The room was filled with tension so thick it was almost suffocating. Nathan stood, his body bruised and aching, staring at Lucien. The villain's smug expression was like a dagger to Nathan's heart. Zara's voice crackled through the earpiece:
"I've initiated the overload, but I'm stuck. The system has locked me inside."
Nathan's fists clenched. They had come too far to lose now. But Lucien's mocking laughter echoed through the chamber, a cruel reminder of how dire their situation was.
"You think you've won?" Lucien sneered. "Even if she overloads the system, it'll take everything and everyone in this room with it."
Nathan glared at him. "We'll find a way to stop you and save her."
Lucien tilted his head, a dark smile playing on his lips. "Go ahead, try. I'll enjoy watching you fail."
Zara's voice interrupted the tension. "Nathan, listen. I have less than ten minutes before the system collapses. If we don't shut this down properly, the explosion will destroy not just this facility but everything within a 50-mile radius."
Elias limped over to Nathan, holding his side where Lucien had struck him earlier. "We need to split up. One group keeps Lucien busy. The other figures out how to get Zara out of there."
Nathan nodded. "Sana, you're with me. We'll handle Lucien."
Elias grimaced. "I'll work on a plan to get Zara out. I've got Zara in my earpiece. We'll figure something out."
Lucien watched them, amused. "Do you really think you can multitask? You barely survived the last five minutes."
Nathan ignored him. He and Sana moved to engage Lucien, while Elias retreated to the core, speaking rapidly to Zara.
Nathan lunged at Lucien, throwing a flurry of punches. Lucien blocked most of them effortlessly, his movements precise and powerful. Sana flanked him, aiming swift kicks at his legs to destabilize him.
But Lucien was like a force of nature. He countered their attacks with brutal efficiency, grabbing Sana by the arm and tossing her across the room. Nathan barely had time to react before Lucien's fist connected with his jaw, sending him sprawling.
"You're wasting your energy," Lucien taunted. "Why not just give up?"
Nathan wiped the blood from his lip and stood again. "Because we don't quit. Not ever."
He charged at Lucien again, this time more calculated. He ducked under Lucien's swing and landed a solid punch to his ribs. Sana, recovering quickly, joined the attack, their movements more coordinated now.
Meanwhile, Zara worked furiously inside the core. The node hummed with energy, growing louder as the countdown ticked down. She could feel the heat rising, sweat dripping down her face.
"Elias, I need a way out of here," Zara said, her voice tinged with desperation.
"I'm working on it," Elias replied, his fingers flying over the console. "I've found a manual override for the hatch, but it's on the other side of the chamber. I'll have to activate it manually."
Zara hesitated. "If you do that, you'll be exposed to Lucien's guards."
Elias smirked, even though she couldn't see it. "Since when have I ever played it safe?"
He sprinted toward the override panel, dodging debris and stray bullets from the ongoing fight.
Back at the fight, Nathan and Sana were losing ground. Lucien's strength and speed were unmatched, and it was clear he was holding back just to toy with them.
Sana locked eyes with Nathan. "We need to buy Elias more time. I'll distract him. You go for the power generator."
Nathan hesitated. "You'll get yourself killed!"
Sana's eyes blazed with determination. "We don't have a choice. Go!"
Before Nathan could argue, Sana charged at Lucien, her movements wild and unpredictable. She threw everything she had at him, forcing him to focus solely on her.
Nathan used the opening to slip away, heading toward the power generator Zara had mentioned earlier.
Elias reached the override panel, his breathing ragged. He punched in the commands, but the system rejected his first attempt.
"Come on," he muttered, trying again. This time, the panel beeped, and the hatch inside the core began to open.
"Zara, the hatch is open!" Elias yelled.
Zara's relief was short-lived. "Elias, there's a secondary lock. I still can't get out!"
Elias cursed under his breath. He scanned the room and saw the secondary override—situated in the direct line of fire from Lucien's guards.
He glanced back at Nathan and Sana, then at Zara's trapped figure inside the core. Making his decision, he bolted toward the secondary override.
Bullets zipped past him as Lucien's guards noticed him. One grazed his arm, but he kept going, slamming his hand down on the override button. The secondary lock disengaged.
"Zara, you're free! Get out now!" Elias shouted, his voice filled with urgency.
But before he could retreat, a guard tackled him to the ground.
Inside the core, Zara scrambled out of the hatch, her heart pounding. She looked back at the node, which was glowing brighter by the second.
"Elias, where are you?" she called into the earpiece.
There was no response.
Outside the core, Nathan reached the power generator. He hesitated, knowing that disabling it might destabilize the entire facility. But with no other option, he ripped out the main power conduit.
The lights flickered, and Lucien froze mid-strike. He turned toward Nathan, his face twisted with fury.
"You think this will stop me?" Lucien growled, advancing toward him.
Nathan braced himself, ready for another fight, when Zara's voice cut through the chaos.
"We have to leave now! The core is going critical!"
But as they prepared to retreat, Lucien stepped between them and the exit, his dark grin returning.
"You're not going anywhere," he said, his voice dripping with menace.
The chapter ended with the team trapped, the core seconds away from detonation, and Lucien blocking their only way out. The fate of the mission and their lives hung by a thread.