Chapter 36 — The Fifth Floor
The staircase was long.
Concrete steps spiraled upward through a narrow shaft lit by dim industrial lights placed every ten meters. The metal railing was cold, slightly rusted in places, and the echoes of their boots followed them upward like distant footsteps chasing from behind.
No one spoke at first.
After everything they had fought through on the fourth floor, silence felt heavier than gunfire.
Jack finally broke it.
"Scar really likes stairs now?"
Crow answered without looking back. "Different architecture means different control methods. No elevator means no easy override."
Nyra walked beside John, quietly checking the blade mechanism hidden under her sleeve.
"Or it means he wants us tired before we even start the next fight."
John kept climbing.
His breathing was steady, but his ribs still ached from the last fight with P-05. The bruises were stacking up now. The titanium suits had saved them more than once, but the human body still paid the price.
Halfway up, Hawk stopped briefly and scanned upward with a small scope.
"Clear," he said.
They continued.
Finally the stairs ended at a thick steel door.
No keypad.
No scanner.
Just a manual handle.
John grabbed it and paused.
"Check ammo," he said.
Metal clicks filled the stairwell as magazines were checked and chambers confirmed.
Nyra tightened her gloves.
"Ready."
Jack rolled his neck.
"Let's see what our mysterious host built this time."
John pushed the door open.
Level Five
The door swung inward with a heavy creak.
The team stepped into something completely different from the floors below.
Level Five looked like a city block built inside a building.
Concrete streets.
Broken vehicles.
Streetlights.
Two-story building structures lining both sides.
Balconies.
Windows.
Alleys.
Crow stared for a moment.
"Urban combat simulation."
Sam slowly turned in place, scanning.
"Full environment build. Streets, rooftops, sewer access."
Jack whistled quietly.
"This is not a room."
Nyra said what everyone was thinking.
"This is a battlefield."
High above them, cameras rotated silently.
Scar was still watching.
But he still didn't speak.
The Trap
The moment the entire team stepped onto the street, the steel door behind them slammed shut.
Metal shutters dropped over the stairwell entrance.
And then—
The sound of engines.
Multiple engines.
From the far end of the artificial street, three armored pickup trucks burst through a metal gate and accelerated toward them.
Mounted machine guns opened fire instantly.
"MOVE!" John shouted.
The team scattered into cover.
Bullets tore through street signs and shattered fake building windows.
Jack dove behind a wrecked sedan.
Nyra slid across the pavement and rolled behind a concrete barrier.
Will stepped forward in the titanium suit and absorbed several heavy rounds that sparked off the armor.
Hawk climbed the nearest balcony railing and pulled himself onto the second floor.
"Gunners exposed!" he shouted.
Bishop fired two controlled shots.
One gunner fell from the first truck.
But the vehicle kept coming.
John sprinted forward through the chaos.
Not away from the trucks.
Toward them.
"JOHN!" Sam shouted.
But he was already moving.
Close Assault
The first armored pickup roared down the street.
John timed his movement perfectly.
At the last second he jumped onto the side step rail of the moving vehicle and grabbed the door frame.
The driver tried to react.
Too late.
John smashed the mechanical saber through the window and drove it straight into the driver's shoulder.
The truck swerved violently.
The gunner tried to rotate the mounted weapon downward.
John climbed onto the hood, grabbed the barrel of the machine gun, and forced it upward as it fired wildly into the ceiling of the artificial sky.
Then he kicked the gunner off the truck.
The body hit the street hard.
The truck slammed into a concrete divider and flipped onto its side.
Across the street, Nyra handled the second vehicle.
She waited until it passed her position—
Then leapt onto the back.
Two mercenaries turned.
Her blade flashed once.
Both men dropped before they could even raise their rifles.
She kicked the driver's door open and forced the vehicle to stop.
The third truck was still coming.
Jack stepped into the street with a rocket launcher Crow had pulled from one of the earlier floors.
He aimed calmly.
"Catch."
The rocket hit the truck dead center.
The explosion filled the artificial street with smoke and burning metal.
The Hunters
For a moment, everything was quiet.
Then the doors of the buildings around them opened.
Dozens of armed men stepped out.
Balconies.
Rooftops.
Windows.
Crow counted quickly.
"Forty… maybe fifty."
Nyra exhaled slowly.
"Human hunters."
Unlike the mercenaries below, these men moved with discipline.
Body armor.
Military rifles.
Night-vision gear.
This wasn't random hired muscle.
These were professionals.
The leader stepped forward into the middle of the street.
Tall.
Grey tactical coat.
Calm eyes.
He raised his rifle slightly but did not fire.
"You've done well getting this far," he said.
It was the first human voice they had heard since entering the floor.
John looked at him.
"Who are you?"
The man smiled faintly.
"Hunter Squad Alpha."
Crow whispered behind John.
"Scar's elite unit."
The hunter continued.
"Scar gave us one order."
He raised his rifle and aimed directly at John.
"Stop the Knights here."
The rest of the hunters raised their weapons.
Rifles locked.
Lasers pointed.
Fifty trained shooters against nine exhausted fighters.
John stepped forward anyway.
He rolled his shoulders slowly, ignoring the pain in his ribs.
Then he smiled slightly.
"Then come try."
The first shot rang out.
And Level Five erupted into war.