The Last Timeline : Reborn for the spire

Chapter 6: Rescue Protocol

Lukas didn't answer. He gripped the iron railing until his knuckles turned bloodless. Vell stood at the base of the stairs, his posture relaxed, his hand lingering near the heavy pistol at his side. Two of his men flanked him, their eyes scanning the stairwell for any sign of movement. Lukas knew he couldn't fight them head on. Not with his current stats. He needed a different angle.

"You like to talk a lot for someone who hides behind meat shields," Lukas said, his voice echoing in the concrete shaft.

Vell laughed, a harsh sound that made the air feel thin. "Heroes always talk about morality until the ground starts shaking. Look outside, kid. The world is ending. Being a hero is just a slow way to reach the grave."

Lukas looked up toward the ceiling. He could hear the faint, rhythmic skittering of the shadow creatures in the ventilation ducts above the third floor. If he pulled the right support, the structural integrity of the landing would buckle. He didn't need to kill Vell today. He just needed to create enough chaos to get to the storage room where Sofia was being held.

"I am not interested in your speeches," Lukas shouted back.

He didn't wait for a rebuttal. Lukas slammed his boot into the emergency fire alarm box on the wall. The shrill, deafening blast of the siren tore through the stairwell. The sudden, high frequency noise sent the guards into a panic, their hands flying to their ears.

Vell roared a command, but his voice was swallowed by the blaring alarm. Lukas lunged. He didn't go down the stairs. Instead, he swung over the railing and dropped down into the narrow, dark gap between the stairs and the wall. He hit the concrete below with a thud, his legs absorbing the impact, and scrambled toward the maintenance door that led to the loading bay.

He burst into the service corridor. The lights here were flickering, dying under the strain of the system collapse. He could see the back storage room at the end of the hall. Two guards stood by the heavy, reinforced door, their weapons raised as they reacted to the alarm.

"Stop right there!" one of the guards shouted, pointing a rifle toward Lukas.

Lukas didn't stop. He ducked behind a stack of industrial crates, the bullets sparking against the metal. He needed to get them away from the door. He reached into his pack and pulled out a small, makeshift incendiary device he had cobbled together from the floor of the armory. It wasn't much, just a glass bottle filled with cleaning fluid and a high-proof alcohol ration he had found in the locker.

He threw the bottle. It shattered against the electrical panel above the guards.

A shower of white hot sparks rained down, igniting the spilled chemical. The hall exploded in a wall of flame, the heat forcing the guards to retreat into the adjacent room. Lukas took the chance. He sprinted through the smoke, his lungs burning, and reached the heavy door. He didn't try to unlock it. He kicked the side panel, ripping the wiring loose, and shorted the lock.

The door slid open with a metallic groan. Inside, the room was small and airless. Sofia sat in the corner, her hands zip-tied behind her back, her eyes wide with terror as she looked up.

"Lukas?" she whispered, her voice cracking.

"We don't have time for reunions," Lukas said, pulling his knife to slice through the plastic ties.

She stood up, her legs shaky. She looked at the door. The sound of shouting and heavy boots filled the hall. Vell’s men were regrouping. They were coming back, and they were going to be angry.

"They have more people out there," Sofia said, her breath hitching. "They are forcing us to act as bait for the rift spawn. They want to test how many creatures the rift will pull out if it has a consistent stream of blood."

Lukas felt a cold rage settle into his chest. He grabbed Sofia by the arm and pulled her toward the rear ventilation hatch. "They are using you for testing? They are going to get us all killed."

"What are we going to do?" she asked, glancing at the wall as it shook from a heavy blow outside.

"We are going to make them regret they ever opened that rift," Lukas replied.

He looked at the vent. It led to the roof. It was the only way out, but it was narrow, and he knew it was probably guarded by now. He had to be smarter. He checked his System window. His level had ticked up slightly, but it was nowhere near enough to survive a direct encounter with Vell’s elite bodyguards.

"Listen to me," Lukas said, turning to Sofia. "I am going to draw their fire toward the main hall. You take the ventilation shaft and climb until you reach the roof. Do not stop. Do not look back. There is a supply drop hitting the north sector in ten minutes. If you get there first, you will have the gear you need to survive."

"I am not leaving you," Sofia said, her eyes flashing with defiance.

"You aren't leaving me," Lukas said, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "You are buying me the time I need to break that rift. If you stay here, we both die. If you go, at least one of us has a chance to turn the tide."

Outside, the door buckled again. A heavy metallic frame began to bend inward. Vell’s voice boomed through the hallway.

"I know you are in there, Lukas! You cannot hide in that box forever. Come out, and maybe I will make your death quick."

Lukas looked at the ventilation hatch. He grabbed a metal bar from the floor and wedged it into the locking mechanism of the door, buying them a few extra seconds of structural resistance.

"Go," Lukas commanded, giving Sofia a shove toward the shaft.

She scrambled into the dark, narrow opening. Lukas watched her disappear, then turned back to the door. He picked up his knife, his hand steady. The door groaned, the metal screeching as the hinges began to fail. He stood in the center of the room, waiting for the inevitable. The wall finally gave way, collapsing in a heap of twisted steel and drywall.

Vell stood in the doorway, his face twisted into a grin. He held a pistol pointed straight at Lukas’s chest. Behind him, four guards stood with weapons ready.

"You really thought you could play the hero?" Vell asked, his eyes cold. "You are just a bug waiting to be crushed."

Lukas looked at the floor, then up at the ceiling where he had rigged the remaining electrical conduits to snap. He gripped the triggering wire in his palm.

"I am not a bug," Lukas said, his thumb tightening on the trigger. "I am the one who brings the roof down."

He pulled the wire. A massive surge of electricity arced from the ceiling, slamming into the metal floorboards and turning the entire room into a lethal conduction field. Vell roared as the power hit his legs, his gun firing blindly into the ceiling. Lukas dove into the smoke, his body colliding with the nearest guard, his knife flashing in the flickering light. He didn't know if he had killed them, but as the room erupted into total chaos, he saw a shadow move in the corner of his eye. It was not one of the guards. A towering, armored figure emerged from the smoke, its glowing eyes locking onto Lukas with an intensity that made the floor tremble beneath his feet.