Lena sat in the dimly lit storage room, staring at her blood-soaked gloves like they were foreign objects attached to someone else's body. The fluorescent light above her flickered rhythmically, the only sound besides the slow, labored breathing of Kyle on the cot behind her.

She was beginning to crack.

Her hands had always healed. Always saved. Now they were instruments of torture, and worse - compliance. She had done what they asked. For survival? For mercy?

Or for Theo?

Her breath hitched. She peeled off the gloves and tossed them into the bin with a wet slap, then pressed her hands to her face. They were cold. She was cold. She felt as though her heart had been placed on ice since the moment she saw her brother step out of the shadows.

The door creaked again.

But it wasn't Theo this time.

Rachel.

Her face was pale, but her eyes locked onto Lena's with raw, pulsing fear. A guard shoved her forward and slammed the door.

"She wanted to see you," the guard muttered before stepping out again, locking them in.

Lena rushed to Rachel and embraced her. Her friend shook with quiet sobs.

"They've? they've been moving people," Rachel whispered. "They're splitting us up. I don't know why, but I think they're getting ready for something bigger. Lena - what the hell is happening?"

Lena pulled away slowly, eyes scanning Rachel's face, searching for the right words and finding none.

"My brother," she finally whispered. "He's behind this."

Rachel went still.

"What?" Her voice was nearly inaudible.

"It's him. He's... he orchestrated everything. The lockdown. The hostage plan. The surgeries." Lena's voice trembled. "He's been hiding something inside himself for years and now - now he's letting it out."

Rachel took a long, staggered breath.

"Why? Why would he do this to us?"

Lena looked down at her hands. "Because I think he believes it's the only way he can be free."

---

Elsewhere, inside the security control room

Theo stood in front of the main console, flanked by Dominic and another armed militant. The university's internal comms system had been hijacked. A countdown glowed red on the screen: 02:44:17.

Dominic spoke first. "We go live in under three hours. Broadcast the footage. Cut their power. And trigger the second phase."

Theo nodded absently.

But something was gnawing at him.

He turned to the audio technician. "Play back Room Twelve."

The tech rewound the audio from Lena's storage room. Rachel's voice came through, distorted slightly by the mic:

> "Why? Why would he do this to us?"

> "Because I think he believes it's the only way he can be free."

Theo flinched.

Dominic grinned. "Soft spot's growing, huh?"

Theo didn't answer.

He turned away from the screen.

But the words haunted him.

---

Back in the tunnel below campus?

Dr. Adrienne Park was working.

Silently.

Methodically.

While the guards watched football on a hacked TV feed, she'd taken apart a snapped paperclip hidden in her sock and was now using the pin to pick the padlock on her wrist shackle. Every few seconds, she'd pause to shift her weight or fake a wince.

Never let them see your rhythm.

Click.

She froze.

The lock moved. A little more...

One of the guards laughed - distracted. Dr. Park gave it one final twist -

Click.

Her right wrist was free.

---

Back in the storage room?

Rachel gripped Lena's hand.

"There's something else," she whispered. "I think one of the terrorists is? scared."

Lena looked up sharply.

"Which one?"

"He's young. Blonde. Accent like he's from Denmark or somewhere near. I overheard him arguing with the older one - the one they call Dominic. He said this wasn't the plan. That it's gone too far."

Lena's brain clicked into overdrive. A break in the ranks. A crack in the machine.

She squeezed Rachel's hand. "We need to find him."

Just then, the lights flickered violently - and died.

Darkness swallowed the room.

An alarm began to wail in the distance.

---

Upstairs, the emergency hall

Theo stared at the blank monitors.

"What the hell just happened?" he barked.

The technician fumbled. "Power grid's down. Not us. Someone from outside."

Dominic cursed. "It's too early. The schedule's off - who's interfering?"

From behind them, a voice cut in, calm but urgent.

"The old professor," said the blonde-haired terrorist Rachel had mentioned. His name tag read Mikael.

Dominic narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"She's not just a teacher. Adrienne Park used to work on psychological warfare research for the military. I found her name on the roster. If anyone could jam our system or contact outside help, it's her."

Theo went still.

Dominic stormed out.

But Theo hesitated.

Adrienne Park...

He remembered her now. How she always lingered when he stayed late after lectures. How she'd once asked him, half-joking, "You ever wonder what you'd become if you stopped caring about consequences?"

He thought she was just trying to rattle him.

Now he wasn't so sure.

---

In the tunnels, moments later

Dr. Park ran.

Her breath was tight, her chest burning, but she didn't stop. Behind her, chaos erupted. Two guards had noticed her escape. She ducked into a side tunnel and pulled a pipe loose from the wall.

They came fast.

She moved faster.

CRACK.

The first one dropped.

The second raised his weapon, but she jammed the pipe into his stomach, twisted, and sent him sprawling. She grabbed his earpiece and listened in.

"?Level Four compromised. Repeat, we've lost power. Find the professor. Kill her if you have to."

She dropped the earpiece and ran.