128 (Operation Armageddon: Book 1)

Chapter Nine: The Rescue Operation | Part 1

Emma and Daniel sat down on the couch. Meanwhile, Matthew went to the kitchen to grab some tea and sandwiches for all of them to snack on. Daniel grabbed a cushion and dusted it before supporting his back with it, while Emma cleared her throat ceaselessly, still feeling guilty about her "crime".

"Get yourself comfortable," Matthew said as he lowered himself onto the armchair and shuffled around to adjust his posture. "This isn't my house, of course, but the amount of planning we're going to do will probably fry your brain. So, to make up for the unpleasant discomfort in your mind that's to come, make yourself at home."

"All right," Daniel replied, bringing up the cup of earl grey tea with the tea plate and taking a few sips. "I'll enjoy myself," he commented as he placed the teacup down.

Emma, on the other hand, still didn't respond or react. She just sat there, looking elsewhere, as if she were in her own world, a world of mental torture and regret. She couldn't bear to face the detectives—well, she technically could, but it wasn't easy for her to do.

And Matthew noticed her unusual behaviour. "Um, Emma? You okay?" he asked. She still didn't respond, her mind somewhere else. "Emma?" he asked once again, louder this time.

She continued to cease any movements or speech. To Matthew, it had gotten a bit worrying, as she hadn't had any reactions to anything in the past minute; not to Matthew's words, not to his arms which were being waved in front of her, and not even to the rather unpleasant sound of Daniel's teacup clashing with his tea plate.

"Emma!" he said, snapping in front of her face. Finally, she blinked rapidly and came back to her senses. She looked around for a while, dazed, before noticing how Matthew and Daniel had been staring at her.

"Oh, sorry. I... I was thinking about something else..." she trailed off, getting quieter as she finished her sentence.

"Are you okay? You were completely unresponsive for a whole minute," Daniel questioned.

"I'm fine," she replied before pausing once again. Matthew almost thought she was returning to her oblivious state again, but instead, she brought something out of her handbag.

On the coffee table, she placed an unusual-looking box of syringes. She pulled the tab from the top of the box, opening it as she reached for one of the syringes. Holding it up for the others to see, she warned, "Never use this on yourself. Never. This is what caused the captain to turn."

"Turn... into that creature?" Matthew questioned, gulping uneasily as he stared at the syringe.

"Yes. The substance that this syringe carries is hazardous, and after knowing this, you'll never want to test it on anyone, not even on yourself," she cautioned. "Here's the box if you want to have a look," she said, handing the box over to Matthew.

He inspected the box carefully, examining the text printed on it. Yael Biology, it was worded. Below was a label that read: Abnormal Euclid Substance 128 (AES-128). Do not self-medicate the drug. Only to be used in hospitals or medical centres.

"This is awful," he retched, dropping the box back onto the table, refusing to look at it anymore.

Emma grabbed the box of syringes and threw them back into her handbag, seeing that the others weren't interested in it anymore. She was quick to notice the discomfort in her friends' disturbed expressions and instantly apologised, going into another breakdown again. "Guys, I... I'm really sorry that I did all of this. I seriously shouldn't have had—"

"Emma," Matthew finally spoke. "We're not upset with you anymore. We're just... slightly concerned about Yael's ambitions...."

"And seeing what their vicious plot is like, they are seriously dying to see us die," Daniel shook his head.