Chapter 7 - The Empty Chamber
The hollow click of the empty chamber echoed louder than a gunshot in my mind.
Wesley hadn't fully loaded the weapon before trying to play the tough guy.
Vance recovered from the blinding light, rubbing his eyes and chuckling darkly.
“Always check your gear, Captain,” Vance mocked, using my official rank.
He limped slightly, advancing toward my position behind the steel crate.
I had no weapons, a screaming infant in my arms, and a heavily armed traitor closing in.
I scanned the panic room for absolutely any tactical advantage.
The walls were lined with emergency medical supplies, oxygen tanks, and a primary ventilation control panel.
I remembered a classified debriefing about this specific model of safe room.
It was equipped with a fire suppression system that flooded the room with Halon gas to choke out flames.
Vance was only five feet away from my position now.
I placed June inside a heavy, airtight biohazard transport incubator resting on the bottom shelf.
I slammed the glass lid shut, sealing her safely inside with a limited oxygen supply.
Vance rounded the corner, leveling his submachine gun at my head.
“Game over, Nora,” he said.
I didn't raise my hands in surrender.
I slammed my fist onto the red emergency fire button on the wall panel.
Massive overhead vents instantly hissed, dumping thick, suffocating Halon gas into the sealed room.
Vance gasped, clutching his throat as the oxygen was violently purged from the air.
He dropped his weapon, falling to his knees and clawing at his neck.
I held my breath, relying on years of underwater survival training.
I stepped over Vance’s collapsing body and grabbed his submachine gun from the floor.
I hit the door release button and stumbled out into the hallway, gasping for fresh air.
May you like
I turned back to grab the sealed incubator holding June.
Before I could reach her, a massive explosion rocked the foundation of the estate.
