A vial of red liquid hit the floor, shattering instantly. Shards flew across the laboratory in all directions, one striking a researcher in the back which caused him to double over in pain. A sharp odor pierced the noses of several other researchers, forcing them to temporarily cover their faces with their lab coats.
"Damn it, Elle! What the hell are you doing?" The head researcher yelled from the other side of the lab. "We need that compound to melt down the Extranium! A litre of that stuff is more valuable than your life, so treat it as such!" Elle nodded meekly to show she understood. She retrieved a dustpan and brush to clean up the mess, and salvage as much of the compound as she could so that she could resume her work as quickly as possible. The head researcher mumbled something and shook his head before returning back to his own work.
Extranium. A rare and unique metal that was recently discovered at the Earth's Core. Studies on seismic waves suggested that the core was primarily composed of iron and nickel, but humanity never had any means to reach it directly to confirm this information, until recently. Their way of travelling there has remained highly confidential, as only the country of England had discovered the method, and wanted to keep this marvellous metal a secret from the rest of the world. Once discovered, Extranium was collected in chunks and brought back to the surface. It was quickly discovered that this metal had special properties, so the top researchers in the country were selected to conduct their work on it.
After clearing up the broken glass, Elle got back to slowly pouring the salvaged compound onto a miniscule chunk of Extranium. The chunk resided in a mould bearing an odd shape, something Elle had never seen before. She made sure every drop of the compound went to use, covering every last inch of the Extranium chunk. Before her eyes, it began to bubble and fizz, gradually shrinking in size until it perfectly fit the mould. After the last bubble disappeared from the metal, it immediately hardened. Elle smiled, a genuine feeling of wonder and curiosity washing over her.
"Pick up the pace! This is the last day we have to make this work, otherwise our king's body will begin to rot and our chances will be ruined!" The head researcher shouted. Elle's smile instantly faded as she remembered what the research team's work was for. She solemnly placed the filled-out mould onto a tray and pushed it aside before grabbing another chunk of Extranium. As she reached for another vial of the compound, she noticed the head researcher stealthily exiting the laboratory, holding 2 trays with filled-out moulds. Curiosity got the better of her, and she followed suit.
Elle followed the head researcher until he reached an elaborate looking door with 4 locks on it; a mixture of physical locks and digital ones for maximum security. Once the researcher finally opened the door, Elle leaned forward from behind her hiding place. She moved to step forwards, but the researcher suddenly snapped to look in her direction. She darted back into hiding, barely managing to avoid being spotted, heart pounding in her chest. She knew the punishment for leaving her post was severe, especially considering the current circumstances. Not thinking anything was out of the ordinary, the head researcher entered the room and shut the door behind him. Elle breathed a sigh of relief. She noticed that the head researcher only bothered to secure one of the 4 locks on the door, that being one that required a key. Elle looked around. She was alone. Her face broke into a grin, and she pulled out a lockpick from her lab coat.
Elle wasn't here for the research on the properties of Extranium. Her goal was to get close to the king and gain access to the treasury; her researcher identity was nothing but a lie, built up over the course of several months. The untimely death of the king was unfortunate, but it didn't deter her from robbing his coffers. Since the door before her had so many locks on it, she presumed that it would be the vault; she simply had no opportunity to open it before now. She listened closely to the sounds inside the room while she worked on unlocking the door, seeing if she could identify the jingling of coins, or the distinct clatter of a crown falling to the ground. Instead, she heard only the rambling of the head researcher.
"Here, my king. With this last piece, the machine is ready. Your glorious reign will be everlasting!" Elle froze. The research team she worked with was told that the king's lineage was so powerful, that it would be wasteful not to harvest the monarch's essence before his body fully rotted. That essence would then be distributed back into the world, allowing for bountiful harvests, purified water sources, and more that would benefit society. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and got back to picking the lock. She frantically fumbled with her lockpick as she heard mechanical clicking from inside the room; the sounds of machinery coming together. As she fumbled around with the lock, she finally heard a good click. She thrust the lockpick out and kicked open the door. The head researcher turned and glared, hand poised over the king's body. Elle was completely stunned. The sight that met her was utterly terrifying.
An amalgamation of cogs, springs and chunks of metal loomed in front of Elle. A large needle was situated directly above the king's heart, made of what looked to be pure Extranium. On the left of the machine, there was a control panel with a large red button.
"You!" The head researcher hissed. "How the hell did you get in here?" Elle grimaced and pointed slowly at the machine.
"That thing is an affront to all of humanity," She breathed. "Usually, I wouldn't care about this kind of thing. I like to stick to my business with no diversions. But bringing someone back from the dead? I refuse to let you play God." Elle steadied herself, lockpick still in hand in case a fight broke out between them.
"Silence! What gives you the right to tell me anything about playing God?" The head researcher sneered. "Our king was magnificent! I can't simply let his reign end like this, our country will be in ruin!" He moved to press the red button on the control panel.
"No!" Elle yelled, skilfully throwing the lockpick at the head researcher before dashing forwards. The lockpick embedded itself into his hand, but it was too late. Elle watched in horror as the head researcher's hand was pinned directly to the button.