The Crystallites: Prologue

If you find any mistakes or spelling errors then tell me. Enjoy.

Skyline University has always been ranked as one of the best universities in the world. Ever since it was built over fifty years ago, it has produced its own share of engineers, doctors, and scientists. Held for its excellences in tech, health, and science, it has remained in the top recommendations for students who want to get into any of the three base fields.

What gives this university its advantage is its laboratory that’s behind it. It provides excellent on hands training for the university students to get their hands dirty. When a student graduates with his or her degree, they would have already walked out of there with enough on hand knowledge pushes them into their desired practice.

Skyline University also has its own individual research center called Skyline Laboratory. Anything and everything can be researched there. Being supported by the county, state, and federal government, their endless pool of money is what enables them to achieve so much over the years.

Some graduates have moved on to becoming university teachers at Skyline themselves while still operating individually in the labs. Esmond Hooter and Benjamin Royal are two of those people, Esmond having a more unique situation that Benjamin.

There are two things that separate these two distinguished gentlemen from each other. While they are both scientists, Benjamin is an engineerist. In their relationship, he is usually the one who builds things that he or Esmond want to create and is usually the voice of reason.

Esmond on the other hand is a scientist that researches these unique gemstones called “Power Crystals.” These crystals changed life on Earth forever, that’s what many people say anyway. Some argue that life hasn’t change, just the way we do things have. Others say that if these power crystals never appeared that humans wouldn’t be as advanced as they are now. No matter how which way you word it, the change that it did bring was very big. The crystals brought with them the birth of a new race that only existed in fictions: Anthropmorphics or Anthros for short.

In 1857 when the original crystal landed on Earth in Russia, it released a shockwave that evolved most of the animal on the planet into these anthropomorphic beings. Esmond is one of those Anthros being a brown Anthro Owl. Benjamin, on the other hand, is a human who wears glasses and has short black hair.

Esmond and Benjamin are in a restricted access area beneath the facility that you need a special access card to get in. The room they are in is really spacious. Before there used to be the old generator occupying the space, but now it’s smaller but pumps out more power.

The design is rather simply. In the middle of the room is a capsule that reaches the ceiling. Inside the new power source, a crystal that stands at six feet even. Its energy is emitting a beautiful magenta.

In front of it is a triple monitor console that operates it. For their safety they have been asked not stand close to it so right now both Esmond and Benjamin are standing on the upper part of the room behind some guard rails.

“What do you think?”

“I think you’ve outdone yourself Dr. Hooter.”

Benjamin’s casual response is what’s expected of him. There was a hint of a sarcastic under tone to that answer as well. Esmond saw that coming the moment he asked the question.

“Figured you say that.”

“Come now, surely you weren’t expecting another response outside of the usual norm.”

“It would’ve been nice.”

Besides being lab partners, Esmond had always known Benjamin for his casual yet serious outlook on anything and everything. He never really gets excited, only cautious. Sometimes he wonders how someone can obtain that kind of casual, yet serious outlook on life in the first place.

“What we have here is an experimental project that’s nothing more than that, experimental. So excuse my cautiousness Dr. Tropic.”

“Of course.”

“But if I do have one complement it is that it’s certainly pretty to look at.”

Esmond can agree with that. The lighting that the crystal fills the room with makes him feel like he’s at a disco club.

When Esmond was presented with the idea of building a new generator using a power crystal as the power source, he immediately jumped on the idea. He figured since he was going to leave the University soon to start his own lab, he might as well go out with a last hoorah.

Benjamin on the other hand was skeptical about the idea. This idea has already been tired before in the past and has failed. With no means to control the output of power it was too risky and the idea was tossed; now people want to it again since they have learned much more about these crystals.  So far it’s been working, but for how long he wonders.

“Now with the hard part out of the way, the real project can begin.” Says Esmond enthusiastically. He and Benjamin have been working on this generator for a few months now. He’s happy that it is now done and over with. In his mind the real fun can now begin.

“The higher ups are still thinking about it.”

“What? But we gave them what they asked for. We had an agreement.”

“A shaky agreement. I’m not too sure about it myself Dr. Hooter and I’m not alone here. Your team is also skeptical about this.”

“After all the years we’ve known each other, I thought you would call me by my first name Benjamin.” Esmond says while fixing his collar. He is not pleased to hear that the agreement he settled upon was still being thought about after all this time.

Bother Doctors walk out of the room and up the stairs back to basement level 3, all the while they are talking about the project that Esmond wants to delve into.

“I’m just saying Dr. Hooter-”

“Esmond!”

“…Esmond, that we need to be careful. Something like this has never attempted before and could have serious consequences.”

“I am aware of the drawbacks of this project, but the benefits are too great not to push forward. Just imagine all the good that will come out of this? These crystals have been around for more than a hundred years and there’s still so little we know about them, what we can do with them. This will change all of that and push us into a new age the likes of which we have never seen before.”

Esmond has been waiting to do this for years now, but never had the resources to pull it off. When he was approached about the crystal generator he had them make an agreement: He and his team will provide them with the generator if in return he can then use that as a power source to kick start something he likes to call "Project Miracle." His objective is simple, yet massive: to create a machine that cures any and all aliments. Indeed a machine like that would definitely be beneficial for all.

It suddenly clicks in Benjamin’s head the piece that connects all of this together.  Rubbing his forward, Benjamin sighs at the thought since he should have come to this conclusion earlier.

“Does this have anything to do with that boy of yours?”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“I knew it, Hayato.”

“All birds must fly Benjamin. Besides he’s just one of the many examples of anthros and people who have been afflicted by something out of their control.”

Benjamin knows that he is right, but he’s not fond of Hayato. Benjamin is a no nonsense kind of guy, and Hayato to him is full of nothing but nonsense. His so called witty remarks and nicknames are usually at his expense. That boy gives me nothing but a headache, he thinks to himself.
Esmond stops in front of his lab that’s located at the half way point of basement level 3. He reaches down into his coat pocket and pulls out an access card. On every door that isn’t open to the public there is a card reader on every door that only unlocks when you have the specific card for it. Esmond is not a particular fan of this security measure and would much rather prefer something like a finger print scanner. Still it works and that’s what matters in the end.

“Now enough chit chat Benjamin. It’s time to get to work.”

“Yes Dr. Hooter.” Says Benjamin while walking into the lab.

“…Esmond. It’s not going to kill you to say my name.” Esmond says as walks inside and closes the doors behind him.