CHAPTER 22: EXAM ROOM ONE

Hiro closed her eyes and took a breath. A roller coaster of emotions was running through her. She didn't have time to sift through them all. She was mainly annoyed but also pleased that he existed along with more nuanced feelings, but for all of those feelings, she recognized he had as little control over his introduction to this world as she had. With the breath, she resolved to be nice. The new Soul was the wrong person to be annoyed with.

She opened her eyes and met his strange pale grey ones. "Soul. Or as Button has informed me, A.P.E. or is it Ape? Or do you want to be called Soul? The headmaster said many who have platinum concepts will be called what they have gained."

His face was impassive as he responded. "I prefer Ape. Though A. P. E. is also fine. Soul is strange to me still." His eyebrows drew ever so slightly together, "I had heard that you were injured somehow upon your change. I was not expecting to meet you until classes started in a few days. I had hoped your healing was swift, but you seem in fine form."

Hiro tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows crinkled, "Uh, I'm surprised you know about any of that. I still need healing. All the damage is internal, and I have to meet my ride in about one minute and thirty-seven seconds. It took them some time to figure out how to treat my condition, so I'm meeting the team now."

He tilted his head to mimic what she had done with hers. "It is my sincere hope the problem is fixed swiftly. If it would be alright with you I would like to meet soon and have a longer discussion than our meeting currently allows."

Hiro straightened her head and his head followed. She tested a theory while she answered him. "Sure that's fine," she said putting her hand not holding her tray on her hip. His free hand also followed to his hip. I don't know when I'll be free next. I can have button contact you." She slid her hand behind her like she was scratching at something. His hand also slipped behind his back. She squinted at him and his eyes narrowed in kind. Yup defiantly mirroring her. Was it a cultural thing for him? She'd ask about it later, for now her internal clock was telling her, it was time.

"Miss, The professor is landing. You should proceed to the pickup point." Button broke in right on time.

"Ah, Button is telling me to skedaddle. I hope you have a good day. And you to Thoz," She gave a small wave to the large Lizardman who had been standing just behind Ape's shoulder staring her down this whole time.

"Until the next time," Ape replied. As Hiro walked away the two of them slid into the seats at the small table she vacated.

"What a strange pair," She whispered under her breath.

"How so Miss?" Button interjected.

"I'll explain it later Button." She murmured setting her tray where Banks had shown her earlier to be recycled and heading out the door. Ape was an odd one. His mirroring of her gestures was something she wanted to explore. Was he doing it unconsciously or purposefully? Was there a difference in culture causing it? Who knows? She'd find out sooner or later. For now, she was ready to worry about herself and fix her mistake during her change. She wanted her powers back in action.

She returned to where the professor had dropped her off the day before. The fuzzy-faced bat-like Professor was exiting the vehicle as she approached at a brisk walk. Her internal clock told her she was only a minute later than the countdown Button provided. She hoped Professor Daubenton wasn't the impatient type.

"Hello Cadet, let's get moving. The team is prepared and ready to get started." She gestured to the flying vehicle from the day before.

Hiro folded herself into one of the seats, "Good morning Professor!" She said matching her cheerful energy.

Professor Daubenton joined her and within moments they were in the air again. "Let me give you the itinerary for the day. Following the old records we will need to do some magic scans to see what your pathways look like then come up with a plan from there. From what we can gather this type of faulty change happens when someone takes on too many concepts or incompatible concepts. One nasty account is when someone picked up both holy and unholy and they couldn't hold both at once. Their Soul had to step in to make sure they didn't rip themselves apart. Unfortunately, at that time they were locked out of most of their powers. But don't worry!" the professor charged ahead at Hiro's alarmed look, "You don't have incompatible concepts. We shouldn't have to go through such drastic measures."

Hiro let out the breath that had ballooned in her chest with her rising panic. "Professor! You can't start with the worst-case scenario if you don't want me to worry!"

The professor's large ears wobbled a bit and she waved her hand at her, "Cadet, it will be fine! From the reports, your case is one of too many concepts synthesized with a little bit of incomplete change happening. If we can bring you through the program successfully you will have the opportunity to have the strongest control of the magic running through you of your generation! Many generations in fact! We teach all cadets basic magic cycling and mana control to help their powers flow correctly through the channels the change creates, but we will be able to help you build yours up concept by concept! The whole department is thrilled to walk with you through this journey to learn more about how magic and physiology work together!"

Hiro's panic had mostly calmed and was replaced with some hope, though there was a bit of irony twisted in. "I'm a lab rat for your department aren't I?" She asked wryly.

"Yes! We're all so excited to have a case study!" The professor said cheerfully either missing the wryness or purposefully ignoring it.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"In my world lab rats often die in the pursuit of knowledge." Hiro elaborated to see which it was.

"Oh, well, not here! Or at the very least our ratpeople are well compensated and consent to everything. We have excellent medical plans for anyone harmed with long-term effects."

Hiro clicked her jaw closed after that comment. She was speaking to a human bat. She shouldn't be surprised there were literal rat people.

The professor filled the hovercraft with chatter about the various procedures that could happen but Hiro's attention had been drawn outside. They had moved away from the carried architecture of the school's quarter and into sleek futuristic buildings that were all metal and with cool blues and greens accenting the bright white and light grey metals.

The hovercraft flew into an opening in one of the tallest buildings near the center of the quarter.

"Ah, here we are! The Headmaster allocated us a whole floor in the main research hospital! This will be a chance to update all the data we have about this process. A lot of the higher technology concepts hadn't even been discovered the last time there was a case like this! If they could fix and even expand capacity back then without everything we have now, think about the possibilities!" The Professor practically flew out of the hovercraft.

Hiro couldn't help the small smile tugging at the sides of her mouth as she followed the professor through the building. A smooth green glowing elevator ride and several sleek white walls with green and blue streaks that ran through them later and they arrived at the room the Professor described as Exam Room One. Why they'd need more than one exam room when they only had one subject Hiro didn't know. Either way, when the door hissed open there was a pair of new people to greet.

"Cadet Skylark, this is Professors Allyson Davenport and Orion Gendey. They are both here to help with the exam process."

"Hello!" Hiro said with a half wave as she prompted Button for tags.

The short round one with tight dark curly hair, deep black skin and a smile that beamed out of her face had "Professor Allyson Davenport; She/her; Gold Rank Professor of Mana and Magic."

Contrasting her was a pale skinny man with short black hair and neatly trimmed ghotee over stern features and crimson eyes. "Professor Orion Gendry; He/Him; Gold Rank Professor of Integrated Technology."

"Welcome to Headquarters!" Professor Davenport said enthusiastically with a slightly accented voice coming out of the translator. Let's get your Mana channels mapped out so we can see what we're working with shall we?" She took Hiro's elbow barely coming up to her shoulder as she did so and guided her into the room. There was a vast array of equipment set out on tables and countertops that had been haphazardly pushed aside to make room for a massive cylinder filled with blue water that glowed faintly from the lights set around it.

"Professor Gendry get the contacts out for whatever hocus pocus you're going to do." She waved a hand at him.

"Hocus Pocus! Aly you are calling my sophisticated machines hocus pocus when you deal with literal magic all day!" The man who stood a head taller than Hiro threw up his hands and muttered things under his breath while Professor Davenport winked at Hiro trying to bring her into a privet joke she wasn't quite sure she wanted to be a part of.

"You can feel magic, machines are just hunks..."

"Colleagues," Professor Daubenton cut across the friendly bickering before it went any farther, "I know this is a rare case of our departments working together, but we need to get Cadet Skylark's healing moving, we've already lost two days out of the recommended time table."

Professor Davenport's eyes glittered with mischievousness as Professor Gendry let out a long-suffering sigh but they both redirected their efforts under Daubenton's watchful gaze. As they made their final preparations Professor Davenport walked Hiro through the exam process.

"So dear, Since water was the last concept integrated we're going to use this setup Orion over there cooked up to help ease your magical pathways. I will be walking you through the basics of mana pathways and magic manipulation to work on cycling whatever magic we can but I suspect mostly water magic through those pathways to map them and see what we can tackle first. While we're doing that his fancy machine will be mapping all of the pathways currently open to you and trying to find out where there are blockages. Once we have this map of your current arrangement we can focus on what needs to open up first."

Professor Gendry held up a wetsuit with lots of contacts built into it. "Go get changed so my fancy machine that my team built yesterday, Which was in record time, I might add," he shot a look at Professor Davenport, "Can read the signals your mana puts out."

"Alright," Hiro took the wet suit and walked to the indicated door which opened to the same type of bathroom she was getting used to. This one with soft blue walls and white fixtures. She shimmied into the suit, which was quite a lot more difficult than she thought it should be, and rejoined the Professors who were back to quietly bickering about whether His machines or her magic were going to be the most helpful during the entire procedure.

They both quieted with a look from Daubenton and they helped Hiro up the ladder and into the tank of water. Hiro felt rejuvenated being in the water again. She swirled around and dunked herself in the tube that was just a little too large for her to be able to touch both sides at once when she held her arms out. The water was salty on her lips. She hadn't tried breathing in salt water yet. She stuck her head experimentally down but before she could overcome her instinct not to breathe water She was interrupted.

"Hold still!" Professor Gendry called out and she stopped her experiment and tread water calmly head poking out of the water so she could pay attention to directions. A batch of wires from above the tank reached toward her as the Crimson eyes of Professor Gendry glowed. They attached themselves to various points across the suit and she felt a faint hum against her skin.

Professor Davenport's head poked up over the edge of the tube smiling her brilliant smile, "Alright dear, You're in some salt water, it's going to hold you suspended under the surface while we work. You shouldn't have to move, I believe the salinity will adjust for optimal buoyancy as soon as you stop moving. The report said you can breathe underwater. The ocean concept is under the concept of water, so you should be more than fine. If at any point though something feels wrong hit the button over there and the tank will drain. I have one more connection to attach to your forehead so I can link up with your mana channels and then we can begin."

She had Hiro move to the edge of the tank and attached a thin band holding a crystal to her forehead. "This will allow me to tune into your aura a little easier." She said tugging it into place. Go get settled underwater and give me a thumbs up when you're ready."

The professor backed herself back down the ladder and put on a matching crystal band while Hiro settled herself under the water. She faced the big drain button and then waited until her lungs burned to take the experimental first saltwater breath. It was odd. Her mouth filled with air that tasted like she was on a beach. Slightly salty, crisp, and pleasant. She shrugged and settled into a comfortable floating position. When she felt ready she gave the trio of professors a thumbs up.

She felt a tug from the center of her forehead before falling into blackness.