The thick, clouded glass of the Genesis Cylinder was freezing to the touch, but beneath Nikki's trembling palms, it felt like the epicenter of a dormant volcano.
The moment her skin made full contact with the curved surface, the dark, rusted reality of the subterranean lab violently ceased to exist.
The glitching blue text of the System was completely overwritten by a blinding, pristine flash of white light. The heavy scent of oxidized iron and decay was instantly replaced by the sharp, sterile tang of medical-grade antiseptic and the warm, electric hum of massive, hyper-advanced servers operating at peak capacity.
Nikki was no longer wearing a jacket. She was draped in an immaculate, stark-white laboratory coat. The heavy bandages wrapped around her aching skull vanished. She was younger, her fiery red hair pulled back into a severe, professional knot, though a few stray strands framed a face that was flushed with the intoxicating, breathless thrill of pure scientific triumph.
