Page 27

"You mean you'll create an army of cyborg slaves," Norn spat.

"A necessary step," Venn replied, his voice chillingly calm. "Sometimes, progress requires... guidance."

I saw Norn tense, ready to lunge at Venn. But I put a hand on his arm, holding him back. Something wasn't right. Venn was too calm, too confident.

"What have you done?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Venn's smile widened. "Insurance," he said simply. Then he raised his hand, revealing a small device clutched in his palm. A detonator.

My mind raced, putting the pieces together. "You've rigged the building to explode," I gasped.

"Not the entire building," Venn corrected. "Just enough to bury the evidence and cover my escape. I'm afraid this is where we part ways, Dr. Imogen, Norn. It's been educational."

Time seemed to slow down as Venn's thumb moved towards the detonator's button. I saw Norn move and knew he was going to stop Venn. But he wouldn't be fast enough.

In that split second, I made a decision. I lunged forward, not towards Venn, but towards the terminal. My fingers flew over the keyboard, initiating an emergency protocol we'd developed for just such a contingency.

The lights in the room flickered, and a high-pitched whine filled the air. Venn's eyes widened in shock as the device he'd plugged into the system sparked and smoked.

"What have you done?" he shouted, his composure finally cracking.

"Electromagnetic pulse," I said, a grim smile on my face. "Localized to this room. Your download device is fried, and so is that detonator in your hand."

Venn's face contorted with rage. He lunged at me, his hands outstretched like claws. But Norn was there in an instant, his cybernetic armcatching Venn mid-leap and slamming him against the wall.

"It's over, Venn," Norn growled.

But Venn wasn't done. With surprising agility for a man his age, he twisted out of Norn's grasp and made a break for the door. I moved to intercept him, but he was faster than I expected. His elbow caught me in the ribs, knocking the wind out of me.

As I stumbled, gasping for breath, I saw Venn disappear through the door. Norn hesitated, torn between pursuing Venn and checking on me.

"Go!" I wheezed, waving him on. "Don't let him escape!"

Norn nodded once, then took off after Venn. I leaned against the terminal, trying to catch my breath and assess the situation. The EMP had worked, destroying Venn's device and preventing him from detonating whatever explosives he'd planted. But he still had a head start, and there was no telling what other contingencies he might have in place.

I pushed myself upright, ignoring the throbbing in my side. There would be time for pain later. Right now, we had a madman to stop.

I raced out of the server room, following the sounds of pursuit. Ahead, I could hear the echoesof running footsteps and shouted commands. The evacuation alarm was still blaring, adding to the chaos.

As I rounded a corner, I nearly collided with a security team rushing in the opposite direction. "Dr. Imogen!" one of them exclaimed. "We've been looking for you. The building's on lockdown, we need to get you to safety."

I shook my head. "No time. Dr. Venn is trying to escape. He's headed..." I paused, thinking quickly. Where would Venn go? Then it hit me. "The roof! He must have an escape vehicle waiting."

The security team looked uncertain, but I didn't wait for their approval. I took off towards the nearest stairwell, taking the steps two at a time. My lungs burned and my side ached, but I pushed through the pain. Too much was at stake.

I burst onto the roof, the cool night air hitting me like a slap to the face. The scene before me was chaos. Norn and Venn fought near the edge of the building. To my horror, I saw a small aircraft hovering nearby, its side door open. Venn's escape route.

As I watched, Venn broke free from Norn's grasp. He made a desperate leap for the aircraft, his fingers just caught the edge of the open door.

"No!" I shouted, running forward.

But I wasn't the only one who moved. Norn, with his enhanced reflexes, was there in an instant. His cybernetic hand closed around Venn's ankle, yanking him back from the aircraft.

Venn hit the roof hard, the impact knocking the wind out of him. But even as he gasped for breath, his hand went to his pocket, pulling out a small device.

"Stay back!" he wheezed, holding up the device. It looked like another detonator, but different from the one I'd fried in the server room. "One more step and I'll activate the neurotoxin dispersal system. The entire facility will be contaminated within minutes."

I froze, my mind racing. Neurotoxin? When had he had time to set that up? But looking at Venn's desperate, wild-eyed expression, I knew he wasn't bluffing.