Chương 88: Chapter 87 – Oops

Mikale began to feel horrible for his deception. At first, he thought he was clever, but now he felt like scum. In an effort to buy his allies more time, he had systematically begun removing pieces mere moments after Elios had painstakingly put them back on. Originally it was funny, but now it didn't seem funny at all. Elios paced in frantic circles, muttering under his breath and scratching his head as if trying to make sense of the chaos.

"I could have sworn I just put that piece back on," he mumbled, staring down at the scattered pile.

"I don't understand how…" His voice trailed off, fear and frustration tightening every word. Mikale felt sick watching Elios' genuine fear build. He could see how afraid he was of what would happen to them if they didn't meet Mordak's deadline. What had started as an itch in the back of his mind was now forcing him to question everything. How far would he go to protect Elios if they didn't finish? He had the ability to zap out of there at any time, but Elios did not.

Was he willing to blow his cover and expose the entire organization to save the man who was, by all accounts, Mordak's right hand? He contemplated all the possible scenarios as he removed pieces effortlessly. He knew the technology well, far better than Elios appeared to. He had been the engineer who built Elena's portal and devised the emergency portal's integration into the main teleport. Once you understood the basics, the rest was easy.

He truly believed they could finish before Blackwood's deadline, but uncertainty lingered as he watched Elios' panic. What could be causing the growing terror in Elios' eyes? The worst Blackwood could do was fire them… or was it? Mikale recalled the story Elios had told him about Charlie, but he believed it was either an exaggeration or a delusion. There was no way Blackwood had ripped off an employee's arm and beaten him with it without consequence.

There would have been news somewhere if it had happened the way Elios described. Was Elios afraid of failure or of disappointing Blackwood? Should Mikale intervene to protect him or simply let events unfold? His mind ran in circles, much like a hamster on a wheel, spinning but going nowhere. He needed to focus on something else. He needed to stop worrying about Elios. The man had made his choices… good, bad, or indifferent… and now he had to face the consequences.

Still, the nagging thought wouldn't leave him: if he stood by and watched Blackwood destroy Elios, he was no better than the rest who enabled the monster. If someone had stood up to Blackwood in the beginning, maybe things wouldn't be so bad now.

"Mikale, you need to stop," he muttered aloud, oblivious to the footsteps behind him. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Stop what?" Elios asked. Mikale jumped, startled, and dropped a crucial piece. He tried to catch it but missed. The delicate tubes shattered, spilling the Luminix Substrate across the floor. The greenish glow spread in a puddle as Elios dropped his drink, his heart sinking.

"What did you do?" Elios gasped.

"You startled me. I'm so sorry, Elios," Mikale said, his tone genuine.

"Can we replace it?"

"We had a hard enough time getting that one. I don't know how we could possibly track down a replacement before the deadline. He's going to kill us," Elios said, rubbing his temples as he began pacing feverishly. Mikale watched him, tears glinting in Elios' eyes. He searched his mind for an alternative component but came up blank. Without the Luminix Substrate, the teleport couldn't function. His clumsiness had destroyed their only chance of success.

His first instinct was to jump back to HQ and grab a spare from the storeroom… no harm, no foul… but that would blow his cover and the entire operation. Mikale's mind screamed at him to run, to get somewhere safe, but he couldn't leave Elios to face Blackwood's wrath alone. Or could he? The idea came suddenly. He placed a sympathetic hand on Elios' shoulder.

"I have an idea, Elios, but I need you to take a deep breath and stop panicking. Can you do that for me, buddy?" Elios looked up, eyes brimming with tears.

"Slow deep breaths, Elios. Slow deep breaths," Mikale said calmly.

"I'm fine," Elios replied, exhaling shakily.

"What's the idea?" Mikale stepped back and sighed.

"Okay, what if you blame me? Tell Blackwood I messed up, and when you called me out, I threw it at you. It hit you in the head, and when you came to, I was gone." Elios stared at him, wide‑eyed.

"Where are you going to go? If he finds you, he'll kill you. At this point, he may still kill me." He sighed.

"I don't know where I'll go, but I have ten and a half hours to get a head start," Mikale said, forcing a reassuring smile.

"The question is, will Blackwood believe it and give you a reprieve?"

"It might work, but you won't get ten and a half hours. Maybe an hour at most. I'll have to sound the alarm once I come to," Elios said, putting come to in air quotes, "or it won't be believable."

"Any head start is better than no head start." Mikale said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Don't worry about me, Elios, I made this mess and I will find a way out for myself, trust me. The question is, will you be alright?" Elios thought for a moment.

"I should be. Mordak needs me too much. I'm the only one here besides you who can rebuild this. I'm not saying I'll make it out unscathed, but I don't think he'll kill me." He hesitated, voice softening.

"My biggest concern was you. After seeing what he did to Charlie…" He stopped, then added quietly, "You're the closest thing I have to a friend, especially here." he said, flushing with embarrassment. Mikale's chest tightened.

"Me too, buddy. Me too." He drew back his fist and punched Elios squarely in the face. Elios collapsed like a house of cards. Mikale pulled the emergency transport from his pocket and pressed the button three times.