Chapter 6 - The Fall
""Grab the manual governor!"" Gabriel roared over the deafening scream of metal against metal.
Elena looked frantically through the dim glow of sparks showering from above. High on the right wall of the cage, a rusted iron wheel was spinning furiously, kicking up friction smoke. She leaped toward it, throwing her arms around the wheel. The sheer torque nearly ripped her shoulders from their sockets, burning her palms through the bandages with blistering heat.
""I can't hold it!"" she screamed, her boots skidding on the greasy iron grating.
Gabriel reached up with explosive strength. Locking his hands around hers on the wheel, his massive chest pressed against her back, he hauled backward with all the furious power in his upper body. Veins bulged along his neck and tattooed arms as he grunted, throwing every ounce of his muscular weight into halting the descent.
The brake screamed, smelling of scorched iron and burnt rubber. The descent slowed from a terminal freefall to a jarring, bone-rattling slide. Sparks rained down on Gabriel's bare shoulders, leaving angry red marks, but he didn't release his grip for a second.
With a final, violent shudder, the bottom of the cage slammed into the reinforced hydraulic buffers of the sub-basement.
The force of the impact knocked them both to the floor. Elena landed hard on her side, knocking the wind out of her lungs. She lay there for a moment, coughing in the thick cloud of rust and brake dust, staring up at the dark shaft. Gabriel lay beside her, breathing heavily, his eyes shut tight as a wave of intense physical pain washed over his face.
""Gabriel?"" she whispered hoarsely, scrambling onto her knees.
He didn't answer immediately. His hands were raw and blistering, his face pale under the layer of soot. When he finally opened his eyes, they burned with cold defiance. ""Still breathing,"" he rasped, pushing himself up onto his elbows. ""Are you in one piece?""
""Barely,"" Elena muttered, wincing as she pulled herself up. She looked at his legs, twisted awkwardly beneath him. ""Did you injure your spine further?""
""It doesn't matter,"" he said dismissively. ""There's no feeling to ruin anyway. Help me into the auxiliary chair by the electrical grid.""
Elena followed his gaze. A dust-covered, non-motorized wheelchair sat anchored beside an emergency utility station. She hauled it over, then wrapped her arms under his shoulders to brace him. Despite his size, she found the leverage, helping him heave his body into the seat.
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As Gabriel settled into the chair, the heavy steel security doors of the sub-basement groaned. The distinct red glow of a cutting torch began eating through the reinforced hinge from the opposite side.
""They anticipated the freight shaft,"" Gabriel said, his voice dropping into absolute stillness. ""They were waiting.""
