“Marcus,” I whispered. “Shut the power.”

A loud pop sounded from the ceiling.

The fluorescent lights went black.

The emergency red lights kicked on a second later.

The guards pulled their weapons.

“Stay where you are!” the first guard yelled.

I did not stay.

I dropped low, sweeping my leg outward.

My foot caught the first guard behind his knee.

He buckled, falling hard against the steel table.

The second guard raised his pistol, but I lunged forward.

I grabbed his wrist and twisted it upward.

The gun fired once, the sound deafening in the small room.

The bullet hit the ceiling, showering us with plaster dust.

I slammed my elbow into his jaw.

He went limp and slid to the floor.

The first guard was trying to stand.

I hit him once behind the ear with the butt of his partner’s dropped gun.

He fell still.

The room was silent except for the low hum of the backup generator.

The red emergency lights cast long, shaking shadows across the walls.

“Marcus,” I said, breathing heavily. “The doors.”