Chapter 55 - The Traitor's Gambit
|
The grinding of the heavy steel doors drew every eye in the chamber. The Elite guards shifted their stance, expecting reinforcements from the upper levels.
But it wasn't reinforcements.
Stepping into the red emergency light was Julian Ross. He held a massive, heavy-caliber assault rifle, his silver hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. Behind him lay the bodies of four Sphere operatives.
"Julian?" one of the Council members gasped in shock. "What is the meaning of this? Kill them!"
Julian didn't look at the Council. He looked directly at me, a bitter, cynical smile crossing his face.
"I told you the Spheres own the board, Lydia," Julian said, raising his rifle. "But I have never been very good at following the rules."
Without hesitation, Julian opened fire on the Elite guards.
The chamber erupted into absolute chaos. The heavy rounds tore through the guards’ armor, dropping them before they could react to the betrayal. Ben seized the opening, drawing a stolen combat knife and engaging a guard in brutal hand-to-hand combat, driving the blade into the man's ribs.
I shoved my hostage to the floor, diving behind the obsidian table as bullets ricocheted off the marble floor.
"Why are you doing this, Julian?!" I yelled over the deafening roar of gunfire.
"Because they made me a pawn!" Julian roared back, reloading his weapon behind a stone pillar. "I built the Vanguard! I conquered the underworld! And they treated me like a disposable asset! If anyone is going to burn this empire down, it’s going to be me!"
Julian stepped out from cover, laying down a relentless barrage of suppressing fire that shredded the remaining guards.
"Ben, the console!" I shouted, pointing to a manual override panel near the elevator shaft.
Ben sprinted across the room, dodging a thrown combat knife, and smashed the glass covering the emergency override. He yanked the heavy iron lever.
The blast doors leading to the subterranean maintenance tunnels slowly began to open. It was our only way out.
"Lydia, let's go!" Ben yelled, gesturing to the open tunnel.
I looked back at Julian. He was completely out of ammo, drawing a sidearm as the last three Elite guards charged him.
"Julian, come on!" I screamed.
May you like
He looked at me, a strange, peaceful acceptance in his eyes. "Tell your daughter... the Vanguard sends its regards."
He turned and charged the guards, giving us the precious seconds we needed to escape into the dark tunnels.
