Following the meeting, Tessa pulled Finn and Melody aside to discuss confidentiality. Tessa found herself surprised at how embarrassed she was to discuss the relationship. “Melody, I realize you are probably wondering about the relationship between Finn and I.”
She shrugged and grinned, “None of my business what ya’ll do.”
Finn became defensive, “Is this conversation even necessary?”
“The fact that you need to ask the question reinforces my decision to bring it up. When you and I started this relationship or whatever you want to call it, we agreed to keep it simple and private. I wish for it to remain that way.”
“Whatever you want to call it?” Finn became agitated. “Is that what I am to you? Whatever?”
“I’m not having this conversation with you right now in front of Melody.”
Melody chimed in, “Whatever you two do in your private time is up to you. I won’t say a thing.”
Tessa reinforced her wishes, “I don’t want Stonewell to know. This is something he might use against me, and I’m not interested in giving him any opportunities. He already has more power than I ever wished to give him.”
Melody reassured her friend, “I realize you don’t trust Stonewell, but trust me to keep him in check.”
Tessa trusted Melody, but Stonewell was a snake, and she wasn’t sure Melody would recognize his deceit. Melody followed Stonewell for several years, and his ideologies must have rubbed off on her to some extent.
Melody understood how Tessa felt about their new mission, and she was on board with the new direction. Tessa just wasn’t sure how much influence Stonewell had over her, and Tessa took a chance placing so much blind faith in Melody, but something in her gut told her Melody was a good person with a sincere heart. At some point, Tessa had to trust someone.
Finn turned to exit the room but turned back around, “I meant to mention that the engineering team has completed the Tesla coils and is ready to test H.I.V.E’s aether theory.”
“Then let’s go see if I can do what H.I.V.E believed I could do.” Tessa led the way to the engineering hanger.
The hanger was a buzz with sparking blow torches, the sound of hammers, and the whining of saws. The engineers were hard and work building from the specs Tessa stole from the H.I.V.E base. In the center of the concrete floor, three Tesla coils towered twice as high as any human and arranged in a triangle. In the middle of the triangle was a clear cylindrical battery casing with a metal spiraled coil in the center. They designed the device to store the energy created by the Tesla aether experiment. The sustainable energy provided by the experiment might jumpstart the core reactor to power the arc ship. This project was an essential part of building a working arc, and why H.I.V.E was so interested in Tessa. They believed her abilities were the key to harnessing the earth’s aether and providing the means to power the arc.
The engineering team bustled upon Tessa’s arrival. They awaited her return anxious to test their creation. The team made last-minute adjustments to the invention, and the lead engineer briefed Tessa on the machine. She positioned herself in the center of the triangle next to the battery. Finn suggested a comm earpiece to communicate with her during the process. The engineering team connected a slew of monitoring devices set up to stream live data to the secure control room as the experiment took place. Finn could alert her to any danger should they arise during the process. The team also hooked several monitors to Tessa’s body to ensure her safety. They would monitor her heart and brainwaves to protect her from harm.
With personnel secure and the device prepped, Finn gave her the green light. Safety protocols began, and the group retreated to a small office room to the side of the main hangar floor. They would watch Tessa work from behind concrete and protective glass. She couldn’t blame them for seeking shelter; no one anticipated what might happen next. They were in uncharted territory for the moment, but the team was on edge to discover the results.
Tessa closed her eyes to focus on her ability. She breathed in and out slowly as she honed in on her power. The Tesla-based theory assumed that the earth had a primal energy source to harness. The earth itself had a vibrating resonance to tap into with sustainable energy ready to harvest. Tessa zeroed in on the energy surrounding her. With each source she touched around her, she sensed the energy in equipment within the hangar and outside the energy in vehicles and the electrical grid powering the base. These sources were the apparent energy signatures, but she sought something different, something hidden beneath all the other noises surrounding her. She dismissed the familiar energy sources and focused on the earth.
The energy signature was subtle, and if she hadn’t looked for it specifically, she might have never found it, but it was there. A steady pulse of energy, natural and pure. At first, she only sensed it on the surface, but as she explored the energy closer, it originated much deeper than she could have ever imagined. This energy was the lifeblood of the earth.
Tessa reached out with her power deeper and deeper into the earth. Through the dirt into the bedrock, she searched a deeper connection to the power growing stronger and stronger. She sensed the mantle of the planet solid but still viscous, and beneath that, the molten core circulated with the
