Serve and Protect

Chapter 12

The following day, Adora decided to put her plan into action. She was determined to finally get some useful evidence to share with the Rebellion.

She loitered quietly in the corner of the lab, making herself look busy while Entrapta and Hordak whispered sweet sciency nothings to one another by the door. With her back to them, Adora found a discrete spot to set up her phone so that the camera had a perfect shot of the room. She piled things around it to keep it both upright and out of sight — odds and ends she knew Entrapta rarely used. Once she was satisfied with her set-up, she reached around and hit record. Now all she had to do was wait.

Hordak didn't stick around for much longer. He wished Entrapta a productive day and took his leave. Even though Adora wished she could have captured more of their conversation, she knew she had recorded at least a minute or two of both him and Entrapta together. That, she could only assume, would be a huge win.

"Today's a big day!" Entrapta chirped as she circled around her work bench. Grinning wide, she scooped Emily the rat from her shoulder and placed her lovingly on the table. "Are you ready?"

Adora hesitated for a moment. "Are you talking to me or Emily?"

Entrapta laughed. "Both of you! Today's the day we test out our new prototype. If my calculations are correct—and they are—we're about to manufacture three days worth of product in one morning!"

"Wow," Adora breathed, taking her place across from Entrapta. Emily scurried over and Adora scratched her behind the ears. "That's amazing."

"It sure is!" Entrapta was almost dancing with excitement. "I'm going to prepare the ingredients. Can you finish clearing off my work station, please?"

"You got it."

Adora worked quickly, eager to get to the good part. She cleared her throat and tried to act natural. "Would you mind talking through the steps? I know I don't really understand all this science stuff, but I'm trying to learn."

Entrapta beamed over the plastic tub of beakers she was carrying to the workstation. "Of course! I'd never deny a curious mind from science!"

A twinge of guilt pulled at Adora's insides. Entrapta was so kind and genuine, it almost hurt to play her like this. In the back of her mind, Adora wondered how someone so smart and sweet ever got messed up with a gang like the Horde.

As Entrapta arranged her equipment and pulled on her safety gear, she prattled through every step of her process with breathless enthusiasm. She described the various chemical compounds she combined to produce the Horde's proprietary designer drug, known on the streets as Runestone.

"Have you ever tried it?" Adora asked. This was a question born more of her own curiosity than for reconnaissance purposes. For all the years she'd spent running the drug all over the city, she herself had never tried it. Something about the drug's regular users—the intensity of their lows after the highs, and the desperate way they'd do anything for it—told her it wasn't something she wanted to mess with.

"Oh, no," Entrapta replied, pulling her gas mask down over her face. "Runestone is highly addictive. I prefer to keep my mind clear for the sake of my work. Mask, please!"

Adora did as she was told, pulling on the spare mask she'd been given, as well as the intense set of safety gloves. She stood across from Entrapta, careful not to block the camera's view. Entrapta got to work, carefully measuring and mixing various compounds and heating the resulting substance over a burner.

"Here comes the fun part!" she said, and Adora could tell by the tone of her voice that she really believed it. "Usually it takes hours for this chemical compound to synthesize. But with my device, we'll be able to cut down that processing time dramatically!"