As the jet soared in the sky for what felt like hours on end to Elias he was quickly relieved when they came to an end as they landed, Emmett snickered as he saw Elias breath a sigh of relief, with trembling hands he undid the straps he felt were not secure enough to hold him down but luckily nothing really happened as they seemed to have arrived safely in Emmett’s home town. As the three emerged from the jet walking to the private research facility they made way towards the third floor where Emmett knew Artemis would be working silently away in the dark, as Emmett knocked lightly on the laboratory door gaining the attention of Artemis as she peeked over her laptop she nodded slightly signaling to come in, as Emmett swiped his keycard allowing him access to Artemis, she noticed he wasn’t alone as Leslie followed close behind as well as a new familiar face she seemed to not remember that well, as Emmett spoke gaining Artemis’ attention, “Hey love so this here is my mate Blutarsky, I knew him back in Germany when I did a short internship back at Ice Core an…” “Get to the point Daario, I need to finish up these test samples, time is of the essence here” spoke Artmeis so suddenly as she meekly pointed towards her desk covered in papers, “I’ll get to the point here, I found some sort of fungal type spore in an abandoned mine, I was picking up large amounts of energy readings and found this” as Elias opened his laptop displaying the sample pictures and data he wrote about on his way back to Ice Core. As Artemis peeked at the screen she sort of found herself drawn to what Elias discovered back home, suddenly her reports and paperwork she happened to be working on just moments ago weren’t so important to her anymore as she pulled out her chair to look over the photos and data she noticed how much of a strange deep crimson color it displayed as she noticed a few bright red speckled spots on some areas as she took a closer look she sighed gaining Elias’ attention before she spoke, “Look these pictures are great and all but it would be better if I had a sample of it in person so I could examine this up clo-..” “That’s the thing! We have the samples with us here!” Elias spoke, cutting her off in an excited tone, Artemis chuckled as she saw his expression changed as if he was a child who received candy for the first time as he sat in front of her too close for comfort to her liking she turned looking at her two friends smirking before they cleared their throats before speaking, “Well, I can see this turned out better than expected seeing as how I wanted to introduce you both anyways but not like this'' chuckled Emmett as he spoke before stopping himself from laughing any longer as both Elias and Artemis glared at him before Leslie spoke up to clear the tension rising in the small room, “Anyway’s, I think Daario and I can manage bringing the fungal samples here but we have to suit up since we don’t know what we are dealing with here, I mean it did hospitalize two men didn’t it?” as Leslie looked towards both Elias and Emmett questioningly raising her eyebrow, Emmett sighed rubbing his temple feeling guilty knowing he should have pressed the both men harder into wearing the proper equipment before heading into that mine but seeing as how they weren’t easily persuaded he simply let it go, Elias could tell his friend was feeling guilty as the expression on his face changed as he looked to the ground not meeting anyone’s gaze, “You know what I can get the samples with Leslie so why don’t you stay here with Artemis” Elias spoke getting up as he looked at Leslie allowing her to lead the way to retrieve the samples leaving Emmett and Artemis behind as he followed in pursuit of Leslie. As Emmett stayed silent fumbling with his fingers before Artemis sighed as she spoke, “Look, you don’t have to talk about it and I won’t pester you with any questions all I want to know is what kind of samples your little friend here will be bringing me so should I be worried?” As she spoke in a soft tone Emmett collapsed his hands together before springing up as he spun around facing Artemis, “Well, let’s prepare this space to conduct our little examination of this fungi spore but first we do need some safety equipment to protect ourselves an..” “Hey, what kind of a person do you think I am not keeping safety equipment around?” as Artemis pointed her slender finger towards the cabinet space behind Emmett he made his way over retrieving a few hazmat suits and getting a few thickly coated rubber exam gloves as he made his way handing over one suit to Artemis before clearing his throat, “We should start gearing up, I can see what these spores do to people” as he spoke softly Artemis looked at his sad expression before grabbing the suit making her way to the door she turned around looking at Emmett, “Hey, I’ll go change into this suit so I’ll give you some privacy to gear up in here before the other two come back with the samples” as Artemis left the room walking away as Emmett held his head in his hands, sulking before he began suiting up. Leslie continued her way to the cargo drop off location where she knew she could find the samples sitting out in the open because of these so called security doing their “jobs”, as she rounded the corner she could see the containers sitting piled up haphazardly on the table as she stood there waiting for Elias to catch up to her considering the fact he was taller with longer legs she figured he was a quick walker, as she started handing the containers to Elias he looked pale as a ghost holding the samples afraid he would accidentally dropping one and unleashing the hellish nightmare these samples happen to contain within them, as they continued their way back to the small room Leslie kept her eyes on Elias’s facial expressions as she let out a small chuckle before entering the doors seeing Artemis and Emmett geared up in suits followed by Elias’s clumsily putting the samples down on the table as he sighed heavily relieved that he no longer had to be within reach of the fungi.
As Artemis observed the samples on the table, her curiosity mingled with a sense of trepidation. The fungal spores held an eerie allure, their crimson hue contrasting sharply with the sterile environment of the laboratory. She couldn't help but wonder about the mysteries they held and the potential they possessed. "Interesting," Artemis murmured, her voice muffled by the protective mask. "These samples seem highly unusual. We need to exercise caution during the examination." Emmett nodded in agreement, his eyes hidden behind the goggles of his hazmat suit. "Absolutely. We can't afford any mistakes. The consequences could be dire, and I am pretty sure no one here wants to suffer the same fate as the guards right?" Elias, still catching his breath from the rush of anxiety during the transportation of the samples, observed the interaction between Artemis and Emmett. His mind raced with questions, but he restrained himself from interrupting their conversation. Artemis donned a pair of thick gloves, carefully picking up one of the samples for closer inspection. As she examined it under a microscope, her brows furrowed in deep concentration. The spores seemed to pulsate with an otherworldly energy, a silent reminder of the menace they represented. Leslie, standing nearby, leaned against a countertop, her arms crossed. Her eyes darted between the researchers, a mixture of anticipation and concern etched on her face. She understood the importance of this discovery, but she also knew the risks involved knowing they had to find some sort of answer to what the hell this thing is. After several minutes of intense scrutiny, Artemis broke the silence. "These spores exhibit an extraordinary resilience and adaptability. It's as if they possess a will of their own, actively seeking hosts to infect as you can see here as it attaches itself onto my finger trying to find a way inside of the latex." as she held up her hands showing everyone the display. Emmett leaned closer, his voice barely audible through the mask. "Do you think they are responsible for the paralysis of the guards?" Artemis nodded thoughtfully. "It's highly likely. The correlation between the spores and the infection they seem to carry seems too strong to be mere coincidence. But there's still so much we don't understand." Elias, growing restless, interjected. "That's why we need to continue our research. We must find a way to combat this infection and figure out what the hell is growing underneath the earth." Artemis turned her gaze toward Elias, her eyes filled with determination. "You're right. We can't afford to lose hope. We must push forward, uncover the secrets of these spores, and develop a strategy to neutralize them." Emmett placed a reassuring hand on Elias's shoulder. "We're in this together, Elias. We won't stop until we find a solution, don’t worry so much mate, Artemis will have an answer she always does." Elias nodded, a glimmer of determination returning to his eyes. "Let's get to work then. The fate of humanity depends on us, we can’t let this thing out for any reason possible." And so, within the confined walls of the research facility, the small team of scientists prepared to delve deeper into the enigma of the fungal spores. Armed with their knowledge, resilience, and the crimson samples before them, they embarked on a perilous journey to decipher the secrets of the spores and unlock the means to save humanity from the brink of extinction. Little did they know that their every move was being observed by unseen forces, ready to exploit their findings for their own sinister agenda of dominating the world they once used to know, waiting to get their hands on whatever chance they get to get a piece or more of that sample to generate immortality to rule forever…240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPO6x9nytw
