Chương 90: Chapter 89 – Hell No!

The alert made Elena's hair stand on end. She hadn't expected any agents. Had something gone wrong with the relocation? She hurried to the teleport area, pulse quickening, eager to see who it was. She stood beside the pad, eyes fixed on the shimmering field. The emergency protocol light flashed in sharp bursts that painted the walls in red. Her heart thudded against her ribs. This can't be good, she thought, steeling herself for the worst. The air above the pad rippled, and Mikale appeared in a swirl of light.

Elena's breath caught. He was the last person she expected right now. He shouldn't be back yet. He wasn't due for at least ten hours, maybe longer if the sabotage went unnoticed. If he was here now, everything could be at risk… the crew, the relocation, all of it.

"Mikale, why are you back?" she demanded, panic edging her voice.

"You're supposed to be working with Elios. Was your cover blown?" Mikale stepped off the pad, shoulders slumped.

"My first undercover assignment and I blew it," he muttered, heading for a chair.

"What do you mean by blew it?" Elena asked, watching him closely.

"I did what we discussed. I bought you time, maybe even more now," he said, exhaling hard.

"Okay, Mikale, you need to be far more detailed in your answers. You're creating more questions than you're answering," she said, frustration creeping in as she sat beside him.

"I sent Elios off on a break and started reassembling the transport," he said, voice low.

"I felt bad for the guy. He was losing his mind over it all. He's terrified of Blackwood." Mikale rubbed his face.

"Anyway, when Elios came back, he startled me. I jumped and dropped the component that houses the Luminix Substrate. The tubes shattered. The stuff leaked everywhere. It was a mess."

"Still doesn't explain why you're here," Elena said sharply.

"All you had to do was put in a new component. Problem solved."

"That was the problem. They had a hard time finding the original piece, so they didn't have a backup. I'm guessing we wiped out every supplier with our stockpile. It's not exactly in the high-demand category. Most suppliers probably had only one or two, if they had even ever heard of it."

"Yeah, that's why we ordered every unit we could find," Elena replied.

"Exactly. That's why they struggled to get the component in the first place. Now that it's broken, it'll be weeks, maybe months, before they can get a replacement. With such low demand and the complexity of the unit, I doubt they'll be up and running anytime soon." He sighed and stared into the distance, lost in the memory.

"The son of a bitch gave us twenty‑four hours to get the machine operational or he'd eviscerate us," he said, eyes snapping back to her. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"Still doesn't explain why you're here and not maintaining your cover," Elena said, folding her arms.

"We need you there to keep us updated. We have no way of knowing when or if they'll get that machine running again." Mikale's head jerked toward her.

"I'm getting there. Give me a minute, will you?" Elena rolled her eyes but nodded.

"There was no way, Elena. No way we were going to get that machine running in time. Elios was about ready to wet himself." Mikale stood, hands trembling as adrenaline surged.

"Blackwood knew we wouldn't make the deadline. How could he not? There were pieces everywhere. I made sure of that. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put that teleport back together again." Elena watched him pace, his movements erratic. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off before she could form a word.

"Elios knew it would take at least a day or two to fix, and that was without knowing what I was up to." His eyes were wild.

"Blackwood's insane. After what Elios told me about Charlie, I have no doubt he'd leave our carcasses on the side of the road if we missed that deadline." He stopped, breath ragged.

"I gave Elios an out. Told him to tell Blackwood it was my fault. You know, blame the new guy. Then I punched him in the face and skedaddled here to save my hide."

"Literally or figuratively punched him?" Elena asked, trying to gauge his seriousness.

"Oh, quite literally," Mikale said, voice heavy.

"Left him unconscious and bleeding on the lab floor," he said showing her his bruised knuckles.

"Poor guy never saw it coming."

"Good. I've wanted to punch that man in the face for years," she hissed, venom curling through her words.

"Ever since he shut down the dig." She scoffed.

"Don't feel sorry for him. He's just as much a part of this mess as Blackwood."

"That's where you might be wrong," Mikale said quietly.

"Sure, he's tangled up in Blackwood's agenda, but I'm not convinced he's a willing participant. I've seen Blackwood belittle him so badly he's scared to even speak."

"Mikale, don't let that man fool you," Elena snapped, outrage flaring.

"He's no innocent victim. He's as crafty and diabolical as Blackwood." She exhaled sharply, forcing her tone down.

"Maybe even more so."

"He masterminded the propaganda campaign that destroyed not only me but Alex as well," she said, shaking her head.

"He ruined our careers, our lives, and our reputations. Maybe things have changed for him, but he's still culpable." Her eyes narrowed.

"He can't be trusted, regardless of his new circumstances." Mikale's expression twisted with inner conflict.

"Don't tell me you want to recruit Elios," Elena said, incredulous.

"Hey, if we could get him on our side, it could change Blackwood's whole trajectory," Mikale said flatly.

"The Elios you described isn't the one I met. If you gave him a chance, he could help us destroy Mordak."

"Or he could get us all killed in one move," Elena said, shaking her head.

"No. Absolutely not. Under no circumstance will I bring him in. Frankly, I'm surprised you'd even consider it."

"But Elena," he began, hope flickering in his eyes, "how will we know unless we…"

"Mikale," Elena interrupted, voice tight with anger. She paused, forcing herself to stay composed.

"The answer is not just no." She took a breath.

"It's a big ol' hell no. Leave it alone. If I so much as suspect you're recruiting that man…" She turned to him, eyes blazing.

"If I hear even the slightest whisper of it, I will hand you over to Blackwood myself. Am I clear?"

"Yes, boss," he said, defeated.

"Good. Matter closed." Elena stormed off toward the lab, her footsteps echoing through the corridor, her body rigid with fury.