The corridor was too quiet.
Not empty, not inactive — but like something was deliberately holding back every sound. No system hum. No footsteps. Just a long stretch of space that felt suffocating.
Liv stood in the middle of it.
Every door was sealed. Access panels along the walls were completely dead. The small screens that were usually active were now dark.
This wasn't a system glitch. This was isolation.
"Liv, respond." Kai's voice came through, sharper than before.
Liv didn't answer immediately. Her eyes were still fixed on the screen. AGENT HART.
"I'm still in position."
"Status."
"Locked in. No access is responding."
A brief pause. "We're overriding from central. Do not move."
Liv didn't reply. Her gaze shifted toward the end of the corridor. Empty. But the feeling didn't fade. She wasn't alone.
A faint sound of footsteps echoed. Barely there. But enough.
Liv turned instantly, weapon raised.
Nothing.
Her instincts were never wrong.
"Rian, I need door control now," Kai's voice pressed.
"I'm trying," Rian answered quickly. "We're locked out. Every command is being rejected."
"Then force it."
"I can't. They're rerouting everything from inside."
The lights above flickered once. Twice. Then died. Darkness swallowed the corridor.
Pftt.
A bullet struck the wall behind her. Liv moved instantly, dropping low and shifting to the side.
Pftt. Closer. More precise. Exactly where she should have been. Someone was reading her movements.
"Contact still active," Liv said quietly. "He's inside."
"Hold position. Backup is moving."
Liv didn't respond. She knew it wouldn't be fast enough.
The lights came back on. The corridor — empty again. Clean. Like nothing had ever been there. That was the most dangerous part.
A soft mechanical sound came from her left. Liv turned. One of the doors had opened slightly — just enough for someone to slip through. The panel beside it was dead. That door hadn't been opened normally.
She stared at the gap. Dark inside. No sound.
"Liv, stay where you are," Kai's voice came sharper.
Liv didn't answer. Her instincts had already taken over.
Pftt. Another shot hit the wall beside her. No time left to think.
Liv moved — straight into the room.
The door slammed shut behind her. The locking system engaged with a heavy, final click. Her comm signal cut out. Gone.
The room was small. Concrete walls. A few technical panels on the left — some open, some dead. Just a maintenance room.
But the air felt different. Colder. Heavier. Like this space had been deliberately cut off from everything else.
Liv didn't move. Her weapon stayed raised. Her eyes scanned every corner.
Empty.
Then one of the panels flickered to life. The small screen blinked once. Then stabilized. Text appeared slowly.
ACCESS LINK ESTABLISHED
More panels lit up. One by one. Dim light filled the room. No pattern. No logic. Only one certainty — this system wasn't theirs anymore.
The text changed.
TRACKING ACTIVE
Liv's breathing slowed. Her focus sharpened.
The last screen lit up. Larger than the others. Deliberate.
PRIMARY TARGET CONFIRMED
A pause. Then —
AGENT HART
For the first time since all of this started — Liv's breath caught.
This wasn't random. This wasn't a system error. This was designed. And she was the center of it.
The voice came again. Clearer now. Closer than it should have been possible.
"Welcome back."
Liv didn't move. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Now she understood. This wasn't just an attack. This was communication.
And this time — she wasn't getting out easily.
Because whoever was behind this — never really left.
---