Chapter 4 - The Glass Cage
The heavy titanium elevator descended smoothly into the earth, taking us far below the main bunker.
Elias held his rifle tightly, sweeping the dark corridor as the doors finally opened.
The air down here was freezing, smelling faintly of ozone and industrial chemicals.
We stepped into a massive, cavernous room illuminated by rows of glowing blue server racks.
In the absolute center of the room sat a structure that made my stomach drop.
It was a holding cell constructed entirely of reinforced, bulletproof glass.
Thick steel cables anchored it to the floor, and medical monitoring equipment surrounded its base.
Someone had been living in this cage for a very long time.
There was a small cot, a stack of books, and dozens of frantic drawings taped to the glass walls.
I walked closer, my boots crunching on something hard scattered across the floor.
I looked down and realized I was stepping on thousands of shattered glass fragments.
"Maya, get back," Elias warned, raising his weapon.
The reinforced glass of the cage had been completely blown outward.
Whatever was inside had not been broken out by an external force.
It had broken out from the inside with unimaginable explosive power.
I noticed a small metal plaque bolted to the frame of the empty cage.
I wiped away a layer of dust to read the engraved letters.
It said, "Subject Zero: Isolation Protocol Alpha."
Suddenly, the heavy blast doors at the entrance of the server room slammed shut with a deafening boom.
The electronic locks engaged with a heavy, final click.
A computerized female voice echoed from the hidden speakers in the ceiling.
"Biometric mismatch detected," the automated system announced coldly.
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"Lethal decontamination of Sector Four will commence in exactly five minutes."
We were locked inside the sub-level, and the bunker was preparing to incinerate us.
