The air inside the hospital lab was oppressive, every breath heavy with the scent of chemicals and decay. The blaring alarms only added to the chaos, a stark reminder that their time was running out. Mallory adjusted her grip on the rifle Kaelyn had insisted she carry. It wasn't exactly her weapon of choice—she would've much preferred a bag of chips to distract her nerves—but the stakes were too high to argue.
Scraps whimpered softly at her feet, his small body trembling. She leaned down to ruffle his fur, whispering, "It's going to be okay, buddy. We've got this... probably."
Kaelyn took charge, moving swiftly toward the rows of terminals lining the far wall. "Altair, over here! We need to find a way to shut this operation down before reinforcements show up."
Altair didn't need to be told twice. He sprinted to the nearest console, his fingers flying across the keyboard. "The security system is primitive compared to the Architect tech we've seen before. I can disable the lockdown, but it'll take a few minutes."
Mallory's eyes darted nervously to the glass chambers surrounding them. Each figure inside seemed to watch her, their distorted faces frozen in grotesque expressions. "I feel like I'm in a horror movie," she muttered.
"Focus, Mallory," Kaelyn snapped, scanning the room with her rifle raised. "If they send a response team, we'll need you alert."
"Alert? I'm practically vibrating with terror," Mallory said, forcing a weak laugh.
Zara, ever the action junkie, swung her crowbar in a wide arc, testing its weight. "If they want a fight, I'll give them one. Nobody's taking me down in a creepy lab without a fight."
"Cool it, Zara," Vanessa said, her tone sharp. "We don't know what we're dealing with yet."
A loud hiss echoed through the room, drawing everyone's attention. One of the glass chambers near the back began to emit a thin plume of steam, the liquid inside bubbling violently. Mallory took an instinctive step back, raising her rifle.
"What's happening?" she asked, her voice higher than she intended.
Altair didn't look up from his screen. "It's a failsafe. They're waking up the subjects to protect the lab."
"Of course they are," Mallory groaned. "Why can't evil organizations ever just have guard dogs like normal people?"
The first chamber burst open with a deafening crack, spilling green liquid onto the floor. A hulking figure stumbled out, its movements jerky and unnatural. Its skin was mottled and gray, with bulging muscles that looked ready to tear through its flesh. It let out a guttural roar, its empty eyes locking onto the group.
Zara didn't hesitate. With a wild yell, she charged forward, swinging her crowbar with all her might. The impact sent a sickening crunch through the room, but the creature barely flinched.
"Uh, Zara?" Mallory called out, backing toward the wall. "Maybe don't get so close!"
"Thanks for the advice, Mallory!" Zara shouted, dodging a swipe from the creature's massive claws.
Kaelyn fired her rifle, the bullets tearing into the creature's chest. It staggered but didn't fall. More chambers began to hiss and crack open, the figures inside stirring to life.
"This is bad," Vanessa said, her voice tight with panic.
"No kidding," Mallory replied, fumbling to release the safety on her rifle. "Altair, how's that lockdown coming?"
"Working on it!" he called back, his brow furrowed in concentration.
The next few minutes were a blur of chaos. Zara and Kaelyn fought off the creatures with a ferocity Mallory could only envy, while Vanessa provided cover fire with deadly precision. Mallory did her best to keep up, her hands shaking as she fired wildly at anything that moved.
Scraps proved to be unexpectedly helpful, darting between the creatures' legs and nipping at their heels. One particularly large mutant stumbled over the little dog, giving Zara the opening she needed to land a devastating blow to its head.
"Good boy, Scraps!" Mallory shouted, her voice cracking with adrenaline.
The tide began to turn as Altair finally disabled the lockdown, the alarms cutting off abruptly. He turned to the group, his face pale. "I've also accessed the system controlling the chambers. If I overload the power grid, it should destroy the entire lab."
"And us along with it?" Mallory asked, her heart racing.
Altair hesitated. "We'll have about two minutes to get out before it blows."
"Two minutes?" Kaelyn repeated, her tone incredulous.
"It's the best I can do!" Altair snapped.
Mallory groaned, firing another shot at an approaching mutant. "Fine! Let's do it!"
Altair nodded and began typing furiously. The lights flickered, and a low hum filled the room as the power grid overloaded.
"Everyone, move!" Kaelyn shouted, leading the way back toward the entrance.
The group sprinted through the corridors, dodging fallen debris and the occasional wandering zombie. Scraps barked excitedly, somehow managing to keep pace with Mallory despite her frantic stumbling.
As they reached the surface, the ground beneath them shook violently. A deafening explosion ripped through the air, sending a plume of fire and smoke skyward. Mallory collapsed onto the pavement, gasping for breath.
"Did we do it?" she asked, looking up at Kaelyn.
The older woman nodded, her face grim. "For now. But this was just one lab. There will be others."
Mallory groaned, lying flat on her back. "Great. Because one was so much fun."
Scraps climbed onto her chest, licking her face enthusiastically. She couldn't help but laugh, despite the exhaustion weighing her down.
"Looks like you made a new friend," Vanessa said, smirking.
"Yeah, well, at least he doesn't expect me to save the world," Mallory muttered, scratching behind Scraps' ears.
Altair sat down beside her, his expression unusually serious. "Mallory, what we did today was important. But the fight isn't over. If we want to stop the Architects, we'll need to be ready for whatever comes next."
Mallory sighed, staring up at the darkening sky. "I know, Altair. I just... I need a minute, okay? Saving the world is exhausting."
Kaelyn extended a hand to help her up. "Take all the minutes you need, Mallory. Just don't forget—this isn't about just us anymore. It's about everyone."
Mallory took her hand reluctantly, hauling herself to her feet. "Yeah, yeah. Save the world, defeat the bad guys, blah blah blah. Can we at least stop for snacks on the way back?"
Zara laughed, slinging her crowbar over her shoulder. "You're impossible, Mallory."
"And yet, you all keep me around," Mallory shot back, grinning.
As they began the trek back to the apartment, Mallory couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. The Architects wouldn't take this loss lightly, and the challenges ahead would only get harder.