And then, just as suddenly as it began, everything stopped. The cat's fur was stiff as a board, its eyes frozen in a permanent stare, and its tiny pink nose was a deep, icy blue. The humans, who had been watching in horror, breathed a collective "what have we just witnessed?"
The scientists, who had been conducting their research, were at a loss for words. "It seems we've reached critical mass," one of them said, shaking their head. "I'm not sure what to make of this."
The cat, still frozen in place, began to slowly, incrementally thaw. At first, it was just a slight wobble in the whiskers, but soon it was full-on movement. The cat stood up, stretched, and arched its back, giving a good, long yawn.
The humans watched in amazement as the cat padded over to a nearby bowl of milk, and began to lap it up. "Well, I'll be," one of them said, "I guess that's what we needed to see."
And so, the experiment was deemed a success. The cat, now fully thawed, went on to become the office mascot, and the scientists were hailed as heroes. But little did they know, phase 5 was just around the corner...