Page 59 of Explosive Chemistry

Doctor Nudd helped the badger-kin soldier to his feet and righted the slightly mangled gurney so he’d have a place to sit. “You all right, Lieutenant?”

Two slow blinks followed by a nod of the long dark nose answered him. “The doc said I needed some kind of extra tweak to keep the cybernetics working right,” the badger grumbled. “Why did he try to kill me?”

“Excellent question, my boy. You stay here where it’s safe, and I’ll go ask him.” Doctor Nudd ducked back into Periclum’s office. He grabbed the slimmest sword in the weapons locker and ran down the corridor.

Liliana nodded to herself and continued walking. She had foreseen this possible future already. In this future, Siobhan would die instead of Doctor Nudd, or possibly with him. She had no way to change that future path directly now, but she had sent Pete, Sergeant Giovanni, and Detective Jackson to help. Colonel Bennet was also on his way. Maybe that would be enough.

Her fourth eyes focused a few more moments farther ahead in time on another large lab, filled with Bunsen burners, and solid granite workbenches with the storage cabinets underneath that opened on both sides. The walls were lined with shelves filled with glassware and bottles of various chemicals. This lab seemed dedicated to chemistry without the soldering irons or parts for electronics.

Siobhan jumped nimbly out of the way of a reaching hairy arm. She landed on a workbench. As she ran along the granite tabletop, she hurled beakers and glass jugs full of chemicals at the lion’s head.

Chemicals spilled and mixed on the floor, some foaming and smoking, as she knocked over racks of beakers and test tubes in the lion’s path.

With an inhuman growl, Periclum shook bits of glass out of his mane and stalked the sprite.

“Hey, Doc.” Siobhan waved at Doctor Nudd as he poked his head around the doorway. “You know that favor I owe you?”

“Look out!” Doctor Nudd shouted.

The sprite dropped off the table.

The lion’s sword brushed the tips of her bright red spiked hair as it swished past and embedded itself in a wooden cabinet.

Siobhan rolled across a floor littered with broken glass, wincing at the sharp cuts in her skin. “I consider that favor paid in full,” the little sprite said.

“Agreed.” Doctor Nudd coughed through chemical fumes.

While the lion ripped his sword loose from the wood, sending slivers flying, the sprite opened a cupboard under a stone-topped workbench, grabbed a jug labelled “ACETONE” and tore the lid off.

Siobhan whirled around to fling a stream of clear liquid out of the top of the jug, angling it up, so it hit the charging lion in the eyes.

“GRRAAGH!!” the lion roared again and clawed at his face.

“Catch!” Doctor Nudd called and threw the sword in his hand, hilt first.

Siobhan dropped the chemical bottle with a wrinkled nose for the smell, neatly caught the sword by the handle, and saluted with it. “Thanks!”

She ducked into the cupboard under the workbench and closed the door, effectively disappearing while the were-lion was blinded. Before the lion got his vision clear, she slipped out the other side of the workbench and hid in another of the multi-door cabinets.

Doctor Nudd ducked behind the doorway, just outside the room, also effectively disappearing from their adversary.

What will be the outcome of the new path? Will my friends survive?

The spider seer’s view jumped farther ahead in time.

She saw…fire and death.

Oh no.

Liliana had not saved anyone. She made it worse.

I’ve killed them all.

Her friends were going to die. They had listened to her, and all gone to the laboratory. They would all die. Her actions had involved the prince as well. Now, he would die today too.

No, no, no.

She had to get there. She had to change this.

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