Cade's frantic, but lone steps screamed in a rhythmic beat while he cruised the cold dark corridor. His right hand gripped his phone with its flashlight on. That was the only source of light he had to navigate the surrounding area.
Instead of a high-tech facility, this place had suddenly turned into an eerie and dystopian landmark. Visibility was minimal and the crushing howls of the beast could still be heard not too far back. For a moment there, Cade had the inkling of never turning his head back. Because if he did, then he feared seeing the grotesque creature looking back at him from afar. Its large eyes glimmering in delight at the sight of another new prey.
His shoulders shivered. He knew that shouldn't be a possibility. Because this place is too narrow for the behemoth to enter into. Because it had more important things to do. Because he wasn't a prey worth chasing. This train of thought caused Cade to curse under his breath.
'Damn it, it wasn't supposed to be like this.'
He admitted it. He was scared. He was a coward.
When the incident happened, he only cared about himself. Staying as close as possible to Clyde was his ticket to safety. He didn't have bodyguards or security personnel like the other VIPs. So the most natural response was to never leave the hunter's side.
Then the moment to leave the facility came not long after they met up with Dr. Hohenkrause. If he was being honest, Cade had been debating multiple times internally on whether or not he would accompany the distraught researcher and his wounded colleague on their escape.
He would leave Clyde to his devices. The probability of doing that was high then, and even now Cade internally questioned as to why he didn't choose to follow Dr. Hohenkrause in the first place. Because what he was doing currently was indeed a suicide mission. The entire building could very well crumble down right at this instance and bury him under without a moment's notice.
He knew that. Dr. Hohenkrause knew that. Clyde knew that.
So why did he volunteer? Why in blue sky's name did he step up to this insane task?
Cade shook his head at the thought. He wasn't sure either.
The only thing he knew was that doing nothing would do no one any favors; and leaving Clyde behind to follow Dr. Hohenkrause would not translate into arriving towards immediate safety.
That last thought led Cade to analyze this whole situation in scrutiny. That's right. If his memory served him well, then this exact incident had been somewhat implied in the web novel. Specifically when the story delivered a narrative piece regarding the development of organ regeneration research.
'At that instance, one of Hastings top executives delivered a speech that development had been hindered for a couple of years due to a certain mishap. He didn't explain what the mishap they specifically encountered, but the emphasis was glaringly evident.'
Be it as it may, only now did Cade start to realize why the web novel focused so heavily regarding the issue of 'mishap' and why the performance of their product could not perform to their fullest potential.
Cade previously thought that it was a way for the author to easily explain away the sub-optimal performance of the new invention and prevent it from becoming an overpowered setting in the novel. Which may be a possibility, but that was clearly not the whole picture currently. Another issue that Cade started to question was regarding the issue of the personnel involved in the project.
Sure, they may lose data in a mishap. But if the creator and lead researcher in question was still involved closely in its development, then obtaining back what was lost would not be a hard thing to achieve.
However, once Cade realized who the lead researcher was moments prior, it all made sense. This day's secret presentation showed that the lead researcher behind all this was actually Dr. Hohenkrause. But the web novel did not mention his name even once. Other researcher's names in this time's organ regeneration research also did not strike any chords with Cade when compared with the personnel of the web novel.
Which meant that this case most likely left no survivors alive.
So even if Cade followed Dr. Hohenkrause to escape, survival wasn't guaranteed.
'So basically, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.'
This did not mean that there was no chance of survival. Cade himself had the potential to become the X-factor of this incident. Since if it were up to the original setting of the web novel where he was not present, Clyde would be torn between going down and turning on the backup generator himself because Dr. Hohenkrause refused, or stayed in his original position and fought the monstrosity till his dying breath in a meaningless manner.
Cade knew not what Clyde chose in the hypothetical web novel setting since it wasn't written by the author, but the result was most likely the same either way. This line of reasoning pushed Cade even further to get to the objective as fast as possible.
'I know that I'm literally grasping at straws right now…'
He still had many questions left unanswered though, like how a near-S class behemoth could just barge into a Hastings facility without the USHA or but clinging to this conclusion was all he had to persuade himself that what he was doing right now meant something to him. That it wasn't futile resistance.
Before he knew it, Cade had already arrived in front of the room where the backup generator was located. So with a loud gulp, he presented Dr. Hohenkrause's ID to the door.
'It's still not over the time limit, right?'
Ting.
"!"
At the relieving sound of the door opening wide, Cade dashed as fast as he could straight down the middle. His hand raised itself on its own without him even realizing and he slammed the manual switch with such force that it left him numb.
Immediately, the delight of light graced his vision. Power was back.
"YEAH BABY! LET'S GO!"
A moment of victory. But he couldn't dawdle on it any longer. He still had one more task to do. Adrenaline fusing furiously with his body, Cade leaped outside towards the stairs like his life depended on it. He was out of breath and sweat came out profusely. But he couldn't care less.
'C'mon c'mon, hold just a little longer. Clyde, don't you see the light lighting up on your end too? I'm almost done.'
Meanwhile, thinking about his acquaintance-turned-accomplice motivated him even further to go upstairs and reach the floor above. But when he reached his destination, finding where the emergency comms room was located proved to be more of a hassle than he originally thought.
That was painfully obvious because Dr. Hohenkrause didn't want to go on a rant to explain where it was located. The lack of faith in Cade reaching the comms was prevalent after all. So all Cade could do was quickly go through the maze of this crumbling facility.
What worried Cade at the same time was that sudden shakings, mirroring mini earthquakes started to be felt down there. The source seemingly came from the floors above.
'Something's not right, there's a floor distance between me and the monster; and the shaking is coming in non stop. What on earth is going on up there?'
Desperation seeped into Cade's being. Luckily enough, he managed to find the emergency comms room after a wild run. The bad news was, this exact location was where the shakings from above ran the most rampant.
Without further ado, Cade reached out again with the ID and he was given clear access.
The moment he stepped inside the awaited room, Cade was greeted with multiple computers and cables everywhere. The facility pertaining to the emergency comms however, had a much simpler presentation and was located on the back corner of the room on top of a desk. A lone chair was available, inviting him to sit on it. To the side of the desk was an opened chest large enough to contain a grown man filled with computer parts.
In haste, Cade ignored the banging sounds from the ceiling that seemed to scream even louder than before and took a seat. His memories during college hit him regarding what to do during emergency situations. For the first time in his life, he thanked the heavens that higher education had a mandated program that includes drills in case of emergency. One of the lessons that must stick to one's memories was of course, how to operate an emergency comms.
The journalist lit that baby up as soon as he could get his hands on it. In return, the device responded with a reliable bleep. This was the crucial moment. Will anyone nearby pick up his signal?
At this point in time, Cade didn't want to think why the USHA were so slow to not notice a near-S Class appearing in the outskirts of Quinton City. No negativity, not skepticism, nothing.
He just wanted someone to answer his desperate call for help.
And fate answered that call.
[Krsk…krsk…This is Silverfox speaking…krsk...Do you have a read?]
Cade nearly jumped from joy, but the matter at hand was only the beginning. There was still much to be done.
"Roger that, Silverfox. This is Cade speaking from Hastings facility, do you read me?"
[Krsk…Roger that Cade. What's the situation...Krsk.]
Not skipping a beat, Cade explained to the best of his abilities regarding the current grim situation within the facility. Especially in describing Clyde and the monster's position and condition with great detail. Meanwhile, his hands were also kept busy rummaging the entire contents of the chest right beside him.
If Cade was being honest right now, then he would probably exclaim at how heavy the mental pressure was during all this. Not only was he supposed to keep calm and convey the necessary intel with clarity. He was doing that under the guise that the ceiling would drop upon him within a moment's notice. It was like playing Russian Roulette while running against time.
[...Understood…Krsk…Cade, we have multiple…krsk…hunters inbound…facility surrounded…krsk..get to safet―]
The emergency comms suddenly went offline to Cade's dismay. Suddenly, the ceiling above him cracked massively in quick succession. It was as if it couldn't hold any more and allowed the payload it was barely holding to come crumbling down.
Cade's eyes turned wide at this and his body moved in quick reaction. He hoped he would be able to make it in time.
CRAASHHH.