MAKING THE ANTIDOTE

The day of the final test arrived, and Ava and Julian's anticipation was palpable.

Their antidote, code-named "Eclipse," had passed every trial with flying colors. The team eventually arrived at the name in Ava’s dream, but she knew that Denizens Pharmaceuticals had no hidden secrets.

But as they injected the last test subject, a sudden adverse reaction occurred.

The animal's vital signs plummeted. Ava heard the animal’s pain as life was almost snuffed out of it. She quickly rescued it.

"No, no, no," Julian muttered, his face ashen.

Ava's heart sank. "But what went wrong?"

Dr. Rachel Kim rushed to their side.

"What happened?" Rachel asked, scanning the data.

Ava shook her head. "We thought we'd perfected the formula."

Rachel's expression turned grave. "We need to re-evaluate."

Nadia's presence whispered concern.

"Ava, don't be discouraged," Nadia advised. "Setbacks are temporary."

Ava nodded inwardly, but her disappointment lingered.

Julian slammed his fist on the counter.

"We were s