As Darwin goes straight to Manifold's lab, he arrives with a frown but concerned face. "How was it? What happened?" He said.
"Relax.. I just picked up sound waves and radio waves at Hydrax City, I feel that something is off about this." Manifold flicked his goggles while touching his chin.
"Sound waves and radio waves huh? how weird, look at that! it's going haywire!" Darwin shouts.
"I have a slight hunch that it is a message of some kind, but I can't really crack it. I'm no expert in that." Manifold's growing concern.
Both Manifold and Darwin were staring at the screen for some time, the sound waves were going all over the place, it is like a zigzag type of wave. Amidst the lab, they have no technology to crack radio waves nor sound waves.
Darwin scratches his head. "We need someone who understands this type of stuff, someone who works with sound."
Manifold's eyes lit up. "Wait... There's someone I heard about..." As he quickly types on his keyboard, "here, her name is Lea Sagea, she is about our age — and she is a musical prodigy that has recently been in a rebel from Sci-Fighters." Shown on the computer, information regarding her tragic last concert. And her disappearance from the musical scene.
"I don't really know dude.. I feel like this is a huge gamble..." As Darwin crosses his arms with a serious tone.
"Hehehehehe, a gamble huh? Makes me want to get her on the team, don'tcha think?" As Manifold winks and shrugs.
Darwin sighs and shakes his head, "welp... Let's get this over with then."
"Alrighty Darwin, we should find this lady ASAP." Manifold unveils a grin and two scanners for the both of them.
"What is this, my guy? Some kind of tracking device?" Darwin holds the black boxed shaped object with an antenna and analyzes it.
"Of course, that's the point of finding our target? Alright dude, turn into something that can fly and we'll go find her now..." as Manifold puts on his coat and flicks his goggles.
Darwin activates his signature ability — Genetic Variation Mutation. His body twists, DNA rewriting itself as he shuffles through animal forms in a chaotic blur... Darwin's arms turned into that of a shark, and lion until he got his desired ability. "Alright perfect, here's an eagle's wings." as his arm turned into brown fur, and switched his skeletal body into that of an eagle.
As Manifold straps his goggles, and Darwin's weird eagle-like features they fly off to find Lea.
"Sooo, where do WE find Lea?" Darwin asks. As they fly through the skyscrapers filled with gleaming stars, and a crowd full of people going home.
"Glad you asked, because we are going through all the possible locations that she might have been by using this unusual radio waves scanner, however this only tracks radio waves, not translates them." As Manifold grins and pulls out the device, it's the device from earlier, and Darwin saw the point of it.
"I got it, well we should probably pick up the pace." As Darwin soared through the skies an elegant but fast flap of wings.
Everything seems to be working out for both of them, but as they went through every place where Lea could have been. They didn't find anything, and no clues of Lea lurking about.
While they were soaring through the skies, Manifold heard a distorted note somewhere. And the radio wave scanner was buzzing loudly with "beep, beep, beep, beep," obnoxiously.
"WAIT DARWIN, SEEMS LIKE I HAVE SOMETHING." As Manifold straps his goggles.
"3-o-clock! There she is! Over that abandoned amphitheater." Manifold stated and scoffed.
It was an old building, filled with posters and vines hanging through the walls. It was old, and had an exotic smell to it. There were mold, old pianos which are rusted. And a silhouette appeared, with long hair, an outfit with very complex shapes, and glowing blue eyes playing the broken piano with very distorted notes.
"Screams... Everywhere..." She continues playing the piano.
"Why must everything.... still echo?"
"Is this finally my last concert?" Her voice stuttered.
"Look, there she is. The legendary prodigy." Manifold grins and proceeds to approach her.
"I've been... Waiting, my dear." She grins widely while not turning.
"I've been hearing you, creaking around all night..."
"Why....?" she stated as she disappeared through the notes.
"Woah, where did she go." Manifold's eyes are filled with confusion.
"There must be a reason to come out and find me..." Leas voice echoed through the amphitheater, pianos playing on their own, singing echoing from the distance — then music. The amphitheater came back to life, everything was as it seems like before.
"Have you finally come and kill me..... Sci-Fighters??"
"Wait, hold on Lea, we are not Sci-Fighters." Darwin stated.
"Yeah, we are just wondering if you are interested in joining us perhaps? We are in need of members to see what's going on in Hydrax City." Manifold dusted his coat, with a crooked smile casually shrugging his shoulders.
"We are in desperate need of ones who can decode radio waves and sound waves." Darwin holds his stance and turns back into a human.
"Not....? Sci-Fighters...???" Lea echoed and stutters
"Then.... You're not really here to kill me...?" Leas voice softened.
"Yes, Lea, we are here to help you." Manifold raised his hand up.
"Now what do ya say?" Manifold excitingly stated.
"I guess.. I will help you, on one condition..."
Lea materializes back into her body.
"Yeah, sure!" Manifold exclaims.
"Wait hold on, we need to hear your conditions first Lea." Darwin interrupted.
"I can hear... Everything.... Can you make it stop...??"
Lea shoved her hands to her ears and stated.
"Oh, so you want to control your power, wait hold on. I think I can do that." Manifold started grinning and flicking his goggles.
"You could do that....?" Lea's eyes brightened up.
"Yes I could, you know I'm surprised that even a prodigy like you can't control her powers." Manifold chuckles and puts on his goggles. "Alright, we should go." Manifold stated.
"Before we go... Allow me a song, a gift — for finding me.." Lea exclaimed.
Lea sat back down again, playing the decaying piano — each note materializing into the air.
"This is a song of the static..." Lea grins lightly.
Of signals lost in sorrow..."
She pressed multiple notes — multiple notes kept appearing, multiplied into layers.
The melody spiralled through the amphitheater, showing an ominous illusion — mist started to form and holographic notes started appearing.
The holographic notes started to collect the memories of the past.
— The fall of the amphitheater during her last concert.
— The chaos...
— The moment she screamed and there came thunder.
— and the silence after.
Manifold's scanner vibrated. "These aren't just waves.... These are the recollections of the past! They're recordings — encoded in music."
Darwin blinked, "she's showing us everything."
"Heh! That's exactly what we need on the team!" Manifold jumps up and down and flicks his goggles.
Lea's voice echoed
"I sang through the despair of people
Singing for the ghosts of those who haunt me
And maybe, with your help..
I'll sing for hope again."
"I'm ready." Lea stood up straight and turned away from the old amphitheater.
"Alright Darwin, turn into an eagle again!" Manifold chuckles.
"No need... I can hover around due to the amount of sound waves in the area." Lea stated.
"Well, I can't fly... God I wish I could fly soon!" Manifold's voice stuttered.
They swiftly went back to Manifold's lab — at that time it was so late at around 3:00 AM.
"Hey guys, why don't we get some shut eye?" Manifold yawns.
"Oh right, I should've probably told my mom that I was crashing at your place." Darwin scratches his head.
"Do you want to sleep yet Lea?" Manifold stated.
"Sure... That sounds delightful..." Lea said, nervous but relieved.
"ALRIGHT, FIRST SLEEPOVER OF THE NIGHT WITH THE SCIENTIST BUDDIES!" Manifold was ecstatic and flicked his goggles.
"Still thinking about what our teacher said last class... But it's probably nothing too bad to say the least." Manifold thought to himself.
"There's still class tomorrow y'know Manifold, are we gonna leave Lea here?" Darwin stated.
"Right... What should we do? We can't leave her alone." Manifold shakes his head.
"Well... there IS another plan I had in mind." Darwin exclaims.
"She goes to school with us? Sounds great!" Manifold reads Darwin immediately.
"Umm... I don't mind going to school with you guys." Lea stood up.
"Alright, that settles it. Let's bring her to school tomorrow!"
Manifold excitingly said.
A few hours later — the sun was shining once again. Everyone was getting ready for another day of school.
"Do you think I should put my lab coat today Darwin?" Manifold smirked.
"Why? Just wear proper uniform for once." Darwin stated while putting on his neck tie.
"Manifold, honey! Breakfast is ready." Manifold's mom yelled.
"Yeah — sure mom, be right there in a jiffy." Manifold yelled back.
"Umm... should I wear a name tag?" Lea stated.
"Yeah, you should! Here let me make one for you." Darwin quickly made a name tag for Lea.
"ALRIGHT FOLKS LET'S GO" Manifold stated while having full uniform + his goggles.
The trio exited the house. The sun bathed the streets in yellow, but the distant faint of the city of Hydrax still remained — lingering about.
"Okay, so we walk like normal people, talk like normal people and DEFINITELY don't mention the word resonance to anyone you got that?" Darwin said.
"I have literally never been normal in my entire life." Manifold jokingly stated.
Lea fidgeting with her name tag, "What's considered normal...?"
Darwin with a nervous grin on his face "Yup we're doomed."
On the way to school — the students were gossiping, walking towards the campus. The campus stood tall as always, and another day of school was set for them again.
"Hey dude, is there a transfer student?" A student whispered.
"I dunno, she has a name tag is she from the science club or something? She's with Manifold." Another student whispered.
"Yep, totally normal there Lea, you are nailing it!" Manifold excitingly stated.
"No, it doesn't seem like we're normal at all!" Darwin
interrupted.
Manifold flicked his goggles and said. "Hey dude, we've got the same class today, right?? Physics and History?"
"Oh yeah, we actually do — Nice dude." Darwin stated.
"Anyways, Lea — you'll be in my class. Gotta keep an eye on you, sound decoder." Manifold chuckled and adjusted his goggles.
"The sounds… they're everywhere… I can hear hundreds of voices at once." Lea whispered, clutching her head. "Even footsteps echo like drums."
"Don't worry, Lea." Manifold stepped forward, tapping his goggles with a grin. "Give me one day — I'll build something to tune it all down. You'll have control in no time."
They finally reached the campus gates. With the bell ringing and students pouring into hallways, Darwin split up with Manifold handling babysitting Lea, heading to their respective classes.
In Physics class, Lea sat beside Manifold, her name tag tilted, her eyes scanning the classroom ceiling.
During the Physics lecture — Lea absentmindedly played notes with her pen. The teacher glanced at her with a slight frown, sensing something odd.
Before the tension built up, Manifold raised his hand.
""Sir, I think there's a mistake in the ratio. If it's supposed to be 1:2:3, then that adds up to 6 parts in total. So one part should be 1/6, not what's written on the board."
"My mistake, thank you Manifold for noticing." The teacher grinned.
Manifold in his mind, "you gotta thank me later Lea.."
"I sense.... something, near Hydrax City.... I fear that we may need to get there as soon as possible...." Lea thought in her mind.