"Breaking Point"

Alyssa and Mark burst into the control room, weapons raised. The room was dimly lit, with blinking monitors displaying security feeds and flashing emergency warnings. In the center, a man in a dark suit turned to face them, his expression calm despite the chaos around him.

"You're persistent," he said, folding his arms. "But you're too late."

Alyssa aimed her pistol at him. "We'll see about that."

The man, whom Lena had identified earlier as Victor Hale—the mastermind behind the operation—tilted his head. "I admire your determination, but the facility is already in lockdown. Even if you kill me, you won't make it out alive."

Mark took a step forward. "Then we'll take our chances."

Victor smirked and pressed a button on the console beside him. Instantly, alarms blared, and metal barriers began sliding down over the exits. "Let's see how well you handle pressure."

Alyssa didn't wait. She shot at the console, sending sparks flying as Victor jumped back. Mark rushed forward, tackling him to the ground while Alyssa scanned the room for the override controls.

Lena's voice crackled in their earpieces. "You need to disable the emergency lockdown. Look for a main panel with a manual override."

Alyssa spotted it across the room, but before she could reach it, Victor recovered, kicking Mark off him and drawing a knife from his belt. He lunged, aiming for Mark's throat.

Mark barely dodged, grappling with Victor as they struggled for control. Alyssa sprinted toward the panel, dodging gunfire from two approaching guards. She ducked behind a desk, returning fire and taking one of them down.

"Hurry, Alyssa!" Lena urged. "You have less than five minutes before the failsafe initiates."

Alyssa reached the panel and yanked it open. Inside, a complex array of wires and switches greeted her. "Talk to me, Lena."

"Cut the blue wire and flip the override switch on the left."

Alyssa pulled her knife and sliced the wire, then flipped the switch. The alarms stopped abruptly, and the barriers halted halfway.

"It worked!" Lena confirmed. "You've stopped the lockdown, but you need to finish this."

Behind her, Mark delivered a final punch to Victor's jaw, knocking him unconscious. He stood, wiping blood from his lip. "Let's end this."

Alyssa nodded, pulling out a pair of handcuffs and securing Victor. "He's not walking away from this."

Just then, Ethan's voice broke through. "I've got an extraction route for you. Get to the northwest tunnel. Now!"

Alyssa and Mark exchanged a look, determination burning in their eyes.

It was time to get out—and bring down the entire operation with them.