Chapter 2: Building Tension
I hung there, helpless as the interminable seconds ticked by, my crisis juxtaposed against the calming ballet of vibrant energy whorls behind me. The invigorating symphony of ions and orbiting planets seemed disinterested in the predicament I found myself in, as if time had lost all meaning. The air was heavy with the scent of ozone and charged particles that crackled in my nostrils, reminding me of my predicament.
It was maddening to be so close to an almost unfathomable power source yet be unable to harness it. What in the universe had just happened?
The artifact, however, continued to hum and emit its comforting bright orange and yellow swirls, as ordinary as you please. If it weren't for my immobility, I would have been tempted to caress the surface, almost inviting the next stage. I suppose, in this unforeseen predicament, I awaited the finale, the resolution, to be unceremoniously plunged into absolute unknown.