The trio walked through a surprisingly silent and desolate floor. According to details in Dan’s HUD thanks to Li’s gathered intel, they were on the second to last floor before they reached the rooftop. It hadn’t been that long since the group had survived the encounter with Kate and Adam, two powerful enemy agents who stood in their way.

“Who exactly are you Dan?” Angie said, clearly not satisfied by Dan’s brief explanation back there.

“I’m an agent just like you,” Dan said candidly. “I’ll probably get into trouble for telling you guys this information, but since I probably look like an unhinged monster with these new powers, I guess you both deserve to know.”

Glancing back at them, Dan could see that inquisitive looks on both the expressions of his teammates.

Angie began giggling and asked, “Let me guess, you’re part werewolf?”

“The fuck? That’s not it,” Dan snapped. “It’s a lot more serious than that.”

“Careful Angie,” Li warned. “After seeing how Dan handled those two, I would choose my words carefully. Actually, I might go a step further and simple avoid him after this mission. He might melt me with a sneeze if I’m not careful.”

“Was that sarcasm Li?” Dan asked, genuinely confused since Li usually wasn’t the joking type.

“Just mild teasing,” Li said.

“Anyway, the contents of the container, you’ve seen what’s inside, haven’t you Li?”

Li nodded. “Indeed. We opened the container and saw the serums inside.”

“So that’s what’s inside this giant thing? And serums for what exactly?” Angie said.

Dan had no idea if Michael would approve of him telling this info to his two teammates, but he would suffer the consquences later, assuming he lived after this mission.

“The serums inside are the latest version of the ones the Alpha Corp use to enhance us,” Dan said. “This variant is called the Arctic serum. Michael spoke to me after me and Li snached the container and he told me what made this shit so special and why stealing it back was important.”

“I can see where this is going,” Angie said, running her gloved fingers through her ponytail. “So this new Arctic serum, do you have it in you?”

“Yeah, Michael used one to save my life after I took a major stab wound to the back and was left for dead. That’s how I became enhanced as an agent. This new serum seeks to combine the powers of all three big shards. That’s where all of this new shit came from.”

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The team reached the end of the hall and made a right turn. Dan spotted a doorway at the end of the hall with a glowing exit sign above.

“And it just so happens that some of these new powers of yours began manifesting now? That’s super lucky for us,” Angie said. “I wish I could do all of that.”

“Lucky you,” Li said. “Looks like you have an ace up your sleeve that we don’t. Maybe we should ask Michael if this Arctic serum could be a retroactive upgrade for us.”

“My powers manifested in some strange dream. When I woke up, I killed some Kodak agent in my sleep using my new powers,” Dan said.

“That’s one hell of a wet dream,” Angie said, snickering.

“What?”

“Don’t mind her,” Li said. “Her sense of humor just sucks.”

Both Li and Dan snickered themselves at the jab while Angie simply pouted in response. As Dan carried the container, he walked past a window and stopped to look at the mess outside. Through the window, Dan saw nothing but the occasional lightning and just endless sheets of intense rain rushing down from above. One flash of lightning he witnessed struck a satellite on a distant building below. Even while inside, Dan’s ears picked up the howling winds hammering the outside walls.

“This storm isn’t looking too good. I hope our ride is able to fly through all of this crap,” Dan said.

“Our ride might be delayed then, if it ever comes at all. Even Alpha dropships might struggle in this kind of weather,” Li grimly stated.

“Well that fucking sucks,” Angie said. “I don’t wanna be trapped here with all of these Kodak agents.”

“If that’s the weather we’ll be waiting in, we’ll be at a disadvantage. No way we could see much of anything with this kind of rain,” Li said. “Plus there’s the potential of enemy aircraft swarming the roof. Angie doesn’t have unlimited rockets.”

Dan attempted to open a private channel with Michael, but still no luck. Once again their leader was unreachable. They were on their own.

“Alright then, here’s our plan,” Dan said. “Li you go on ahead and take out whatever guards and other security system that might be up on the roof. Clear that space for us. Angie, you and I will hold up on this floor and setup the best barricade we possibly can to halt anymore Kodak agents from pursuing us. Use the last of whatever explosive trap you have and start planting.”

“Sounds good to me,” Angie said.

“If you’re serious about building an actual physical blockade to slow down the enemy, then take the keycard,” Li said, throwing the card to him. “You might need to drag out the furniture from the rooms to help with that.”

“Thanks Li,” Dan said. “And good luck up there.”

Li nodded and moved past him. He watched as his teammate opened the door at the end of the hall and walked up the stairs up to the entrance to the roof. Dan couldn’t see the outside world from where he stood but ther moment Li opened the door at the top, the intense howling winds cascaded down the staircase and Dan could feel the wind pressing against his face. Rain water flowed down the stairs and washed into the carpet of the floor.

His teammate shut the door and the floor went quiet again. Dan held the keycard in his hand and began unlocking the nearby vacant rooms to build the roadblocks against his enemies.