Chapter 5
The heavy iron service gate groaned in protest as Julian slammed his shoulder against it, snapping the rusted padlock with a single, practiced heave. Dust billowed out from the damp concrete shaft beyond, smelling of old iron and stagnant water. Holding Leo and the sleeping newborn firmly against his chest, Julian slipped inside just as the high-pitched whine of corporate security drones began to echo down the brick-lined alleyway above.
“Are we safe here?” Leo whispered, his face pressed into the dark fabric of Julian's tailored suit, his small fingers gripping the lapel like a lifeline. The newborn stirred slightly in the light beige blanket, letting out a soft, fluttering sigh.
“Not yet,” Julian muttered, setting them down on the metal landing of the dormant service elevator. He knelt beside the control panel, yanking off the rusted metal faceplate with his bare hands to expose a tangled mess of copper wires. “Stay behind me, Leo. No matter what you hear, don't look back up the shaft.”
Above them, the faint whirring of drone rotors grew louder, casting sweeping red laser grids down the vertical darkness of the elevator shaft. The corporate security system was scanning every square inch of the subterranean service network. Julian stripped two thick wires bare with his teeth, his jaw set in intense concentration, ignoring the sweat stinging his eyes.
“Why do they want us back?” Leo asked quietly, his voice echoing off the damp concrete walls. “We didn't do anything wrong. I just wanted milk for the baby.”
Julian paused for a fraction of a second, his hands hovering over the exposed circuits. The memory of the laboratory above ground—rows of identical cribs, sterile white lights, and cold monitors tracking infant brainwaves—flashed behind his eyelids. They weren't just orphans; they were the first successful iteration of a classified bio-enhancement project funded by the very hotel syndicate operating above them.
“Because you're special, Leo,” Julian said softly, his voice steadying. “And people who build cages are terrified of things they can't control.”
May you like
With a decisive snap, Julian crossed the copper wires. Sparks showered down in a brilliant cascade of blue light, illuminating the narrow shaft just as the elevator motor deep beneath their feet roared back to life with a violent, jarring shudder. The platform lurched downward, plunging them into the freezing darkness of the lower levels.
As the metal cage descended past the third subterranean sub-level, a small red indicator light flickered on the wall beside Julian's head, revealing a secondary keypad that hadn't been active in decades—and a faint, rhythmic tapping coming from behind the concrete wall directly to their left.
