"What do you mean there’s nothing?? We literally saw it!!" Naomi screamed.

Her voice bounced off the concrete walls of the checkpoint, sharp enough that even the civilians nearby slowed down to stare. The gate behind the soldiers stood massive and gray, built directly into the side of an abandoned subway terminal. Floodlights glared overhead. Cameras turned slowly.

Cold.

Everything about this place felt cold.

The soldier in front of them didn’t react. Didn’t even blink.

"I already told you," he said flatly. "There is no underground borough access point here."

Aubrey’s jaw flexed.

Bullshit.

They had seen the train. Seen the doors. Seen armed escorts dragging people through restricted tunnels like this place was Fort Knox buried underneath the apocalypse.

Naomi stepped closer. Too close.

"You think we’re stupid?"

"I think," the soldier replied, "that you and your friends need to leave before this becomes a trespassing issue."

Terri subtly shifted beside Aubrey.

Not nervous.

Ready.

The other soldiers nearby had already started watching them now. Fingers resting near triggers. One hand near a walkie-talkie.

Hale quietly scanned the perimeter.

Two cameras above.

Motion lights.

Electronic gate.

At least eight soldiers visible.

Probably more hidden.

Naomi stared at the soldier for another second.

Then looked at Terri.

Then Aubrey.

A tiny nod.

So subtle it almost didn’t exist.

Aubrey immediately understood.

Naomi turned away.

Breathed in slowly.

Her shoulders loosened.

Resolved.

Then she spun and slammed into the soldier.

Hard.

"HEY—!"

The rifle jerked violently as Naomi grabbed it with both hands, yanking downward with pure desperation. The soldier cursed, stumbling forward as she fought him for it.

Everything erupted at once.

"What the fuck—?!"

"Grab her!"

The rifle swung sideways.

Then the soldier snapped.

He drove the butt of the weapon directly into Naomi’s face.

CRACK.

The sound echoed ugly against the station walls.

Naomi hit the ground instantly.

And then—

Her body started jerking.

Violently.

Foam spilled from her mouth.

Her eyes rolled back so far only the whites showed.

The soldier froze.

Everyone did.

For half a second the entire checkpoint went dead silent.

Then chaos detonated.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Isabella screamed.

The soldier stumbled backward. "I— I barely fucking touched her!"

"She’s fucking seizing!"

"Oh my God—"

"Medic!"

Walkie-talkies immediately started chirping over each other.

Two soldiers dropped beside Naomi while another shoved civilians backward. Naomi’s body convulsed harder against the concrete, horrifyingly realistic.

Too realistic.

One medic grabbed her jaw.

"Possible traumatic brain injury!"

"You cracked her skull, dumbass!"

"I DIDN’T HIT HER THAT HARD!"

Aubrey almost admired Naomi for it.

Almost.

Because even she looked convincing enough to die.

In the middle of the frenzy, Aubrey glanced toward Terri.

Terri gave one tiny nod.

Now.

The two of them quietly slipped backward into the crowd while every eye remained glued to Naomi convulsing on the floor.

No one noticed.

At least not yet.

—

"You’re saying she’ll be okay, right?"

Isabella’s voice cracked perfectly.

Too perfectly.

Hale stood beside her inside a cramped security office while two soldiers and a medic sorted through paperwork and incident reports.

Isabella’s eyes were red.

Wet.

Her breathing shaky. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Honestly, if Hale didn’t know better, he probably would’ve believed her too.

The medic sighed. "She’s stable."

"Stable?" Isabella repeated weakly. "What does stable even mean?"

"It means she’s alive."

Hale rubbed her back gently, playing the supportive role almost disturbingly well.

The older officer behind the desk scratched at his eyebrow in exhaustion.

"This is why we tell people not to escalate situations."

"Escalate?" Isabella snapped through tears. "Your guy almost killed her!"

The soldier who had hit Naomi stood outside the room beyond the glass window, visibly being chewed out by another superior. His face looked pale enough to pass out.

Hale almost laughed.

Instead he lowered his head sympathetically.

The officer sighed again.

"We just need names."

He flipped open a notepad.

"Then you’re free to go."

Hale nodded calmly.

"Right."

The officer pointed his pen.

"Name?"

"Hale."

"Last name?"

"Turner."

Scratch scratch scratch.

"And you, miss?"

"Isabella."

Her voice wobbled.

The officer softened slightly.

Then—

"Chief?"

Everyone looked toward the doorway.

One of the younger guards stood there frowning.

The officer looked annoyed already. "What?"

The younger guard scratched his head slowly.

"There were four of them."

Silence.

The officer paused writing.

Looked up.

His eyes shifted between Hale and Isabella.

Hale shrugged mildly.

Confused.

Perfectly confused.

The younger guard frowned harder now.

"There was the tall guy. Red-haired girl. Curly-haired one."

A beat.

"...and the lesbian."

Isabella blinked through fake tears.

Hale nearly choked.

The officer slowly looked back at them.

"Where are your friends?"

—

Aubrey and Terri ran through the maintenance corridor at full speed.

Their footsteps echoed violently against white tile walls.

Every hallway down here looked surgically clean. Bright overhead lights buzzed softly. Doors sealed electronically. Security cameras turned with mechanical precision.

It didn’t feel post-apocalyptic.

It felt preserved.

Like the end of the world had happened to everybody else.

Aubrey hated it immediately.

"Left," Terri whispered.

They turned sharply.

Voices nearby.

The two ducked behind a corner just before two scientists crossed the adjacent hallway carrying tablets.

"...I’m serious, they finally caught him."

"Took them long enough."

Aubrey and Terri instantly looked at each other.

The first scientist continued.

"Jennifer almost lost her mind over it."

"Well obviously. That kid’s basically the entire project."

Project.

Aubrey’s stomach twisted.

The second scientist lowered his voice slightly.

"You saw the reports?"

"No."

"They had to use the frequency."

Terri frowned.

Frequency?

The first scientist looked disturbed now.

"They said he started bleeding instantly."

The second gave a low whistle.

"Jesus Christ."

Then footsteps started approaching.

Fast.

Aubrey grabbed Terri’s arm and yanked her backward just as two armed soldiers stormed down the hallway past them.

"Sector C lockdown authorized!"

"Orders from Jennifer!"

Aubrey’s pulse quickened.

Terri leaned close.

"We’re close."

"No shit."

The overhead speakers crackled suddenly.

"Attention all personnel. Crucible patient retrieval operation is still active. Repeat—"

Aubrey muttered under her breath.

"Patient."

Like he was some fucking lab rat.

Terri quietly peeked around the corner again.

Then froze.

"...Aubrey."

Aubrey looked.

At the very end of the hallway sat a massive reinforced door.

Unlike everything else down here, this one looked older. Heavier. Thick steel layered beneath electronic locks.

And stamped directly across it—

A crucible symbol.

Terri’s eyes widened slightly.

"That has to be it."

Aubrey nodded once.

Then footsteps echoed behind them.

Too close.

The two turned sharply.

A soldier stood frozen at the opposite end of the hall staring directly at them.

For one second nobody moved.

Then—

"HEY!"

Shit.

The soldier immediately reached for his radio.

Aubrey moved first.

She sprinted straight at him.

The soldier barely got the radio halfway to his mouth before Aubrey crashed into him violently. The two slammed into the wall together.

Terri snatched the rifle from his hands while Aubrey elbowed him directly in the throat.

The man gagged hard.

Terri caught the radio before it hit the floor.

Too late.

Static exploded through it.

"Unit respond—"

Terri smashed the device beneath her boot.

Aubrey held the choking soldier against the wall with frightening strength.

"Open the fucking door."

The soldier clawed weakly at her arm.

"I-I don’t have—"

Aubrey slammed his head against the wall.

Blood streaked the white tile instantly.

"OPEN. THE FUCKING. DOOR."

The soldier shakily reached into his pocket and pulled out a keycard.

Terri snatched it fast.

Then alarms exploded overhead.

Red lights immediately flooded the corridor.

Fuck.

"Unauthorized access detected."

"Security breach in sector corridor D."

"Unauthorized access detected."

Aubrey released the soldier and grabbed the rifle.

The man collapsed wheezing onto the floor.

Terri was already swiping the card against the massive door panel.

Denied.

"Come on..."

Denied.

"Fuck!"

Bootsteps thundered somewhere distant.

A lot of them.

Aubrey looked both ways down the corridor.

Nowhere to run.

Terri swiped again.

Denied.

"What the hell?!"

The soldier on the floor coughed violently.

"It’s...voice activated..."

Aubrey immediately aimed the rifle at him.

"Then activate it."

The man stared at the barrel shaking.

Behind them the hallway doors burst open farther down.

Soldiers poured through.

"There!"

Aubrey grabbed the man by his collar and dragged him upward.

"OPEN IT!"

The soldier’s breathing turned panicked as rifles immediately raised down the corridor.

"DROP YOUR WEAPONS!"

Terri pointed her stolen rifle back at them instantly.

Nobody fired.

Couldn’t risk hitting the guard.

Aubrey shoved the man toward the scanner.

"NOW!"

The soldier swallowed hard.

Then—

"Authorization code delta-seven."

A mechanical beep answered.

ACCESS GRANTED.

The giant door slowly began sliding open.

And the moment it cracked apart—

Aubrey froze.

Not because of the soldiers.

Not because of the guns.

But because of what she saw inside.

It wasn’t another hallway.

It wasn’t another lab.

It was an entire city.

Lights stretched endlessly beneath the underground cavern beyond the doorway. Towers. Streets. Neon signs glowing beneath an artificial ceiling designed to mimic night.

A hidden civilization.

Breathing underneath the apocalypse.

For one stunned second, everyone in the corridor stopped moving.

Even the soldiers.

The artificial skyline reflected in Aubrey’s eyes.

Then gunfire erupted.