"A laboratory! Hurray! Cain, hurry up and find a portable lab like my last one!"
Yeah, it wasn't us who hit the jackpot—it was Four Eyes specifically, judging by her smile and her almost glowing eyes. And I don't mean that literally, like mine.
I reluctantly get up and stretch noisily—too noisily, as if my vertebrae are popping back into place. I really did throw myself into that leap!
"Yes, yes, I'm on my way," I reply without much enthusiasm.
"Maybe we should look for the serum or some useful data instead?" I asked, since we were in the right complex anyway. Sure, in theory, we're supposed to go lower—but you never know. It's a lab, after all. Why wouldn't there be samples?
"Okay. You take care of that, and I'll look for a portable lab," Yamata says, waving her hand dismissively.
What a hamster! She's already loaded down with weapons, and now she wants to add a suitcase to the pile—even if it is necessary. Or does she think I'm going to carry it?
"Wow, just look at this!" Four Eyes says, walking along the tables and poring over a document.
"What is it? Surprise me," I mutter, continuing my own search for something useful.
"This answers the question of where the Hunters and the T-103 came from at the virus development base." Yamata glances at me, apparently gauging my reaction.
Yeah, what reaction could a half-dead man have? Even if I was interested, my face didn't show it in the slightest.
"Go on. Tell me," I say indifferently, rummaging through the drawer of the nearest table with interest.
"In addition to developing the G-virus—or rather, alongside it—they tested less successful samples on various BOWs, Bio-Organic Weapons, subjecting them to changes caused by imperfect viruses. On the off chance that something might 'fire' here too. Thanks to the proximity of the T-103 production plant and several other facilities, they had no shortage of materials. Actually, judging by their placement right at the beginning, those Hunters and Tyrant were delivered shortly before the incident and weren't upgraded yet. There's a possibility that something similar to us is running around here. Of course, management didn't bother to tell us that during our first visit," Yamata finishes with a faintly malicious smile.
In one of the boxes, I find a stand for virus vials. It's a black case, coated with something unclear—after all, the undead aren't exactly gifted with a sense of touch, with two compartments. Only one of them contains a vial filled with a blue substance, suspiciously similar to what we're looking for.
No way!
"Hey, Yamata, how many doses of the G-virus do we actually need?" I ask, doing my best not to betray my excitement.
"The more, the better. But at minimum—three. One for you. The second for me, to use and stabilize my form. And the last for blackmail and revenge against the corporation," Four Eyes replies, snorting as she continues leafing through papers.
Too bad I have no reason not to trust her. So, half a dose won't cut it. How wonderful it would be if both doses were here.
By the way, I wonder—is this the one Birkin's wife eventually finds, or is the second vial missing for that very reason? I hope it's the second. Though… why did I assume this one isn't defective?
"I found it!" Yamata exclaims happily, holding a silver suitcase in her hands. It's obvious what she means—the scientist is talking about the lab.
"Great. Then can you check this?" I pull out the ampoule and hand it to the visibly surprised Four Eyes.
"Come on—was it really that simple?" burst out the girl who had understood everything correctly. And snatching the vial from me, she immediately snapped open her case and began the analysis.
"Simple? Shall I remind you of the path we've taken? Even I nearly died several times! And you actually did die, sort of! If this is simple, then what counts as difficult?!" I protest, burning with righteous indignation.
"No, I mean the trip to the laboratory itself. I thought we'd have to go all the way down, fighting every step of the way, instead of finding the serum we need in the fourth room," my partner waves it off.
"True enough, but shouldn't you know that life rarely follows such neat patterns? And it's not guaranteed this is it—it could be another defect. Besides, we need more samples. Ideally, all of them," I reply.
"You can cross one item off the list—it really is the G-virus," Four Eyes says, pulling the vial out of the analyzer compartment.
"So," she asks, "what are we going to do?"
"Inject it already, then we'll move on to find something for blackmail," I snort, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"And what about you?" Four Eyes asks, surprised.
"Who do you think I am? I'm not going to let myself be destroyed by self-destruction," I say dismissively, showing her the box with the two compartments. Let her draw her own conclusions—after all, mercenaries are good at sensing insincerity in words.
"You didn't even wait for the analysis. What if it had been the wrong thing?" Yamata says, shaking her head.
"Even then, it would still have made me stronger. Now let's get out of here. There doesn't seem to be anything else interesting here. So I'll go first," I say, as Four Eyes rolls up her sleeve.
And inside me, everything is in turmoil.
On one hand, I acted like a gentleman—damn it! I proved to myself that I'm still quite human, still capable of such deeds.I also avoided another round of team arguments—though loyalty is loyalty… will the imprinting hold after my unilateral move, when the vaccine—already analyzed, confirmed, and our only salvation from the current situation—is used on me right in front of Four Eyes? What if I end up having to get rid of my own partner after that?
On the other hand—well, what the hell am I supposed to do now?
(End of Chapter)
P@treon: /SadRaven
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰