Through the haze of smoke and dust, I saw a tall figure step through the ruined doorway.

He carried a silver-tipped cane, his expensive coat dusted with plaster.

Julian Bellamy looked down at my father, a cold smile touching his lips.

Then, his eyes drifted slowly toward the open ventilation shaft.

Our eyes met through the swirling grey smoke.

He raised his hand, pointing a sleek black pistol directly at my face.

The screen of my phone, lying on the floor just inches from my hand, suddenly lit up with a brilliant, blinding blue light.

The blue light on my phone screen grew brighter, casting long, sharp shadows across the concrete floor.

It was a remote override signal from the security office downstairs, triggered by Charles’s encrypted device.

Julian Bellamy squinted, his grip on the black pistol wavering for a fraction of a second.

“What did you do?” Julian hissed, his voice stripping away his polished, aristocratic facade.

Before he could pull the trigger, a loud metallic thud rattled the walls.

The heavy steel door of the laboratory was blown off its hinges, hitting the floor with a deafening bang.