Sugar, cream, nuts and almond flakes. Tavtid's dough, a bottle of syrup, and last but not least, a tiny rose of marzipan.

The refrain from an intro to a TV show Hip-hop used to watch as a child was on involuntary repeat in his head. Cheerful humming could be heard from within his gas mask. Perhaps it was his subconscious mind attempting to ease the situation.

His squad from the Sedunnic Special CBRN Operations Unit had just returned from a raid against a RIM-controlled warehouse. They had managed to fill a truck with sarin bomblets which they had been ordered to neutralise. The alien-looking protective suits they wore and the fact that they were doing it in the kitchen in an abandoned house made a macabre scene.

"Hey, Sport, pass me the syrup, will you?" Hip-hop semi-shouted to be heard through the mask.

"What?" Sport asked, obviously not having the same song stuck in his mid.

"The base. HJH-21." Hip-hop clarified.

"Sure, chief."

Breaking the sarin was actually simple. One only had to pour it into a bucket with a strong base, in this case called HJH-21.

"Chief? What was the status of Book before they left with him?"

"I don't know. He had lost a lot of blood, but being able to still stand after being shot three times in his leg... He's a tough guy. If the jeep doesn't get stopped, there might be enough time to get him to the base, or the MSF, depending on the route."

"It's a messed up world."

"Yup."