Chapter 11 - The Glass Cage
They tumbled onto the carpeted floor of the executive suites, panting and covered in grease and dust. The 75th floor was quiet—too quiet.
"Five floors to Vance," Sarah said, drawing her sidearm as she surveyed the dark corridor. Luxurious mahogany doors and high-end art lined the walls, standing in stark contrast to the destruction outside.
Suddenly, heavy blast doors slammed shut at both ends of the hallway, sealing them inside a windowless cage.
A cool, synthetic voice echoed from hidden speakers powered by an independent backup system. "Welcome, Subject DTR-01. I see you've brought your handler."
"Vance," Leo said, his voice echoing in the trapped space. "Turn off the Omega protocol."
A hollow laugh came through the speakers. "Omega protocol isn't a weapon, Leo. It’s a sweep. Do you really think I care about this city? This company? They were merely tools to fund your creation. You are the only asset that matters."
The ceiling panels slid open, revealing automated gas canisters dropping down. Thick, gray fog began pouring into the corridor.
"Nerve agent," Sarah coughed, covering her face with her sleeve.
"Stand back," Leo said. He stepped toward the reinforced blast door, raising both hands. The blue tattoos across his skin flared with intense brightness, spreading up his neck to his jaw. The temperature in the hallway plunged instantly as he drew all the thermal energy from the air to power a concentrated kinetic shockwave.
"Leo, stop!" Sarah yelled, seeing the veins in his neck turn black from the bio-synthetic strain. "It’s killing you!"
"It doesn't matter," Leo whispered.
May you like
He thrust his palms forward. A deafening roar shook the floor as the reinforced blast door was torn entirely from its hinges, blown twenty feet down the corridor into a tangled heap of steel.
Leo collapsed to his knees, coughing up dark blood onto the floor.
