THE MOMENT
"Whoa! That's way helpful!" Jenny flashed a smile at Bijou as the door beeped, then slid open. The two teens stood in a dim, narrow hallway in front of what was ostensibly one of the most secure doors in the world. "Thanks!" she gave Bijou the honor of going first, then followed her into the room.
They entered an office-sized opulent space and kept going to the back of the room to another secured door. Like the last one, this one was covered with a thin layer of purple goo - the biological membrane. A small, square surface was affixed to the side of the door with a red double helix glowing on it. Jenny approached it and pulled out a translucent red node.
"Okay, Finn, work on this one now," Jenny said. She touched the card to the square pad and her assistant, a purple and gold koi fish, swam out of the card and into the mechanical lock. Jenny knew they had a few minutes to kill and she turned to Bijou. "So, what's your Earth like?" she picked up the conversation they started outside the other door. She'd already described how her Earth was still in the 80s.
"I don't know," Bijou shrugged. "The Earth where I was born is gone. I was raised on a Sharp Development Earth." One segment of the red double-helix turned green as the door beeped once; Finn was making progress.
"Well, what was that like?" Jenny asked.
"Pretty great," Bijou smiled but it dimmed slightly. "Maybe too great," she shrugged. "I never saw any of the poverty or corruption that hits other Earths. It was kind of a shock to see it was so rampant across the multiverse." Another red segment turned green. "He's already getting faster," she added with a nod toward the lock.
"I don't even think we'll need any code-breaking for the tournament, but it's a handy thing to level up anyway," Jenny said. Then, she turned the conversation back to Bijou. "Can I ask? I mean, you don't have to answer...," Jenny said. She raised her hand and made a motion along her head to indicate the rainbow streak in Bijou's brown hair. "Are you a unicorn?"
"Kind of," Bijou smiled with a nod. Another segment on the double helix turned green. "Great, that's three," she said. She looked directly at the door and a filigree glass crown took shape above her head. It was made of thin, intricate glass strands in a variety of colors. "Open," she said. The purple goo on the door slid down all at once into a channel in the floor. Then, the metal door opened.
"That's amazing," Jenny giggled. "We got a ton of XP for that one too."
"Great, let's try the next-," Bijou walked into the next room and found an open treasure chest overflowing with gold coins and jewels. "Oh. I guess they only had two layers...," she said.
"Start again?" Jenny asked. Bijou nodded.
"Sure, I've still got some time," she said. The two teens walked out past both doors and waited.
"So, what do you mean, 'kind of'?" Jenny asked.
"I'm a were-unicorn," Bijou said.
"Whoa, that's rad," Jenny replied. "I didn't know those existed. Can you change completely?" The doors slid closed and an opening above it released another layer of purple slime to cover it. Jenny had her node ready and put Finn to work right away.
"I've never tried...," Bijou shook her head. "...honestly, I'm a little scared to," she said. A segment on the lock turned green.
"Really? Why?" Jenny asked.
"I'm a Corona," Bijou said. She pointed up and made her crown appear for extra effect.
"I know... and?" Bijou smiled at Jenny's reply.
"And... I don't know anything about where I came from," she answered. "Coronas are born as whatever is most feared on their Earth, remember?" Another segment turned green. "I'm not sure I want to find out what they were all afraid of. As it is, I start feeling overwhelmed with wild magic the more I let myself change," she said.
"You can probably change safely in a White Room, just to see what it's like," Jenny said. "I mean, if you wanted to."
"You have access to a White Room?" Bijou asked. "I thought only Sharp Development had that technology."
"I don't," Jenny shook her head. "But, Aury does. You met him, right?" she asked.
"Oh yes, the team's Quartermaster?" Bijou nodded.
"That's him," Jenny nodded. Another segment turned green and Bijou stared at the door. Her crown appeared again just long enough for her to give it a command.
"Open," she said. Jenny giggled again when the purple layer flushed down and the door beeped.
"You're totally the best!" Jenny said. "At this rate, we'll power level Finn's code-breaking up in no time." She followed Bijou into the next room and put Finn to work.
"I wasn't sure that it would work; but, I thought it might," Bijou smiled. "If everyone does what a Corona commands, I was hoping there's enough life in that bio-goo to follow orders."