Undercover| Book 1

The Serum

Chapter: 20

Autumn pushed up her glasses which kept sliding down due to the sweat and narrowed her eyes at the possession serum in a test tube. It was a dark blue liquid, slightly denser than water. Her hands trembled as she picked it up with a gloved hand.

She was an agent, one of the best at SSA, and she saved people’s lives with her gifted intelligence. Now, she found it hard to believe that she was using the same intelligence to create something that would hurt people.

At first, she didn’t know how to make a serum that could take over a person’s mind. But then, she realized that she only needed something that could deactivate the prefrontal cortex of the brain. After that, it was easier since something that could cover up a person’s senses was already an existence. Drugs, drinks, and that stuff. Except those wore off and there wasn’t any specific command the person could comprehend to. The serum she had created trapped and stored away a person’s thoughts, replacing them with make-believe thoughts.

Whoever was going to be injected with this serum would only want what Flora would want, would only listen to what Flora said, and would only do what Flora did or commanded. Autumn was ashamed of herself.

She kept telling herself that she didn’t have a choice. That they had to save Cole. And she kept telling herself that the serum was light and it would take a whole syringe to make it work. That was as much as she made. Flora hadn’t mentioned the quantity.

She was already in her gear, her revolver tucked into her belt and a shotgun strapped to her back. She’d worn her jacket to cover it up. She knew everyone was feeling guilty for handing the serum over to Flora but she was the one who made the serum. No one could feel as guilty as her.

Autumn thought of Kylee, and how she protected herself from the unpleasant feeling of guilt. She did all the hardest things: left her position as a leader, left her team, quit the agency, and broke herself completely. But she wasn’t guilty of anything, whereas Autumn was guilty of everything.

Shaking these thoughts away, she walked out of the laboratory and walked ahead, her gaze fixed on the elevator ahead. It was almost midnight and everyone had gathered around the elevator. Even Tyler had a stiff expression on his face.

She stood between Quinn and Evin and glanced at Mr. Brown. No one said a word. Then, the doors of the elevator opened and everyone braced themselves.

Flora stood in her gear, similar to the one they all were wearing, with a triumphant smile on her face. She had about ten agents with her, all carrying revolvers. Autumn suddenly felt outnumbered, even when the only person missing was Kylee. But Kylee was a great deal, the thick hair at the edge that decided between victory and defeat.

“I hope you all were smart,” Flora said, stepping into the agency. “And that you have the serum ready.”

When Mr. Brown spoke, his voice held guilt, loss, and defeat. He had no choice. “We have it ready. Ross.”

Autumn stepped forward. She was used to hearing her last name from Mr. Brown. He only ever called Quinn by her first name and, due to the recent events, Kylee.

She hesitated at first but Mr. Brown spoke again, “Hand it over to her.”

Autumn closed her eyes and held out the test tube, her hand still gloved. Flora smiled brightly and took it, examining the blue liquid.

“Well, didn’t you turn out to be smart?” Flora looked at the serum in fascination. Autumn fisted her hands. The glove didn’t let her fingernails dig into her palm which was annoying. She wanted to feel something. Pain, preferably, but anything other than the guilt that was drowning her.