Hello all! Is Tide really dead? Did the mysterious soldier really kill her? Who is the mysterious soldier… All will be revealed in a moment! Enjoy! -EmuFrost
The trigger was pulled. A blast shot through the air and echoed through the hallway. I'm dead, I thought, I'm dead. It was a strange feeling, lonely, cold, there had to be a word for it. Oblivion, complete oblivion. I reached out to feel the air around me, dark and empty, there was nothing there. Or so I thought. I opened my eyes to see Tubias holding his gun up at my face.
"Tubias!" I screamed "You scared me to death! Literally!" He didn't respond, frozen like a statue, he had a certain blank look on his face. A look I had seen before, the other soldiers. He was controlled by the serum.
"You do know he can't hear you," another voice said to his right. I turned to see J'clean Matthews standing proudly at his side.
"Even the best Detergent can't resist this," she said pulling a vial from her coat pocket. In it was an oozing blue liquid. In sloppy handwriting the words "Laundry Detergent" were scribbled on the outside. I gasped. Laundry Detergent was said to be the most deadly substance ever known to mankind. I heard it controls your mind, takes over your body. I didn't even want to think of the effect it would have on a Detergent like me.
"You see," she said. "I really didn't want to have to use this, but oh well, if I must. I must." She snapped her fingers and two body guards at her side stepped forward and saluted her. She handed one of them the Laundry Detergent..
"But how?" I stammered. "I just saw him escape in front of me!"
"Please dear, I thought a Detergent would be a little smarter. I have hundreds, maybe thousands, I don't know I lost count, of soldiers to take care of my ever wish and command, you think one little Detergent can stop me?" She looked calm and natural, as if she threatened Detergents every day. I wouldn't be surprised.
"Take her to room B14, use the serum on her, it may take some restraints, but is that my problem? No. Do what you must. A Detergent soldier would be spectacular, but if something should occur…" She turned to me with a smug little smirk on her face. "Let's just say accidents happen." They both grabbed me by the arms and dragged me down the corridor.
"Tubias!" I yelled again. He didn't move a muscle, only watched me being dragged to my doom. Then out of the corner of my eye I noticed something strange. Tubias was tapping his foot. A soldier wouldn't do that. Tubias would.
•••
The soldiers were stronger than I expected. I had planned to knock one out with a sharp blow from my elbow, but it didn't work seeing as he had my arm pinned down to a hard table. They opened the vial and shoved it in my face.
"Drink," he said in a bland monotone.
"Make me," I sneered.
"As you wish," he replied in the same monotone. One grabbed my jaw trying to wrench in open. No Tide, I thought, you are stronger than them. You are stronger than anything they can do to you. Yes, Tide, yes, you are strong, you are brave, you are a duster, you are…. Detergent. I screamed as I kicked my feet out. I could feel the Detergent pulsing through my veins, my very heart beat seemed to be going faster than normal. The sensation was over taking my body. I could feel my arms shaking and jerking unnaturally. I wouldn't know, because my eyes were making everything look rainbow, but I must of looked insane. Like a volcano about to explode. The soldiers stood back.
In one swift move my whole body lashed out, the restraints snapped free as I exploded up from the chair.
"I am Detergent," I said. Obviously they already knew this, but saying it felt right. It added a certain heroism to the moment.
"You cannot control me," I said. And with that I kicked the guard over knocking him into the table. He dropped the vial which shattered when it hit the floor. The blue Detergent oozed all over the floor. I jumped up onto the table to avoid it touching my feet. The two guards on the floor were too slow. The Detergent surrounded them. They screamed in pain like it was acid. Slowly both bodies disintegrated into the floor. I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn't look away. In unison, they screamed and exploded into a cloud of bubbles. I laughed as one of the bubbles touched my nose. Death by bubbles, how gallant.
When there was only a small puddle of Laundry Detergent left I slid off the table. I watched closely as the blue liquid exploded into another cloud of bubbles. I was afraid to touch it, but after all it was Detergent. It was in my blood. I was a monster. Full of deadly Detergent. I had Detergent in me, but did that really make me deadly? Was I a monster like J'clean said? No, I told myself. Detergent was a good thing, it gave me strength and power above Dustless soldiers. Dustless soldiers, Tubias! I had completely forgot about him. J'clean could've already turned him into a cloud of bubbles. No, I thought, he could survive anything.
•••
I shut the door to the room and quietly stepped into the hall. What now, I thought, find Tubias, save my family? I turned the corner to find another gun pointed straight in my face. Great, just great. I braced myself for the shot, but it never came. Instead it turned into a hug. I winced as the dark figure embraced me in a giant bear hug. I yelped, but took the hug. In the darkness of the Dustless compound all I could see was her long brown hair and a small Soapttoo of a duster on her shoulder. She was taller than me and seemed familiar. I stepped back to see my attacker.
"Mom?"