The sanguine, cloudy planet spun below them all. Js-14 was commanded to step into the circle square. A planetary shift was taking place, and Mother Unit was quite aware that the final rotation was occurring. The inner core was being pulled out of center by an unseen black hole mass. The entire planet would soon cook, yet on the surface, not a thing had changed—not a stir. If anything, it seemed more peaceful now. Perhaps there was a force that gave mercy to all in these final hours.
The countdown was 14 hours and 33 minutes. Was Molly trying to save it or retrieve something from it?
Just then, Js-14 was brandished with an armory of military logistical capabilities—a mind sync and an upgrade. Mother Unit felt Js’s awareness had leveled up his sovereign potential. It was good that the two of them would travel to a place that would become that much more hostile by the hour.
"I should tell you, Js-14, that there is more than a good chance you will not survive this journey. However, in the entire universe, you and Molly are by far the most capable, and this isn’t by chance. There will, at some point, be enough magma released into the upper core to redistribute and lay bare an object that can only be retrieved at an uncertain point. If this object is revealed prior to this planet’s destruction, we can shield it from further damage and even use the still-smoldering lava to terraform the surface."
"This object is the Fourth Crystal. If I can retrieve this and place it with the first three of the eleven crystals that pair with these, time itself will cease to send any to ruin. This is said by the ancients—who were ancients even during those first cycles and eras from the beginning of all things. There is an unseen, slow progression of war that crawls toward an outcome as time spins ever faster now. Most don’t know it and are unaware. We must return this crystal and all others to the coldest region outside of space, tucked between realms, in a final place within this realm between realms."
"Here, the crystal must be returned and will bring order back to the Great Cube. With these four components, balance will begin to be restored before the next cycle’s cataclysm grows ever closer. Once this peace is retrieved, however—and this is the caveat—we can travel through time to accomplish the retrieval of the remaining seven. That is, if you can successfully retrieve it?"
Just then, the two were ejected from the ship along with Zr-2, a smaller version of Js-14 but built for battle and collection retrievals.
Zr-2 was light enough to use boost rockets built into his frame. However, both Molly and Js-14 had been given new wings.
The flight down was harrowing to watch as the three definitely tested out their skills. The massive flying beasts were beginning to act a little aggressive, sensing something was coming, but they weren’t yet truly a threat. A massive data log of the entire planet’s history was downloaded to them now, but Zr-2 would need to follow their lead.
"Collect samples from all these base genetic creatures, flora, and fauna, Zr," commanded Js-14.
"Now follow my lead, Js-14!" exclaimed Molly.
As they came to the opening, Zr-2 zipped out of focus, hurriedly carrying out his given tasks. If this planet was doomed, they could at least preserve its essence so that it could be birthed in some way again.
Js converted his wings into a pliable wingsuit as they neared the planet’s surface, while Molly pulled back, igniting her own self-leveling boosters. It was far too hot for anything made of flesh not to simply combust or melt on approach. It was already quite evident why this point in time provided this team as the most probable remedy.
The red and blackened rock fell into the massive crack, melting everything in its wake. Trees began to combust, and the entire cataclysm was unfolding at an alarming speed.
"Cover yourself, Js-14! I’m flying in!"
And with that, Molly entered the inferno, Kelvins stacking to rival the immense heat of a small star. She drew a cover over herself—nothing else could possibly survive this. It was quite serendipitous timing indeed, for if there was ever a chance for Malstruck-13 to survive and for universal order to be restored, this was the absolute best chance at that.
Using her sensors...
Here’s the corrected version of your passage while keeping the original story intact:
She searched for the crystal, but none showed. She could hover here for approximately 45 more minutes—perhaps a minute more, and she would burst into flame herself, giving off a very dynamic explosion to boot.
However, Js-14 could actually walk on the surface of the lava bed—which is exactly what he did. The way Js-14's outer coating was crafted, the immense heat actually caused the opposite reaction. The hotter it was in the external environment, the colder his internal cooling system would become. There was a critical point, however, because the power required to regulate his internal temperature would eventually cause a critical overload. Js-14 would need to travel precisely to the proximal point, retrieve the Fourth Crystal, and exit the area immediately for this to work.
As they ventured ever deeper, the massive waves of bubbling plasma were a sight to behold. As they neared the planet’s center, the circumference rapidly decreased, which meant that with all the loose tidal waves of agitated, sanguine arterial ejections, they could navigate around the entire core. At the core, Molly picked up on the crystal’s signal—it was actually inside the black orb at the center.
"It is found there, Js-14!" Molly called out, pointing at the black spherical core.
Js-14 walked directly up to the core, pulling back its own mantle sheathing. Inside, there was life—life that would soon perish. An entire tiny universe danced around the crystal, and it became imperative that the entire microcosm be preserved and kept intact.
"How quickly can you get here, Zr-2?!"
Zr-2 was sputtering closer, having already sent back on booster retrieval foldouts all the samples required to recreate this world anew. However, it would never be the same world as this.
Was nature wrapping up, concealing, and clothing such a primary gift? Was it God sealing up this crystal as a message that the time for return was always near? Or perhaps there was something much more diabolical and trickster-like at play? Could this be the work of some god-like demiurge who deliberately separated these contingent planes of fertility—disparately dividing the eleven crystals so that all life would exist under certain divisions?
These truths burned deep within the heart embers of this planet.
As Zr-2 deployed another foldout structure, Molly swiftly extracted and preserved the specimens along with the crystal. The entire miniature universe moved together as if it were a gel—the outer veneer shifting and flexing, giving off the tiny light of a trillion galaxies. The cosmos itself seemed to flux in the shape of a dodecahedron.
Zr-2 zipped away with the target, and Molly sealed the core back up—first placing a similar dodecahedron crystal, no larger than her palm, from her waist. As soon as she set it into place, the crystalline structure instantly grew under the immense heat.
Sealing the core allowed Molly to break free from the heat—perhaps just in time?
It was time to return to the ship and see if they could, indeed, save this world.