"Sir, this is getting out of hand."
"Keep injecting!"
"But—"
"I said do it."
A team of armored soldiers stood guard around the trembling scientist. His gloved hands gripped a steel rod as he pushed it through the sealed entry port of the veiled glass chamber.
From inside, a faint glow pulsed against the reinforced barrier, spilling out in flickers that made the soldiers shift uneasily in their armor.
Their faces twitched as if the light itself crawled beneath their skin.
The boss stood behind them, watching with cold patience. Then, suddenly, a hand tapped his shoulder.
He flinched and turned, only to see another older scientist standing behind him.
The boss cleared his throat and tried to sound firm. "Jackson... it's you. What do you want?"
"Sir, I came to warn you that this experiment has already spread, just as I mentioned before."
"Jackson, last year you said the same thing, and guess what? You know how much progress we've made. You're too cautious, too afraid. I understand fear."
"But Sir, it has affected the air. There are already reports of deaths. Thi—"
"Sacrifices are necessary to achieve greatness. Now leave me."
Jackson gave the boss one last look before turning away.
He walked down the sterile corridor, his frustration tightening with every step. By the time he reached his office, the weight of what he had heard pressed heavily on his shoulders.
Inside, two of his colleagues were waiting. One of them, a woman in a lab coat, looked up the moment he entered.
"What did he say?"
Jackson dropped his bag on the desk and exhaled sharply. "He dismissed my warnings. I told you—this is exactly what I feared. A greedy man like him can't see the damage he's causing."
The woman frowned, guilt flickering across her face. "Sorry… I just thought we sho—"
"It's fine," Jackson cut in, softening his tone. "I understand. But I think it's time we start doing things my way."
The woman nodded quietly and stepped aside as Jackson pulled a silver suitcase from under his arm and set it on the table. The locks clicked open, and the case unfolded with a hiss.
Inside were five vials, each one glowing with a different color, blue, crimson, green, gold, and violet.
She leaned closer, her eyes wide. "Will it work?"
Jackson's jaw tightened. "It has to. We're too late to stop what's coming, but we can at least try to create a counter for it."
The eerie light from the serums washed over their faces as silence filled the room.
The other man in the room finally spoke. "How are you even sure this is really happening? And how is this supposed to work?"
Jackson set his jaw. "We've tampered with powers we were never meant to touch. What we've done has disrupted the earth's elements and poisoned the air. It isn't lethal everywhere yet, but it's already killed people."
He pulled a folded map from the desk and spread it open. Red marks dotted across continents. "Storms are becoming more aggressive, and animals are reacting in ways they never have before. If my estimation is correct… today, or tomorrow…"
He stopped, the weight of the words pressing silence into the room.
The woman's voice was barely above a whisper. "What's happening?"
Jackson looked at both of them grimly. "The end of the world."
He tapped the map again and pointed to five marked locations. "But before the rains begin, we can distribute these serums to five individuals. Each one is tailored as a counter to the virus, and maybe, just maybe, they're humanity's last hope."
The man frowned. "Why not inject ourselves?"
"Because the serum isn't compatible with just anyone's blood. It needs Rh-null, the rarest blood type on earth. There are fewer than fifty known carriers worldwide. The five people on this list… they're the only ones who might survive it."
He closed the suitcase and looked them both in the eye. "Can I trust you to keep quiet… and deliver?"
They looked at each other, then nodded. "Yes."
"Good," Jackson said. He slid the map across the table. "You'll take these two," he told the woman, pointing to a pair of close markers. "They're near each other, so you should be able to reach them in time."
He tapped another section. "I'll take these two. Same situation."
Finally, he pointed to a lone marker on the map. "And you'll take this one," he said to the man.
The man frowned. "Why me? Why that one?"
Jackson met his eyes. "Because when this starts, you should be with your family. Whether we survive or not, at least you'll be near them. As long as the serum reaches its target, we have to let nature decide what happens next."
The man hesitated, then asked, "And how is this even supposed to work, anyway? What if—"
"Look," Jackson cut him off, his voice firm. "We don't have time to debate. Just inject them, consent or not. The serum will activate the moment the rain begins. That will be the true start… so move fast."
He closed the suitcase with a heavy click and looked at them both. "I wish you luck. And I hope… somehow… we meet again."
They all nodded in agreement, then moved quickly. One by one, they slipped out of the compound in secret, careful to avoid the guards and cameras. None of them looked back.
Jackson walked alone, the suitcase heavy in his grip. His eyes lingered on the name at the top of his list.
"A freshman college kid…" he muttered under his breath. He let out a tired sigh. "Good lord."
The road ahead was dark, and the storm clouds were already gathering.