Elias

The roar of sirens pressed on my eardrums. Red flashes of emergency lights cut through the dense darkness of the hallway, revealing torn cables and a layer of frost on the floor. Everything was falling apart. Something was growing inside me that shouldn't have remained after years of crime: fear and panic. You were trapped—so stupidly that you were ashamed to admit it.

You came for the disk, carefully measuring every step, but instead of silence, you heard the clank of hermetic seals. The "Lockdown" system had locked you in a cage. Suddenly, a pistol barrel emerged from the shadow of a column. Elias Thorn was no ordinary guard—the way he held his weapon betrayed a predator of your caliber.

"Freeze," his voice was dangerously calm. "One more step and I'll test how quickly you regenerate."

He nodded at the flashing terminal.

"The thermobaric charge will detonate here in nine minutes. I'm here for the disk, you're here to steal it. There are two options: I shoot and we both die, or you drop your weapon and help me hack the terminal so we can get into the tunnel. Decide. Quickly."

Your move.