Odyssey Of Survival-Chapter 179 - A Dangerous Transmission II

Then—she staggered back, panting heavily.

The crystal was now completely encased, a small yet deadly powerful core of frozen energy sitting silently in the center of the table.

A deep chill still radiated from it.

Everyone in the room could feel it.

Even though the crystal wasn't visibly glowing anymore, its presence had become something else entirely. It felt heavy, as if the pressure from Alice's condensed ice was weighing down the very air around it.

Jack quickly turned back to his computer, eyes scanning the data. His fingers moved over the keyboard, checking for any signs of transmission.

Then—

His face lit up.

"Nate, you were right." Jack turned toward them, his voice carrying a mix of relief and disbelief. "The signal is completely gone. It stopped."

Nate exhaled through his nose and nodded, not looking surprised. "Expected."

Ray crossed his arms, giving Nate a look. "You sound way too calm for someone who just stopped the biggest potential disaster of our lives."

Nate shrugged. "It's temporary." He turned back to the frozen crystal, his expression unreadable. "We can't freeze it forever. At some point, we need to figure out how to permanently shut this thing down."

Jack's enthusiasm dimmed slightly. He knew Nate was right.

This was just a bandage over a deep wound.

But at least now, they had time to find a solution.

"Well," Nate said, stretching his arms, "our work here is done for now."

Ray nodded in agreement. "Good, because I had actual plans before Jack called me." He side-eyed Jack.

Jack ignored him.

Just as everyone was getting ready to leave, Jack suddenly looked up from his screen, his expression turning serious again.

"One more thing."

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Everyone paused.

Jack glanced around the room, making sure everyone was listening.

"Don't use your powers."

A heavy silence followed his words.

It wasn't like they didn't already know. They all understood the risk. But the fact that Jack was repeating it now, in this moment, made it clear that something was still on his mind.

Then—he turned his gaze directly to Madison.

"…Especially you."

Madison blinked. "Huh?"

Jack sighed, rubbing his temples. "You teleported to get here, didn't you?"

Madison rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault. You said it was urgent. That was the fastest way to get here."

Jack's fingers tightened on the edge of his desk as he gave her an exasperated look. "Yeah, and it was also the worst possible decision."

Madison crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "What's the big deal? It's not like anyone saw me."

Jack snapped his head up, his expression suddenly sharp.

"The big deal?" His voice was flat, almost mocking. "Do you want to be locked away in a secret facility in Russia and treated like a lab rat?"

Madison froze.

A small shiver crawled down her spine.

She had been confident, maybe even a little careless, about her teleportation. She knew they weren't supposed to use their powers, but she had convinced herself that it was fine because no one was around to see her.

But hearing Jack say it so bluntly—

The idea of being captured, studied, dissected like some kind of specimen—

She suddenly scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "…Okay, okay. I get it. Won't happen again."

Jack didn't look convinced.

"Good," he muttered.

Ray, Madison, Alice, and Nate stepped out of Jack's lab, the cold night air hitting them the moment they exited. The lab's entrance automatically locked behind them, leaving no trace of what they had just been dealing with.

Nate let out a deep sigh, rolling his shoulders. "Finally."

Ray just grunted. "Next time, Jack calls, I'm ignoring it."

Madison smirked. "No, you won't."

Ray didn't respond—mostly because she was right.

Nate checked his pockets, relieved to find his wallet and card still on him. "Lucky I brought this, or else we'd have been walking home."

He stepped toward a nearby ATM, sliding in his card to withdraw some cash. As he waited, his eyes casually flickered back toward the group—

And then it hit him.

Why was he just realizing this now?

Alice and Madison were both barefoot.

A snort almost escaped him.

They had been so focused on the whole "freezing the teleportation crystal so we don't die" thing that nobody even thought about it—but now, standing here on a well-lit street, it was painfully obvious.

And, apparently, he wasn't the only one who noticed.

A woman, maybe in her mid-forties, approached hesitantly, eyes flicking between him and the two shoeless girls. She had that concerned citizen look on her face, the kind people got when they were debating whether to call the police or not.

"Um, excuse me," she said cautiously, eyes narrowing. "Is everything… okay here?"

Nate blinked, confused for a second—then it clicked.

She thought—

Oh, for fuck's sake.

Nate immediately raised his hands in a universal sign of innocence. "Look, I know how this looks, but I swear I didn't kidnap them."

The woman's eyes narrowed even more.

"Uh-huh," she said, clearly not convinced.

Alice groaned loudly, rubbing her temple. "For God's sake."

The woman's expression hardened, as if that only made her more suspicious. "Young lady, are you—"

"We're fine," Alice cut her off, exasperated. "I was barefoot because some people—" she shot a glare at Madison, "—didn't let us grab our shoes before teleporting."

The woman froze.

"…Before what?"

Madison, standing beside her, grinned. "Oh, yeah. We teleported."

The woman's face drained of color.

Madison continued, her voice light and casual. "You know, just zapped here, no big deal. Shoes weren't included in the trip."

The woman took two slow steps back.

Then—she turned on her heels and speed-walked away without another word.

Madison cackled. "Works every time."

Alice facepalmed.

Nate just sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Alright, before we attract any more attention," he muttered, waving a cab down.

A yellow cab pulled up, its headlights cutting through the drizzle.

The moment they climbed in, the driver glanced at them through the mirror. He was a middle-aged man with graying hair, wearing a baseball cap that sat low over his eyes. His brows furrowed slightly as he stared at Madison and Alice's bare feet.

"…You girls okay?"

Alice rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, "If Madison had just let us wear our damn shoes…"

Madison growled but didn't respond.

Nate sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

At this point, he was just accepting his fate.

The ride home was surprisingly short. Jack's lab wasn't far from Madison's place, and she had been there before, so teleporting had been easy. Taking a cab back was even easier.

But by the time they arrived, the sky had fully opened up.

Heavy rain pounded against the pavement.

The moment they opened the cab door, a wall of water greeted them, soaking Nate instantly.

"Shit!" He jerked back, but it was too late. His shirt clung to his body, water dripping from his hair. "Goddamn it."

Alice yelped, quickly stepping under the porch. Madison, on the other hand—

Madison stayed right where she was.

She stepped out onto the rain-soaked driveway, lifting her arms slightly, tilting her head toward the sky.

The rain poured down on her, soaking her hair, her clothes, everything—

And yet, she just stood there, eyes closed, letting the storm wash over her.

Alice, from under the porch, shouted at her. "Madison! Stop messing around and get in here!"

Madison clicked her tongue, then grinned at them.

"You guys are boring."

She turned in the rain, arms outstretched, spinning slightly, water dripping from her fingertips.

"Come on! It's fun!"

Alice crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Yeah, no thanks."

Nate just exhaled sharply, running a hand through his soaked hair. "Jesus."

Madison just laughed.