Resonance

The deafening sound of the explosion resonated for a moment before being contained by the soundproof chamber, replaced by another door sliding into place where the blown-out door had been.

Flames raged within the chamber, the aftermath of the explosion. It seemed certain that any human inside would have perished, but miraculously, Calyx was safely cradled in Rogan's arms.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"You always save the day, don't you?" Dr. Aile remarked as she turned toward the reinforced glass, peering into the ravaged chamber.

"Well, as much as I'd like to take credit for it, it seems the kid saved himself," Rogan replied, carrying the unconscious body of Calyx to a nearby chair and laying him down gently.

"Huh, what do you mean by that?" Claire asked as she checked on Calyx. He wasn't injured, just seemingly unconscious.

"We'll talk about that later," Rogan replied, turning to Dr. Aile, who was intently observing the large screens, with other personnel scrambling through the system for answers about what went wrong.

"Aile, I'm assuming this doesn't happen every test," Rogan said, walking toward the doctor.

"You'd be correct in that assumption," Dr. Aile replied.

"Then, how did this happen?" Rogan asked.

"I...don't know," Dr. Aile said, scrutinizing the data appearing before her.

"I mean, I understand why it exploded, but I have no idea how such an event could occur," Dr. Aile added.

"So, why did it explode?" Rogan inquired, turning his gaze to the chamber, where sparking wires were the only color among the charred scene, as sprinklers quenched the last of the flames.

"There was too much Quasarite—way more than the distribution system could handle, and certainly more than most could handle. You went in there, I'm sure you felt it," Dr. Aile explained.

"Yeah, a few more seconds in there, and I'd have been toast. And yet, the boy survived being in there that long," Rogan said, his mind racing as he started to piece the puzzle together.

"Not just survived, Rogan. That boy was actively drawing the Quasarite, and so quickly that not even the Rodium pipes could prevent the Quasarite from becoming unstable," Dr. Aile said, her shock and confusion both evident.

"Isn't that only possible with Quasar resonance?" Rogan asked, his tone betraying his skepticism.

"We both know that's a myth. There's no such thing as Quasar resonance, so that's why I'm confused about what happened here," Dr. Aile replied, scratching her head.

"You said Calyx saved himself. What did you mean by that?" Claire asked as she approached them, having covered Calyx with blankets while he slept soundly.

"Yes, I'd also like to know," Dr. Aile added, looking for further insight.

"Ugh, I don't know..." Rogan sighed as he walked over and slumped down in the chair next to them.

"It sounds ridiculous, but even though I went in at full speed, I was too late. The flames had already engulfed him—or at least, that's what I thought," Rogan said, turning to gaze into the chamber once more.

"But as I passed through the flames and got closer to him, he was untouched. It wasn't because the explosion hadn't reached him; he somehow stopped it. I don't know if it was elemental resonance he used to control the fire or mental resonance to create a force field, but he stopped the explosion from reaching him somehow, only allowing it after he saw me," Rogan explained.

"What on earth are you talking about? Are you saying that a kid who just became a Quasar two minutes ago used resonance, and on such an advanced level, too? This is not the time for jokes, Rogan," Dr. Aile scoffed.

"Yeah, and you also said when he saw you, with how fast you were moving even I couldn't see you," Claire added.

"So, following your words, he has double resonance, Kinetic with either elemental or mental, and can use it on very advanced levels," Dr. Aile summarized.

"It really sounds stupid when you say it back to me. Maybe I'm just confused; it's been a long day," Rogan said with a sigh.

"Yeah, go rest. I've called his aunt, and I'll ask him a couple of things when he wakes up," Claire advised.

"Yeah, you're right. I need a nap," Rogan said as he stood up and began walking out. As he reached the chair where Calyx lay, he stopped and took a long pause, gazing at the child before exiting the room.

"The things he said, they couldn't be correct, right?" Dr. Aile said as she watched the doors slide closed behind Rogan.

"Well, he isn't one to mistake details, but right now, that seems more likely than what he said," Claire replied as she walked over to Calyx.

"I'll take him to wait for his aunt. See you later, Aile," Claire said, picking Calyx up before walking out of the room.

Dr. Aile turned back to the glass, looking at the destroyed chamber before turning to the screen before her.

"Quasar resonance? That's not real, it couldn't be" she mumbled under her breath.