𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗛 ✔

𝟕𝟗. 𝐇𝐄'𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊

"You know, since we have no plan, we might as well start searching for the ingredient," Taelyn suggested amidst the silence.

"Searching? We still have that goal?" Sugu raised an eyebrow. "I thought our new goal was to stay alive."

"Well, we don't have a plan to stay alive, so might as well revert back to our old goal!"

As the two bickered, Cara's eyes started to scan the interior of the room. There were vials over vials over machines over tubes over liquids, but none of them matched Sugu's description; translucent, and yellow.

Suddenly, one particular vial caught her eye. The container was opaque, a dark blue color, and on it was a label reading "FRAGILE". She screwed the lid open and poured some of what was inside on the table.

A yellow tinted clear fluid formed into a small puddle.

"I got it!" Cara announced, turning the lid back on. "The ingredient, it's here!"

"No damn way," Taelyn rushed over, breaking her conversation with Sugu. "Are you sure it's the one?"

"I think it is," came Sugu's voice. He was pointing to the plaque that was nailed on the wall beside the door. "Look. Experimental Department #1. Where else would an experimental ingredient be?"

"If it is the ingredient," said Cara, looking at the vial with an anger in her eyes, "..I'm smashing it to pieces."

"No, no, no-" Sugu wrestled the vial from her

She glared at him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"It's not going to be destroyed if we just smash it," he explained. "The scientists are just going to make more. We need to destroy what makes it, not the ingredient itself."

"Good thinking," Taelyn's eyes lit up.

"How are we going to figure that out?" Cara was still glaring at Sugu.

"We, just, um...will," he muttered.

"That's not a very convincing answer."

_*_

Aiden pursed his lips and looked around. He spotted his handgun and phone attached to the soldier's holster. There were no other troops around.

They're all probably trying to find the ingredient, he thought, looking behind him.

A trail of bright red was dripping from his arm as they walked. By the amount of blood he was losing, Aiden was thoroughly lucky he was still conscious. However, by the light feeling that was kicking into his head, he assumed that wasn't going to be the case for much longer.

Soon, they reached the helicopter, and he reckoned he had to act now, or else he'd be transported to God-knew-where.

Aiden mustered up all the strength he had left, turning to the left before performing a roundhouse kick straight to the soldier's head. The man yelped before falling straight on the ground head-first, where he became completely still.

Good. Aiden smiled, proud of his work. He dipped to the ground, swiping up his gun and phone with his good arm, sliding them back into the holster around his hips.

He stepped onto the helicopter, utterly confused at all the controls and buttons that glared at him once inside.

"This is just great," Aiden muttered, about to press a button with his injured arm, but winced immediately.

What happened to logical thinking, Aiden? He sighed. Here goes nothing.

Pressing buttons at random, he felt the transport start to lift in the air. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to celebrate before it started to head straight for building...