the first one he saw, and of course, there wasn't anyone. So he went through the next, no one. The next, no one.
Opening the seventh door he saw Professor Maclaren, she smiled, "What took you so long? Come with me."
She walked in front and to a new research station, new because he had not been there before, "Put your ID card in here please, and wait for the peep." Noah did as told and when it peeped he took it out.
"Wonderfull this station is now bound to you and different from the dirt level, you can have a password-protected computer now. We don't like the dirt people to have a password-protected computer as a lot of them also quit halfway."
Noah nodded and opened the computer and when Professor Maclaren was looking for another Professor who was in charge of the gras level he set his password. His password was; Valentin2022. No one will ever guess that one. He shut it down and smiled at the Professor that Professor Maclaren brought over. He was a skinny man, his legs reminded Noah of bamboo poles and his arms had the thickness of twigs. His face was kind of fallen in, but his eyes shined with vigor. He shook Noah's hand introducing himself as Professor Gerold, but telling Noah to leave the Professor title and just call him Garry.
Noah smiled politely and with shining eyes, as he called out, "Garry." Garry was won over and petted Noah on the head.
Noah just smiled and on the inside, 'I HATE IT SO FUCKING MUCH!! But play cool, you are puppy Noah you got this.'
With a milky sweet voice, he said, "I hope we can work well alongside each other." And gave Garry a polite little bow, but Garry told him to stop that and get some rest.
Noah nodded, said his goodbyes and walked off. Walking to the elevator, he thought to himself, 'Maybe I was a bit harsh to Jay, I never said I didn't like it so he couldn't have known. And I shouldn't jump to conclusions, my mother also jumped to conclusions and I saw how that turned out.' With a new mindset, he pushed the three in the elevator. On the third floor, he walked to his room, which he shared with his favorite Dou. It was already 1.24 am, they would surely be asleep. In front of the room he hesitated, with Dou's friendship with Jay surely nothing good was behind this door. He opened the door, the lights were out and he could make out a slight snoring sound. A sigh of relief came out, he walked to the closet got new clothes, and took a shower. All that silently, of course, he didn't want one of them waking up.
In his bed he stared at the ceiling, first he had to take tests, then he was introduced to the research team, and after that, he fought. He remembered a very important person and fought with Jay. Being introduced to the research facility he also upgraded. All that in one day, it felt like a dream. How could he advance so fast? And that annoying Raven also didn't tell him if he won that price for being himself. Only now he realized the fatigue and his eyes fighting to get a rest. With his thoughts on the day he fell asleep. As Noah's breath stabilized, Zenix's eyes opened wide he looked at the direction of Noah. In his eyes was no emotion, his mouth went down a little and his hair fell into his face. Closing his eyes again he also fell asleep.