Sector 7 B
945 Words
Chapter 24
SECTOR 7
Noah was there.
Somewhere behind reinforced steel doors.
Amora zipped up her black jacket, checking the raven pendant around her neck one last time.
“I’m ready.”
Ethan looked at her for a long moment.
“You don’t have to prove how brave you are.”
She smiled faintly.
“I’m not doing this to prove anything.”
“I’m bringing my brother home.”
⸻
An hour later, they reached the edge of the forest overlooking the research facility.
It was far larger than Amora had imagined.
High concrete walls surrounded the compound.
Watchtowers stood at every corner.
Armed guards patrolled the perimeter.
Beyond the walls rose a cluster of gray buildings, their windows dark and lifeless.
The place looked abandoned.
But Ethan knew better.
“Too quiet,” he whispered.
Brooks adjusted the binoculars.
“Three guards on the east tower.”
“Four at the main gate.”
Claire pointed toward a drainage ditch hidden beneath thick bushes.
“The maintenance tunnel starts there.”
Ethan nodded.
“That’s our way in.”
⸻
The tunnel was narrow and damp, smelling of rust and stagnant water.
Their flashlights cut thin beams through the darkness.
Every dripping echo made Amora’s heart race.
After nearly twenty minutes of crawling through the tunnel, they reached an old steel ladder.
Ethan climbed first.
He carefully pushed open the maintenance hatch.
Silence.
He peeked into the corridor.
Clear.
One by one, they climbed into the facility.
Cold fluorescent lights flickered overhead.
The walls were spotless.
Too spotless.
“This doesn’t look abandoned,” Claire whispered.
“It isn’t,” Brooks replied.
“They’ve just hidden it well.”
⸻
Following the blueprint, they moved quietly through a maze of corridors.
Every turn brought them closer to Sector 7.
At the end of one hallway, Ethan raised his fist.
Everyone froze.
Footsteps.
Two security guards rounded the corner, chatting casually.
Ethan acted instantly.
He slipped behind the first guard, covering his mouth before knocking him unconscious.
Brooks tackled the second.
Within seconds, both guards were tied up and hidden inside a storage room.
Amora stared at Ethan.
“You’ve done this before.”
He hesitated.
“During my time as an investigator, I worked with federal tactical units on hostage cases.”
She nodded slowly.
It explained how calm he remained under pressure.
⸻
A heavy steel door came into view.
A glowing keypad was mounted beside it.
Above the door were two words.
SECTOR 7
Amora’s heart hammered.
“This is it.”
Claire pulled a small device from her backpack and connected it to the keypad.
“Hurry,” Ethan whispered.
The screen flashed.
ACCESS DENIED
Claire frowned.
“Again.”
She tried a second time.
Nothing.
A third.
Still locked.
“It’s encrypted.”
Before anyone could react—
A calm voice echoed through hidden speakers.
“Welcome, Miss Cole.”
Every light in the hallway switched from white…
…to red.
Sirens exploded throughout the facility.
INTRUDER ALERT.
INTRUDER ALERT.
Amora’s blood ran cold.
“We’ve been discovered!”
Steel shutters slammed down over every exit.
The corridor became a cage.
Slow applause echoed from the far end.
Adrian Voss stepped into the red emergency lights.
He wasn’t alone.
Six armed guards surrounded him.
“You made excellent time,” Adrian said with a smile.
“I was beginning to think you’d changed your mind.”
Ethan raised his weapon.
“Open the door.”
Adrian laughed.
“So demanding.”
Amora stepped forward.
“Where’s Noah?”
Adrian looked at her almost sympathetically.
“Right behind this door.”
He rested one hand against the steel entrance to Sector 7.
“Alive.”
“As promised.”
Tears filled Amora’s eyes.
“Then let him go.”
“I would…”
Adrian replied softly.
“…if he wanted to leave.”
The words struck her like a slap.
“What are you talking about?”
Adrian pressed a button on the wall.
With a mechanical hiss, a reinforced observation window slid open.
The room beyond came into view.
Amora’s breath caught.
There, seated in a metal chair with one wrist secured to a restraint, was a man with dark, overgrown hair and a thick beard.
His face was thinner than she remembered.
A faded scar crossed his temple.
But there was no mistaking those familiar brown eyes.
“Noah…”
Her voice cracked.
He slowly lifted his head.
For a heartbeat, he simply stared.
As though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Then his eyes widened.
“Mora?”
It was the nickname only he had ever called her.
Tears streamed down Amora’s face.
She rushed toward the glass, pressing both hands against it.
“Noah!”
He stumbled to his feet, crossing the room as quickly as the restraint allowed.
His hand met the glass opposite hers.
Separated by only inches.
Eight years of loss.
Eight years of unanswered questions.
Brother and sister looked at each other through the barrier.
“I knew you’d come,” Noah whispered.
Amora was sobbing openly now.
“I’m taking you home.”
Noah’s expression changed instantly.
His eyes filled with fear.
“No!”
He slammed his palm against the glass.
“Mora, listen to me!”
“You have to leave!”
“Now!”
Adrian’s smile widened.
“I’m afraid…”
He pressed another button.
“…it’s too late for that.”
A deafening alarm sounded deeper inside the facility.
A computerized voice echoed through the halls.
PROJECT PHOENIX ACTIVATED.
LOCKDOWN IN EFFECT.
The floor beneath them trembled.
Somewhere far below…
Something enormous had just come to life.
- Writer
