( In this chapter, all of the things I mention are actual recipes. Please do not attempt to recreate any of the story's events. It may lead to explosion, injury, and in worse cases death. This is for story and educational purposes only. )
As we stood in our lab, Devina asked me to fetch methylamine. Telling me that she labeled one of the containers methylamine. As I searched around the lab I found something called trimethylamine. Must be the same stuff.
I hauled the container back to Devina, asking if this is what she needed.
She examined the container and sat there still for a minute.
"I asked you to get methylamine."
Devina didn't show her face, continuing to look at the container.
"Yes. It says methylamine there."
She stood up, and summoned a bottle labeled "Ammonia."
She dipped two cotton balls in the ammonia. She then asked me to crouch down for her.
Doing as she said. I crouched down and waited.
In a blink of an eye, she shoved both of the cotton balls into my nose.
I skirmished around, removing it from my nose. The inside of my nose is completely irritated and it smells like piss.
After regaining my composure, with mucus running down my nose and tears in my eyes. I angrily ask why she did that.
She told me to shut up as she went and nabbed the correct chemical.
As time went on. Devina finally told me the process is complete. She poured the mixture onto a tray, we waited for it to crystallize. A few hours later, we checked back on it. It had turned into like a window, it is see-through.
"Devina, what is the purity of this methamphetamine?"
"Around 99%. It should be almost a hundred, if you add decimals, then it would be closer."
She gave me a hammer and told me to smash it and grind it up into powder.
I had some fun breaking and shattering her see-through crystal meth. Now it is completely smooshed.
"Vivshi, I want you to try something."
I smiled confusedly at her.
"You want me to try your meth? No."
"It is not that. There is something I wanted to try."
She told me to think about all the people I saw on the streets. All the drug-related deaths, all the trauma I witnessed. Then I should focus on the meth in front of me.
All those kids who died, people selling away their freedom. Wasting away their lives, but they tried to come closer to freedom. They tried to become happy, but they never reached true happiness. For some people, they did. But for many, they are still out there. Wasting away liberty.
Thinking about this invoked something inside of me. Something is coming out. The mark of freedom on my cheek appeared and black ooze trickled down into the meth Devina made.
"No, NO, NOO."
I tried pushing it away, but as I was about to touch it. Devina intervened and stopped my hand from spilling the ooze.
"Keep dripping it into the tray."
The muck halted and the mark of freedom disappeared.
Devina's crystals were now covered in black stuff. She took out a spoon and proceeded to mix it around.
The meth that was once completely see-through is now dark blue.
Confused, I ask Devina, what just happened.
She told me that my mark of freedom appears when the freedom of anyone is threatened. Thus, my powers activate. Back then, when Aylin told me about her desire curse, my mark activated. Now when I thought about drug addicts, it reactivated.
"Now what? We got our meth. So what do we do now?"
Devina looked up at the ceiling and thought for a bit.
"Wanna go underground?"
"Underground?"
What did she mean by that? She ordered me to take the small little plastic bags and pour 8 grams into each little bag.
She told me that I needed to use a precision scale and carefully place it in. I did as the scientist said.
We had 200 small little bags of methamphetamine. She placed them all in a box and stored them in her pocket dimension.
"Let's go. We gotta test."
"Test? I wanna sleep…"
She made a drink and called it Vina Super Booster. Telling me to drink it.
Gulping down Devina's weird concoction, I felt strange. My brain felt alive, and my body is full of energy. She told me that what I just consumed was caffeine and it blocks neurotransmitters. Making me feel more awake.
"Okay, I will teleport us now."
Opening my eyes. It was no longer the endless ocean, nor Devina's lab. It is something I had never seen before. We were in some dug-out super cave with a bunch of lights.
There is ruined buildings with barely functioning illumines. The bricks had vines growing all over them. It is a massive old city underground.
Devina told me it is the underground world of Nautilus. Some few people were roaming around. Shops were open and sold food and fruits.
The moist air smelled like old clothes and the gelid temperatures made me shiver. Even with my super thick lab coat, it is frigid. Devina said it would be best to change our appearance to not reveal our identities. After all, I'm a person wanted worldwide by the prince. There is probably a bounty on me and these undergrounders wouldn't hesitate to chop off my head and give it to the prince.
We went into an isolated alleyway. Devina summoned a jacket and thick pants for me. I changed quickly into my uniform. Devina gave me a quick remodeling and my face is now changed. She said it would revert to normal when I want to.
Then she asked me to turn around for her to change.
Heard the sounds of shuffling and clothes coming off. Then a bright light illuminated the dark isolated alleyway.
"Devina!?"
I turned around to check if she was safe. Devina had changed into her adult form and is half nude with only her lingerie and brassiere on. She faced the other way so she didn't notice me looking at her.
I turned back around and stayed quiet as if nothing happened.
"Alright, Let's go."
Turning around, seeing a weird lady in a thick green jacket and black pants. The hood over her head and her glasses tinted.
"Are you seriously gonna wear that?"
"Yeppers, indeed am gonna wear this."
"Weirdo."
We walked out of the alley and started to walk down the streets.
"Do you know where junkies are even at?"
"Just let me take care of this."
Hearing the adult female voice made me feel weird inside. I was used to the childish voice after all.
We remained silent as we continued to walk. But then I had the urge to utter some words.
"Blue and black."
"What did ya say?"
"Didn't know you like blue and black."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing…."