The SVE Club

45. Science

    Midas and Evan stared at the flaming building in shock.

    "Was this part of your plan?" Evan asked, shouting over the alarms that screamed across the campus.

    Midas shook his head, unable to look away from the fire. "Not at all." He couldn't believe it. He'd let his powers get out of hand again, and at one of the most critical moments of the operation.

"Holy. Cow. Midas, did you do that?" Sam asked. "The entire lab's gone up in flames!"

"That'll definitely make it harder to get the serum," Midas muttered. He turned to Evan. "Let's get back to the team. The plan is out the window now, we need to regroup."

    "Midas, you're not going in there, are you?" Sam asked.

    Midas didn't answer her. He and Evan ran over to where the rest of the team cowered behind the hedges. They watched the lab fire, eyes wide.

    "Change of plans, guys," Midas said. "You all need to get out of here. Now. Get back to the part of the fence where we entered, make sure nobody follows you."

   "Where are you going?" Rachel asked.

    Midas pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "The serum. I can't leave without it."

    "Why?" Nate said. "I get that you owe this guy, but it's not worth losing your life over."

    "You make fires. You don't put them out," Taro said, agreeing with Nate.

    "You don't understand," Midas said. "If I don't get the serum, I have a life worse than death ahead of me. But I can't ask you guys to put yourselves in danger like this." He took his earpiece off and handed it to Evan. "You'll need this."

    "You can't go in there alone," Evan protested.

    "He won't," Willow said suddenly. "Because I'm coming too."

    "Willow-" Midas started.

    "I have to do this, Midas," Willow stated. "For Dallas."

    Midas stared at her for a moment, realizing what this meant to her. "If you're completely sure you're up to it," he said tentatively.

    "I am," Willow said. "I'm not leaving yet."

    "And neither are we," Evan said, putting the ear piece on. "If everyone agrees, we'll give you and Willow ten minutes to get in and out. Then we leave together."

    Everyone nodded in agreement.

    "We got in this mess together. We'll get out of it together," Nate confirmed.

Midas looked at them in disbelief before finally shaking his head in amazement. "Okay. Fine. But if we're not back in ten minutes, you guys split. Got it?"

"If you guys aren't out in ten minutes," Rachel corrected, "We're figuring out a way to get you guys out. Even if it means getting caught. Nate's right; This isn't worth dying over."

<><><><><><><>

Sam was panicking.

"You're completely sure?" she asked one of the students watching the cameras. "One-hundred percent?"

The girl nodded. "The guy was reviewing the security footage. You can clearly see Willow in the control room. It looks like he loaded the video on some sort of chip. He's taking it somewhere."

"Where's he headed?" Sam asked, unable to hide the shaking in her voice.

    "Towards the main building, the one Overdrive is tearing up."

    Sam turned her com back on. "Midas?"

"It's Evan. Midas and Willow are in the lab. He gave me the com."

"Right. Listen, we have a major situation. There's a man heading towards the administration building with incriminating evidence on Willow on a chip."

"Okay. What do you want us to do?" Evan asked, sounding frustratingly calm.

"I have no idea," Sam groaned. "What would Midas say?"

"Midas isn't here right now. But we have nine minutes until he comes back. That's enough time to try and stop this guy. Willow's in there trying to save her brother's life, so it's only right that we try and save hers."

"Be careful," Sam said. Her temples hurt, her throat was dry. "Stay together."

"Copy that," Evan said.

Sam leaned back from the laptop, letting out a long sigh. Only one thing weigh heavy on her mind.

I should be out there with them.

<><><><><><><>

Willow was alone in the fire, her eyes cloudy from smoke. She coughed once and covered her mouth with her arm.

Midas had told her to stay near, but she knew they didn't have that kind of time. She had to find the cure for Dallas. So she snuck away when Midas wasn't looking.

But now as she walked carefully through the desert hot building, she realized that she didn't know exactly what she was looking for. She had been expecting a clean, pristine lab. Labels on everything, the entire team with them to help her search. But now, alone in this burning mess of science, she had never felt so lost.

"Hey! Help me!" someone shouted.

Willow looked sharply to her right. She saw inside a room, nearly engulfed with flames, Iron Ice lying on the floor. He watched her pitifully as the fire crept closer to him.

"I'm stuck," he wheezed as Willow neared.

"I thought you were a forzatac," Willow said. There didn't seem to be anything on top of Iron Ice. He lay on the scuffed linoleum on his back.

"Something's stuck me to the floor," Iron Ice explained. "I think it's that artificial conjoiner crap they were trying to make in here."

Willow crossed her arms how she thought Rachel might. She had the upper hand here, she needed to act like it. "Where is the cure?"

"What cure?"

"The ISH scientists were working on a miracle cure. I need it," Willow said.

"Have you seen the building?" Iron Ice asked incredulously. "Even if there was some cure, it would have been destroyed by now!"

Willow stood back in shock. It finally dawned on her- Her goal was a lost cause. There was no cure, no miracle that could fix Dallas. She had failed him.

"Look, we need to get out of here now!" Iron Ice said urgently. "I can help you find the way out, but you need to help me out of this mess!"

Willow numbly stepped away from him. What was she doing here? She shouldn't be here.

"Hey! Wait, don't leave!"

Willow forced her pain away. She failed Dallas once, but she wouldn't fail him again by never coming home. She stepped to the doorway.

"Midas!" she screamed louder than she ever had. Tears that were a caused by a combination of distress and smoke streamed down her cheeks. "Midas, help!"

For once, she prayed she could be heard.