Chapter 5 - The Glass Fortress
I kept my dark suspicions to myself as Luka expertly bypassed the exterior security grid of the towering glass skyscraper.
We slipped silently through the underground loading dock, entirely avoiding the heavily armed patrols sweeping the perimeter.
Luka moved with breathtaking, lethal precision, neutralizing two armed guards before they could even draw their weapons.
He used their stolen keycards to access the restricted service elevator leading directly to the subterranean research levels.
The elevator descended rapidly, the heavy mechanical hum masking the sound of my rapidly beating heart.
"Stay exactly behind me, and do not hesitate to shoot if anyone approaches the baby," Luka instructed softly.
The steel doors slid open, revealing a pristine, blindingly white laboratory complex that stretched for an eternity.
We crept quietly down the main corridor, checking every single window for signs of the antidote vault.
Suddenly, a woman stepped out of a side office, holding a glowing tablet and a cup of expensive coffee.
It was Chloe, the woman David had been holding hands with when he abandoned me at the hospital.
She was not a cheap mistress, she was wearing a pristine white lab coat bearing the title of Chief Geneticist.
Luka lunged forward instantly, pinning Chloe aggressively against the reinforced glass wall with a heavy forearm across her throat.
"Where is the M-17 stabilizer serum, Chloe?" Luka demanded, pressing the barrel of his rifle against her ribs.
Chloe gasped for air, dropping her tablet as her eyes darted frantically between Luka and my baby.
"David lied to you, Maya, there is no ticking clock on your daughter's life," Chloe choked out desperately.
I stepped forward, aiming my pistol directly at her head with absolutely no mercy.
"Why should I believe a single word that comes out of your mouth?" I spat angrily.
Chloe coughed and pointed a trembling finger toward a massive, heavily locked steel door at the end of the hall.
"David is the one dying of cellular degeneration, and he needs the baby's blood right now to survive the night."
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Before we could process this incredible twist, the blaring sound of the facility's lockdown alarm shattered the silence.
Heavy steel barricades slammed down over every single exit, trapping us completely inside the underground laboratory.
