In front of us stretched the corridor, a pitch-black tunnel of metal and dust. The faint hum of power pulsed in the walls, after years of disuse, no doubt. Every few feet, a light would flicker, casting erratic shadows along the corridor as though someone or something were moving just out of sight.
Anthony and I exchanged glances.
"Okay," he subvocalized. "So, uh, this is definitely giving off horror movie vibes."
I nodded. "Yup."
"You ever seen those found-footage films? Where a couple of idiots wander into a creepy, abandoned place and get picked off one by one?"
I sighed. "Yeah."
Anthony motioned around us. "Well, we're the idiots right now."
I rolled my eyes and continued to move. Soon after, the passageway led to a larger chamber, and as soon as we entered, motion-activated lights dimly came to life. The light filled what appeared to be a waiting room.
At the front was an ancient, dust-caked desk with broken computers next to it, their monitors irreparably smashed. There was a toppled potted plant in the corner, its dead leaves long turned to dust, and broken chairs strewn carelessly across the floor.
"Wow," Anthony muttered, stepping in beside me. "Guess Future Vision didn't believe in cleaning crews."
I walked over to the reception desk, brushing my hand over the surface. A layer of dust thick enough to bury a crime scene came off on my fingers.
"This place was abandoned fast," I murmured. "Like they had to leave everything behind in a hurry."
Anthony scanned the room. "Still doesn't explain how there's power. This place should be running on zero juice."
I opened my mouth to answer, but then something caught my attention.
A camera.
It was mounted on the far wall, and the moment I looked at it, it moved.
Just slightly.
But enough to be noticed.
"Anthony," I said slowly.
"Yeah?"
I motioned toward the camera. He followed my gaze, and the moment his eyes landed on it—
The lens shifted.
"Okay, yeah, screw that." Anthony took a step back. "Tell me that's just some broken security system running on autopilot."
I wasn't sure. "Either someone's watching us—or this place is still active enough to register intruders."
"Great. So either we're being spied on, or we're about to have a run-in with some old robot security system."
"Either way," I muttered, "we need to keep moving."
We pushed forward, passing old, rusted-out doors labeled things like "Break Room," "Security Office," and one that simply said "Don't."
I did not check what was behind that one.
Soon, we reached another hallway.
At the end of it, an automatic door stood in our way. The second we got close, it let out a whining beep and creaked halfway open—then stopped.
Anthony stared at it.
I stared at it.
"…No way in hell am I squeezing through that," he said.
I sighed. "You got any better ideas?"
Anthony crossed his arms. "Yeah. We turn around and pretend we never found this place."
I gave him a look.
He groaned. "Fine, but if I get stuck, you're pulling me out."
I took a deep breath, then turned sideways and slid through the gap. It was tight—uncomfortably tight. But I managed.
Then Anthony's turn came.
He gazed at the gap as if it had harmed him directly.
He murmured, "If I die here, tell everyone I went out fighting a cyborg or something," and then he made an attempt to get through.
It didn't work out.
I watched in silence as he got halfway through—then stopped.
I blinked.
Anthony blinked back.
He was stuck.
I pressed my lips together. "Anthony."
"Yeah?"
"You're too wide."
He sighed. "Great. That's exactly what I wanted to hear before dying in an underground bunker."
I grabbed his arm and yanked. He grunted, wiggled a bit, and after a few seconds of struggle—
Pop!
He stumbled forward, nearly knocking me over.
He dusted himself off. "That was humiliating."
"You'll survive."
"Will I, though? My pride's wounded, boss."
I ignored him and kept moving.
As we walked, I let out a sigh. "I just hope this doesn't take too long. I don't want to worry Sienna."
Anthony smirked. "Man, you are so lucky."
I glanced at him. "How come?"
He shrugged. "Besides the fact that you basically have three partners, you also have people who actually care about you. Most guys who climb to the top? They lose that. They trade it away for power. But you? You got it right next to you."
I was quiet for a moment.
Then, I said, "You know I care about you too, right?"
Anthony gave me a sideways look.
"As your boss," I continued, "I have a responsibility to be worthy of leading you. That's how successful companies are made. It's not about an employee proving his worth to a boss—it's the boss who has to prove he's worth following."
Anthony blinked.
Then, slowly, a grin stretched across his face.
"Not bad," he said. "You're actually a good boss."
"Glad you approve."
"But does this good boss give his employees paid vacations?"
I snorted. "You get three sick days at most."
Anthony groaned. "This is why people start unions, boss."
Finally, we reached the archive room.
The place was huge. Rows and rows of old file cabinets stretched across the room, and unlike the rest of the facility, some of the files looked clean and untouched.
"Alright," I muttered, heading for the newest-looking cabinet. "Let's grab what we need and get the hell out."
We didn't bother reading. We just stuffed the files into our bags and turned toward the door—
An alarm blared.
We froze.
Then, a crackling intercom came to life, a robotic voice echoing through the halls:
"Warning. Facility will self-destruct in T-minus five minutes."
Anthony and I locked eyes.
"Run?" he asked.
"Run."
We took off sprinting.
The halls lit up with flashing red lights. Doors began slamming shut behind us. The facility shook.
We reached the hallway leading back to the trapdoor.
Anthony was ahead of me when I suddenly stopped.
Wait a minute....If this place blew up, what would happen to those above? The facility was immense, to blow it all up would require a massive explosion. But an explosion of that caliber would...
My mind drifted as I though about Sienna.
I exhaled. She was one of the most important people in my life and I wasn't going to let something happen to her.
Anthony skidded to a stop, turning back. "What the hell are you doing? We have to go!"
I clenched my fists.
Then, I looked at him and said, "As your boss, I order you to help me disable the self-destruct."
I expected him to argue.
Instead, he just met my eyes with a serious look.
Then, he nodded.
"Yes, boss."