Glitch of the Good Samaritan

Chapter 10: A Spark in the Dark

"My spine! I think my lumbar support just permanently collapsed!" Henry groaned, spitting out red carpet fiber as the floor beneath him vibrated violently.

"Is that a bone? Did I just hear a bone snap?!" Mr. Sterling shrieked, his voice muffled by the wet apron draped over his face. "Henry! Tell me we're not going to be buried under three tons of high-end slot machines! My investment portfolio cannot handle this kind of physical depreciation!"

"No, that was just the load-bearing pillar behind us, Sterling. Totally normal corporate restructuring!" Henry coughed, waving his hands through the rising yellow dust. "Can you stand? Because our window for a graceful exit is rapidly closing!"

"I can't feel my legs! Or my Rolex! Do you know how much this watch costs?!" Sterling wailed, frantically shaking his wrist in the dim, red-tinted darkness. "This is a disaster! I was supposed to be at a Michelin-star dinner in forty-five minutes! I had a reservation for the wagyu, Henry! The wagyu!"

"Forget the wagyu, Sterling! Look at the ceiling!" Henry yelled, pointing upward as a massive, jagged crack split the marble plaster overhead. "We need to move before this entire establishment becomes a very expensive, very poorly ventilated tomb!"

Ding!

`[SYSTEM UPDATE: THE GOLDEN BOY IS ON THE MOVE.]`

`[TARGET 'JACKSON' IS LOCATED AT THE ROOFTOP HELIPAD. CURRENT VELOCITY: ESCAPING. TIME TO CHOPPER TAKE-OFF: 02:00.]`

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Henry shouted at the flashing green interface hovering in front of his nose. "He's escaping with the client data?! While the building is literally folding like a cheap lawn chair?!"

"Who are you yelling at, Henry?!" Sterling cried out, coughing into his apron. "Is there a ghost in the smoke?! Tell the ghost I'll sue him! I'll sue his entire spiritual lineage!"

"Yes, Sterling! The ghost of my future pension plan!" Henry roared, pushing himself off the floor with a grunt. "I have to get to the roof! I am not letting that slick-haired parasite fly away to Monaco with my clean record!"

"Wait! What about me?!" Sterling yelled, grabbing Henry’s trousers with both hands. "You can't leave me here to become a permanent structural pillar! I’m too rich to die in a casino lobby, Henry! I have offshore accounts to manage!"

"Get under that roulette wheel! It's solid mahogany, it'll hold!" Henry instructed, peeling Sterling's fingers off his leg. "And keep that garlic-scented apron on your face!"

"It smells like garlic butter and despair!" Sterling wept, rolling under the heavy wooden table.

"Then enjoy the garlic butter, Sterling!" Henry yelled, turning toward the stairs.

But before he could take three steps, a muffled, desperate scream echoed from the kitchen access shaft to his right.

"Help! Please! The grease vats are spilling! The pantry door is jammed! We're trapped!"

Henry stopped dead in his tracks, his foot hovering over the concrete step. "No. No, no, no. I did not hear that. I am legally deaf in this ear. I have selective corporate hearing."

`[WARNING: MORAL COMPASS CHECK INITIATED.]`

`[QUEST INITIATED: THE HEROIC LINE COOKS.]`

`[OBJECTIVE: RESCUE THE THREE TRAPPED KITCHEN STAFF.]`

`[WARNING: CHOSEN PATH 'REVENGE ON JACKSON' WILL TRIGGER IMMEDIATE SYSTEM REJECTION. SYSTEM WILL PERMANENTLY SHUT DOWN YOUR HEART IN 5... 4...]`

"Are you serious?!" Henry screamed at the ceiling. "A heart attack?! Again?! This is extortion! This is a clear violation of basic labor laws! I want to speak to your supervisor!"

`[3...]`

"Okay! I’m going! I’m going! Stop counting, you mechanical tyrant!" Henry yelled, pivoting on his heel and sprinting toward the kitchen stairs.

"Mew!" the kitten squeaked, clinging tightly to the edge of his breast pocket.

"I know, buddy! Our performance review is going to be absolutely terrible!" Henry shouted as he vaulted down a half-destroyed flight of stairs, vaulting over shattered concrete blocks. "Pardon me! Extreme office worker passing through!"

He burst into the lower kitchen, which was now a war zone of shattered plates, steam leaking from broken pipes, and thick, choking yellow gas.

"Chef! Where are you guys?!" Henry coughed, squinting through the haze.

"Under the dishwashing station!" a frantic voice called back. "The ceiling collapsed! The heavy steel rack is pinning us down!"

Henry rushed over to see three chefs in white coats huddled under a massive, twisted metal rack.

"Hold on! Keep your aprons over your noses!" Henry ordered, grabbing the edge of the heavy steel rack. "I'm going to lift this!"

"Are you crazy, man?!" the head chef yelled, staring at Henry's torn suit. "That thing weighs at least five hundred pounds! You're going to snap your back in half! You look like you work in accounting!"

"My back has never felt better, Chef! Thanks to a very aggressive physical wellness package!" Henry gritted his teeth, his forearms bulging as his +1 Grip Strength activated. "Hyaaaah! Lift off!"

With a metallic groan, Henry hoisted the heavy rack upward, his muscles screaming under the pressure.

"Go! Run! Move those culinary legs!" Henry roared, his face turning an impressive shade of beet red.

"Oh my god! He’s actually lifting it!" the line cook shrieked, scrambling out from under the metal.

"Hurry! I don't have all day to act like a budget Hercules!" Henry gasped. "My speed boost is ticking away, and my heart is on a very tight leash!"

The three kitchen staff scrambled free, coughing and panting.

"Thank you! Thank you, crazy office guy!" the head chef gasped, bowing repeatedly. "Are you a wizard?!"

"No, he's obviously a very athletic janitor!" the pastry chef yelled.

"I'm an accountant, you idiots! Now, get to the emergency exit!" Henry yelled, dropping the rack with a massive, echoing CRASH. "The shutters in the lobby are cracked open three feet! Slide under them!"

"What about you?!" the pastry chef asked, wide-eyed.

"I have to go audit a vice president!" Henry shouted, spinning around and launching himself back up the stairs.

`[QUEST COMPLETED: THE HEROIC LINE COOKS.]`

`[REWARD DETECTED: HYPER-SPEED BURST RECHARGED. STAMINA RESTORED.]`

`[SYSTEM NOTE: MORALITY RATING: IMPECCABLE. YOU ARE A SAINT, DESK JOCKEY.]`

"I don't want to be a saint! I want my corporate vengeance!" Henry screamed, his legs moving in a blur as the speed boost kicked in. He bounded up the stairs, taking them four at a time. "Step aside, gravity! I have a prior engagement!"

He flew up the flights of stairs, past the crumbling VIP lounges, heading straight for the roof access. The air grew thinner, filled with the smell of burning aviation fuel and smoke. He kicked open the heavy metal roof door, bursting onto the windy, rain-slicked helipad.

A massive private helicopter was sitting on the pad, its rotors spinning in a deafening, whipping roar.

"Jackson!" Henry screamed, his voice barely carrying over the howling wind.

Jackson, who was just about to climb into the helicopter cockpit, froze and turned around. His eyes widened in absolute, horrifying disbelief.

"Henry?! You're still alive?!" Jackson shrieked, clutching his expensive leather coat. "How?! The gas should have melted your lungs by now!"

"I have an excellent immune system, Jackson! And your corporate benefits package is surprisingly robust!" Henry yelled, stepping forward, his wet hair plastered to his forehead. "Give me the database!"

"Never!" Jackson laughed, a wild, manic look in his eyes as he clutched the black encrypted drive against his chest. "I'm leaving, Henry! The company is ruined, the evidence is going with me, and you're going to burn with this building!"

"You won't get away with this, Jackson! I've documented all your financial discrepancies!" Henry shouted, trying to close the distance against the wind. "The audit is coming for you! You can't escape the paper trail!"

"Who cares about discrepancies now?!" Jackson sneered, stepping into the helicopter cabin and closing the door. "The market has closed, Henry! You're bankrupt! Enjoy the liquidation!"

BOOM!

Another massive explosion ripped through the upper levels of the casino. The concrete pad beneath Henry’s feet began to tilt violently, cracking down the center as the support pillars below gave way.

"Whoa! Watch the step!" Henry yelled, struggling to keep his balance as the roof began to slide into the abyss.

"Goodbye, accountant!" Jackson smirked, gesturing to the pilot through the glass window. "Have a nice fall!"

The helicopter lifted off, rising into the stormy, red-lit night sky, its spotlight shining down on Henry's desperate face.

"Jackson!" Henry roared, shaking his fist at the rising chopper. "I'll find you! I'll audit your offshore accounts to the last penny!"

The helicopter grew smaller, disappearing into the dark rain clouds, leaving Henry alone on the crumbling edge of the roof.

Suddenly, the entire helipad structure gave a violent, final shudder and began to plunge downward into the sea of flames below.

`[WARNING: STRUCTURAL FAILURE COMPLETE. ELEVATION DROP DETECTED.]`

`[ALERT: ULTIMATE SAINT TRIAL INITIATED.]`

`[OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE THE FALL.]`

"Survive the fall?!" Henry screamed at the pink holographic screen as the concrete dissolved beneath his feet. "From thirty stories up?! Are you completely insane?!"

`[GOOD LUCK, DESK JOCKEY. HAVE A GREAT FLIGHT!]`

"I hate this job!" Henry shrieked, plunging headfirst into the burning abyss.