Eternity Decay

THE FINAL SECONDS IN THE ISOLATION ROOM

The sharp hiss of the hydraulic steel blast doors sealing the fiftieth floor gradually died down, leaving behind a suffocating, heavy silence within the sterile grand hall of the Eternity Tower. The emergency crimson hazard lights rotated constantly, casting sinister red reflections across the blood-slicked white marble.13 Days, 00 Hours, 05 Minutes.

Axel’s heart hammered violently, pumping the rapidly depleting remnants of his biological energy into his straining muscles. The muzzle of the Life Reaper Gun in his right hand remained absolutely steady, aiming dead center between Adrian Vince’s eyes.

Around them, twenty elite Liquidators stood frozen. Their laser rifles were locked onto Axel’s head, yet not a single one dared to pull the trigger. They knew that within this close proximity, Axel’s reflexes were faster than a blink. A single stray round from their vanguard would trigger an instantaneous catastrophic detonation of the reactor core, whose codes had been tightly locked down by Axel.

“You’re bluffing, Axel,” Valen shattered the silence, his voice trembling violently despite his attempt to shout. He stumbled backward, taking cover behind the active kinetic shield of one of his personal bodyguards. “You wouldn't dare blow this place to hell! You did all of this for that woman in the Lower District, didn't you? If this tower vaporizes, the lifespan supply to the lower sub-sectors will completely die out within minutes! You’ll be killing her!”

Axel didn't give Valen so much as a glance. His vision remained fiercely locked onto Adrian, who, strangely enough, still maintained a face as unreadable as a chessboard.

“Your brother's calculations have always been shallow, Adrian,” Axel said, his voice dropping to a low, chilling echo that reverberated through the isolation room. “He assumes I came here to play the hero. He forgets that you were the one who trained me to detach myself from anything that could be leveraged as a hostage.”

Axel’s inner monologue echoed behind the rigid fabric of his black tactical frock coat: Rhea is safe. Before I ever pressed that detonator trigger, my AXEL-01 emergency script had already rerouted the logistics supply reserves of Sub-Sector 7 into the isolated, independent servers of the subterranean clinic. They have thirty days of pure, unadulterated freedom without the cybernetic touch of Eternity Corp. What's left inside this tower... is just me and the terminal poison of this family.

Adrian slowly lowered his gaze to the digital timer on his own wrist, which still displayed the numbers of absolute immortality. For the very first time, a faint crease formed on the sociopathic CEO's brow.

“The emergency isolation protocol you just deployed is an obsolete blueprint I ordered to be purged ten years ago,” Adrian stated, his tone maintaining its commanding authority without a single ripple of fear. “You preserved it within the mechanical memory of your mother’s necklace, didn't you?”

Axel tightened his left hand's grip on the silver lily-pendant necklace tucked deep inside his tactical coat pocket. “Mother didn't give me this to store codes, Adrian. She gave it to me so I would remember there is a monster I must destroy before my time runs out.”

“And you choose to die alongside me inside this room? Truly an inefficient waste of a prime asset,” Adrian shook his head slowly. “You possess a mind capable of controlling this entire city, Axel. If you lower your weapon right now, I will personally execute Valen before your eyes for his systemic failures, and restore your position as the sole, rightful heir to Eternity Corp.”

Hearing his father’s cold proclamation, Valen’s face instantly drained of all color, turning a pasty white. “Father?! What are you saying?! I am your loyal son! I am the one who always executed your commands!”

Adrian didn't even bother to glance toward Valen. To the CEO, loyalty devoid of competence was merely accounting garbage with zero financial value.

Axel offered a cynical, sharp smirk. The corner of his lips, stained with dried blood, curled upward. “A fascinating acquisition offer, Adrian. But you've overlooked one critical line item in your own corporation's logistics.”

“And what is that?”

“Eternity Corp’s stock value is going to crash to absolute zero in exactly thirty seconds from now.”

The moment the final word left Axel’s lips, the monolithic reactor monitor behind Adrian suddenly began to flicker erratically. The circular graphic that had been glowing an emergency crimson flared into a deep, volatile violet, unleashing a deafening, piercing alarm warning.

CRITICAL ERROR. INTRUDER CODE BYPASS DETECTED. ALL TIME RESERVES DEPLOYED TO PUBLIC CHANNELS.

Valen shrieked in sheer panic as he read the incoming telemetry on his wrist-mounted cyber-tablet. “Father! He didn't rig the reaktor to detonate! He played us! He utilized the isolation protocols to trap us in this room while his virus drains the central Time Bank and broadcasts it across the entire Lower District via satellite!”

“Kill him!” Adrian commanded, his voice finally losing its calculated calm, erupting into a furious, booming roar.

RAT-A-TAT-A-TAT-A-TAT!

Point-blank warfare ignited in an instant. Before the elite vanguard could even trigger their laser arrays, Axel moved first with the lethal, fluid efficiency of a prime Liquidator. He dropped his weight to the marble floor, his black tactical frock coat billowing outward to sweep through the first volley of kinetic rounds.

Rolling across the floor, Axel’s right hand discharged three rapid, instinctive shots without aiming.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three projectiles shattered the knee hinges of the shielded enforcers in the front row, causing their defensive line to collapse instantly. Exploiting the breach, Axel vaulted onto the shoulder of one falling guard, using the man’s body as a launching pad to propel himself straight toward Adrian Vince.

A panicked Valen attempted to blindfire at Axel from behind a shield, but Axel twisted his wrist mid-air with blinding speed. The concealed tactical blade snapped out from beneath the sleeve of his black tactical coat, severing the barrel of Valen’s rifle cleanly in two with a single, cold horizontal slash.

Axel landed heavily directly in front of Adrian. The muzzle of his Life Reaper Gun was now pressed flush against the CEO’s forehead, while his left hand clamped onto the lapel of his father’s luxury suit jacket. The remaining elite enforcers froze instantly, ceasing fire as their CEO was turned into a human shield.

Embedded in the ceiling, the central mainframe computer continued its relentless countdown within the unbreakable isolation loop.00 Days, 00 Hours, 01 Minute, 10 Seconds.

Axel stared dead into Adrian’s eyes, which now reflected a flash of pure, unadulterated terror. “Your immortality has run out, Adrian. Let’s watch your empire die first before we do.”