Then all hell breaks loose.
Russ fires instantly.
Wu dives sideways behind reinforced reactor panels as bullets shred the wall where his head had been half a second earlier.
“MOVE!” Russ roars.
Clay grabs me hard and drags me behind cracked support columns as gunfire erupts through the corridor.
Wu disappears into steam and flashing emergency lights.
Gabriel keeps working frantically at the reactor terminal.
“HOLD HIM OFF!”
Sirens scream.
The floor trembles violently beneath us.
Somewhere deep below the reactor chamber, metal groans like the entire bunker is tearing itself apart.
Wu fires from cover.
Sharp.
Controlled.
Precise.
One round slams into the concrete inches from Gabriel’s head.
Clay returns fire instantly.
Russ circles left through the steam trying to cut off Wu’s escape route.
I catch movement near the reactor wall.
Wu relocating.
Still trying to reach another control station.
Another trigger.
Another contingency.
Because men like him always have backups.
I move before thinking.
Training.
Instinct.
Survival.
But this time—
I’m choosing where it goes.
