Careful footsteps ghosted down a stylish white hall. The loud blaring of the alarm system echoed from wall to wall like drumsticks on a drum, bouncing into Sky's heart. White fluorescent lights glitched out of control over Sky's head, casting eerie shadows that danced along the pristine tiles. Holding his accelerated breathing to the best of his ability, he led the way.

Putting an arm up to block Hazel, who was right behind him, he came to a stop a few feet before the nearest corner. He knelt down beside a trolley, which helped to shield their presence.

"Hurry up, you bloody idiots!" a baritone voice barked like an angry dog down the hall. "The company's security system isn't working properly! I want each and every one of you on guard! Go to the packaging department. Either there's an emergency with the automated equipment for blister packaging and bottle filling... or we're being robbed or something."

Many guards stormed past as they rushed down the other hall, ignoring the trolley, Sky, and his friends behind him.

Damn. I guess the old-fashioned security protocols must be in force right now. Now that digital systems have become corrupted by Endurance, they have no other choice but to go back to using old protocols.

The sterile scent of disinfectant filled the air as they made their way deeper into the heart of the facility. The flickering overhead lights.

The last two guards running down the hall exchanged a worried look. One told the other, "I'm sure it's nothing. It's probably Endurance messing up with the security system once more."

"It could be thieves again," his teammate replied.

"Nah. The bloody bastard likes to toy with us."

Sky raised an eyebrow. I guess many people are using this chaos to their advantage to steal valuable stuff.

"We need to move further, Sky," Hazel whispered with urgency when the last guards disappeared. "Haywire won't be here. We just went by training facilities and conference rooms."

"If only we had a map or something," Sky whispered back. "That way we could easily discard such areas, at least."

"Don't worry," Winona whispered. "We'll find out way eventually. Let's keep moving."

The frantic footsteps and voices of guards drowned down the hall.

"This is our chance," Sky said.

He spied on the last of them as they disappeared down the hall. With a single movement of his hand, he gave his friends the signal to proceed.

Sprinting in the opposite direction, they approached a series of lifts.

"A board with floors and departments!" Sky said with relief. "Finally."

They stared at the information on display.

"Okay," Hazel said. "We entered through this back door in the distribution department, so these must be the employees' lifts. Packaging and labelling facilities are right behind us, just like the conference rooms we just saw."

"Our best shot is to take the lift several floors down," Sky said. "And head for the research and development labs in B6. Better yet, we should use the stairs instead. Lifts might not function properly. We could get easily trapped."

"Agreed. Why not check the warehousing department in B2, though?" Kenji suggested. "That must be a huge place. Big enough for a Sonic Echo Ranger and other phoenixes."

"You're right," Sky replied. "Let's split. Kenji, Charlotte, Luca. Go to warehousing. Hazel, Winona, and I will inspect the labs."

As they descended the metal stairwell, the building's electrical system conspired against them. Lights flickered while emergency alarms still blared, sending waves of panic through the building's security personnel. Guards rushed up and down the stairs, so Sky and his friends had to constantly hide behind trolleys and doors, or in dark rooms or halls.

Despite the danger, they used the chaos to their advantage.

B2's door was soon in sight. Kenji, Charlotte, and Luca sneaked by and went out of Sky's sight.

Good luck in there.

Hazel, Winona, and Sky proceeded with their descent. The lower levels were a maze of metal and concrete, a stark contrast to the sleek exterior and the first basement floors of the building.

Occasionally, they had to hide in the shadows as guards patrolled the area. Their footsteps echoed ominously in the cold, echoing halls.

Sky's heart raced, but his determination never wavered. He had to find Haywire, who had been imprisoned within those very walls.

They hid for a few minutes in the quality control and quality assurance labs in B4 while a group of scientists passed by. They overheard an intriguing conversation.

"This is insane," a middle-aged woman in a white lab coat said as she leisurely went up the stairs. "Working so late at night. I'd rather be home with my kids."

"Mrs Evergreen promised to pay us well for this special extra task tonight," her male companion replied. "The digital equipment is out of order, and the old equipment is a bit rusty, so it's gonna take a while. But we'll succeed and earn that fat pay cheque. It'll be worth it."

"I hope so!" The woman sighed. "I couldn't stay in the clean room with that monster a minute longer! I swear!"

What monster?!

The pair of scientists went up the stairs, giving the teens their backs. Sky took a good look at them from behind the door where he hid, and raised an eyebrow when the woman in the white lab coat shivered in disgust and fear.

"Those bright red, killer eyes!" she exclaimed with her hands grabbing her arms. "Terrifying! We need to be more careful than Tomson and Welles."

Bright red, killer eyes?! Haywire!

Sky's fists clenched until veins protruded on his skin. His arms trembled despite his will to remain still, hiding in the shadows. His heart played an epic drum solo, fusing anger and worry. He pressed his lips into a thin line while his eyes seared the backs of those scientists.

"Yeah," the man replied in a low voice. "Security dealt with... them. Or what's left of them. Jesus, I'll have nightmares until the day I die."

"Let's get some coffee and forget about it for a few minutes while we're waiting for the test's results," the female scientist told her colleague with a shaky voice, as if she was forcing herself to forget about a painful incident.

When they went out of sight, Hazel whispered, "Sky, do you think it's Haywire?"

"It's possible," he replied as he rushed to descend the next flight of stairs. "We need to hurry before these two come back for those results they just mentioned."

The three of them hurried to B6. Thankfully, the deafening sound of the alarms started to fade the lower they went. The metal doors to enter the research and development department on B6 were open wide, with three possible halls to explore: one ahead of them, one on their left, and another on their right."

"Winona, check the halls and rooms on our right," Sky whispered. "Hazel, take the hall to our left. I'll inspect the one straight ahead."

"Call me if you need any lock picked," Hazel whispered to Sky and Winona.

They split.

Sky passed laboratories filled with rows of gleaming stainless-steel equipment, each one a testament to the company's experiments.

These are state-of-the-art facilities. The premises smell of money—a lot of it. Impressive. Sky inspected the labs through some wide windows, but those soon disappeared. The walls became large blocks of solid concrete.

He entered one lab. The stillness in the air was blood-chilling as the lights glitched awkwardly above his head.

So, this is where scientists and researchers work on discovering and developing new drugs.

That lab had specialised equipment such as mass spectrometers, chromatographs, and cell culture appliances. Those were items used by the researchers to conduct experiments, analyse data, and collaborate to advance drug candidates from early discovery through pre-clinical testing. He ran a curious inspection over those items, either available on tables or stored in the nearest shelves.

Temperature-sensitive products were kept in climate-controlled devices, while hazardous materials were stored in secure, designated containment equipment.

Look. Blood samples from students, labelled with our class group and names. He turned around and saw a pile of papers on a table. And... what's this?

He took a closer look as he carefully turned some pages. With a furrowed brow, he skimmed over the text.

Clinical reports which pair each of our samples with... people? Who are these people?

The weight of the secrecy and ethically questionable experimentation hung in the air.

And... purchase orders with those names as... buyers? Oh, I see. These must be the rich folk who buy our blood transfusions to stay young.

An open document cabinet caught his eye.

Now that we're here, why not spy on what Mrs Evergreen's minions are doing?

Approaching his hands on the folders inside, his heartbeats went wild with anticipation. He rummaged until luck hit him: he found a folder labelled 'Project Lifebringer'.

Spying over his shoulder just in case someone caught him, he took the file out. He found a nook beneath a table to hide in case anyone came in. That way, he would be able to read it carefully, hoping to be undisturbed.

Let's see. What are you hiding, Mrs Evergreen?

'The telomeres found at the extremes of DNA strands in cells protect them from ageing. This is applicable to human beings and other animals. With time, chromosomes shorten until they die, causing ageing and general decay. The aim of this study is to analyse this process and find ways to lengthen these chromosomes' life expectancy to delay ageing as much as possible—if not stop it altogether.'

Blah, blah, blah. It sure is interesting, but this document is, what, four hundred pages long? I can't read it now in one sitting!

He exhaled with impatience as he skipped to the last page of the large document, hoping to find something revealing if the study was finished.

This seems interesting: a sheet labelled 'Conclusions'.

'The current findings reveal a series of chemical compounds that ensure telomere preservation in 91.99%. Those specimens who reacted positively experienced an improvement in their motor functions and cognitive load and speed. Many specimens, though, have had radically negative reactions, ranging from dementia to muscular overstimulation and overgrowth.'

Wait? What specimens? Have they been experimenting on animals... or people?! They don't say.

'Since the viability threshold is set at 99.99%, we strongly recommend conducting more studies on the current Lifebringer serum and its main and secondary effects to improve its success rate, eventually making it safe and a viable product for commercial distribution.'

Damn. This doesn't look good for Haywire. He was injected this shit into his body. I wonder what must've happened to him.

Anyway, it would be wise to take this with me as proof something's fishy around here. He unzipped his green jacket and put the entire folder on his chest, closing the zipper all the way up to keep it from falling.

Then, something weird caught his attention.

Two discarded lab coats stained in red and broken equipment were strewn across the floor a few feet away down the lab. Glass broken into smithereens cracked beneath his boots, earning a gasp from him. A stray needle lay close by, weirdly bent.

Sky knelt and grabbed one of those lab coats with a furrowed brow. Signs of a struggle? Those scientists mentioned Tomson and Welles—two people. There are two coats here. Coincidence?

He carefully approached a stain on his face, and the coppery smell of blood entered his nostrils. When he left the coat on the floor, he stood up once more. What happened here?

Finally, Sky reached a heavy steel door at the far back of the lab. The control panel beside it was almost dead, its lights fighting not to become extinguished in the electrical chaos. A brand new heavy bolt had been installed to lock whoever or whatever was in there from the outside.

I think... I think it reads 'clean room' here. Is this the clean room that woman scientist mentioned?

A printed sign glued to the door warned personnel of what lay ahead, informing them of the rules before entering.

I see. A clean room is a controlled environment with low levels of airborne particles. It requires strict adherence to cleanliness and hygiene protocols to minimise the risk of contamination. First, a strict hand-washing procedure is explained. Then, scientists need to put on sterile attire, like a scrub suit, head and shoe covers, face mask, safety glasses, and sterile gloves in a special room right before entering the clean room. Next, an air shower further decontaminates individuals before entering.

He took a deep breath, opened the lock, and pushed the door open with a low metallic creak. Inside, he found the gowning area. The lights, as usual, glitched over his head. The material was disorganised or scattered on the floor. A trail of drops of blood signalled a hurried escape. He passed by, careful not to step on the blood.

I don't think this clean room is clean anymore.

Next, the air shower. Since electricity was acting up, its sensors didn't detect Sky's presence. He walked by carefully.

He opened the door to the clean room. Finally.

A low creak echoed in the air. He found a chamber filled with high-tech restraints and monitoring equipment, all broken or torn apart—in the darkness. The only light coming in was the glitching one on his back, outlining his silhouette on the floor.

He took a step into the ominously silent room. A pool of red liquid stained his boots.

More blood. What the heck happened here?

When his pupils adjusted to the darkness, he detected a frail movement at the far back of the room. Then, a couple of vivid, red irises aimed straight at his eyes.

Sky gasped. Haywire?

The once-majestic creature was now bruised, its mechanical feathers bent and twisted as if he had done harm to himself while trying to release himself. His body had morphed into a more dangerous look, with a spiky, red crest at the top of his head and two extra arms and claws emerging from his chest.

Damn, he resembles a... what's that mythical beast called? A griffin?

A low, long whine escaped from its beak.

Sky rushed to his side, his heart aching at the sight of his friend's suffering. But he stopped dead in his tracks when a feral growl echoed from wall to wall.

What was that?

Haywire stood up, puffing his chest out in defiance. The two pools of burning lava he had for eyes seared Sky's retinas from high above.

These killer eyes. They look like that time he was hunting that poor hare in the woods. A cold sweat ran down his spine. His legs felt distant and frozen, as if they had been disconnected from the nervous system. Oh, boy. I'm at the end of this lethal glare.

"Haywire? It's me, big fella. Sky," he said carefully. "I'll get you out of here."

A rumbling echoed from within Haywire's belly. Then, with open wings on either side of him, he yelled at the top of his lungs, right in front of Sky's face. His beak was scarcely a few inches in front of Sky's nose.

The shrill sound deafened the teen momentarily while he crossed his arms over his face. The hot air from the beast's lungs combed his human friend's hair back with force. Some saliva even splashed on the teen's face.

The fiery mist startled to sparkle all around the ranger's body, increasing its density by the second. Sky's heart rate increased accordingly.

In the meantime, Haywire took a menacing step closer to Sky. In return, the teen took a step backwards.

"Haywire? Don't you recognise me?"

An angry, loud growl came from his beak in response. A hungry devil danced in those bright, fiery irises, still glued to his eyes.

He doesn't recognise me. I don't like this one bit.

Sky's breath hitched. The air around him started to heat, making him sweat.

What should I do?

Then, Haywire yelled and launched an attack on Sky with his right claw.

Sky jumped at the last second, avoiding getting crushed. He landed awkwardly, his back crashing onto the floor. Blood from somebody else stained his hands as he crawled his way back to the door to the air shower and the gowning room.

Haywire accidentally collided against the broken remainders of the restraining board and ropes he had been tied with a few minutes prior. Sky used that precious distraction to flee.

He locked himself in the gowning room, panting. His muscles burnt due to the effort of fleeing so hastily. He stared at the ranger from a small window.

Haywire yelled some more. His fiery mist got denser, and eventually it exploded, shattering the entire air shower and scattering its burning, broken bits everywhere. The walls shook as if there was an earthquake.

What the hell was that?!

Overwhelmed by fear, Sky took some steps backwards as he stared at his winged friend in disbelief. The teen went pale and gasped for air. Large beads of sweat covered his temples and neck.

Haywire then charged forward and collided against the wall and the door.

Sky gasped. With a shaking hand, he opened the door behind him.

He went out of the gowning room and entered the lab again. He carefully locked the door with that brand-new, sturdy lock. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes as he leaned his forehead on the cold metal surface of the door.

Another loud bang of a large body colliding against the concrete shook the walls. Luckily, there were no windows to witness what was going on inside.

Damn. He wants to get out, badly.

Another bang followed. And another. And another. Cracks appeared on the floor, the ceiling, and the walls near Sky. Tiny dust particles fell over his head and shoulders.

If he goes on, could he demolish the entire building?

Sky lost track of time as his mind got cloudy, heavy with alarming thoughts rushing back and forth. What the hell happened to him? Why has his body changed so much? Why doesn't he recognise me? Did he just want to kill me? Did he want to eat me? Why? Did he eat those two scientists that man and woman mentioned as they went up the stairs? Did the Lifebringer do all this? What is that fiery mist which exploded and how come he's able to do that?

"Sky!" Hazel's alarmed voice echoed in his ears as she grabbed him by both arms. Her eyes were shining with worry while Haywire kept banging against the wall. "We heard the commotion. What's happening here? Are you alright?"

Oh, good. It's Hazel. Why is her voice muffled, though?

"Haywire's in there, but he's not... the same. He doesn't know... who I am," he slurred. "Weird. Why do I sound like this? Why... is... my head spinning?"

"Sky, you're so pale right now," Winona said and gulped.

Hazel's and Winona's faces doubled in front of his eyes, making awkward balancing movements. "I see... double. Oh, God."

"He's about to faint," Hazel said with urgency as she held him by one arm and Winona took the other. "We need to get him out of here. Now!"

Hello, my sugar cubes!

What is happening to Sky? Will he be able to retrieve Haywire and make him remember him?

Stay tuned!

XOXO

Mar