On their way to the laboratory, Aiden, already aware of the effects experienced when leaving the underground and moving away from the radiation that has become naturalized throughout Glitcher civilization, proceeded cautiously. However, he was surprised to notice that Orion didn’t seem to be affected at all by distancing himself from it. Without a doubt, everything was full of mysteries, and although Aiden always remained calm in any situation, inside he was as anxious as, or even more than, Orion. Suddenly, they spotted the laboratory, and the most impulsive member of our star duo, taking advantage of the fact that moving away from the radiation didn’t affect him, told Aiden that he was going to move ahead a bit. His speed was so impressive that, despite moving through the underbrush, he left a trail behind him as if the vegetation itself reacted to him.

“It’s amazing that everything is just as you mentioned in the report, brainiac,” Orion said as soon as Aiden reached the entrance of the laboratory.

Upon entering, the duo decided to split up to make the most of their time investigating. Orion ended up in the place where Aiden had experienced that strange situation, and in the same spot where the process the Alpha Glitcher underwent during the investigation phase was documented. Orion, being more cold and impulsive, interpreted everything as torture rather than something scientific, horrified by the human hand in it all. After a brief moment of shock, he snapped back to reality when he heard Aiden asking him if everything was alright. At that moment, another surprise hit as they realized that communication had been restored within the laboratory through the connection shared by Glitchers. Aiden commented that it was completely strange that this happened, as when he was investigating the laboratory, it lacked radiation, and he only observed many apparently lifeless experiments. The environment, on Orion’s side, was densely perfumed with a sweetly stimulating fragrance. Without much awareness of it, he simply responded to Aiden that everything was fine and asked if he had noticed all that the mother seed had suffered, and if he was aware that it was the Alpha. Aiden replied that it was a post-birth process. The Alpha wasn’t fully conscious during most of those studies, so the tests had little impact in terms of suffering. And if that was the case, his recovery was astounding, as even if he were to suffer an attack or accident resulting in the loss of a limb, he could regenerate, assuming that as a test specimen, he already had an astonishing recovery system against any component that could damage his genetic structure.

Aiden was focused on obtaining information that would allow the Alpha to gather enough knowledge and understanding of the current situation on the surface to communicate to the rest of his kind the amazing discovery of its current state, striving to keep the civilization united. He was so focused that he didn’t realize he had lost contact with his brother. He was astonished when he saw the letters “Z-a-c-k” joined on a desk, spelling out “Zack,” the same name as the scientist who led the project that gave rise to the Glitchers, according to the data documented in the laboratory. He moved closer and found several recordings. One of them showed how, before establishing all the research on grain plants, some molecularly similar components were tested on carnivorous plants, but the results were not very pleasant, to say the least. At that moment, Aiden recalled that there was an almost identical plant near the one he observed dead in an observation container. Just then, he heard a scream and tried to communicate with Orion, telling him there was no need to shout since he was practically in his mind, realizing that wasn’t the case and that the scream was literally in the distance. Worried, he used his agility within the laboratory, quickly reaching Orion, only to find him in a not-so-favorable situation, shocked by what he observed.

That plant, once dedicated to studies and which he found lifeless in a container, was now fertile and emitted a slight glow from its different fruits… “Humans did it; they really created a plant capable of bearing fruit depending on the fertilizer applied, as documented. But what caused this? Was it when I released radiation?” Aiden said. “Brainiac, there’s no time for that! The problem isn’t the plant but that other one,” Orion exclaimed. Snapping back to the present, Aiden remembered the reason for his concern, and there were plenty of reasons for it. Just as this beautiful plant could produce fertile crops, so too had the carnivorous plant become fertile. And to their surprise, it wasn’t just one, but three, creating a dangerous situation, as it was assumed that Glitchers, being mutated plants, should not present any danger when exposed to a carnivorous plant, as these only eat insects and small animals. But the molecular composition of the Glitchers was extremely special, as we know, and in the same way, these three friends were revitalized by the energy Aiden emitted. The place was filled with a sweet, sleep-inducing scent, realizing that it came from the nectar of those plants, but it was already too late. Both were directly exposed to it. Of course, the effects were different from what was known due to the experimental processes these plants were exposed to, causing Aiden to fall asleep on the ground, barely conscious. Orion, as the Alpha explained, was more developed and had more potential in terms of the extraordinary abilities possessed by the Glitchers. He moved towards Aiden and protected him, unsure of how to get out of there, as he wasn’t as affected to the point of falling asleep but was quite dizzy, making it difficult to carry Aiden and escape. So he desperately covered his brother, making a distressed gesture with his large hands, exclaiming, “Stop, please.”

Suddenly, in the same mysterious way that Aiden released that energy, Orion was able to absorb it in his desperate desire to preserve his brother’s life, marking the beginning of the first manifestation of one of his abilities. This quality began to manifest from the palms of his large hands. He couldn’t control it, even weakening Aiden in the process. He could feel the energy of the plants depleting, watching both the experimental plant and its fruits die. Unable to control himself and now seeing the situation regarding the carnivorous plants was secure, he left the laboratory to distance himself from Aiden.

Aiden, waking up after losing consciousness, quickly remembered what had happened and ran to find Orion. He found him leaving the laboratory.

“I just wanted to protect you; I really wanted everything to go well and not cause problems for the investigation, Aiden,” Orion expressed with regret.

Aiden watched in amazement as the vegetation around the laboratory’s exit was completely dead, trying to understand the situation while attempting to calm Orion.

“Are you okay? Nothing happened. It came from your hands, didn’t it? Is that why you’re keeping them closed?” Aiden asked in an attempt to find a solution. “Yes, the more I worried and was consumed by this, the stronger it became when I opened them. It felt really good, but seeing the consequences wasn’t,” Orion replied.

Aiden suggested that he open them again, assuring him that everything was fine and there was no longer any threat. As he did so, Orion no longer absorbed the organic energy of the plants or Aiden’s life energy. They had been overwhelmed by the unexpected event, but now they were regaining control of the situation. Wrapping up their raid in the laboratory, Aiden ensured no radioactive residue was left that could cause problems on the surface, and the two returned with the information they had managed to gather. They didn’t know how the Alpha Glitcher would take it, or if it would even be possible to explain what had happened, as they didn’t fully understand it themselves, but everything was about to change for them once they returned. This is how our duo ended their first raid together on the surface, unleashing a series of discoveries that would soon create a stir and shatter Aiden’s hope for tranquility if he didn’t act quickly.