Chapter 4

Nox glanced up at the sound of footsteps to see Beecher charging into the room. "What happened?" He asked as soon as he was within earshot.

"Element Evil," She explained, out of breath. "Let's get him out of here."

They hooked his arms around their shoulders, and Etrius' head hung down, revealing black veins that crawled through his neck.

They darted through the dark corridors, stray alarms still ringing. Light traces of Element Evil lingered in the corners of the hallway like ever-present fog.

Etrius muttered something, but Beecher and Nox were too focused to hear it.

"Boomer's disabling the explosives, but knowing him, he's always ready for a detonation." Beecher explained, and Nox made a mental note of this.

Beecher kicked past doorways after doorways, careful to stray away from the fog. They reached the back exit, finding it locked. Nox forced it open with her psychic power, and it flew into the bushes.

Lloyd greeted them in the back exit as they dragged Etrius out, and he immediately began firing questions at them. "What the hell happened in there? Where's Boomer?"

"Boomer's still in the basement, disabling the explosives. Etrius… I knew something was wrong with him. And he's made it worse."

"We need to leave," Nox said, strands of her hair falling into her face. "Boomer can take care of himself—we need to get out of enemy lines and get this guy medical attention."

Beecher opened his mouth to protest, but quickly shut it. Despite himself, he knew Nox was right. It was past five minutes, and the explosives hadn't detonated, meaning he succeeded in the mission. He was able to find his own way out.

Lloyd thought for a moment, and then said. "Hide in the forest and wait for me. I'll be back."

"Lloyd!" Beecher shouted between his teeth, but he had already run off. "What is it with this team and running off without another word?"

They hid Etrius within the thicket, and Nox gave another attempt at reviving him. She placed a hand on his head, shut her eyes and focused.

Then it happened again. The same block she experienced while trying to invade The General's mind. She assumed it must've been the Element Evil blocking her out, and she cursed The General's name.

Screeching tires resounded overhead, and Nox whirled her head up to see the glare of headlight peering through the dead leaves. A camouflaged Humvee screeched to a stop before them. Lloyd popped open the door. "Get in."

Beecher and Nox reacted quickly, grabbing an unconscious Etrius by the arms and hauling him in. They laid him in the back seat. He groaned and nudged his head, but otherwise remained unconscious.

Beecher took the backseat while Nox rode shotgun. A sudden wave of bullets shattered the back window, and they ducked to miss them. Nox glanced behind them to see a group of surviving troops charging towards them, carrying rifles. "DRIVE, GODDAMNIT!"

Lloyd stomped the gas, propelling the Humvee forward and leaving a trail of black dirt behind. Trees and bushes whizzed past the windows in a blur as Lloyd charged through the brushwood, creating their own path of escape. "Hope Boomer makes it out alright." Nox claimed.

"I wouldn't worry about him," Lloyd gave her a sideways glance while keeping his eyes on the 'road'. "Not with his supernatural strength."

Beecher checked Etrius pulse, and his eyes narrowed. "He has no pulse, yet he's still breathing."

"Death would've served a better fate," Nox said with darkened eyes. "If he's turning into one of them, he won't be happy when he wakes up."

~X~

By the time they brought Etrius back to the base, his entire body was covered in a cold light that seemed to radiate off his skin. His eyes were rolled up, muscles trembling under his skin. Morphine didn't seem to work, and Nox did the best to her ability with her healing powers. The best thing they could do was to wait.

Footsteps resounded from outside the doorway, followed by indistinct shouting. Beecher stiffened as the door swung open with a kick, and a dusty, messy-haired Boomer marched in. "Look who I found." He threw the dragging body forward. Romanov collapsed to the floor, chin hitting the ground and glasses flying off.

Lloyd's eyes darkened. "You brought a witness? Nobody is supposed to know this place exists, Boomer."

"Heard that this guy created the antidote's destruction. If he knows so much, then he can help us," He kneeled down to his level and grabbed a fistful of his hair, a crazed glint in his eyes. "Isn't that right, crackpot?"

"Okay! Okay! I'll do what you want, just don't kill me!" He then began shouting incoherent words in Russian.

"That's enough, Boomer." Beecher said, glaring down at the scientist. "We don't need you tearing someone's scalp off a second time."

Nox blinked. "I'm not even going to ask."

Boomer smirked as he let go of Romanov's gray hair, planting his face to the floor again. Trembling, he picked himself up, fixing his glasses into place with shaking hands.

"How do we cure someone who's been exposed to the infection?" Nox pressed as she grabbed him by the lab coat and forced him to his feet.

Romanov's eyes met Nox's for a brief second, and they widened behind his glasses. "You… Experiment X."

Nox's eyes faded to a blood-red. "I'm no longer one of your fucking experiments. I'm human—just like the rest of you… On the contrary, I'm not sure you could even classify yourself as 'human'."

"Enough," Lloyd barked, and he grabbed Romanov by his collar, dragging him away from Nox and Boomer. "Listen here, crackpot. You're going to help us whether you like it or not. Tell us how we can cure our comrade."

Behind his glasses, he eyes Etrius' unconscious figure. "What happened to him?"

"He breathed in that gas inside the white tanks," Nox said with her arms crossed, eyeing Romanov's thick glasses. She whispered to Boomer, "I bet he can see the future with those glasses."

Romanov shook his head solemnly. "That gas was a mix of Element Evil and Arsenic. It was created in an attempt to find the cure, but it's a failed experiment. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for your friend here."

Nox felt an electrical spark in the air when he said this. She narrowed her eyes. "You're lying." She unsheathed her sapphire sword and held it to his neck. "What aren't you telling us?"

Romanov's wide eyes travelled between Nox and the blade. "I—" He gulped at the sight of Nox's raging features. "There is a way to cure him." A pause. "KrSAPPHIRE. It's the same chemical we used in crafting that sword."

Nox bit her lip. That's why my powers have been kept under control with this thing.

Her blade suddenly weighed heavy.

"If I can extract them," Romanov continued, "You're friend might stand a chance."

Nox pressed the blade to his throat, drawing a thin line of blood. "No one is taking this sword. Bad things will happen." Not only was it her trusted weapon, but she knew that if her powers went out of control, all hell would break lose. They couldn't afford that.

Romanov thumbed his mustache. "There is another way. But I need a certain chemical, and it's in my lab."

Boomer ran a hand through his hair. "Don't tell me we need to go back to that place again."

"If we're going to cure Etrius," Lloyd turned away. "We have to."

Nox read through his brainwaves, but everything was in order. He was telling the truth. "Alright," She said. "We'll get you the things you need. But for now, you need to work with what we have here."

Romanov fixed his glasses into place and mumbled something about how people never understood the way science worked. "The chemical I need is called Silver Nitrate. It's the only chemical that can help him."

Nox turned to the rest of the team. "Everyone, return to your quarters for a sleep cycle. Tomorrow we'll set the plan and start our attack. Our last motive was too messy and unorganized."

The team exchanged glances before they turned and left the room, but Beecher stayed behind.

"He'll survive the night," Romanov told him after he saw him staring at him with a dark expression. "Just don't blame me if the antidote doesn't work."

Nox reached out to him through mindspeak. I'll keep an eye on the doc. You get some rest.

This didn't seem to help him much, but he complied nonetheless and left the room without another word.

Nox turned to Romanov and pointed two fingers at her eyes, then at him. "I can read your mind, even from the other side of the planet. And with God as my witness, it took a lot of willpower to block out all the noises around me with this power. If I sense you try anything, I'll give you a fate worse than death."

Nox spoke the words as if they were dripping with acid, and it was enough to make Romanov flinch and step back. He wrung his wrists with his hands as Nox turned for the door. "You won't get away with this," He tried to sound brave, but he couldn't keep the tremor out of his voice. "You, Beecher and the others betrayed us, and the world knows it. You'll never stop us from finding a cure."

Nox actually stopped mid-stride and gave him a sideways glance. "Open your eyes, doctor. The General is the enemy, not us. He had the cure all along, and he let mankind fall. You don't have to believe us, but soon, there's going to be a time when you have to choose between the greater good, and that bastard General. And when that time comes, there's no denying it." She was out the door before Romanov could protest any further.

~X~

A cold frost nipped at the air, and an ever-present fog hung in the forest air, lurking in the darkness of the trees like ghosts. Boomer's breath was shown in their air before it materialized back into nothing. He lurked on the south side of the facility, hands in his hoodie pockets as he leaned against a tree.

He produced a cigarette and lighter, the carroty light illuminating his face and hair that stuck out of his hoodie. Rustling of dead leaves resounded from behind him. He whirled around, cobalt blue eyes scanning the area.

Something shifted in the shadow of the trees.

Boomer noticed a wolf was pawing the dead leaves on the ground, as if searching for something. A smirk formed on his face. Dinner. He reached for his shotgun to land a clear shot, but forgot he left it in his quarters. He cursed himself and made a mental note to always bring his weapon when he traveled outside.

But on closer inspection, Boomer noticed it's front paw was trapped in between metal claws linked to a chain that stuck out of the ground.

The wolf bowed it's head, glanced up at Boomer, and then growled upon his presence. Boomer froze in place, holding his two hands shoulder level in a gesture that he meant no harm. The wolf's ears drew back, and he bared his teeth.

Boomer managed to get to his knees and close the distance between them, keeping his hands still. The wolf sniffed his palm, smelling the lingering scent of demolition ashes on them. The wolf flattened it's ears and whined, pawing again at the metal claw that had it's leg trapped.

Boomer stroked his chin in thought. "Hold still," He told it, keeping one leg in place while he reached into his pocket for his switchblade. He tugged it out and flicked it open.

Upon the sight of the blade, the wolf's eyes darkened and growled again.

Boomer's brows creased together. "Calm your ass down, I won't hurt you." He stuck the edge of the blade into the rusted screw that kept the claw in place and unscrewed it. It popped open, freeing the wolf's paw. Blood matted his fur. Boomer's mouth formed into a thin line as he reached into his hoodie pocket and produced a rolled up white bandage. He wrapped the wolf's wound. "You got a name, pal?" He checked the black spiked collar, but there was no tag.

Looks like a Timber wolf. He remembered seeing packs of them in Colorado before the resource war took over, and they'd gone extinct. "Timber, it is."

Timber gave Boomer a side-eye look with gray eyes before it back away, his tail swishing. "What are you—?"

Timber scrambled away, nearly tripping on his wounded leg. He glanced back at the form of Boomer before limping into the shadows and bounding out of sight.