Shouts of "stay in formation," and "stay calm and alert! She's gonna be close," bounce off the walls, and I can't help but pause for a second to watch them scramble blindly around feeling for each other in order to create any semblance of their 'formation.'

I can't help it as impulse takes over as I create a small ball of light to hold under my chin as I stand unnoticed nearly in the middle of them by now, and only say one word. "Boo."

I'm fairly certain I've seen panicked rats run around, climb, and bump into each other less. People twice and three times my age fall to the ground either screaming or having been knocked down by someone who is. "Careful!" I chime in as I flash lights in all different areas, only furthering panic and tease, "Rule one of gun safety: never aim at something you don't intend to shoot."

"Will someone shut her up already?" A commander, judging by the adornments on her uniform, shouts as she shoves people off of her.

"I hate to break it to you, but many have tried." I crouch down in front of the still shifting doggy pile, "and no one's managed it yet."

Someone grabs at my ankle either in an attempt to pull themselves up or take me down. Neither of which succeeded; all that did was a swift kick to the face and a future plastic surgeon appointment.

"So, do any of you want to give me the override code? Cause I really don't want to fight my way through all of you, hack the system, and then make my daring escape if I don't have to."

"Anyone who does will be severely punished." The white haired woman screams as she continues waving her gun in search of me. "Remember the program."

A shadow clamps around her mouth. "In case you didn't get the memo, that program is being shut down. So the more you help, the faster that process goes."

"You need her keycard to start." One of the bodies on the floor chirps. "And only the wigs know the code, but they'd never give it up."

"I can work with that." The wig in question is passed out, which makes it all to easy to swipe her card. "Who do they have?"

"My son. He's only seven." The voice warbles, "Can you really save them?"

"I've done it before. My partner and I are doing it now." I gather a small ball of light in my hand. It's only enough to illuminate the collection of worried faces, which assures me they're likely all a part of the incentive program. Most have tears and hope gleaming in their eyes. All the more reason to keep fighting. "Once I shut down the fail-safe, everyone's getting out. I promise."

"What can we do?"

"Head to containment. Help get the others and then yourselves out of here as quickly as possible." I call over my shoulder as I run further toward command, allowing the shadows to slowly recede with me.

Their whispers of encouragement and the sound of them shuffling off the floor follow me, and my fingers twitch to hold the iron heart and glass pendants currently tucked into my suit. I fight it and hold the keycard so tightly it digs into the sensitive skin of my palm to bring me back and send up a prayer to whoever is up there listening that this doesn't end in disaster.

"Almost there," ARTI reassures as he shows the pulsing wires in the walls all leading to one central room. I give up on stealth entirely, my heavy footfalls are muffled under the rising alarms.

Well, shit.

Someone rushes around the control room, trying to manage several panels at once, and I rush in, gun raised. "Hands up. Unless you want to be another bit of mess for the clean-up crew."

"I'm already just another spot on the carpet to them." The guy says with the look I know all too well. He's young, probably not even made it past mid-twenties, but clearly the type of terrified that comes with a responsibility you never expected to carry, "it doesn't matter if it's you or them. I'm done for any way. I was the second I took this job."

"If you stop the countdown, I can promise it won't be me. My whole life is currently centered around pulling threads and causing an even bigger mess for them." I shift my grip, dropping one hand and slightly lowering the gun.

His shoulders lift a fraction and drop a foot. "Good for you. But it's not enough."

"And you think letting this place blow up with everyone still inside is?" I take a small step forward, "You know what might be? A delay—not much, just a minute or two. Let them think you did your job, that it all ended here. Trust me, they'll have this place rigged to look like a chem lab accident. They don't expect bodies, so they pat themselves on the back when there's only a skeleton crew to explain away."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Like I said, this is my life's mission. I wouldn't still be alive right now if I didn't know what I was doing." I take another inch forward, "Did you hear about the Moscow branch? Well, outside Moscow, but it was the closest notable landmark."

"Just rumors. That was you?" I nod, which starts his gaze flickering between me and the keyboard beside him. "I just need to delay it, right?"

"Yep. All you need to do is make it look like a pause to buy time for the upload. That's it."

"And you won't shoot me?"

"Unless you give me a reason to."

"I won't. Believe it or not, I'm not ready to die just yet." His fingers hover over the keyboard as he looks for one more reassurance. I nod in affirmation. "Especially not for this."

A wave of relief washes over me as I track every keystroke. He stands true to his word and delays both the upload and detonation. It's not much, but the options where the majority of people make it out alive are dwindling.

Collateral damage is nothing to these people. Every life and misdeed is a grain of sand weighed against the anvil of their bigger purpose—their bright future.

"I'm sorry. It's the best I can do."

"That's okay—"

"Caleb." He interjects, his body beginning to tremble as the panic and adrenaline begin to enter his bloodstream.

"You did great, Caleb. Now there's only one thing left to do."

"What's that?"

"Run." I grab the poor guy's hand. Because he's going through a level of shock that means he'll snap out of it too late. I grab his arm and pull him through the door and onward as fast as my feet will move.

I lose track of which side of the building we're on. If we're going to meet up with the others or be sitting ducks in the open, but there isn't much time to think about it.

All that's left are seconds on the clock. Caleb seems to notice the hesitation and begins to offer directions. Quick tugs or shouts that sound like whispers because of the panicked breathing.

Then, after what seems like the endless maze, there's the neon glow. One word that pushes fresh energy into our limbs. I shove Caleb ahead of me so when the blast comes I'll take the brunt of it.

He moves to stop, but I keep shoving him forward.

I can see Peter and the others ahead desperate to be free and safe.

The building goes off early.

Heat blazes against my back. Caleb just manages to avoid being thrown and only falls flat on his face. I'm not so lucky. I'm off my feet and tossed to the pavement with a crack, and half my vision goes dark.

My fingers scramble to feel across my mask. There's a split right between the eyes that curves towards my ear—and right across the hard drive that houses ARTI's interface. "ARTI? Are you still there?"

There's no response. Not even static. I keep pressing in the desperate hope that it's just a loose wire or something, but I know the truth. My mask is broken. ARTI is gone.