Chapter 13: Collapse Within
"Hey… shut down the door and lock it," Wayne said, his voice low but firm.
The guards exchanged glances. One of them frowned. "For what purpose?"
Wayne didn't hesitate. "If the battle outside reaches us, this gate decides whether we live or die."
That was enough.
Beyond the reinforced walls of Anthroportica's headquarters, chaos had already begun. Samuel and the machines were clashing somewhere in the distance, and no one knew how far that storm would spread. The possibility that a rogue unit—or worse, Pohu himself—could breach the facility was no longer paranoia. It was probability.
The guards nodded and moved. Heavy steel doors slid shut with a grinding echo, followed by the sharp click of locks sealing into place.
Wayne exhaled slowly.
Then he turned, already dialing. "Headquarters is now on high alert," he announced. "All personnel remain in position. No unnecessary movement."
This was the first time the building had ever felt like a bunker.
Tension spread like a disease.
Two factions stood divided inside the same structure. One loyal to Samuel. One against him.
And both armed.
Wayne stood at the head of the Samuel faction, a pistol steady in his grip. A few of his subordinates mirrored him, their faces tight with anticipation. Across the wide hall, the anti-Samuel group had gathered—engineers, researchers, late defectors who had chosen truth over safety.
Among them stood Rushewa and Curran—two of Pohu's original creators.
The air between both sides felt like glass stretched to breaking.
Then Wayne stepped forward.
He raised his gun and aimed directly at three newcomers standing at the front of the opposing group.
"Sorry," he said calmly, almost regretfully.
"You chose the wrong side."
The shots rang out.
Three bodies dropped instantly.
Rushewa grabbed Curran's arm and pulled him behind a nearby pillar as more gunfire erupted.
"We need to leave," she whispered urgently.
"We can't," Curran replied.
"Why?"
He didn't answer.
But his mind was already somewhere else.
---
The Previous Night
Curran hadn't meant to overhear anything.
He had been in his room, lights off, lying still. Then voices came from the hallway—two men, speaking casually, as if discussing groceries.
"Hey bro, I got a stack of them."
"You're not alone. I got plenty too."
A pause. Then a quiet laugh.
"Where did you even buy all those time bombs?"
"Black market. Dark web. You know how it is."
Curran's heart had started to pound.
"When do we plant them?"
"3:30 PM. Perfect timing."
Silence followed.
Then another voice—colder.
"I'm going to drug the anti-Samuel group. Mix it into their food."
"Good. Makes things easier."
Curran had frozen.
He recognized one of the voices instantly.
Wayne.
The second voice… unknown.
He had gone to the washroom afterward, trying to process what he'd heard. Maybe it was paranoia. Maybe he misunderstood.
But he didn't take the risk.
The next day, he ate nothing.
Only bottled water.
---
Present
Gunfire echoed across the hall.
People were already weakening.
Movements slowed. Reactions dulled. The drug had begun to take effect.
Curran clenched his jaw.
They've been poisoned.
"Tell me what's going on!" Rushewa demanded.
"Nothing," he said quickly.
But his hand had already moved.
He pulled out a pistol and stepped just enough out of cover to fire.
One shot.
Clean.
A Samuel faction subordinate dropped, a bullet lodged deep in his chest.
Wayne snapped his head toward the pillar.
"There!"
He fired twice.
The pillar cracked, chunks of concrete breaking away under the impact. Dust filled the air.
Gunfire erupted from both sides.
Chaos.
Curran stayed low, moving carefully, keeping distance. Even weakened, the anti-Samuel group fought back. Three… maybe four of Wayne's men fell.
But it wasn't enough.
Curran checked his weapon.
Empty.
No spare ammunition.
His breath tightened.
Before the fight began, he had quietly warned a few others—five, maybe six. Told them to blend in with Wayne's group. Wait.
Now—
Gunfire erupted from the back rows.
Wayne's own formation collapsed from within.
Those hidden allies opened fire, catching the Samuel faction completely off guard. Bodies fell rapidly. Panic spread.
Wayne's composure shattered.
He grabbed another gun, screaming as he fired wildly, bullets tearing through anyone in sight.
"You think you've won?" he shouted, his voice breaking.
"You'll regret this! All of you!"
His eyes were wild now.
"The bombs go off in one and a half minutes!"
Silence followed that realization.
Then—
More shots.
Wayne fell.
Dead.
---
Curran turned, breathing hard. "What do we do?"
One of the survivors stepped forward, face pale but determined.
"You take yourself and her," he said, pointing at Rushewa. "Get out."
"No," Curran shook his head. "I'm not leaving—"
"You have to!" another voice snapped. "We're already dead!"
Agreement spread quickly.
"There's a bunker below. Go!"
Gunfire echoed again—guards advancing from the corridor, firing without hesitation.
Bodies dropped.
One by one.
Until only two remained.
Curran and Rushewa.
"Go!" someone screamed before collapsing.
Curran didn't think anymore.
He ran.
He found the bunker hatch and yanked it open.
Gunfire chased him.
Bullets slammed into the metal door as he dropped inside, sealing it just in time.
Rushewa leapt in after him.
The door shut.
Silence.
For half a second.
Then they ran.
Through the narrow underground passage, their footsteps echoing wildly. Their lungs burned. Their legs screamed.
Ahead—a faint light.
The exit.
They burst out into the open air.
Ten seconds.
They didn't stop.
They ran harder.
Faster.
Five seconds.
The ground trembled.
Three.
Two—
A deafening explosion tore through the headquarters behind them.
Fire erupted into the sky. The building collapsed inward, a violent storm of metal and concrete. The shockwave threw them forward, sending them crashing into the dirt.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Unreal.
Curran pushed himself up slowly, ears ringing. Rushewa lay beside him, breathing heavily but alive.
They turned.
The headquarters was gone.
Reduced to rubble and fire.
Everyone inside—
Dead.
---
It was a lucky day.
But only for them.
---
Chapter 13 End
To Be Continued