Chapter 47 #2
“I understand that you couldn’t even make decent security cameras,” Levi taunted, glancing at the monitors still cycling through their intimate footage. “The resolution is terrible! We look way better in person!”
That did it. Faine’s enhancements began to glow brighter as his systems overheated with rage. He leaned forward in his throne, tubes stretching as he pointed an arm directly at Levi. “You insignificant, temporary creature! You will be dismantled and repurposed! Your biological components will—”
“So, about that recording,” Asher’s voice interrupted, much closer to Faine than he’d been moments before, having used Levi’s distraction to ascend the final platforms unnoticed. “Can I get a copy before we kill you?”
Faine’s head swiveled 180 degrees—a movement no human neck could accomplish—to find Asher perched on the platform directly behind his throne. The distraction gave Levi the opening he needed to advance to a higher position, closing in from the opposite direction.
“What?” Faine asked, eyes blinking in confusion at the non-sequitur.
“The recording,” Asher clarified, gesturing toward the monitors. “I’d like a copy. For personal use.”
Levi couldn’t help the incredulous look he shot across the chamber. “Are you serious right now?!” he demanded, dodging a metal arm with a whirring saw.
Asher shrugged, his casual demeanor a stark contrast to the life-or-death battle raging around them. “What? It’s good footage. We look amazing together.”
Faine’s face twisted in confusion, clearly thrown off-balance by this bizarre exchange in the middle of combat. The momentary lapse in his attention caused several of the arms to pause mid-attack, their programming awaiting new instructions.
“Just... focus on not dying first, then we’ll discuss your video collection!” Levi shouted, using the opening to advance to an even higher platform.
“Fine,” Asher agreed with a put-upon sigh. “Kill him first, get tape after. Got it.”
The exchange worked. Faine was distracted, his focus divided between two threats approaching from opposite directions. The core in his chest glowed brighter as his systems worked harder to track and respond to both of them simultaneously.
And then, for just a moment, the protective shielding around the core retracted as Faine leaned forward, trying to direct more arms toward Asher’s position. The weak point was exposed.
“Now!” Levi shouted, launching himself from his platform toward Faine’s throne.
Asher moved in the same instant, a blur of coordinated violence. They converged on Faine from opposite directions, perfectly synchronized despite having no opportunity to plan their attack.
Faine realized the danger too late. He tried to retreat, to reactivate the shielding around his core, but his throne’s movement was too slow. Arms swung wildly, trying to intercept them, but the arms moved to where both of them had been, not their sudden, explosive movement.
Asher reached him first, grabbing one of the tubes connected to Faine’s chest and yanking it free with savage strength. Glowing fluid sprayed from the disconnected line, causing nearby components to short-circuit and spark.
Levi arrived a split second later, diving through the gap Asher had created. He grabbed a surgical blade from the ground and drove it into the exposed core with all his strength.
The core’s glow intensified to blinding brightness, energy discharging in violent arcs that scorched everything they touched. Faine screamed—a sound that was both human agony and mechanical failure combined into one horrific noise.
“What have you done?!” he shrieked, limbs flailing uselessly as his systems began to fail. “My work! My evolution!”
The throne’s components began to malfunction, hydraulics bursting and electronics shorting out.
The arms throughout the chamber went limp, hanging from the walls like dead insects caught in a spider web.
The platforms stopped their programmed movements, freezing in whatever position they last occupied.
Faine’s remaining organic components—his face, primarily—contorted in an expression of pure hatred. “If I am to be deactivated,” he snarled, “then you will join me in oblivion!”
His hand slammed down on a control panel built into the arm of his throne. Red warning lights flashed throughout the chamber, accompanied by a computerized voice announcing: “Emergency protocol activated. Facility self-destruct sequence initiated. Five minutes to structural collapse.”
The entire sanctum shuddered, the floor vibrating beneath their feet as deep within the building, explosives or other destructive mechanisms activated. Dust and small debris rained from the ceiling as support structures buckled.
“We need to get out of here,” Levi said, grabbing Asher’s arm and pulling him away from Faine’s dying form.
“One moment,” Asher replied, his eyes fixed on the monitors. He turned back to Faine, whose eyes flickered as power fluctuated. “Where’s the recording stored? Which system?”
“Asher!” Levi couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “The place is about to collapse!”
“It’s a valid question,” Asher defended, even as he allowed Levi to pull him toward the lower platforms. “That’s premium content.”
Faine’s laugh, distorted now by his shutdown, followed them as they descended. “There is no escape,” he called after them, his voice breaking up with static. “All exits are sealed during emergency protocols. You’ve doomed yourselves along with me.”
A quick survey of the chamber confirmed his words. The massive door they had entered through remained sealed, and no other exits were visible. The room shuddered again, more violently this time, and a large section of ceiling crashed down onto one of the platforms.
“There has to be a way out,” Levi insisted, scanning the walls for any sign of a maintenance door, ventilation shaft, anything they could use.
The computerized voice continued its countdown: “Four minutes to structural collapse.”
“There,” Asher said suddenly, pointing to a small access panel partially hidden behind one of the specimen tanks. “Maintenance access.”
They made their way toward it, navigating the now-stationary but precariously balanced platforms. The panel was sealed, but Asher wrenched it open with brute strength, revealing a narrow passage beyond.
“Tight fit,” he said. “You first.”
Levi squeezed into the passage, which was indeed just wide enough for a person to navigate, just like every other infuriating ventilation shaft in this place.
It led upward at a sharp incline, forcing them to climb rather than crawl.
Behind them, the sounds of destruction intensified as more of the sanctum collapsed.
“Three minutes to structural collapse,” the computerized voice announced, somehow audible even in the shaft.
They climbed as quickly as possible, the shaft twisting and turning, branching off more than once. Levi made instinctive choices at each junction, hoping his subconscious was picking up on air currents or other subtle cues that might lead to the surface.
The shaft ended at another access panel. Levi pushed against it, but it refused to budge.
“Come on!” Levi slammed his shoulder into the metal panel. It dented but held. He hit it again, harder, pain exploding down his arm as he did, and this time the panel broke free, clattering onto the floor beyond.
They emerged into what appeared to be a storage room, shelves of cleaning supplies and maintenance equipment lined the walls. A single door provided the only exit.
“Two minutes to structural collapse.”
Asher reached the door first, trying the handle, only to find it locked.
Without hesitation, he took two steps back, then kicked with enough force to splinter the frame around the lock.
The door swung open to reveal a corridor Levi didn’t recognize, narrower than the main halls, with exposed pipes running along the ceiling.
“A service corridor,” Asher said, grabbing Levi’s hand. “It should lead to an exit. Let’s go!”
They ran, the building’s shuddering growing more violent with each passing second. Dust filled the air, making it difficult to breathe. Pipes burst overhead, spraying them with water and steam.
The corridor ended at a T-junction. Asher hesitated, head turning as he analyzed both options.
“Left,” Levi decided, spotting a faded exit sign pointing in that direction.
They turned left, only to find the passage ahead blocked by fallen debris.
“One minute to structural collapse.”
“Back, go back!” Levi shouted, already turning.
As they retreated, Asher suddenly stopped, his attention caught by a small room off the corridor—a security station with monitors still flickering with power from emergency backups.
“Asher, what are you doing?!” Levi demanded as Asher abruptly changed direction, darting into the security room.
“Ten seconds,” Asher called back, scanning the equipment with predatory focus. His eyes locked on a server rack with blinking lights. He yanked open a drawer, extracted a small hard drive, and slipped it into his pocket.
“Seriously?!” Levi couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Asher rejoined him with a satisfied smirk. “Found it.”
“The recording? NOW?!”
“Fifty seconds to structural collapse.”
“Priorities,” Asher replied simply, already moving again.
They retraced their steps to the junction, then took the right branch, moving even faster now as time slipped away. This corridor stretched longer, twisting and turning, but steadily ascending.
The passage ended at a heavy metal door with “EMERGENCY EXIT” stenciled across it in faded red letters. Asher reached it first, grabbing the push bar and shoving with all his strength.
The door didn’t move.
“Sealed,” he growled, pushing again with no effect. “Part of the lockdown.”
“Thirty seconds to structural collapse.”
Levi looked around frantically, searching for anything they could use to force the door. A fire extinguisher hung on the wall nearby, not heavy enough to break through metal, but perhaps...
“The hinges,” he said, grabbing the extinguisher and passing it to Asher. “Hit the hinges!”
Understanding immediately, Asher swung the extinguisher against the upper hinge with enough force to dent the metal. A second blow caused the pin to bend. A third knocked it free. He moved to the lower hinge, repeating the process with efficiency.
“Fifteen seconds to structural collapse.”
With both hinges compromised, Asher dropped the extinguisher and drove his shoulder against the edge of the door opposite where the hinges had been. The metal groaned but held. He hit it again, harder, putting his entire body weight behind the impact.
The door shifted slightly, daylight visible through a small gap at the edge.
“Ten seconds to structural collapse.”
“Together,” Levi said, positioning himself beside Asher. “On three. One, two, THREE!”
They slammed into the door simultaneously. With a screech of protesting metal, it broke free from its frame, falling outward to reveal blinding daylight beyond.
They stumbled through the opening, emerging onto what appeared to be a loading dock at the rear of the sanitarium. The concrete beneath their feet vibrated ominously as the countdown reached its final seconds.
“Run!” Asher shouted, grabbing Levi’s hand and pulling him away from the building.
They ran across the loading area and into the surrounding forest, not slowing until they had put at least a hundred yards between themselves and the sanitarium. Only then did they turn to witness the culmination of Faine’s self-destruct sequence.
It wasn’t the dramatic explosion Levi had half-expected.
Instead, the sanitarium imploded with terrible precision, floors collapsing inward in sequential order, walls folding like paper as support structures failed.
The entire building sank into itself with a sound like a giant indrawn breath, dust billowing outward in a massive cloud that obscured the devastation.
When the dust began to settle, all that remained was a crater filled with twisted metal and broken concrete—the physical manifestation of Faine’s madness reduced to rubble.
For several long moments, they stood in silence, watching as smaller debris continued to settle. Levi became aware that Asher was still holding his hand, his grip tight enough to be almost painful.
“We did it,” Levi said, voice hoarse from dust and exertion. “We beat him.”
Asher nodded, eyes still fixed on the ruins. “And I got the recording.”
Despite everything—the danger, the exhaustion, the lingering fear—Levi found himself laughing. It bubbled up from somewhere deep inside, half hysteria and half genuine amusement. “Seriously? That’s what you’re thinking about right now?”
Asher shrugged, finally turning to look at him. “It’s good footage.”
Levi shook his head, too tired to even be properly exasperated. “You’re impossible.”
“But effective.” Asher grinned. “We survived. We won.”
“Yeah,” Levi agreed, looking back at the destroyed sanitarium. “I guess we did.”
The realization was still sinking in—they had faced the final boss and emerged victorious.
Is the game over now? Can we leave?
As if in answer to his unspoken questions, the forest around them began to shimmer, the edges of reality growing less distinct.
“Something’s happening,” Levi said, tightening his grip on Asher’s hand.
The shimmering intensified, trees and undergrowth dissolving into vague shapes, then into nothing at all. The ground beneath their feet remained solid even as it lost definition, becoming textureless and gray. The sky above faded to white, then grew brighter until it was painful to look at.
They were standing in nothingness—a formless white void that stretched infinitely in all directions. The only solid reality was each other, their clasped hands the single point of certainty in an undefined expanse.
Asher looked around, his expression unusually uncertain. He turned a complete circle, studying the featureless whiteness with growing discomfort.
“I think I’ve been here before,” he said quietly, his eyes glistening with tears.
Before Levi could ask what he meant, sounds began to filter in from nowhere and everywhere—indistinct at first, then gradually resolving into what might have been voices, electronic beeps, hums.
“Asher...” Levi turned toward Asher, questions forming on his lips. Asher looked terrified, tears streaming down his face as he reached a shaky hand out towards Levi.
“Levi, I lov—”
Then darkness swept in without warning, absolute, swallowing all light, all sound, all sensation.