Mag-log inThe metal cuffs snapped around my wrists with a cold, heavy click.They didn't use standard steel chains. The biometric restraints locked into place with a small digital beep, the tight bands emitting a low, steady pulse that sent a faint numbness through my fingers to prevent any sudden kinetic movement.The two soldiers grabbed my upper arms, their grip firm and entirely professional as they hauled me up the rear cargo ramp of the twin-rotor transport."I saved the district," I said, my teeth grinding together as they forced me down onto a cold iron bench inside the aircraft's holding bay. "The automated valves were ten minutes from a global dispersal. If Garrison hadn't blown the core, your coastal sector would be dead by now."The lead soldier didn't look at me. He buckled the canvas harness across my chest, securing me to the steel frame of the bulkhead."We don't write the briefs, Medic Kane. We just collect the packages. The Commander of the Fleet wants a direct debriefing on t
The rear bumper of the military utility truck slammed into the concrete structural pillar with an explosive crunch.The steering wheel tore out of my hands, the violent impact snapping my torso forward against the dashboard. My forehead hit the vinyl trim, a sharp flare of pain blinding me for a split second as the sound of tearing metal and fracturing masonry filled the small garage. Through the spiderwebbed rearview mirror, I saw the thick concrete pillar split right down the center, the structural rebar snapping with loud cracks.The roof header gave way instantly. Three tons of solid concrete and mountain stone crashed downward, burying the rear half of the truck in a massive slide of rubble.A thick cloud of grey dust erupted through the cab, making me cough violently as I fought for breath behind my torn shirt. The weight of the falling masonry pinned the vehicle’s rear axle to the floor, the diesel engine sputtering twice before dying with a mechanical shudder.Outside, the scr
I crawled away from the edge of the smoking ventilation shaft, my palms dragging across the rough concrete of the upper garage floor. The morning air outside was completely still, smelling of fresh pine and wet grass instead of the sweet, toxic vapor from below.I sat back against a dented military utility truck, my fingers trembling as I reached up to unbuckle my backpack straps. I pulled out the digital map module that I had used to break Captain Ryker’s nose. The screen was cracked, but a small green indicator light was still blinking in the center of the dark interface.The countdown timer read: 00:00:00. Dispersal Sequence Halted. Main Valves Offline."You did it, Garrison," I whispered to the empty room.My voice echoed off the concrete walls, sounding tiny and hollow. I looked down at my hands. They were covered in grease, dried blood, and a thin layer of grey ash. There was no one left to patch me up. There was no one left to give me orders.A sharp static crackle cut through
Cynthia’s body slammed onto the iron mesh of the center cage with a force that knocked us both to our knees. The metal shrieked, bending downward toward the bubbling red lake below. A cloud of mist billowed up around us, thick and choking, smelling of burnt sugar and rotten copper."Get up, Valerie!" Garrison roared. He didn’t have a weapon, but he threw his entire upper body over my shoulders, using his weight to shield me as Cynthia whipped her long, jagged arm around in a wide arc.The bone-like talons caught the side of Garrison’s vest, ripping the reinforced nylon open and drawing a deep line of dark red blood across his ribs. He grabbed her mutated wrist with both hands, his muscles bulging as he tried to force her arm back toward the deck."You can’t save her, Garrison!" Cynthia shrieked. Her voice split into that horrible, multi-layered echo that rattled the iron beams overhead. The black fluid leaked freely from her ruined eyes, sizzling as it dripped onto the hot metal grate
The heat rising from the lower pit hit my face like an open furnace. The filtered air from my respirator felt hot and sticky against my lips, making every breath a struggle. I gripped the iron rungs of the ladder, the metal so hot it felt like it was burning straight through my leather gloves. Below us, the lake of raw pathogen bubbled, spitting pops of crimson mist that floated upward like sparks from a campfire."Keep your footing, Valerie," Garrison shouted from below me. He was moving fast, his boots clattering against the iron frame. He didn’t look down at the boiling red liquid. His eyes were fixed on the central distribution node—a massive, cylindrical steel cage suspended by four thick hydraulic chains directly over the center of the pit."The air indicators are dropping into the red," I called out, my voice muffled by the rubber mask. "The atmospheric moisture is forty percent pathogen base now. If these seals fail, we won’t last three minutes.""They won’t fail," he said. He
Two soldiers stepped off the platform steps, their combat boots clanging against the metal grate as they approached the skiff. One of them reached out, grabbing Garrison’s shoulder to spin him around.Garrison didn’t wait for the second man to move.He caught the first soldier by the wrist, twisting the arm completely until the bone popped out of the socket. The soldier shrieked, dropping his rifle. Garrison snatched the falling weapon before it hit the deck, spinning in a fluid, deadly circle and firing a three-round burst directly into the second soldier’s ballistic visor."Fire!" Ryker screamed from above.The cavern erupted into chaos. High-caliber rounds chewed through the floor of the skiff, sending a hail of white-hot sparks across my face.Garrison grabbed the back of my jacket, hurling me over the side of the platform into the narrow utility trench running beneath the tracks. "Keep crawling toward the exhaust shaft, Valerie! Don’t stop until you hit the lower grid!""Garrison







