Max loomed over his workbench, his fingers gently tracing the meteorite fragment, as if he were handling something holy. The tiny rock, a dull gray upon initial inspection, had been radiating a faint light ever since he'd first pulled it from his father's vault. The broken surface appeared to throb with an energy he couldn't quite understand.

  "Okay," Max grumbled to himself, "Let's see what you're really made of."

  He was careful, but his eagerness was obvious. He'd struggled for days attempting to learn more about the fragment's properties, studying the unorthodox results he'd gained when he'd

  initially plugged it in to his equipment. But this—this was it. If he could decipher how to release its potential, he could redefine everything.

  Max affixed the fragment to some experimental circuits he'd cobbled together. Only a jumble of wires, sensors, and jury-rigged connectors, they were the only tools he had. He energized the systems, the delicate whine of machines sweeping through the stillness of the workshop.

  The instant the circuit was attached, the room altered. The air in the vicinity of Max became thick, virtually charged. The figures on his monitor were startling, numbers dancing across the screen in chaotic fashion. He gazed at the screen, his face tightening with skepticism.

  "Wait. what the devil?" He leaned in closer to the computer screen, attempting to comprehend the readings.

  For the first time since he'd begun working with the meteorite, the gear was providing him with something he wasn't expecting. The readings were much greater than he'd ever imagined. The piece of the meteorite wasn't putting out a low level of energy. No, this. this was something not of normal physics.

  Max sat back in his chair, his breath held. "It's not just rock. it's pure energy." His tone was a mere whisper, respect infusing every word. His heart pounded within his chest, the realization striking him. This was it—the discovery of a lifetime.

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  He soon clutched a nearby power generator, a clunky device he'd constructed to experiment with power sources. The generator had been idle for weeks, gathering dust in the corner of his workshop. Max plugged in the piece and held his breath as he threw the switch.

  Nothing at first. Then a low thrum of vibration came through the floor, and the power meter on the generator went rocketing up, the needle pointing higher than ever before.

  Max's eyes widened. "Oh my god."

  The meteorite fragment was pumping an utter amount of energy into the generator. The humming was becoming louder, more intense, until Max could feel it in his bones. The energy wasn't coming just from the fragment—it was if the entire room was full of life with the energy it was creating.

  His heart raced, both with exhilaration and a feeling of sheer awe. "This is… this is unreal."

  The power streaming from the fragment was so intense, it seemed as if the air itself around him was charged, palpable. Max saw tiny sparks of electricity leaping between the wires, crackling with force that made him uneasy, yet he couldn't look away. He needed to know how far it could be pushed.

  But as he stood there, mesmerized by the readings and the increasing power, a burst of light blazed from the generator.

  Max automatically stepped back, his heart pounding in his chest. The electricity spat violently, cracking through the air. He struggled for the emergency cutoff switch, narrowly managing to strike it. The generator coughed and the lights in the room began to flicker and dim.

  "What the devil just occurred?" Max caught his breath, his pulse pounding in his ears. His hands shook a little as he turned to study the fragment. It still rested there, radiating softly, seeming to tease him with its deadly potential.

  He dropped down hard on a stool beside him, his thoughts whirling. The readings on his screen had flooded with fresh data—nothing he'd ever seen. The fragment was not only a power source; it was an unexplored force of nature, something beyond the capabilities of modern science.

  Max exhaled slowly, deliberately. "This is larger than I imagined. So much larger."

  He had no idea what he was getting himself into, but he knew one thing for sure: this meteorite wasn't merely the key to unlocking his father's legacy—it was something that could alter the entire world.

  But at what expense?

  Max glared at the fragment, his eyes set in determination. "I'm not finished yet. I have to get this right."

  The true test had only just begun.