The recipe for Rocket Fuel was not in any cookbook. It was scrawled on the back of a napkin by Ignis, who was currently vibrating at a frequency that made his teeth chatter.
"It needs more darkness!" Ignis shouted, dumping a bag of charcoal into the industrial espresso hopper. "And more danger!"
"Ignis, that's gunpowder!" Jen yelled, trying to snatch the canister away.
"It is a flavor profile!" Ignis roared, pouring it in.
Elara Vance stood by the machine, watching the pressure gauge climb into the 'Red/Explosive' zone. Beside her, Kaelen Thorne watched with a mixture of horror and professional curiosity.
"You drink this?" Kaelen asked, looking at the sludge dripping from the portafilter. It wasn't liquid. It was a viscous black tar that seemed to absorb the garage lights.
"Only on Mondays," Elara said. "Or when we need to outrun a curse."
She grabbed the carafe. The liquid hissed.
"It's done," Elara announced. "The Midnight Oil. 5000% caffeine. 10% brimstone. Zero sugar."
