Chapter 5 - The Subterranean Fortress
I abandoned the burning airfield and acquired a new vehicle from a contact in the city.
David and I drove through the night, crossing state lines into the barren Nevada wasteland.
The GPS coordinates led us to a rusted metal hatch hidden beneath a massive boulder.
It was the entrance to an old Cold War bunker I hadn't seen since my active duty days.
I instructed David to stay in the car, but he refused.
He said he was tired of running and wanted to save his wife.
I handed him a spare pistol and warned him to stay exactly two steps behind me.
We climbed down the rusted iron ladder into the pitch-black tunnels.
The air was heavy and smelled of ozone and ancient dust.
I used my tactical flashlight to navigate the labyrinth of concrete corridors.
Suddenly, the overhead fluorescent lights flickered to life.
An automated voice echoed through the hidden speakers, welcoming me back to the facility.
We entered a massive underground command center filled with modern computer servers.
At the center of the room sat Emily, calmly typing on a keyboard.
Her back was completely healed, showing no signs of the horrific cuts I had seen at the hospital.
I lowered my weapon and called out her name.
Emily spun around in her chair, a cold, calculating smile on her face.
I ran forward to hug her, but she immediately drew a pistol and aimed it at my chest.
She told me to stop right where I was.
I asked her why she was doing this and what had happened to her injuries.
She laughed softly, reaching behind her neck.
She pulled off a hyper-realistic silicone prosthetic mask, revealing the face of a stranger.
May you like
The woman sitting in the chair wasn't my daughter at all.
She was a professional operative, and she had just locked us inside the bunker.
