Ava Cobalt [Book 1]

Summer 2021, S2

[June 2021]

Ava watched as Benjamin left, and had seen him make sure he had his metal bar in the backseat. He was headed for Spellbound Studios. Also known as Hi5 Studios. But Benjamin and Ava remembered it as Syntec. She got in her car and took a shortcut to Spellbound. She found a place to park and went on foot. She had decided to bring her computer and would scout from a distance. She had managed to tap into the security cameras, and she had a feeling it was going to prove helpful. She found a good place to hide. That wasn't in a bush. She sat there and got her computer set up. The cameras turned on, right as Benjamin lunged through the back door.

Ava, under her breath: Shit!

She watched him march up the stairs, right behind Woods.

Ava: Damn it! No!

Benjamin smacked him with the metal bar, and Woods crumpled to the floor. Benjamin stepped over Woods and glanced at the RSD. He heard voices downstairs, quickly wrote down the coordinates, and raced to Sam's office. He was just leaving when Sam and Matt were coming up the stairs. Ava was shocked they didn't see him.

Ava: The hell?! How?!

Matt and Sam found Woods, and Benjamin took that opportunity to leave. But his bar smacked the wall, and Sam whipped around. Ava knew that he had been seen, and he knew it too. But he grabbed the railing and made his way down the stairs. Ava watched him slip out the back door. Blue Base back door. Suddenly, Ava realized she was close to the back of Blue Base.

Ava, whispering: Shit!

She closed her computer, threw it into her backpack, slung it over her shoulder, and broke into a run. She was grateful she had her mask pulled up. But she was pissed that she had parked so far away. Because she could hear running footsteps behind her. She had been spotted. She picked up speed, but she had a backpack on... Benjamin didn't.

Damn it, Ava! Why did you have to be behind Blue? Why'd you park so far away? Why are you so dumb sometimes?! I don't know!

She stole a glance behind her and saw Benjamin break off, going to his car. She let out a relieved breath and continued to her car. She threw her bag into the passenger seat and raced after Benjamin. Where the hell was he going?

Ava: Come on, come on!

She was losing him. He knew she was following him, and he was a hair tad better at losing her than she was. He did have how many years on her? She pressed the gas a little harder, but the engine was already being pushed to the limits. She was scared to go much harder on it. Whereas Benjamin's newer car had no such issue.

Ava: Damn it!

He had vanished. She growled in frustration, but there was nothing she could do. She sighed, and headed back 'home.'

[Ava's Hideout]

Rage scored through Ava. She knew the serum did nothing to her, compared to Benjamin, but she stole about 15 of the vials. Red and clear. She didn't care about what would happen to her, she just wanted something... something that was compensation for not preventing what had happened. Looking back on it, she knew it had been overkill. But, at the moment, she thought it was barely enough.

By this time, she was in the house, and Benjamin was back in the RV. She filled her injector up and injected it. She did it again, and again. It took her eight times to finish all the vials. She was on the last injection, and the adrenaline had worn off. But it wasn't the adrenaline that she was concerned about. Ava felt searing pain through her entire body. She finished the last injection, and the pain overtook her senses. She let out a scream. She slammed her fist on the table. The pain was so intense, that her whole body was numb. She blacked out.

[Two Hours Later]

Ava woke up on the floor. She hurt, all over. She had never hurt like this. Not since...since Nelson had ordered five doses when she was six years old.

Damn. I messed up. I really messed up.

Ava struggled to her feet. Her breathing was heavy.

Ava: Okay.

She was shaking.

Ava: Let's not do that again. Okay?

Ava staggered into what had been the living room. Which was where her desk was. Before Ava had grabbed the serum from Benjamin's RV, she had plugged her computer in. And she wanted to check it. She was nearly there, when stabbing pain flared through her, causing her to collapse. She shut her eyes tightly against the pain. Her breathing was ragged.

Ava: Ava... you.. have got to be... the dumbest... damn person... that has ever... lived.

She lay there, waiting for the pain to pass. Or at least die down enough for her to get up. After a bit, she hauled herself to her feet. She groaned and made it to her desk. She practically dropped into her chair, sighing. She opened up her computer, checking for notifications. She checked the cameras at Spellbound, to find out what she had missed. Woods' head had bled. They had left for the location Benjamin had stolen. Based on the camera footage, her guess was they were too late. He had gotten the serum.

Ava: God damn it.

She knew there wasn't much she could do. And just stealing serum wasn't going to cut it anymore. It was time she started doing more. But first, she needed to recover from this idiotic decision. She got up and limped off to her room. She flopped on her bed and fell asleep.

[A Few Days Later]

Ava was better. Still sore, but otherwise it was as though she hadn't taken any. But that was after straight days of not leaving the bed. She had learned that she couldn't tolerate more than 12. Which was a good learning experience. But she was still going to take it easy. She went to her computer, she was going to camera watch. She plugged in her earbuds and clicked on Blue Base. Matt, Sam, and Woods were in the vault. Wait.

What are those?

Ava zoomed in. Blue vials?

Antidote.

Matt began shouting.

Ava: What? No.

Realization hit her as it hit her what Matt was going to do.

Ava: NO!!

Matt: Let's split this up!

Ava slammed her computer shut and put her head in her hands.

Ava: God, fucking damn it, Matt! God, fucking damn it!

She got up and kicked a chair across the room, breaking it into pieces. Tears were streaming down her face. She snapped her head toward the kitchen, where a couple of vials sat unopened. She stormed towards them and filled up her injector.

Ava: I'm not going to let him get that serum.

Taking a breath, she injected. She knew it wasn't a good idea, she had injected those 15 vials into herself just a few days ago. She wasn't ready for another dose. Or so she thought. She finished the injection, feeling fine.

Ava: Great. Now I'm able to withstand higher dosages. Hmm.

She began to think. That might not be such a bad thing. If the plans of Benjamin and Syphus went through... She might be needed. She then resolved to try and get herself used to high doses. Something most health teachers would tell you NOT to do.

But that was enough for one day. Well, okay. One more thing. She pulled out her phone and got the RSD program running. She had managed to copy it from the actual RSD...although, she did briefly hack it. Other than being a little glitchy, her phone worked great as an RSD. She saw a couple of locations had already been collected from, so she went to one that she doubted Matt, Sam, or Woods would go to. She chose one and grabbed her backpack. She made sure Benjamin was gone and ran to her car.