Chapter 13 - Blood and Concrete
David rushed to the terminal, his fingers flying across the keyboard to bypass the self-destruct sequence. A voice recording suddenly played through the laboratory speakers—it was Sarah’s voice, clear and calm.
“If you’re hearing this, David, it means you found the way in. But the data isn't here anymore. It's inside the mainframe vault beneath the floor.”
Suddenly, heavy steel blast doors slammed shut behind him, sealing the laboratory exits hermetically. The ventilation shafts hissed, pumping a thick, sweet-smelling chemical fog into the room. Paralysis gas. David ripped off his tie, pressing it tightly against his mouth and nose as his vision began to blur at the edges. He stumbled toward the heavy hydraulic vault door at the back of the lab, slamming his weight against the manual emergency release wheel. The mechanism was jammed with a mechanical deadbolt. With a guttural roar born of pure desperation, David grabbed a heavy iron wrench from a nearby maintenance cart, jammed it into the gear assembly, and threw all his remaining strength into the lever. With a deafening metallic screech, the heavy steel gears finally gave way, and the vault door slowly swung open, revealing a blinding white light from within.
