CHAPTER 5: THE LOCKDOWN
1300 Words
The darkness didn’t last long.
Emergency lights snapped on one by one, bathing the room in a dim red glow that made everything feel worse instead of safer.
Ava’s breath came fast.
Too fast.
The word trapped echoed in her mind like a warning she couldn’t ignore.
Adrian was already moving.
That was the difference between him and her fear—he didn’t freeze.
He acted.
“Stay behind me,” he said again, voice low.
Ava swallowed hard.
“I’m tired of staying behind you and not knowing what’s happening.”
Adrian didn’t look at her.
“That hasn’t changed.”
A sharp sound came from the hallway.
Metal scraping.
Then footsteps.
Multiple.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Approaching.
Ava stepped closer without thinking.
“Adrian…”
He finally glanced at her.
And for a second, something unspoken passed between them.
Not comfort.
Not reassurance.
Just understanding.
Whatever was coming… they wouldn’t be able to pretend anymore.
The doors shook.
Once.
Twice.
Then a deep voice called from outside.
“Knight.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
He didn’t respond.
Ava whispered, “You know them.”
It wasn’t a question.
A pause.
Then Adrian said quietly, “Yes.”
The door handle twisted.
Locked.
Another voice spoke, closer now.
“We have authorization to retrieve Subject Zero.”
Ava’s chest tightened violently.
“I’m not a subject,” she said immediately.
Her voice cracked slightly.
The hallway went silent.
Then—
A low laugh.
“Tell her that,” the voice replied.
Adrian stepped forward half a step.
“You don’t have authorization to be here.”
A new voice joined in.
Calm.
Controlled.
Different from the others.
“Actually, we do.”
The sound of a device clicking followed.
And then—
Ava saw it.
The lock on the door blinked red.
Override in progress.
Her stomach dropped.
“What is that?” she whispered.
Adrian moved instantly.
Typing into the panel.
Fast.
Focused.
But the system didn’t respond.
He cursed under his breath.
That was the first time Ava had seen him lose control of something.
The door beeped.
Once.
Twice.
Unlocked.
Ava stepped back instinctively.
The doors opened slowly.
And a man walked in.
Not the same one from before.
This one was different.
Older.
Neater.
No weapon visible.
But his presence alone felt dangerous.
He looked directly at Ava.
And smiled like he already knew her.
“So,” he said calmly, “you’re real.”
Ava frowned.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Adrian stepped forward immediately.
“Leave.”
The man ignored him.
Instead, he studied Ava like a file he’d memorized.
“Subject Zero,” he said softly.
Ava felt her stomach twist.
“I told you already,” she said sharply. “That’s not my name.”
The man tilted his head.
“That’s what you were called.”
Adrian’s voice cut through the room.
“You’re trespassing on Knight Global property.”
The man sighed.
Almost bored.
“Still pretending you control this situation?”
A tense silence followed.
Then the man raised a hand slightly.
Behind him, two more figures appeared.
Ava’s breath caught.
More of them.
Adrian’s expression darkened instantly.
“You’re escalating this.”
“No,” the man replied. “We’re ending it.”
Ava stepped closer to Adrian without realizing.
Her voice lowered.
“What do they want from me?”
Adrian didn’t answer immediately.
That silence was enough.
The man answered instead.
“We want what was stolen.”
Ava shook her head.
“I didn’t steal anything.”
The man smiled faintly.
“You exist. That’s the problem.”
A chill ran through her.
“What does that even mean?”
Adrian finally spoke.
“Enough.”
The word was sharp.
Final.
But the man didn’t react.
Instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small metallic device.
Ava’s instincts screamed immediately.
“What is that?”
Adrian stepped forward fast.
“Don’t activate it.”
The man raised a brow.
“You recognize it.”
Adrian didn’t answer.
Ava looked between them.
“What is it?” she demanded again.
The man pressed a button.
A faint pulse echoed through the room.
Ava felt it.
Not physically.
But inside her chest.
Like something reacting.
Something waking up.
Her breath caught sharply.
“What did you do to me?”
The man watched her closely.
“Nothing,” he said. “We’re just reminding you.”
Ava backed up slightly.
“Reminding me of what?!”
Adrian moved quickly in front of her.
His voice dropped dangerously low.
“You’re not supposed to feel that.”
Ava froze.
“What does that mean?”
The man stepped forward slightly.
“She’s responding exactly as expected.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“You triggered her resonance.”
Ava’s eyes widened.
“My what?”
Adrian didn’t look at her.
“That device is linked to your bio-signature.”
Ava felt her head spin.
“That’s impossible.”
The man interrupted calmly.
“Not impossible. Designed.”
Silence.
Ava stared at Adrian.
“You said I was just a normal person.”
Adrian’s expression changed slightly.
“I said you were safe.”
A pause.
“That was a mistake.”
The hallway behind them suddenly filled with footsteps.
More intruders.
Ava’s heart pounded harder.
“We’re surrounded,” she whispered.
Adrian nodded once.
“Yes.”
The man smiled again.
“Now you understand.”
Ava felt something cold settle in her stomach.
“What do you want from me?”
The man answered simply.
“Access.”
Ava frowned.
“Access to what?”
Adrian finally looked at her.
And his voice dropped.
“Everything they buried inside you.”
Ava stepped back instantly.
“No. There’s nothing inside me.”
The man tilted his head.
“There is.”
A pause.
“And it’s starting to wake up.”
The pulse device beeped again.
This time stronger.
Ava gasped suddenly, gripping her chest.
Pain shot through her head like static.
“Stop it!” she cried.
Adrian grabbed her arm immediately.
“Fight it.”
“I’m not doing anything!”
The man watched calmly.
“It’s not something you control.”
Ava collapsed slightly against Adrian.
Her vision blurred for a second.
Then—
Images.
Flashes.
White rooms.
Machines.
A voice saying numbers.
Her name.
Not Ava.
Something else.
She gasped.
“What… is this…”
Adrian tightened his grip.
“Don’t focus on it.”
But it was too late.
The images intensified.
And suddenly—
Ava whispered something she didn’t understand.
“…Subject Zero.”
Adrian went still.
The man smiled wider.
“There it is.”
Ava blinked rapidly.
“What did I just say?”
Adrian looked at her.
And for the first time…
His voice softened slightly.
“That’s not you speaking.”
A pause.
“That’s what they put inside you.”
Ava shook her head violently.
“No. No, I’m not— I’m not whatever you’re saying!”
The man raised the device again.
Adrian moved instantly.
“This is your last warning.”
The man ignored him.
“Bring her in.”
The room erupted.
Doors burst open behind them.
Chaos exploded again.
Ava barely had time to react before Adrian pulled her sharply behind a reinforced panel.
“Stay here,” he ordered.
“No—!”
“Stay.”
His voice left no room for argument.
Ava froze.
Adrian stepped back into the fight.
And for the first time…
She realized something terrifying.
He wasn’t just protecting her.
He was protecting her from something she didn’t even understand yet.
And whatever “Subject Zero” meant…
It wasn’t just a name.
It was a trigger.
And it had already been activated.
- Writer
