Chapter 28 – Mike
The security door leading to the servers looms ahead, six guards forming a tight wall, each armed and alert. Ellie skids to a stop as their heads turn toward us, expressions unreadable.
“Sorry, Ms. Carver,” one says, voice crisp, almost polite. “Boss’s orders. Nobody in.”
“I have to get my work,” Ellie replies, her tone calm but unwavering. “Or I’ll lose it completely.”
A guard shakes his head. “The boss already activated a manual purge of the servers. Even if you got in, you’d probably lose everything anyway.”
Ellie’s gaze hardens. “The compound is shutting down. You won’t survive if you stay here.”
They exchange a glance, almost indifferent. “We won’t survive anyway,” another mutters, shoulders tightening.
Then the compound reacts. Hissing and whirring fill the air as the fire suppression system kicks in, mist curling in thick clouds along the floor.
Lights flicker violently. Panels spark. Portions of the facility go dark as power cuts ripple through the structure.
The alarms scream—a mechanical roar that shakes the walls and echoes down the corridor.
Ellie tenses beside me, but I seize the moment. “Ellie, go. I’ll handle them.” My hand brushes hers briefly. She nods, understanding instantly.
The first guard lunges at me, baton swinging.
I twist under his swing, using his momentum to hurl him into the wall.
The clang reverberates across the corridor.
Another guard rushes in, fists raised. I sidestep, sweep his legs, and he crashes hard, disoriented.
Sparks fly from a nearby panel, smoke curling around us, thick and disorienting.
The remaining guards hesitate, uncertainty flashing in their eyes. I move with precision, blocking and striking, every motion calculated to keep them off balance while Ellie slips past.
She dashes toward the server room, muscles tense, eyes fixed on the console. Her fingers fly over the keyboard, overriding protocols even as the facility continues to crumble around us.
I face the remaining guards, fists clashing against batons, boots pounding the floor, a wall of sound and chaos. Mist curls around our legs, electrical sparks crackle overhead, and every second stretches impossibly long.
Through the haze, I catch sight of Ellie.
She’s at the console, fingers flying, eyes locked on the progress bar inching upward.
Every movement precise, deliberate, fearless.
I’ve never met a woman with such courage.
Such fire. My chest tightens, and a surge of pride hits me—I’m proud to call her mine.
I don’t know how far along she is. I don’t know if the corrupted systems will hold. But I see the focus etched across her face, the determination that refuses to waver, and I pray—prayer wrapped in desperation—that she’s getting exactly what she wants. That she’s winning this war from the inside.
I glance at the four guards still standing between us. Their faces are hard, weapons ready, but all I see is a challenge waiting to be met. Every strike I throw, every block I make, is for her. Every second I buy is another second for Ellie to reclaim what’s hers.
I charge at the first guard, swinging wide, my fist connecting with his jaw. He stumbles back, but the others close in instantly. Batons clash against my forearms. I groan with pain, but I don’t give in.
The second guard lunges from my left. I pivot, catching his wrist and twisting it until he grunts, staggering backward.
I don’t pause. The third comes at me with a low swing, and I duck, rolling through the mist and kicking him square in the chest. He crashes into a console, sending a shower of sparks across the floor.
Over the chaos, I glimpse Ellie again. Her fingers move faster now, eyes flitting between code and cascading alerts. My pulse races with each fraction of a percentage, each tiny victory she snags from the system I know is rigged against her.
The fourth guard charges with a roar, swinging wildly. I catch his baton with my forearm, snapping it aside, and deliver a knee that sends him sprawling. The room shakes with our struggle, mist swirling, alarms screaming.
Just as I manage to knock the last guard out, I pivot to sprint toward Ellie—but the motion freezes me in place. From one of the narrow, shadowed corridors, Katerina emerges, gun leveled dead at Ellie’s chest.
My heart lurches, my stomach knots. Ellie freezes too, but her eyes don’t waver. They’re sharp, calculating, unafraid.
“Katerina!” I roar, voice cracking. “Put it down!”
She tilts her head, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. Her laugh echoes off the lab walls, cold and deliberate. “Oh, Mike…you really think I won’t do what needs to be done?”
Ellie turns her gaze to Katerina, unwavering. “You lost, Katerina,” she says, voice steady, almost serene. “Don’t be a sore loser.”
The gun doesn’t waver. Katerina chuckles again, shaking her head in mock disappointment. “I admit, I underestimated you, Ellie,” she says, voice silky but sharp. “Your refusal to be molded…impressive. Truly.”
Her eyes glint with a dangerous mix of admiration and malice. “It’s…such a pity I have to kill you,” she murmurs, almost regretfully. “I genuinely wanted to work with you. I could have made you brilliant beyond imagination…but you leave me no choice.”
I tighten my fists, rage and fear coiling like steel in my chest. Every instinct screams to fire, to dive, to end this before Katerina has a chance—but I have no weapon, and one misstep could cost Ellie her life.
“Katarina, please!” I yell. “I’ll do whatever you want! Put the gun down!”
She tilts her head, a cruel smile dancing across her lips. “It’s a little too late,” she says, voice sharp as ice. “I’m already—”
A thunderous blast tears through the lab, shaking the floor beneath us. Sparks fly from exposed conduits, and smoke thickens the air, choking. Instinct takes over. I dive, crashing over Ellie, shielding her body with my own as rounds ricochet and glass shatters around us.
The shots cease, leaving a ringing silence. My ears pound. I can’t tell if Katerina is lying in wait somewhere in the shadows—or if she’s retreated. There’s no time to find out.
I grab Ellie’s hand, dragging her toward the nearest exit as sections of the compound groan and collapse behind us. Dust and debris rain down, smoke curling like serpents around our bodies. The doorway through which we came in has been blocked by a fallen beam.
“Just hold on,” I growl, muscles straining as we dodge falling beams and overturned equipment.
Every second counts.
The lab is becoming a tomb, and we’re sprinting straight through it.
We reach a stairwell, and I shove open the door, the emergency lights flickering weakly.
Fire suppression sprays hiss in the hall, stinging our faces.
Ellie moves with me, agile and unflinching, every instinct tuned to survival.
I don’t know if she managed to save ARGO, and a part of me will forever be heartbroken if she didn’t, but her safety comes first.
The cold night air hits us as we burst from the stairwell. Behind us, the main server wing erupts in a series of explosions, flames leaping skyward, and smoke curling like black ribbons into the night. Sparks and debris scatter, painting the compound in a hellish glow.
A hand clamps on my shoulder from behind. I spin, fists up, ready to strike—but it’s Timofey. Relief washes over me in a hot, sudden rush.
“We have to go. Now,” he says, eyes scanning the perimeter.
“I need to find Katerina,” I snap, instinctively moving toward the crumbling compound.
Timofey grabs my arm, firm. “Not now. Take Ellie to safety. I’ll handle her.”
I glance at Ellie, whose sharp gaze meets mine. Without a word, she trusts the unspoken plan. I grab her hand, and we sprint into the darkness, leaving the inferno—and Katerina’s twisted empire—behind.
Even as adrenaline courses through me, one thought claws at my mind: This isn’t over.
Not yet. Not until Katerina is dealt with.
The night air is sharp in my lungs, smelling of smoke and scorched metal.
Shadows of the collapsing compound stretch across the ground as debris rains in distant crashes.
Ellie’s grip on my hand is firm, unyielding, a silent promise that she’s right there with me, alive, unbroken.
We finally stop behind a line of ruined vehicles, panting, hearts hammering. The roar of sirens and the distant crackle of explosions are fading behind us. That’s when I notice Ellie clutching an encrypted drive to her chest.
I ask, voice rough and desperate, “Were you able to save ARGO?”
She lets herself smile—a small, sharp grin that carries triumph and exhaustion. “Ninety percent,” she says, pressing the drive closer. “But the syndicate’s infrastructure…it’s critically damaged. They’ll be crippled for a long time. Anything they salvage won’t matter.”
I exhale, a mixture of relief and awe. I pull her close, sliding my arm around her shoulders, holding her as if letting go could undo all of this. “Ninety percent…that’s more than I dared hope for,” I murmur, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
Her head tilts up, eyes catching mine, fierce and fearless. “It’s enough,” she whispers. “Thank you for coming for me, Mike.”
“I’ll always come for you, Ellie. It doesn’t matter where you are. I’ll always find you.”
We embrace, bodies pressed together, the world outside forgotten for a heartbeat. Every heartbeat is a reminder that we survived—together.
I’m still holding her when Timofey emerges from the shadows, his face tense. “Katerina’s gone,” he says, voice low but steady. “We need to move. The police could be here any second.”
I glance back at the smoldering compound, frustration gnawing at me that Katerina slipped through our fingers again. But that feeling is fleeting. I turn to Ellie, gripping her hand, her fingers tight around mine. Her trust is everything.
I smile, soft but certain. “Let’s go home.”
Her smile mirrors mine, and for the first time in days, the chaos fades. We have each other. That’s all that matters. And for now…that’s enough.