Jeffers POV

The air around me felt slightly heavy, damp, and infused with a myriad of chemicals entwined with one another. As my eyes scanned the wide wall, numerous radioactive symbols dotted various sections, unveiling the harsh reality of the environment where I spent most of my time during the day.

I scanned the vastly spacious white room, the walls themselves padded with white foam, every piece of material or item had been meticulously crafted to withstand all manners of corrosive and toxic substances

In a pale hazmat suit, I stood alongside a shorter figure, a colleague of mine whom we had both been tasked with concluding the final stages of our never-ending research. 

We stood beside a squared, well-polished silver table with shelves. The top row held various sealed test tubes, labeled accordingly with each stage of research, whilst the lower shelves contained jarred bones swimming in a sea of lime-colored liquids.

However, our main focus tonight rested on an enigmatic, otherworldly cube resting upon a short silver tray before us. Its entire exterior gleamed with gold, meticulously bound together by silver bolts. At its core, a mystifying, resplendent sapphire stone captivated our attention, casting radiant reflections off its polished surface. This artifact had served as the centerpiece of numerous clandestine meetings, convened with some of the brightest minds from around the globe. And now, it lay within our reach.

Turning our helmeted heads toward each other, we exchanged a synchronized nod. I, the taller and more slender of the two, shifted my attention to the right side of the pristine silver table. Here, I discovered a larger, translucent box replete with syringes, Petri dishes, and an array of silver instruments for diverse scientific endeavors.

My gloved hand deftly sifted through the box's contents for a brief moment before selecting a delicate set of miniature tongs. Meanwhile, my colleague had knelt down and gently positioned another cylinder-shaped silver box on the left side of the cube. She lightly pressed a small square button on the cylinder's side before gingerly lifting the lid.

Nestled within the cushioned interior was a glistening, fang-shaped golden artifact that sparkled with exquisite brilliance. The moment the metal touched the outside air, it emitted an otherworldly hum. Employing the secured tongs, I cautiously reached into the cylinder box and retrieved the golden piece. Against the backdrop of the opulent gold-metal adorned box, a fang-shaped cavity exposing the sapphire jewel came into view. With utmost care, I maneuvered the piece into position, and the box responded with a magnetic force, promptly locking the fang-shaped metal securely in place. Finally, the golden cube stood complete.

Swiftly, we took a few steps back, anticipating something otherworldly poised to occur. However, as minutes passed, the expectation became rather anti-climactic, with no change materializing on the surface.

Our shoulders relaxed somewhat, as I was confident we were clear of any danger now.

After leaving the containment area, I knuckled a glaring red button placed by the side of the exit door. A stream of purifying white gas descended, filling the small walkway connected to the main laboratory and the testing area.

Once the four nozzles had finished releasing thick plumes of gas, my companion and I eagerly anticipated the signal to finally remove our helmets. Our gaze remained fixed on the two flashing red bulbs positioned just above the door.

A beep-beep sound echoed, precisely five minutes later, and the red light transitioned to green, indicating that the air had been successfully purified.

Beside me, my colleague had already removed her hazmat helmet. I wasn't usually one to focus on physical appearances, but even I couldn't help but appreciate her beauty. She was an attractive woman with a smooth, chocolate complexion, almond-shaped hazel eyes adorned with darker freckles on her cheeks. Her hair had been stylishly woven into a braid, cascading down her neck into a thick tail. I curiously observed her pleasant features as I took my time removing my own helmet.

Once my helmet was off, I glanced at the foggy mirror strategically placed against the wall right beside the sliding doors. The reflection revealed a middle-aged man with a slender face, deep blue sunken eyes, and pallid, sallow skin. My head was crowned with a full mane of blonde curls that elegantly framed my ears. Hayley, the brown-skinned girl, tilted her head slightly, noticing the distant look in my lifeless eyes for a brief moment. We strolled casually into the next room, engaging in partial conversation as we walked, with Hayley doing most of the talking as usual.

Of course.

"Why the long face, Jeffers? Today concludes our experimentation, and object T3-RR0-0R01 will finally be taken off our hands... ahh, I need a drink after all this trouble. All the fuss over some damn relic... sigh... say how's Melanie doing these days?" She asked after badgering on a little

I paused once that name was mentioned, and my tiresome gaze fell upon Hayley beside me. 

"Melanie, eh... it's... it's been a while." My face was downcast as I reminisced over the last time I spent with a familiar golden-haired woman I met some while back. We lost contact after our second date, I was perhaps at fault for that id assume since I had promised on a whim to call her again, but seemed to get lost in the neverending tunnel of my work which had actually made me forget all about her. 

"Hmm, again?" Hayley spoke with slight irritancy 

I noticed her sizing me up in silence for a few moments before exhaling a deep sigh

"T-this isn't healthy, Jeffers," Hayley voiced after considering my face for a short while.

"Healthy?" the question stumped me. 

"Yes, healthy! Relationships! You know what normal people do... sigh, there's a big world outside of this place, you know."

Her eyes couldn't help scanning the various open laboratory halls along our way. The offices were empty; most of the 200 or so employees had already left earlier this afternoon, creating a tranquil atmosphere as though we walked through rows of rooms colored in silver and white. 

"Don't you ever read about those people that end up dying before they've truly lived? Buried in mountains of work, all to end up incurring an incurable disease and keeling over?" 

I softly sighed, wondering if I remembered to lock the case correctly for the relic whilst I fought with the misplaced strands of hair falling over my gaze. I spoke gently in response to her worries, "Spending your free time reading random articles might not be the best use of time for someone hailed as having one of the greatest minds in the country. By the way, do you remember if I tested the iodine liquid levels in item T3?" I asked earnestly, a lot of the things I cared about existed within these pale walls. Who held time over things such as relationships?

Hayley's brows quickly knitted in response; she was probably expecting this pushback from me from what I could tell. She had spent enough time beside my shrewd demeanor to understand the sort of person she was dealing with. 

"Forget about all of that for one moment. Tell me about Mel; I thought for once you had found someone... right for you." Her voice trailed off into a downcast whisper. I could only awkwardly steal subtle glances, feeling the mood had soured between us suddenly. I understood this tense silence was possibly due to my social awkwardness, I just wasn't sure just how to make it better. 
 
"I-i-i… ahem, about item T3." I stammered,"

Hayley didn't respond immediately and continued to wear a dispirited expression as she walked beside me in silence. My late mother had once self-diagnosed me as someone incapable of understanding empathy toward others' feelings. After many years of awkward social encounters, I eventually came to accept this truth about myself.

I could only use my deep interest in this project to lighten the mood. To be honest, it was all I actually cared about.

"I read from a classified dossier we had requested from the European branch, concerning their findings about the glyphs carved on its rich metals." I rambled on, uncaring whether or not my colleague desired to chime in.

I was a man who spent most of my leisure time buried knee-deep in working with complex statistical formulas and trying my best to refute the basic findings of other clever minds in the field of ancient artifacts. Not out of sheer ego, but simply because I had realized long ago that some mysteries were usually solved after dismantling the lengthy stacks of research reports conducted by prior scientists.

"I think we should barter for access to the alien genetics team's studies into artifacts from the 4th epoch." 

We finally arrived at a flight of white stairs, climbing towards more white rooms with expensive and delicate equipment inside. I finally noticed Hayley hadn't said anything in the last 15 minutes. I sort of understood why she might be annoyed, but I wasn't certain, and possibly very much wrong. Nonetheless, I forced every screaming fiber against my natural will to form some form of...care, towards her feelings.

"Is there something wrong?" I inquired after a while slightly timidly.

Hayley tossed a glare towards me, before exhaling a deep breath her eyes softening in the process as though she had given up. While turning away, she massaged the bridge of her nose and stared off into one of the empty open offices.

"T3…" she uttered beneath her breath, surrendering her feelings to the logical conversation. 

"I'm still skeptical, but I do also believe it may unveil some important unanswered questions about the beings of that epoch. The consensus amongst the White Hill historians is that…" 

"The folk who built these artifacts were not exactly human," I chimed in happy to her responding to me again.

I had already studied all the materials about the 'other' folk who lived through the famed 4th epoch. Two very important events occurred during this time, the dimensional rift implosion was one. And the second was the new age world governments assembling. Through these pivotal moments in history, thousands of uniquely existing worlds appeared like dotted ants across an endless dune. Professor Auschold II coined the term 'colliding galaxies' to summarize what the people who lived during the 4th Epoch called the end of the world. 

"Human was a loose term during that period. But I guess before the event termed 'star-fall,' you could call most of them humans… we need to make sure we have the full report done before the head of the union branch arrives in a few days." Hayley reminded me

Starfall...According to the research papers conducted by one of the leading minds in ancient relics. Starfall was mentioned 289 times within the 70-page dossier they managed to translate. This so-called end-of-the-world event was supposed to be the catalyst for what would be known as the real disaster.

"The day the veil between the multiverses came down and the outer worlds...finally collided..." I uttered, the corners of my lips must've rose gently as I felt a sense of wanderlust filling my chest. Although most of these instances could still not be 100% proven, the evidence mounting was becoming harder to ignore.

By now, we had reached the other side of the long hall filled with open offices. A large elevator twice the size of a double door sat at the end of a silent and narrow corridor with tall white walls. I casually walked along while Hayley couldn't help admiring the murals encased in golden frames.

Those still faces were of the most renowned minds who once upon a time walked these same very halls, dead fellows now of course. Their written thesis and research papers are the last of their wills.
I was still stuck in my thoughts, wearing a smile while Hayley busied her gloves away from her hand to activate the elevator's handprint sensor. 

"There's no telling what kind of power these artifacts wield; the radiation charge alone showed frightening numbers. I wonder… if we could attach it to an Ion regulator." 

Hayley thought of something important, folding her brows and wondering if it was worth revealing what she had discovered, or whether or not she would feel better withholding a hypothesis that just might give these hollow cheekbones face of mine, the answers I'm looking for.

I noticed one of her eyes lift in surprise, a sudden thought appeared within her, and she creased a mischievous smirk because of it. 

"Jeffers, I care about you know. So I want you to do something for me. Before I tell you this, I would like you to promise to obey my sole request."

I finally placed my curious eyes upon her for the first time in a short while.

"I'm listening… as long as it's within the boundaries of decency," I replied earnestly