This part concerns me:

We drew each other's blood, mixed it in a test tube with the microparticles, and watched blue blood turn immediately red, right before our eyes.
I was taught, and everything I can find agrees with this, that blood is never blue, ever. Blood is a deep red when oxygenated and a much darker red when without oxygen. The red hue comes from the hemoglobin, not the oxygen itself. I've searched a dozen sights which all agree blood is never blue, only red.