Rayan stayed behind while Kael and Elian herded the first group out.
He moved through the halls like a shadow.
Flipped panels open.
Cut wires with steady hands.
Found the core vent system and climbed inside.
Inside the metal maze of ducts, heat blasted his skin.
The gas filters were hidden behind a grate marked:
PRIMARY NEUROTOXIN FLOW — AUTHORIZED ALPHA ACCESS ONLY.
He touched the scanner.
Red.
Of course.
He wasn't an Alpha.
He was just the experiment.
He reached into his boot.
Pulled out a sharpened screw Kael had given him weeks ago.
"Just in case," Kael had said.
Rayan smiled faintly.
Kael had meant it for self-defense.
But Rayan had always been the weapon.
He jammed the screw into the panel.
Sparks burst.
The scanner fried.
Gas flow halted.
Alarms shifted pitch.
A system override began.
Manual Disruption Detected.
Retaliatory Lockdown Imminent.
Rayan tried to back out.
But then—
Boom.
The vent behind him collapsed.
His leg twisted underneath.
