Chapter 548
Chapter 548:
“It’s not much,” Skye said. “But it’s a start p>
Julian took the tissue like it was a holy relic. “It’s enough p>
He looked at Skye with profound respect. “Rest now, Oracle. We’ll handle the science p>
Skye closed her eyes. The darkness came again, but this time it wasn’t scary.
It was just sleep.
The lab in the basement of the Vance Estate was a marvel of modern science.
Julian stood over a microscope, adjusting the focus. On the slide was the sample extracted from Skye’s napkin.
“It’s aggressive,” Julian muttered to his head chemist, Dr. Aris. “It binds to the serotonin receptors and locks them open. It creates a permanent feedback loop of euphoria and compliance p>
“And the withdrawal?” Liam asked from the corner. He was pacing, unable to sit still.
“Catastrophic,” Dr. Aris said. “The brain stops producing its own neurotransmitters. The crash is… suicidal. Skye is stable now because of the sedatives, but her body is craving it. She’s in agony p>
Liam flinched. He looked at the monitor showing Skye sleeping upstairs.
“Can we fix it?” Liam asked.
“We can synthesize a blocker,” Julian said. “Naloxone on steroids. It would snap someone out of the trance instantly. But it won’t cure the addiction. That… that takes time p>
“Make it,” Liam said. “Make gallons of it p>
“We need a precursor,” Dr. Aris said. “There’s a chemical structure here I don’t recognize. It’s synthetic. Rare p>
“I know where to get it,” a voice said from the doorway.
They turned.
Alistair Thorne stood there.
He looked like he had walked through hell. His clothes were torn, covered in dust and dried blood. He had a cut over his eye that was still bleeding sluggishly.
“Alistair,” Julian said, surprised. “Where have you been? We lost comms with you after the warehouse p>
N𝗮𝘃і𝘨a𝘵𝘦 еa𝘀𝘪l𝗒 on b𝗲𝘭nо𝗏𝘦lѕ.𝘤𝘰m
“I was cut off by Lucian’s rearguard,” Alistair explained, limping into the room. “The crash scattered us. I had to go to ground, evade his patrols. It took me two days to circle back without leading them here p>
He walked over to the monitor. He touched the screen where Skye’s face was displayed. His hand trembled.
“Is she safe?” Alistair asked, his voice thick with emotion.
“She’s recovering,” Liam said, stepping forward. He puffed his chest out, a subconscious territorial display. “I got her out p>
Alistair turned to look at Liam. His eyes were cold, calculating.
“You did good, Kensington. For once p>
It was a backhanded compliment, but from Alistair, it was high praise.
“The chemical,” Julian interrupted. “You know what it is p>
“It’s derived from a plant that only grows in the Graves private botanical reserve,” Alistair said. “Black Nightshade. Genetically modified. It’s not at the main estate—Lucian abandoned that. It’s at a black site in the mountains p>
“We need a sample,” Julian said.
“Then we need to rob Lucian Graves,” Alistair said. A grim smile touched his lips. “Luckily, I’m in a stealing mood p>