Octave of Stars Official Theme Song:
Welcome to the pie serial version of Octave of Stars! Episodes will release every Monday and Thursday. If you’re finding this story for the first time, be sure to start at Episode 01 for maximum comprehension, or check out The Index for all available Episodes.
Happy Pi Day! Unfortunately there’s no pie in this episode, but it should still be entertaining.
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Yin and Frost collected Cascadia from her cell, handcuffed and wearing the desiccant cloak, although she wasn't blindfolded, so she got to behold the terrible things that awaited her firsthand. The primary laboratory was an enormous room, flanked by large windows to let in natural light. There wasn't much today, even with the adjustable louvers wide open. The resident doctor was a short, middle-aged woman of South Asian heritage, wearing a colorful yellow and red dress under a white lab coat. Cascadia hadn't heard anyone speak her name yet, but she still knew her ethnicity with certainty. It was not only the doctor's light brown skin and long, jet-black hair, but also the red bindi she wore on her forehead.
A sense of dissonance came over her; Cascadia recalled a discussion about that particular accessory with the girls at the bodega only a month or so back. So much had changed in such a short time. Sometimes it felt like it wasn't real. But what was real was the device, or monstrosity, that took up a large portion of the room.
To Cascadia, it resembled a huge metal castle, but instead of four turrets higher than the center, the center was higher than the four corners, each of which were rounded and had a glass door in the front. Mounted on top of the highest point was a glass triangular pyramid, or maybe it was crystal. It was rotating in space, but instead of being fixed on a pole or rod, it was revolving around its other various axes, simply floating in mid-air. As it lazily drifted, she could see each face was a different color: blue, black, gray, and yellow.
Enormous bundles of cables ran from the sides of the machine to a pair of tables covered with computer monitors and other strange equipment. She recognized an oscilloscope from physics class, and not much else. The scientist was arguing with Frost, which brought her back to the present and what to do about her situation.
"With all due respect, Mr. Frost," Dr. Chaudhary was saying, her voice firm but worried. "I cannot recommend this course of action. The chambers have been only tested with three out of the four applicable EM types, and the water chamber was tested with plain water, not with any kind of Star inside."
Frost stood near the doctor and the rows of equipment. Yin was watching for any sudden movements from Cascadia, but for now, Frost's presence was enough to keep her from trying anything.
"Nevertheless," Frost responded. "You have wanted a Water Star for your testing, and here one is now."
"I understand, Mr. Frost, but you said yourself that she's not particularly agreeable." Cascadia snorted, but only Yin heard her. "The other three test scenarios were with willing subjects, and safe levels of Energy-Matter activity. If she chooses to nothing, it could severely disrupt the calibrations."
"She will have to do something to keep herself breathing inside the chamber," Frost pointed out. "That may be enough to trigger a reaction."
"I suppose…" She frowned. "It's worth a try. But I would like to go on record that I am opposed to the idea. Mr. Yin, will you be my witness?"
"Sure thing, Doc," Yin said carelessly. He wasn't really sure what was going on, but had learned to trust Doc Chaudhary when it came to this thing.
"Alright then," the doctor continued. "Let's get her in the chamber."
No one had spoken to Cascadia directly, or asked her permission, or anything. She was actually glad they hadn't, as she didn't want to ruin this opportunity. She tried to glance at the printing on the rubber seals of the door as she was led inside. Pressure ratings, warning stickers, something.
Yin took off the cloak right before she stepped over the threshold, which made her think of entering a space capsule. Or an escape pod. The door was closed and some kind of bolt thrown, she couldn't see what kept her secured inside. Her hands were cuffed in front of her instead of behind, so she could at least scratch the itch on her face.
Dr. Chaudhary held up a tape recorder, which only reminded Cascadia of dear Gabrielle and increased her disconnection. "Proceeding with the Prism Engine experiment number two one six," the doctor stated. "The subject is a Water Star, the experiment is attempting to calibrate the fourth component of the EM matrix. Beginning chamber fill now."
There was a reclining chair inside the tiny space, like one a dentist might use, except made of plastic and hard rubber. Nobody had told Cascadia to sit in it, probably as a test of her cooperation, but she did anyway. After a gurgling roar, water poured in from the valves in the ceiling and walls. She quickly estimated from the flow rate and the size of the space; roughly her bathroom at home, it would take half an hour to fill the chamber. Thoughts of home actually brought her comfort as she got settled in the chair; reading her books, watching TV. Of course, she couldn't think about her own apartment without thinking of who lived next door as well.
Yin stood at a safe distance from the Engine, near where Frost had just taken to an office chair. He may not have understood what it was or what it did other than generate electricity, which in turn generated money, but Yin knew enough to be well and afraid of it. He thought about the tests they had done, how Rand had to sit buried up to his neck in the dirt, which he actually liked, and how the Boss had to be in the dark, but the Boss's kind of dark, which was way scarier than normal dark. For his own chamber on the other side, there was a kind of cage he was supposed to sit in, made of latticed metal so his hands and feet were touching it. That hadn't been so bad, but it was what the metal itself had done.
Yin used soft, light metal for most of his operations on purpose, as it was the easiest to shape and sharpen. Dense, heavy metal took a lot longer to do anything with, and with his attention span, difficulty was the same thing as impossibility. The metal in the chamber was so dense, he had felt trapped. It had mastery over him, instead of the other way around.
Neither Frost nor Dr. Chaudhary had much else to say during this period, so Yin kept himself occupied by sharpening a knife, then crumpling it into a ball as easily as if it were paper, then smoothing it out and sharpening it again. He adjusted his hair over his ear, making sure his radio earpiece was in tightly. No one was saying anything interesting, so he wasn't sure what else to do.
Frost didn't idly play with his power, as that tended to unnerve everyone around him. Which was not entirely undesirable, but at the moment he wanted to save his strength. He still felt hale as ever, but that meant almost nothing. The oncologist's words had been frozen into his mind as clear as yesterday. Due to your… unique physiology, Mr. Frost, we aren't sure how you'll respond to treatment. All his wealth and power would come to nothing. There had to be some way to succeed, he couldn't possibly leave this project unfinished.
Cascadia was feeling rather calm, all things considered. The water felt more wonderful than usual, even though it was only around her ankles, still steadily filling the chamber. About halfway through her impromptu Rosary, it had reached her waist. She started floating, making her even more comfortable. She was relaxing in a bath; although the water wasn't cold, it wasn't warm either. But either way, it was still precious water. It looked like her prayers may have finally been answered. She ducked under and formed the bubble around her head, the one that let her see, and breathe, leaching oxygen out of the water and blowing her exhalations back out with every breath. She pretended she was swimming in the lake again, completely at ease and free.
The monitors in front of Dr. Chaudhary sprang to life, the pyramid atop the machine quivering. "EM reaction detected, at twenty-nine minutes and thirty-two seconds," she said into the recorder. "Introducing blue wave function now." The crystal shape rotated again, the blue triangular face pointing down toward the machine.
The subject wanted to wait until the chamber was completely full, the more water she could have at her fingertips, the better. Until that point, it had just been water, surrounding and supporting her, but once she exerted her will, it all became hers. Every single drop fell under her command, and what she commanded it to do was get out.
The pyramid's blue face glowed brighter. The doctor's eyes brightened as well. "An energy surge has been detected, along with high levels of EM activity, now recalibrating primary systems."
Yin didn't know what to do, since he wasn't sure what was happening. The Doc didn't seem worried, just excited, and the Boss was still just sitting calmly. So, he stood by and kept watch, his light brown eyes fixed on the machine.
Cascadia pushed again, forcing the water toward the door, moving her arms to direct despite her hands being bound together. The door was tightly sealed, but she knew water could find a way through almost anything. She tried the technique she had been practicing in the hotel room, focusing a high pressure on a small area, strafing against the door as she twisted her body around in the suspension of the water. She could feel the pressure building, the fluid becoming more restless, and she gave it even more of her energy. Pounding, pushing, anything she could do to force her way through the door and out into freedom.
Yin was ignoring the doctor's frantic descriptions of readings and measurements and noticed something somewhat worrisome. "Uh, Boss. It looks like the chamber is… leaking?" A trickle of water formed at the bottom of the door, followed quickly by another.
"Mr. Frost!" Dr. Chaudhary said excitedly. "The levels are stable, if you and Mr. Yin were to get into your chambers, and we can call Mr. Stonearm as well, we could fully test the procedure at last!"
Yin shook his head. "Rand lives like a half hour away, I think."
Frost remained seated, ignoring the doctor's question. "She's doing this on purpose, isn't she?"
Yin nodded. "Yeah, I think so." He put on his silver glasses, then slipped out two sturdy batons from his sleeves. "She'll be wet enough you might be able to freeze her solid. Worth a shot?"
Frost said nothing.
Cascadia was feeling desperate, she was making some progress but not quickly enough. Who knew what the machine was doing to her? Draining her energy somehow, or worse yet, making huge profits for Frost. She had to get out, and fast. She had always likened her power to a muscle, except in her brain. She could handle water without affecting it, and had to flex that muscle first to affect anything. Now she tried to flex as hard as she could, pouring as much willpower as she had into the liquid around her. She screwed up her eyes, tightening her mouth, attempting to draw as much energy from whatever reserve existed inside her. But she couldn't do it on her own. She prayed, calling out to any saint she could think of, every angel that might be around her, and as the water shook and vibrated, she gave it one final, mighty shove.
The metal door bent, first from the middle, then on the edges. Water sprayed out at a high velocity. Before anyone nearby had time to react, the heavy slab of steel was wrenched free from the chamber and flew across the room, embedding in the far wall. None of the Frost employees had time to look after it, though, as they were all transfixed by the serpent-like mass of water that came pouring out of the ruined chamber, with a lady standing atop it. She was still handcuffed, but that didn't matter, as every molecule of water around her was part of her, was her. She reared back her mount to strike at the wretched people who had imprisoned her, who had made her life so miserable, to drown them in the sorrow she had already experienced, but right as the moment came, it all left.
She was Cascadia again, just a girl, the water lost its cohesion, pouring out across the floor and her slumping forward to join it. Yin and Frost's shoes got wet, while Dr. Chaudhary had ducked behind her table, peeking out at the spectacle. Cascadia lay on the floor of the lab, her clothing soaked through, the outline of her scapular visible on her back. Yin was still ready for battle in case she got up again, but she didn't. Frost stood, his chair washed over, glaring up at the crystal, now completely blue on all four sides. With a ringing tone like a bell, the color left the structure and poured outward through the room in a cerulean wave. It became dark, dull glass again.
Yin carefully approached the fallen Water Star, tapping his radio to life. "Hey, Juliet, it's Yin… Yeah, could you have one of your guys bring a wheelchair up to the primary lab? And maybe some towels, too… Thanks, doll." He winced, moving his head away from the noise, except that it was still attached to his ear. "Yeah, sorry, just thanks then."
Dr. Chaudhary turned her recorder back on. "Today's experiment was, unfortunately, a failure."
Octave of Stars is currently airing on Substack for free, with two of the 45 total posts per week. It’ll be fully released at the end of April 2024. If you don’t want to wait that long, you can get the entire story right now, in either Ebook or paperback. Every purchase supports the ZMT Books mission of family-friendly entertainment.
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