The hissing sound grew louder, echoing through the tunnel system like the breathing of a massive serpent. Elena's face went white as she checked readings on her device.
"Sarin gas," she whispered. "Military grade."
"How long do we have?" Lucky asked.
"In an enclosed space like this? Maybe ten minutes before fatal exposure."
My mother grabbed my arm. "Can we reach the surface?"
"Not in ten minutes," Elena replied grimly. "The rescue teams are still a mile away."
Viktor's voice crackled through the speakers, distorted now by what sounded like a gas mask. "Final offer, sister. Surrender yourself to me, and I will activate the air filtration system."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you all die, along with every rescue worker, every reporter, every government agent within the blast radius." Hi
