Chapter Seven: The Final Stand

Chapter Seven: The Final Stand

The footsteps grew louder, the air feeling heavier with each passing second. Elizabeth's heartbeat seemed to sync with her rapid steps, each one bringing her closer to the threat that loomed just behind her. The Cleanup Division was moving faster than she expected—well-equipped, with tracking abilities that far outmatched hers. They were predators, and she was nothing more than prey struggling to survive in the dark.

She had no choice but to keep running. Every second felt like a countdown to her imminent capture, their pursuit closing in like an invisible pack of wolves, relentless and patient.

"Victoria, I've reached the entrance to the refuge," Elizabeth reported, her voice nearly breaking with the strain. "But the route seems... blocked."

"Can you bypass the block?" Victoria's voice remained calm, her words clipped with urgency. "If not, find another way. Your only goal now is to survive."

Elizabeth took a deep breath, knowing there was no turning back. She scanned the area around her, seeing the refuge's entrance blocked by a heavy metal door, its complex locking system clearly designed to keep unwanted visitors out. She approached, inspecting the control panel closely.

Her fingers moved swiftly through her tool kit, drawing out a small device that could crack most electronic locks in a matter of seconds. With a soft "click," the electronic lock disengaged slightly, but the system reacted immediately—flashing a red warning light.

A cold, mechanical voice echoed from the other side of the door: "Target location locked. Closing all exits."

"Damn it!" Elizabeth muttered under her breath, her pulse quickening as the sound of footsteps from the Cleanup Division drew closer. She could almost hear their every move, each step echoing in her mind like a countdown to her death.

She continued to work at the control panel, determined to force the lock open, knowing that failure meant being trapped—no escape.

Seconds ticked by like hours, the tension so thick it threatened to smother her. Just as she was about to speed up her efforts, a deep voice from behind shattered the stillness, cold as ice: "Stop. Don't move."

Elizabeth froze, her heart skipping a beat. She turned slowly, facing the source of the voice. A fully equipped operative stood before her, gun raised, aiming directly at her chest. The cold barrel of the weapon felt like it was pressing against her very soul.

"You really think you can escape?" the operative's voice was low, mocking as he took a step forward.

Elizabeth didn't move. Her mind was already racing. She knew that if she was caught, her fate would be sealed. She had been here before, faced death countless times, but today felt different—more desperate, more dangerous.

"You've got the wrong person," she said suddenly, her voice calm but firm, meeting the operative's gaze head-on. "If you kill me, you'll regret it."

The operative raised an eyebrow, clearly thrown by her unexpected response. As he began to speak, Elizabeth's hand darted to the control panel, pressing the final button.

With a crackling buzz, the door to the refuge began to open, the heavy metal shifting slowly as the system powered up.

"You were right," Elizabeth said, her voice steady, her eyes locking with the stunned operative's. "You've been chasing the wrong person."

The operative's eyes widened in realization, and before he could react, Elizabeth sprang into action. As the door opened, she lunged into the refuge, the heavy metal door slamming shut behind her just as the operative reached out to stop her.

"You actually got through the defense," Victoria's voice crackled over her comm device, a note of surprise—and a hint of admiration—in her tone. "But the hardest part is still ahead."

Elizabeth quickly assessed her surroundings. The refuge was a maze of circuitry and surveillance equipment, its walls lined with complex wiring and monitoring systems. She needed to find the control room—figure out exactly what was going on here.

"Find the truth first," she muttered to herself, her focus steely as she moved forward.

Suddenly, the comm device buzzed again, and a message popped up on her screen. It was Victoria's latest instruction: "You need to access the core area of the refuge. That's where the Memento Project's final control point is. If you can breach the final defense, all your answers will be revealed."

Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat. This was it—the moment she had been working for. She quickly turned in the direction of the core area.

The walls along the passage were lined with surveillance equipment, dim lights flickering in the darkness. The deeper she went, the tighter the security systems seemed to become.

"You can't do this alone," Victoria's voice came again, this time more urgent. "I'll contact some people to help. Just hang tight."

Elizabeth ignored the rising warning signals around her, pressing forward toward the entrance of the core area. Just as she neared the door, her footfalls paused. A hidden display screen flickered into view on the wall in front of her. She moved closer, only to see it flash, then display a black authentication interface.

"Authentication failed," the screen displayed coldly.

Elizabeth's heart sank. This was going to be harder than she thought. She stood still for a moment, calculating her next move, when suddenly, rapid footsteps sounded from behind her. The Cleanup Division had caught up.

She was trapped.

"There's no way out now," she whispered under her breath, her eyes narrowing in determination. "There's only one way forward—through."

Without hesitation, she drew her micro-laser gun from her waist, aiming it at the lock on the authentication panel. The warning lights blinked furiously, but she shot with precision, breaking through the system's defenses. The screen continued to flash errors, but Elizabeth pressed the final button, overriding the security.

This time, the system didn't stop her.

The door slowly opened with a heavy creak, and just as she prepared to step inside, a team of operatives burst through the entrance of the core area. Elizabeth knew this was it—the final test.

She couldn't back down now.