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An Outbreak of Alchemy: Part 6 – Smelly Cat
Hammer dragged Ko back with him, eyes tearing, and fired his Glock wildly into the thick black cloud.
There was the whistle of crossbow bolts. A shooting pain in his shoulder made Hammer realize he'd been hit.
He backed towards an elevator with a black and yellow striped border. A bright red button titled UP was next to it. He hit it with his elbow, and sprayed bullets into the cloud. He could only hope Jim-Bean had gotten out of the way.
The elevator opened and Hammer dragged Ko into it. As the doors began to close, something bizarre half-hopped out of the swirling black smoke. It looked like a horned toad, but it was easily the size of a man. Its sticky flesh was covered in a black and white pattern that was wholly unnatural. But the color did remind him of something…
The elevator closed just as the thing reached the door. It began the journey upwards to the roof.
Hammer noticed that Ko's temperature had risen considerably. The man was sweating. "Bhzang," he gasped.
Hammer pushed him against the wall. A bolt was stuck in the man's shoulder. "Some security," he said, gripping the bolt. "They're doing my job for me."
He yanked it out. Ko screamed, but it was a weak, delirious cry.
Hammer realized a bolt was sticking out of his own shoulder. He pulled it out; there was a smeared white paste on the tip. Poison.
"Huh." Archive's mumbo-jumbo really did work. "Tell me where you get your drugs."
"Wha?" asked Ko, delirious.
"Your drugs. You get them from somewhere. You're manufacturing Blink. I know you manufacture it here. But there's an ingredient that only you know. What is it?"
"Mother's Milk?" Ko asked a space a foot to the left of Hammer's head. "She provides all. She is the one source of all life…" Ko slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Before Hammer could say more, the sound of many skittering claws clattered along the outside of the elevator.
"What the hell is that?" asked Hammer.
The escape hatch above the elevator shuttered. Hammer dragged Ko out of the way as it tore open and an insectoid face in the shape of blasphemous parody of a human skull poked through. It hissed, venomous drool dripping from the lip-mandibles, rearing back as it took a deep breath…
Hammer fired both Glocks into its face.
The head flinched but didn't stop the exhalation of black smoke. The door dinged and suddenly fresh air was shrieking around them from outside. Hammer dove out.
The elevator doors closed behind him with a soft "ding" that belied the monstrosity within.
Hammer dragged Ko back with him, eyes tearing, and fired his Glock wildly into the thick black cloud.
There was the whistle of crossbow bolts. A shooting pain in his shoulder made Hammer realize he'd been hit.
He backed towards an elevator with a black and yellow striped border. A bright red button titled UP was next to it. He hit it with his elbow, and sprayed bullets into the cloud. He could only hope Jim-Bean had gotten out of the way.
The elevator opened and Hammer dragged Ko into it. As the doors began to close, something bizarre half-hopped out of the swirling black smoke. It looked like a horned toad, but it was easily the size of a man. Its sticky flesh was covered in a black and white pattern that was wholly unnatural. But the color did remind him of something…
The elevator closed just as the thing reached the door. It began the journey upwards to the roof.
Hammer noticed that Ko's temperature had risen considerably. The man was sweating. "Bhzang," he gasped.
Hammer pushed him against the wall. A bolt was stuck in the man's shoulder. "Some security," he said, gripping the bolt. "They're doing my job for me."
He yanked it out. Ko screamed, but it was a weak, delirious cry.
Hammer realized a bolt was sticking out of his own shoulder. He pulled it out; there was a smeared white paste on the tip. Poison.
"Huh." Archive's mumbo-jumbo really did work. "Tell me where you get your drugs."
"Wha?" asked Ko, delirious.
"Your drugs. You get them from somewhere. You're manufacturing Blink. I know you manufacture it here. But there's an ingredient that only you know. What is it?"
"Mother's Milk?" Ko asked a space a foot to the left of Hammer's head. "She provides all. She is the one source of all life…" Ko slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Before Hammer could say more, the sound of many skittering claws clattered along the outside of the elevator.
"What the hell is that?" asked Hammer.
The escape hatch above the elevator shuttered. Hammer dragged Ko out of the way as it tore open and an insectoid face in the shape of blasphemous parody of a human skull poked through. It hissed, venomous drool dripping from the lip-mandibles, rearing back as it took a deep breath…
Hammer fired both Glocks into its face.
The head flinched but didn't stop the exhalation of black smoke. The door dinged and suddenly fresh air was shrieking around them from outside. Hammer dove out.
The elevator doors closed behind him with a soft "ding" that belied the monstrosity within.