They watched Rebecca leave with the girl, who was animatedly chatting with her.

Remy was about to get up and follow them when the girl looked at him suspiciously. Not wanting to make a scene, Remy sat back down. "Shit! Do you think she will talk?"

Will bit the inside of his cheek. "She said as much."

"God damn it," Remy cursed again. "We need to get rid of the evidence. Without any proof, they would—"

"When has the tower ever needed proof?" asked Will. "Besides, the biggest proof is right here." He pointed towards his leg.

Remy glared at the shard. "How did it even get there?"

"It was probably in the briefcase," said Will.

"This was what the mechs were fighting for?" whispered Remy.

"An etherite core under the protection of the tower," finished Will.

Remy groaned. "This is bad. Possession of an unlicensed etherite primed for embedding is a felony. Directly embedding it into yourself would land you ten years."

"Not to mention it was stolen from an officer from the military, who is now dead."

"Shiiit!"

Will gritted his teeth and pulled at the shard with all his might. The crystal didn't budge. His hand kept slipping off its glossy surface.

"It just won't come off. God damn it," said Will. "What the hell do we do?"

Remy pulled his hair in frustration and began to pace about the room. The ward descended into a grim silence as they processed what was happening.

Etherite crystals formed where there was a node connecting to the subspace. They slowly crystallize over time until they form a bridge, and the connection grows stronger. This could happen deep in the earth, hidden in rocks, or inside living creatures beyond the gates.

Embedding etherite in your body changes it, and not always for the better. This was always the case when you connect to crystals from a subspace beast. Despite the beast being dead, there was always some part of them still in the crystal within the subspace that hijacks the host's body. The result was madness and violent derangement. This is why shard embedding was taboo, and with the advent of the Hive, the prejudice had transformed into full-on zealotry. No one should have shards in them, and if they did, they needed to be eliminated.

A door slammed, and Will sat up as the click-clack of the familiar slip-on shoes sounded. Keys jingled as the nurse walked down the aisle.

Will covered his leg quickly and made himself look presentable. Remy was quick on the update and stopped his pacing.

The nurse found them and looked surprised to find Remy there. "Oh good. Both of you are here. Remy Soto, I presume."

Remy dumbly nodded.

"And you are." She glanced at her slate. "William Dunn."

Will nodded too.

"Okay," she said briskly and patted Will on the back. "Come along now. No time to be dazed. Up! Up!"

She dragged both boys out of the curtained ward.

"Where are we going?" asked Remy.

"Nothing to worry about," said the nurse. "Both of you are wanted at another ward."

Will gave a quick look around, but the one person he was searching for wasn't there. "Where is Becca?" he whispered to Remy.

Remy also discreetly glanced around the room but shook his head. Both boys exchanged grim looks. They were in trouble now.

The nurse swiped her ID on the scanner, and the door opened with a hiss.

"Come along now," she said, and the boys followed her out of the general ward. Their footsteps echoed through the corridor as the nurse led them at a blistering pace.

Remy couldn't take the silence. He cleared his throat and took a quick glance at the nurse's name tag. "Ms. Benedict, where are you taking us?"

"Both of you need further testing," the nurse said quickly.

"What kind of tests?" asked Remy.

"Etherography and psionoangiogram."

"And what are these tests?" asked Remy.

"Don't worry. They are non-invasive and routine."

Will and Remy exchanged a look. That was a vague answer. Were they using the tests as an excuse to bring them to an isolated space?

Will was having trouble breathing. His leg tingled as it started to spasm. A strange sort of numbness was spreading from his amputated limb. Will grimaced as he clamped down on his twitching leg and forced himself to walk upright. He couldn't afford to lose control right now, not when the stakes were so high.

Remy cleared his throat again. "This psiono-mangeo-thingy doesn't sound routine."

"It is," the nurse gave Remy a look. "It is standard for those who undergo psionic field exposure."

"Why are we taking the test?"

"There were some discrepancies in your psion signature."

"What if we don't want to take the test?"

The nurse sighed and checked her watch. "You can voice your concerns with the head physician. You are meeting her anyway. Go to the final door down the hall to the left."

The nurse left the boys and hurried back to the general ward, keys jingling with every step.

Remy watched the nurse leave, his mouth hanging open. "What do we do? Do we just go?"

"I don't think we have a choice," Will breathed out. "It's not like we can run."

"Dammit all," said Remy.

Will put a hand against the wall and panted for air.

"You okay?" asked Remy.

"I just need a minute," said Will. Remy looked down the corridor and pointed at the washroom. "Let's get out of the corridor before someone sees you. Come on."

He supported Will down the passage and swung the washroom door open. "You want me to come in?"

"No. I'm fine," said Will. "I just need to wash my face."

Will entered the washroom, and the door swung shut by itself. He hobbled towards the sink and splashed water on his face. The cold spray jolted him awake but did little to stop the spasms.

His calcified knee itched, and muscles writhed under his skin. A strange sort of wave passed through him, not just in his amputated limb but throughout his whole body. Will blinked in surprise. He was familiar with his body's usual ticks, but this was completely new. What was happening?

His bio field flared, and his channels burned. His field strength dipped as his energy was spent. There was a sharp decline in his internal psion reserves, followed by a blinding pain in his calcified knee.

Will desperately clutched at the sink as his legs gave way. His right leg spasmed violently, and the stabbing pain in his knee continued. Will felt the etherite in his leg shift. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. It was the crystal. That's what caused the change.

The etherite shard was activating.

Any doubts he had of the etherite being a mundane crystal had evaporated. His whole body shook, and a fire raced up his spine. Will gritted his teeth. One hand gripped the sink, and he reached with the other to roll up his pants. He ignored his twitching leg and stared at the etherite crystal. It was nestled right underneath his knee and was now emitting a dim glow.

The itching sensation on his knee grew, and to Will's horror, small drops of blood beaded on his kneecap.

Something was burrowing underneath his skin.

Will gave out a horrified gasp and watched as more blood seeped out to form a pattern. It started off as two concentric circles, and then, to his astonishment, words started to appear. Across the edges of the bands was the military motto - "Service before self," and at the center of the seal was the bloody imprint of an eagle with unfurled wings.

Will looked dumbfounded at the insignia. What the hell kind of shard was this? The seal lasted for a scant few seconds before disappearing completely. The beads of blood vaporized, leaving reddened inflamed skin.

Will lost all control over his limbs and fell onto the bathroom floor. His metal leg clattered against the tiles, and Remy came rushing in, hearing the commotion.

"Will!" Remy exclaimed and rushed to help Will off the floor. "You alright? What happened?"

Will gasped. "The damn shard just activated, that's what happened."

"You're kidding! What was it? Was it a skill?"

"I don't know. You wouldn't even believe me if I told you," Will breathed out. "Also, I get a feeling this shard isn't from a random subspace critter. It feels like a genuine rift beast."

"Oh, the hive is going to love this," muttered Remy. "Don't go crazy on me, Will."

"Don't even joke about that," said Will.

"What do we do now?" asked Remy.

"We will worry about the shard later," said Will. "For now, let's go meet our judge and jury."

"And executioner," finished Remy. He lifted Will up, and both boys headed out of the washroom. They made their way to the end of the corridor, and just as the nurse said, they faced the final door to the left. Will took in a deep breath and entered.