“Ur…ah!” Cain struggled against Lord Skull's probing shadow tendrils while cursing angrily despite the liquid bubbling around his head. "Yuh crazy skull demon!" he yelled before gulping down a few bubbles as the neon fluid lowered to chin level.

"Such insolence," said Lord Skull, tightening his grip around Cain's throat. The shadowy appendage did not touch the glass but nevertheless constricted like a serpent. More charged sapphire essence seeped from Cain's skin in response, flowing through tubes towards awaiting vats. "Is this how you repay my generosity, boy? Were you not a worthless guttersnipe before I elevated your status and unlocked your Coco potential?"

Cain thrashed harder even as the extracting processes quickened. "Y'all evil...using people as lab rats!" he rasped. Behind Lord Skull, Hammerhead watched the spectacle with mute fascination, clearly intimidated by this display of power.

"Come now, you make it sound so vulgar," Lord Skull chided. "I prefer 'pioneering scientist on the bleeding edge of human evolution and Coco mastery.' And you, my dear Cain, are the key ingredient!" Releasing his telekinetic stranglehold, Lord Skull straightened his dark vestment and headed for the exit, beckoning the hulking gang leader.

"Progress remains steady but patience wears thin with this project. Let us inspect the latest weapon shipments from your Eastern suppliers, my petulant Hammerhead. Perhaps some new toys will lift my spirits..."

Boss Hammerhead guided Lord Skull along exterior gangways overlooking cargo transfers with several brutish escorts. The hulking pirate leader gestured towards a vessel being stockpiled with wooden crates stamped FRAGILE in Russian.

"We have several corrupt officials ensuring unrestricted passage into Columbia already," Hammerhead informed Lord Skull above engine rumbles. "Once Darwin Formula perfected, our enhanced smugglers slip past Coast Guard untouched! Even lower risk than guns or poisons for profit..."

When the villains had gone, Toxica moved to reinitiate her experiments on Cain's essence despite his weakened protests. "Vile glutton thinks he can keep hoarding the good stuff for himself!" Her hazard suit rippled with noxious hues. "We'll see who Lord Skull sides with when I refine the Darwin Formula first!"

"Cho rhaatid!" Cain sputtered as electrodes reactivated painfully across his shivering body. "I'll get free somehow...and smash all yuh ugly lab equipment! Tell Skull-face that his pet project is gonna crash and burn..."

Toxic Tess merely cackled at his indignant threats while preparing slides. "Boast all yuh want, lab rat! Ain't no escaping for yuh..." She turned to her sibling who was adjusting valves on connecting tubes that siphoned Cain's essence.

"Word from Mama Dutty is another test batch showing promising results so far," Toxic Tess remarked while cleaning beakers. "If these ones manifest flame generation or X-ray vision without exploding we'll be covering the next stage of of crucial trials."

Toxica failed to share her sister's enthusiasm, clearly vexed by the extraction complications. "Possible. Yet progress crawls! Lord Skull's investors and Gamma Consortium allies grow impatient regarding mass production timelines. If only we could replicate the immaculate sapphire essence in large concentrations..."

She slammed instruments down angrily. "Curse that brat and his selfish neon hoarding! And where the bloody hell is Poison Dart?! Thought Skull assigned her to hunt fresh Coco Power test subjects, not flounce off partying!"

Now it was Tess' turn to frown in recollection. "True, ain't seen Dart in a bit. Last we chatted was before that mansion bash at Killz compound. Said something about meeting underworld elite prospects there for recruitment. Reckoned it was part work, part leisure."

Toxica crossed her arms, her gloves dripping neurotoxins. "That was two days ago! If Dart's still wasting time at sleazy crime lord soirees instead of supplying quality stock for the labs, there'll be hell to pay..."

While the Toxic Sisters vented about Poison Dart's suspicious absence, The Blur maintained his hidden position atop the testing area, brainstorming hastily. He had to somehow cause a distraction long enough to free Cain from this ghastly contraption.

Surveying the lab interior, a plan clicked into place. He traced electrical wiring through walls leading towards heavy-duty generators that powered the rig's extensive neon pumps and bio-reactors. Sabotaging those should trigger emergency shutdown protocols across integrated systems, including Cain's holding pod.

The Blur crawled deftly through light fixtures and heating ducts, navigating the metallic maze while avoiding patrolling Red Reef guards. At last, he reached the engine rooms which converted crude oil into roaring energy that sustained this vast illegal operation.

Quick as lightning, The Blur sliced through power couplings and control boxes, unleashing chaos. Alarms immediately blared as pressure valves ruptured, spewing steam that flooded the generators. Emergency lights bathed the area in menacing red flashes indicating full system failure. The sudden chain explosion would occupy security forces for some time, granting a crucial window of opportunity.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Distraction complete!" The Blur declared, before slipping unseen back into twisting passages. He switched communication channels on his mask to update Cocoa Fox remotely. "Lab going dark in seconds, Tanya. Be ready fe remote guidance!"

Back at their coastal hideout, Cocoa Fox was busy reviewing surveillance footage transmitted via The Blur's suit cameras. She watched Red Reef guards react in confusion at the spreading generator failures.

"Got it, partner!" she replied confidently while observing the monitors. Behind her lay a bound Poison Dart, eyeing Cocoa's swishing tail with a predatory focus. Unnoticed, the assassin strained against her bindings until one hand slipped free. Silently, she snatched a jagged seashell fragment and began picking the cave floor, biding her time...

Aboard the ruptured rig, total chaos erupted as essential power cells suffered catastrophic damage, bypassing the failsafe. The sudden cascading blackout plunged vast sections into emergency lighting only.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Lord Skull demanded over shrieking Klaxons, joining the scramble towards the burning engine rooms. Without power, the entire neon harvesting operation could be jeopardized.

Amidst the pandemonium, The Blur slipped undetected back into the research lab now blood-red from revolving beacons. Various auto-defences had deactivated allowing him to approach Cain's liquid prison unhindered. Toxica and Tess had abandoned monitoring stations to investigate escalating disaster alerts, granting a slim opportunity.

Deactivating Hyper Rush to conserve dread charge, The Blur reappeared in normal time beside Cain's cylindrical prison. "Cain! Cain yuh good?!" The Blur shouted above wailing sirens while rapping the cylinder. He hastily interfaced with control panels, searching for purge controls.

The arrogant rudeboy shook off disorientation from the powerful sensory backlash caused by sudden power loss and neon extraction suspension. Blearily he registered a familiar voice cutting through the alarms.

"D... wait yuh Devon?! So you're The Blur?!" Cain exclaimed in bewilderment once his rescuer's features registered behind the signature mask. Cain coughed indignantly despite oxygen tubes snaking through the neon broth. "This whole time batty boy Devon was some secret hero? The hell..."

"Yes but no time to explain! We can chastise my deception tactics later," The Blur's head swivelled warily, expecting the Toxic Sisters' return at any second. He inspected the containment vessel, seeking switches to manually disable the unit. "Right now, focus on not drowning when I bust open this blasted jar!"

He zapped the reactor crystals powering the enclosure to minimal output settings before discharging concentrated dread volts, fracturing the reinforced smart glass. Viscous fluids poured out in a deluge, flushing Cain onto slippery flooring. The Blur steadied his weakened friend’s trembling body.

"We have maybe ninety seconds before somebody checks in," Blur estimated, peering warily towards the sealed entrance. “I'll carry you topside hyper-rushing after I recharge.” While holding up Cain, he began looking around for an outlet to charge his depleted Coco cells.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the airtight doors hissed open as Toxica entered holding a repair toolkit. She halted two steps inside, processing the unexpected tableau of her escaped prisoner defended by an unknown combatant. Her outrage heightened seeing precious neon bath fluids staining pristine tilework.

"Who the hell are you?" Toxica demanded with her body language growing threatening. Noxious fumes swirled as her green mohawk flickered dangerously. "Interfering with our official Coco research mandates code DF-13..."

"I don't answer to bogus codes," The Blur shot back defiantly, angling to shield Cain's limp body while secretly recharging his dreads. He subtly pressurized the neoprene fabric, testing its insulating properties against her corrosive emissions. "Just returning stolen property to the rightful owner..."

“Hey… I’m nobodies property…” said Cain weakly.

“Sure.” The Blur’s tactical visor scanned Toxica’s posture, identifying vulnerable points invisible beneath her custom hazard suit. He disliked attacking women but wouldn't hold back either with Cain’s life at stake. Hopefully, those boiling clouds surrounding Toxica weren't concentrated enough to melt through--

"Wait I recognize that electric locks… you’re that meddling speedster from before?” You won't leave here intact!" Toxica clenched her fists to project swirling vapours around them. Alarms changed to ominous pulsating tones. "I'll melt both your brains to sludge!”

Boom!

Before The Blur formulated any counter-threats, violent tremors shook the entire oil rig platform fiercely. Emergency strobes bathed everything in crimson as the unexpected seaborne shockwave intensified. Was Jamaica itself quaking somehow?

"T...Tanya, respond!" The Blur desperately hailed Cocoa Fox through worsening interference. But tremors had definitely impacted their shoreline base if comms were this staticky. No relaying tactical updates until the quaking stopped. They needed to escape, now!

While Toxica struggled for balance, The Blur seized the distraction to yank a disoriented Cain right through boiling mists ignoring imminent burns. Toxica screamed furiously behind them but sounds faded under Hyper Rush's influence. The Blur desperately raced them up and outside onto deserted deck space before vibration ceased.

Peering over guard rails proved even veteran pirate crews were rattled by violent quakes. Many shook fists and weapons angrily towards Jamaica's distant coastline now obscured by vast plumes of smoke and debris. Urgent speculation abounded whether another dreaded Coco enigma emergency now endangered the island's stability once more.

Among the distressed Red Reef marauders stood Boss Hammerhead and Lord Skull himself surveying the unfolding chaos through spyglasses. But The Blur noticed Lord Skull's body language betray...glee?

"Could it be the emergence of an Ital Stalk..." Lord Skull whispered before dissipating abruptly into umbral nothingness. Likely headed towards whatever crisis unfolded inland. And away from here!

The Blur wheezed painfully because his respirator filters were nearly overwhelmed by the skyrocketing toxic emissions he experienced earlier. He quickly took off his swimsuit due to the excessive corrosion that was seeping in. Now he was left in his hero’s costume. But no time for fresh air. Hefting his friend awkwardly, they staggered towards the railings overlooking the open sea.

"What are you planning to do, D? You have an exit strategy?" Cain asked weakly mid-escape.

The Blur responded, “Not really, but we could use one of those boats to escape. Let’s go down…”