A Thing For Betrayal

The facility hummed with an undercurrent of tension. In the days following Jaden's transformation, an uneasy quiet had settled over the team. Dr. Frost moved through the corridors, her face a mask of calm that belied the turmoil within. She'd worked tirelessly to reach this point, to guide events towards their inevitable conclusion. But now, as she approached the main laboratory, doubt gnawed at her resolve.

Inside, she found Dr. Chen bent over a complex array of equipment, muttering to herself as she fine-tuned the ley line manipulation device. Frost cleared her throat, causing Chen to start.

"Dr. Frost," Chen said, surprise evident in her tone. "I didn't expect to see you here so late."

Frost smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "I could say the same for you. How goes the calibration?"

Chen's excitement overtook her initial wariness. "It's remarkable. The data we're getting from Jaden's transformation... it's rewriting everything we thought we knew about the nature of reality."