The Safe Zone - Ascension (Book 4)

Chapter 9: The Heart of Darkness

Lena:

The underground facility loomed before us; a maze of concrete walls, metal pipes, and flickering lights cast eerie shadows across the cracked floors. The air was thick with dust and the metallic stench of old machinery, and every step we took echoed ominously in the tight corridors. My heart pounded in my chest, and I could feel the weight of the mission pressing down on my shoulders. This was the Directive's central hub, the heart of their Phase Three plan.

Everything we'd fought for would be lost if we didn't destroy it.

I glanced over at Carter, who was leading the way with the confidence and determination I had come to rely on. His rifle was held at the ready, his eyes sharp as he scanned every corner, every shadow. He'd always been the rock that anchored us, never wavered, even in the face of impossible odds. But now, in this cold, dark place, I saw something in his eyes that unsettled me—a quiet resignation, as if he knew that this might be the last mission we would ever undertake together.

I pushed the thought aside, refusing to let doubt creep in. We had a job to do. We had to stop the Directive from launching Phase Three, and that meant reaching the central control core, planting the explosives, and getting out alive.

"How much farther?" I whispered, my voice barely audible over the distant hum of machinery.

"Not far," Ethan replied from behind me, his voice tight with tension. "According to the schematics we pulled, the core should be just ahead, behind the next security gate."

I nodded, adjusting my grip on my weapon as we moved deeper into the facility. The tunnels were cramped, the walls lined with conduits and wires that hummed with energy. The further we went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became, like the facility was alive, watching us with cold, mechanical eyes.

Zara brought up the rear, her face set in grim determination. She hadn't said much since we'd entered the tunnels, but I could see this mission's toll on her. We all knew what was at stake. We all knew that failure wasn't an option.

As we rounded a corner, the security gate appeared—a massive steel door with red emergency lights flashing above it. A thick layer of grime coated the walls, and I could feel the heat radiating from the machinery just beyond the gate. This was it. We were close.

Carter motioned for us to stop and crouched beside the control panel, his fingers moving swiftly as he worked to bypass the security protocols. His brow furrowed in concentration, the sweat beading on his forehead. Time seemed to stretch, each second dragging out as the air grew heavier.

I could feel my pulse quickening, my nerves fraying with every breath. My mind raced with thoughts of what lay ahead—drones, soldiers, perhaps even some new horror the Directive had cooked up to protect this place. But the worst part was knowing that, no matter what we faced, the cost of failure was too high.

"Got it," Carter muttered, pulling a wire-free and pressing a button on the panel. The steel door groaned as it slid open, revealing a massive chamber beyond.

My breath caught in my throat.

The room was larger than I had imagined, with high ceilings that disappeared into the shadows above. At the center stood the core—a towering metal and glass structure pulsating with a faint blue light that seemed to ripple through the walls. Around the core, Directive drones hovered in the air, their red eyes glowing as they patrolled the perimeter. Guards, heavily armed and wearing the Directive's black insignia, moved in calculated patterns around the room.

This was the heart of Phase Three. If we could destroy it, we could stop the Directive's plan to rewrite humanity's future. But getting to it wouldn't be easy.