For the second time in two days, Nightshade found herself in the laboratory. Lightning was busy rummaging through boxes and digging out equipment. Finally, she asked, “So Lightning-,” she heard him sigh in disgust, “-Electro, what are we doing again?”
“We are going to determine exactly what that orb is.”
“And how are we going to do that?”
“We're going to take some basic measurements and then start getting it to react.”
“React with what?”
“We're going to find out.”
Pulling a scale from the equipment pile, Lightning placed it on the table. “Pass me the orb.”
Levitating it from her saddlebag, she passed it over to Lightning.
ZZZTTT!
Lightning jerked his hoof back in pain from the orb.
“You okay?” asked Nightshade.
“The thing’s got a static charge. Just set it on the table.”
Nightshade placed the orb on the table. Lightning reached for the orb and -
ZZZTTT!
“Agh!” Once again Lightning jerked his hoof back from the orb.
“Want me to put it on the scale?”
“Only if you want a shock.”
Nightshade reached out to the orb, and with a slight hesitation, picked it up. She felt no static shock, but some strange power instead. After a moment of holding the orb, she placed it on the scale.
The dial on the scale turned. “Four point two pounds,” read Lightning. The scale shifted. “Twenty point two pounds.” The scale shifted again. “Five pounds….six point nine...sixteen point eight. What the hay is going on?” The dial kept shifting, faster and faster. Lightning reached out to the orb. ZZZTTT! “Agh!”
Nightshade reached out and picked up the orb. “What's next?”
“I want to measure its diameter. Just place it on the table.”
A short levitation spell later, and the orb now sat upon an anti-static cloth that had been draped over the bench. Lightning cautiously wrapped a measuring tape around the orb, this time, holding it in his newfound magic.
Fwoosh!
In an instant, the measuring tape, although it was made from a fireproof alloy of metals, had disintegrated almost immediately. The Orb still sat in the middle of destruction, a light haze drifting off it’s blazing hot surface.
“Rejected”
“Wha--” Lightning began in response to the voice in his head.
“I am the only surviving portion of Anicetus’ soul. My one and only task is to protect and defend the orb and it’s powers from intruders. You may not attempt to remove me, as I have been absorbed into the Orb’s very being.”
Lightning took a step back, rubbing his head with a hoof. “O..ok…”
Nightshade glanced questioningly at Lightning.
“You do it…” he gulped, “I’m not allowed to.”
Nightshade nodded, and cast a reconstitution spell on the tape. She then wrapped it the best she could around the midsection of the impossibly smooth surface of the Orb.
“Huh,” she began, “Even with a static measuring device, the measurements seem to always change.”
Nightshade pointed at the tape, motioning Lightning to come and look. “See,” she continued, “look.”
On the tape, printed clearly across the measurement marks, was a bold “INVALID” mark.
Lightning shook his head. “It says that we’re invalid.”
“No it doesn’t,” replied Nightshade, “It’s just saying that it’s unmeasurable. See?”
Nightshade took the tape back off, and the markings faded away. She touched a small corner to the Orb, and once again, the markings appeared.
“Well then,” began Lightning, “I guess that means that the Orb can communicate through messages on random objects...”
Nightshade rubbed her temples. “Light… I mean, Electro, can I go home now? We’ve wasted days trying to figure it out, and meanwhile, I seem to get all the answers in my sleep. Literally.”
“Fine, fine. Go back home. I’m gonna try and replicate this thing based off what I was able to get.”
Lightning sighed as he sank into the comfort of the swiveling chair he sat on. He glanced over at the immense mountains of papers collected in front of the various machines in the lab.
Finally, his eyes laid rest on the single successful test made.