All Chapters of STAR ACADEMY : Chapter 101
- Chapter 110
224 chapters
101
Michael and his friends formed a semicircle around Octavian, their weapons trained on him. The man who had seemed so confident and in control just hours earlier now stood with his back pressed against the laboratory wall. "It's over, Octavian," Michael said firmly. "Your android is destroyed, your guards are defeated, and Ava controls the facility's systems. You have no more weapons, no more tricks, no more ways to hurt innocent people." Octavian looked around at the faces surrounding him. His eyes lingered on the twisted remains of his combat android, then moved to the bodies of his elite guards scattered across the laboratory floor. "Over?" he said quietly, and then his voice began to rise. "Over? You think this is over?" He started to laugh, a sound that began as a low chuckle but quickly escalated into something wild and unhinged. His eyes widened as the laughter grew louder, and Michael could see saliva collecting at the corners of his mouth. "You naive children," Octavian c
102
The newspaper distribution center reeked of ink and stale cigarettes. Under the faint fluorescent lights, Michael sorted his bundles as fast as he could. “Sullivan!” barked his supervisor. “You missed the Westridge apartments yesterday. Three complaints.”“Sorry, Tom. Won’t happen again,” Michael muttered with a sigh.“It better not. One more screwup and someone else gets your job.”Michael gave a tight nod, biting back the response lodged in his throat. The job barely paid his rent but it was all he had left.Two hours later, he'd finished his deliveries so he ducked into the coffee shop. It wasn't his shift yet but he just needed a place to hide for a while. The bell above the door jingled, and the familiar scent of roasted beans hit him like a balm.“The usual?” Mara called from behind the counter. Her graying ponytail and friendly eyes hadn’t changed since he last saw her. She'd been on leave for a few months. Seeing her again made Michael's heart warm.“Please,” he said. “Make i
103
The electromagnetic pulse discharged from the android's weapon with a crackling roar that filled the laboratory with blinding light. Michael felt the energy wash over him like a wave of static electricity, making his hair stand on end and causing a metallic taste to flood his mouth. Around the room, electronic displays flickered and died. Emergency lighting kicked in as the main systems went offline, casting everything in an eerie red glow that made the android's eyes look even more menacing. "Ava!" Michael shouted, hoping she could still hear them through the facility's communication systems. Silence. The speakers that had carried her voice were now dead, leaving them cut off from their most powerful ally. "Electromagnetic pulse successful," the android announced, its voice carrying a note of mechanical satisfaction. "Hostile AI connection severed. Proceeding with termination protocol." The soldiers behind it were checking their weapons, which had apparently been shielded from t
104
Michael felt his heart stop as he stared up at the enormous barrels of the automated defense systems. These were not the kind of weapons designed to wound or capture. They were built to totally obliterate anything they targeted. "This is it," Salvatore whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of the charging weapons. "This is how it ends." Alexis grabbed Michael's arm, her fingers digging into his sleeve desperately. Lizzy was pressed against North's uninjured side, both of them frozen in terror as they watched their approaching death. Korvich stood rigid. Her face showed no fear, only the cold resignation of someone who had calculated the odds and found them wanting. The turrets reached full charge. The whining sound peaked, becoming almost unbearable. Michael could see the energy building in the weapon barrels, crackling with blue-white electricity. "Say goodbye," Octavian said, his voice carrying cruel satisfaction. "You should have joined me when you had the chance.
105
The automated turrets emitted a low humming sound as they charged their firing mechanisms, preparing to unleash devastating firepower that would end the resistance in seconds. Octavian stood in the center of the laboratory, blood still streaming from his ears and his face contorted with pain from Korvich's sonic device. But despite his obvious suffering, he smiled. "Dr. Korvich," he said, "you have exactly five seconds to deactivate that device and throw it to me. If you don't, these turrets will reduce all of you to atoms." Korvich hesitated, her finger hovering over the device's controls. The sonic interference was clearly causing Octavian significant damage, and given enough time, it might disable his cybernetic systems entirely. But the turrets represented an immediate threat that none of them could survive. "Don't listen to him," Michael said desperately. "If you give him back control, he'll kill us anyway." "Perhaps," Octavian replied, his distorted voice carrying cold amus
106
The resistance had been fighting for nearly three hours, and the toll was becoming evident. Michael counted several members of their original group who had fallen during the advance through the facility's upper levels. Dr. Kim had been shot while providing cover for the technical team. Two of the maintenance workers had been caught in an explosion when they tried to disable a security barrier. A young engineer named Sarah had died holding off a squad of guards so others could escape through a ventilation shaft. Each loss weighed heavily on Michael's mind, but he forced himself to keep moving forward. Around him, the surviving members of the resistance showed the same grim determination, pushing through exhaustion and grief to continue their advance. "Michael, we're approaching the final checkpoint," North's voice crackled over the radio. "Heavy resistance ahead, but we think we can punch through." "How many people do you have left?" Michael asked, dreading the answer. "Fourteen,"
107
Dawn came too soon, announced not by natural sunlight but by the facility's artificial lighting systems cycling to their daytime setting. Michael woke to find the break room already buzzing with activity as people prepared for the mission ahead. The casual atmosphere of the previous evening had been replaced by thick tension. North was distributing their limited supply of weapons, giving priority to those with military or security experience while making sure everyone had at least some means of protection. The weapons were a mix of items taken from defeated guards and tools that could be improvised for combat use. "Remember," North said as he handed out the equipment, "our goal isn't to fight a war. It's to get our technical teams to the central lab so they can do their jobs. Every shot you fire should be aimed at clearing a path or buying time, not at proving how tough you are." Korvich was working with Diego, Zara, and the other technical personnel, running final checks on the eq
108
The resistance had converted an old break room on Level Four into their temporary command center. Tables that had once held coffee cups and lunch trays now displayed facility schematics, security protocols, and hastily drawn battle plans. The air was thick with tension and determination as nearly thirty people crowded into the space, all focused on the near impossible task ahead of them."Let's start with what we know," Michael said. "Korvich, you've had more time to study the facility than anyone. What are we dealing with?"Korvich stepped forward, pointing to a large schematic that Diego had managed to download from the facility's computer systems. "The central control laboratory is located on Level Two, approximately half a kilometer from our current position. It's where Octavian has been coordinating most of his operations, and more importantly, it's where the main Nexus control systems are housed."She traced a path on the map with her finger. "To reach it, we'll need to go up tw
109
Michael sat alone in the corner of the conference room, staring at the cold metal walls that had become their prison. The others had finally fallen asleep, exhausted by another day of discussing failed escape plans and growing desperation. But sleep wouldn't come for him. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Ava's face in those final moments, heard Frank's labored breathing as the life support shut down. "You can't carry all of this alone." The voice startled him. Korvich had approached silently, her movements careful not to wake the others. She settled down beside him on the floor, her back against the wall. "I'm not carrying anything," Michael said quietly. "Actually, I think everyone is carrying me along. Without you guys, I don't know if I'd have made it this far. I've failed everyone who trusted me." "Have you?" Korvich asked, her tone matter of fact rather than consoling. "Or are you taking responsibility for outcomes that were never in your control?" Michael turned to loo
110
Michael had been leading the group through Level Four for nearly twenty-four hours now, searching for the medical wing where he had found Frank during his previous escape attempt. The corridors all looked similar, but he was starting to recognize certain landmarks. "Are you sure you know where you're going?" Alexis asked quietly. She had been unusually subdued since their escape. Michael was a little worried for her, and made a mental note to ask her how she was doing later on. "I've been here before," Michael replied, pausing at an intersection to get his bearings. "When I escaped earlier and found Frank, he was in a medical facility somewhere in this section. It has to be around here." The group had been moving carefully through Level Four, avoiding the automated security systems that still functioned despite their isolation from the upper levels. They had found food and water in various research stations, enough to keep them going, but the constant tension was wearing on everyon