Glitch of the Good Samaritan

Chapter 7: Bulletproof Benevolence

"Any last words, Henry?" Jackson sneered, his finger tightening on the trigger of the matte-black pistol. "Because your audit ends right here."

"Actually, yes! I have several queries regarding your corporate expense reports!" Henry shouted, slowly lowering his knees to adjust his center of gravity. "For instance, did you really think no one would notice the three thousand dollars spent on 'business-related hair product'?"

"It's a legitimate marketing expense!" Jackson roared. "And you won't live to contest it!"

"We'll see about that, you over-gelled parasite!" Henry yelled.

With a sudden, violent twist of his hips, Henry slammed both hands onto the edge of the velvet-lined mahogany table. Utilizing his newly acquired permanent dexterity, he flipped the heavy surface upward in a blur of movement.

"What the—!" Jackson gasped as a tidal wave of heavy ceramic poker chips, half-empty champagne flutes, and a silver ice bucket flew directly into his face.

"Eat plastic, Jackson!" Henry cheered, diving flat onto the plush carpet.

BANG!

The gun went off, the bullet tearing through the air where Henry’s head had been a millisecond ago. It shattered the massive frosted-glass wall behind them, showering the entire VIP room in sparkling, razor-sharp shards.

"My suit! Again!" Mr. Sterling shrieked, ducking behind a plush leather armchair. "You people are absolute savages! I am a foreign dignitary!"

"Not for long if you stay in that chair, Mr. Sterling!" Henry yelled, scrambling across the floor like a highly motivated crab. He grabbed the wealthy businessman by the ankle of his bespoke trousers. "Come on, move your expensive legs! We are exiting this meeting early!"

"Let go of my ankle, you maniacal kitchen worker!" Sterling screamed, dragging his body along the carpet as Henry pulled him toward the exit. "I can walk perfectly fine on my own!"

"No, you can't! You're in shock! And your reaction times are incredibly sluggish!" Henry gritted his teeth, his muscles straining as he hauled the heavy man forward.

Suddenly, a bright green holographic screen materialized inches from Henry’s nose, accompanied by a triumphant electronic fanfare.

`[DING! HEROIC ESCORT SECURED.]`

`[REPRESENTATIVE STERLING’S MORTAL DAMAGE PROBABILITY: REDUCED BY 85%.]`

`[QUEST REWARD UNLOCKED: BULLET TIME PERCEPTION (LEVEL 1) ACTIVATED.]`

`[SYSTEM NOTE: TIME TO SLOW DOWN, DESK JOCKEY. WELCOME TO THE MATRIX (OFFICE DRONE EDITION).]`

"Whoa," Henry muttered.

The entire world instantly ground to an agonizingly slow halt. A stray drop of champagne from the shattered flutes hung suspended in mid-air, refracting the purple neon lights like a tiny, floating diamond. The sound of Jackson’s frantic shouting stretched out into a deep, demonic, low-pitched rumble.

"Heeeeey... ggeeeeet... hiiiim..." Jackson’s slow-motion voice echoed through the room.

"No way," Henry gasped, letting go of Sterling's ankle and slowly standing up. He felt completely light, his limbs moving with fluid ease while everything else was frozen in molasses. "This is incredible! I can actually see the dust motes floating! Hey, system, how long does this last?"

`[BULLET TIME PERCEPTION ACTIVE. DURATION: 02:00 MINUTES (RELATIVE TIME). COOLDOWN: 24 HOURS. USER WARNING: YOU ARE STILL AN EX-ACCOUNTANT. DO NOT TRY TO CATCH BULLETS WITH YOUR TEETH. YOU WILL DIE.]`

"Good to know! I'll stick to running, then!" Henry yelled, sprinting toward the locked steel security doors.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the glowing gold VIP card he had taken from the crying heir. He swiped it through the wall terminal with a rapid flick of his wrist.

BEEP.

The red lights on the security doors flashed green, and the heavy steel slabs began to slide open at a snail's pace.

"Come on, open up! I don't have all day!" Henry complained, tapping his foot. "Well, technically I do have two minutes of slowed-down time, but still!"

`[DOORS OPENING. PROCESS SPEED: 10% OF NORMAL. ESTIMATED TIME TO COMPLETELY OPEN: 15 SECONDS.]`

"I'll take it!" Henry yelled. He turned back and saw one of Jackson's bodyguards slowly raising a heavy black pistol, aiming it directly at Sterling's head. "Oh, no you don't!"

With his enhanced agility, Henry ran back to the table, grabbed a heavy brass ashtray, and hurled it straight at the bodyguard’s face. In slow motion, the ashtray spun through the air like a miniature flying saucer, before making contact with the guard’s nose with a satisfying, silent crunch.

"That’s for having a terrible haircut!" Henry yelled.

He grabbed the dazed Sterling by his collar and hauled him through the half-open security doors, bursting into the dazzling, chaotic main hall of the Neon Dragon Casino.

The moment they crossed the threshold, the Bullet Time effect evaporated, and the sounds of the casino roared back into Henry's ears in a deafening wave of ringing slot machines, upbeat jazz, and cheering gamblers.

"What just happened?!" Sterling gasped, stumbling onto the plush carpet of the main floor. "One second I was under a table, and now I’m next to a high-limit roulette wheel!"

"It’s called transit efficiency, Sterling! Keep up!" Henry shouted, looking back as the security doors behind them slammed open.

Jackson and his remaining guards burst through the entrance, their faces contorted with absolute rage.

"There he is!" Jackson screamed, pointing his gun directly into the crowded hall. "Kill him! Shoot the accountant and get the database back!"

"Sir, we can't shoot here!" the wire-haired guard yelled, looking at the hundreds of wealthy patrons. "There are too many witnesses!"

"I don't care about witnesses! I'm the Vice President!" Jackson roared, his eyes wild. "Shoot him now or I'll fire all of you without a severance package!"

"Whoa! That is a highly hostile work environment!" Henry yelled back.

He scanned the wall next to him. A glowing red box housing a manual fire alarm caught his eye.

"Time for some corporate restructuring!" Henry laughed, smashing his fist through the glass cover and pulling the lever down.

BEE-BOO! BEE-BOO! BEE-BOO!

A deafening siren erupted from the ceiling, accompanied by flashing strobe lights. Overhead, the automated PA system began to blare a pre-recorded message.

"Attention valued guests. A severe security breach has occurred. Please evacuate the building immediately in an orderly fashion. Do not stop to collect your winnings."

"No! Don't listen to the machine!" Jackson screamed, his voice completely drowned out by the siren. "Stay where you are!"

But it was too late. The moment the word 'evacuate' echoed through the hall, a collective wave of panic washed over the wealthy gamblers.

"Fire! There’s a fire!" a woman in a gold sequin dress shrieked, tossing her glass of champagne into the air.

"My chips! Where are my chips?!" a man in a tuxedo yelled, grabbing a handful of plastic tokens and running blindly toward the exit.

Within seconds, the entire casino floor transformed into a chaotic stampede. Hundreds of screaming patrons rushed toward the exit doors, creating a massive, swirling wall of human bodies between Henry and Jackson's shooters.

"Perfect!" Henry cheered. "Let's make our exit!"

"Wait! You can't just leave me here!" Sterling wailed, clutching Henry’s torn sleeve. "These people are stepping on my shoes!"

"Then run faster, Sterling!" Henry yelled, dragging him into the crowd.

Behind them, one of Jackson’s guards grew desperate. He raised his pistol and fired a shot over the heads of the crowd.

BANG!

The bullet ricocheted off a giant crystal chandelier, sending a shower of sharp glass cascading down onto a group of screaming roulette players.

"They’re shooting!" a man screamed. "They're actually shooting!"

The panic doubled. People began pushing and shoving frantically, completely ignoring the security guards who were trying to restore order.

`[ALERT! INNOCENT LIVES IN IMMEDIATE DANGER.]`

`[STRAY BULLETS DETECTED IN FLIGHT ROUTE.]`

`[BULLET TIME PERCEPTION: AUTO-ACTIVATING FOR DEFENSIVE ACTIONS ONLY.]`

"Again?!" Henry gasped as the world slowed down once more.

A golden bullet was slowly drifting through the air, its trajectory headed straight for a young waitress carrying a tray of drinks.

"Pardon me, miss!" Henry shouted.

He lunged forward, grabbing the waitress by her shoulders and pulling her backward. In slow motion, the tray slipped from her hands, and the bullet shattered a tall glass of sparkling water right where her chest had been a second ago.

"My... water..." the waitress muttered in slow motion.

"It was sparkling anyway, flat is much healthier!" Henry yelled, pushing her toward the exit.

He spun around and saw another bullet heading toward an elderly man who was slowly crawling across the carpet to grab a dropped hundred-dollar bill.

"Money isn't everything, grandfather!" Henry roared.

He kicked a heavy leather barstool, sliding it across the floor. The bullet slammed directly into the thick wooden leg of the stool, splintering it into pieces, but leaving the old man completely unharmed.

"Thank... you... young... man..." the old man drawled.

"Don't mention it! Just buy some index funds!" Henry yelled.

`[BULLET TIME PERCEPTION: DEACTIVATING. STAMINA LEVEL: 15%.]`

With a sudden jolt, the world returned to normal speed. Henry gasped, his lungs burning as the physical exertion of his high-speed maneuvers caught up to him.

"I... I can't keep this up," Henry panted, clutching his chest. "My heart is going to explode again, and this time I don't have a spreadsheet to fix!"

Mew! the kitten squeaked, poking its head out of his pocket and licking his chin.

"I know, buddy. We’re almost there," Henry wheezed, looking toward the giant glass exit doors of the lobby just fifty feet away. "Just a few more steps to freedom!"

"Stop him!" Jackson’s voice echoed from behind the crowd. "He’s heading for the main doors! Don't let him escape!"

Henry ran with the last of his strength, dragging the exhausted Mr. Sterling behind him. The cool night air of the street was visible just beyond the glass doors.

"We made it!" Sterling gasped, a look of pure relief washing over his face. "We’re actually going to survive!"

"Don't count your audits before they’re finalized, Sterling!" Henry warned.

Suddenly, a loud, metallic grinding noise echoed from the ceiling above the entrance.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

"What is that?!" Henry screamed, stopping dead in his tracks.

Before they could take another step, massive, heavy steel security shutters began to drop from the ceiling, sliding down with terrifying speed.

SLAM!

The heavy steel barriers crashed against the marble floor, completely sealing off the main exit and plunging the lobby into a dim, red-tinted prison.

"No!" Sterling shrieked, banging his fists against the solid steel shutter. "Open up! Let us out! I have a plane to catch!"

"It's locked," Henry whispered, his heart dropping into his stomach as he slowly turned around.

The panicked crowd of gamblers had vanished into the side emergency exits, leaving the massive, empty lobby completely silent.

And standing at the far end of the hall, flanked by his armed guards and wearing a smug, victorious smile, was Jackson.

"End of the line, Henry," Jackson sneered, slowly raising his gun once more. "Looks like you’re locked in here with us."

Henry swallowed hard, his hand slowly reaching toward his pocket. "Well, little buddy," he whispered to the kitten. "I hope you know how to fight."