The hiss of pressurized steam roared like a living creature as fog billowed around them, swallowing the tunnel in a suffocating white void. Visibility dropped to nothing. Aria clung to Knox’s arm, her breathing shallow, each breath tasting like metal.
"Stay with me," Knox whispered fiercely, his voice cutting through the haze. His other hand held his gun high, finger ready on the trigger.
Wyatt’s voice crackled through the earpiece. "They're closing from both ends, boss. Movement on infrared — five, no, six shooters."
Knox clenched his jaw. “They're boxing us into Sector 3. This isn’t just to kill us—it’s to trap us.”
The floor beneath them trembled as distant machinery rumbled to life. Somewhere deep in the tunnel system, Viktor’s men were sealing exits one by one.
“They're driving u
