Donovan walked down the stairs, and he made a ball of fire at the tip of his index finger appear, illuminating the way forward. It was dark, and the air felt damp. His umbrella remained in his right hand, the ball of fire in his left.
He moved deeper, and he eventually heard the language of the Hasdivians. He activated his Invisibility, and floated in the air. He then reached a metal door.
What now... If I open this door while I'm invisible, it'll be very suspicious!
He deactivated his invisibility, his figure immediately appearing. His skin was still green, he looked overweight, and his face had a trunk resembling an elephant.
He sighed deeply, hoping that they won't find him suspicious. He then put his "hand" on the doorknob, twisted it, and opened the door. Donovan stepped through the metal doors, and an unsettling chill crawled up his spine. The room was dimly lit, the primary sources of illumination being the eerie green glow of containment tubes lining the walls and the flickering overhead fluorescents that buzzed like dying insects.
The lab smelled of burning ozone and sterilized metal, a sharp contrast to the dark stains that marred the grated floor. Tables were cluttered with jagged shards of crystals from Annihiliths, their ominous black-and-violet hues pulsing faintly under the glare of scanning equipment. Some of the crystals were embedded in prototype weapons—guns with energy conduits, swords that shimmered with unstable power, and even gauntlets with needle-thin wiring burrowing into the stone like parasites.
A mechanical arm dangled from the ceiling, its claw-like appendage twitching sporadically as if awaiting its next subject.
Donovan grabbed his trunk and sealed the two holes, unable to bear the smell. The room was devoid of Hasdivians, and masks that resembled gas masks lay scattered across the floor. He went down the stairs and grabbed a gas mask. How am I supposed to put this on...?
As he brought it near his face, the gas mask suddenly "expanded," and it covered his trunk, sealing the two holes at the end of it. Donovan was surprised, but he brushed it off and examined the weapons created from Annihilith crystals. But just as he was about to start examining it, he heard footsteps coming from the door to his left!
Donovan quickly looked around, and saw a hazmat suit. But as he was about to rush towards it, he remembered he can just turn invisible! He activated his ability and gracefully floated upwards. He saw the metallic door open, and two Hasdivians in protective gear entered. They entered while conversing in Hasdivian language.
The floating Donovan slowly and silently landed on the floor behind the two Hasdivians. He tapped his umbrella on the floor, causing the two aliens to turn their heads towards the source of the sound. Then, bright, yellow, and fast chains of light suddenly appeared in thin air, and restrained the two Hasdivians. Before the two Hasdivians could even scream, Donovan struck their heads with his umbrella. They collapsed to the floor, creating a loud thud.
Donovan fixed his suit, and he immediately walked to the center. Then, in his left palm, flames formed into a rectangular-shaped "C-4", with bolts of electricity appearing in its surface. Then, Donovan put the C-4 formed in flames on a table. Once he got out the lab, he'd activate it.
Well, that was pretty easy. I guess it's because no one's here. And I've already knocked out two Hasdivians. Now all that's left is to let them know I've planted the bomb.
...
Sylvia, who was busy on her phone, suddenly got a message from the group chat. She created this group chat earlier.
'It's ready, I've planted the bomb. Enter the restroom from the left, and on the wall to your right, there's a small button on the top right of the wall. That's the entrance.'
As expected of Donovan! Sylvia immediately stood up, and she saw four "Hasdivians" enter the restaurant. They were none other than Sasha, Paul, Vi, and Harold. The Hasdivian who was Sasha in disguise nodded at her, and they entered the restroom to the left.
As they walked down the stairs, Paul who was disguised as a Hasdivian suddenly said, "Do all of us really have to go down? Sylvia, Sasha, and Harold should just be the ones going down. I'm sure there's not that many enemies down there, since Donovan's probably already dealt with them."
"Agreed. Paul, wanna go back?" Vi who was disguised as a Hasdivian with blue skin suddenly said.
Sylvia sighed, "Alright, fine. You two can go back, but don't exit the restaurant."
Paul and Vi then walked back up the stairs, except for Sylvia, Sasha, and Harold. As Sylvia opened the metal door and stepped inside, a foul smell hit the three's noses, and they had to grab their trunks and pinch it. Then, Sylvia took out her phone to start taking pictures.
Upon seeing the others, Donovan let out a sigh of relief. Is it really going to be this easy? Tiero said it'll take us a few days, and we're about to do it in a single day!
The three of them found gas masks lying on the floor and on the tables, and they immediately put it on. The gas masks "expanded," covering their trunks. Sasha saw the two unconscious and restrained Hasdivians, and examined the weapons on the table. Harold stayed close to Sylvia as she took photos of the lab. After about a full minute, Sylvia said to Donovan, "I'm done."
Donovan nodded, and said to Harold, "Take those two upstairs." Donovan pointed at the two unconscious Hasdivians.
Harold humphed, and said, "Who are you to order me around?"
Sigh... You're the Tanker-type here, the muscular one... Do you think I can carry two massive overweight aliens?! Donovan tried hard not to show the twitching of the corners of his lips.
"Ahem, Harold?" Sylvia suddenly said, glaring at Harold.
Harold sighed, and walked up to the knocked out Hasdivians. Then, he deactivated his Disguise ability, revealing his figure. He had black hair, a buzz cut, and his skin was deep brown like polished mahogany. Standing at 6'5", he loomed over the lab like a statue of carved muscle. The guy was built like a tank—big, solid, and probably able to bench-press a car. His suit clung tightly, the seams strained against his muscular frame.
As soon as Harold deactivated his disguise, Sasha's eyes that were examining the weapons on the surface of the table landed on Harold's figure for a moment, but she quickly turned her focus back to the weapons.
Harold carried the Hasdivians with ease, and walked towards the doors he came from. Then, Sasha took out a cube-shaped device from her pocket. She threw it on the floor, and it suddenly turned into a medium-sized metallic chest. Then, she threw every weapon inside the lab one by one into the chest. Sylvia and Donovan helped her with it, and after they were done, Sasha pressed a small button on the surface's chest, and it turned back into the size it was before.
How did everything fit inside that? Eh, whatever. Donovan no longer wanted to question the advanced technology of Umbrellas.
Sasha put the small cube-shaped device which was a chest earlier into her pocket.
Is it really going to be this easy...? It's going so smoothly that it's making me uneasy...
As they neared the metal door, they suddenly heard a loud bang from upstairs! The three looked at each other. They took off their gas masks and quickly rushed upstairs. Please don't be trouble, please don't be trouble, please don't be trouble... Donovan repeated in his mind.
...
Six minutes earlier, after Paul and Vi walked back up the stairs.