The Door Breaks

The distorted voice echoed through the apartment, a chilling rasp that sent shivers down Sam's spine. "Open the door," it commanded, the words distorted and inhuman. "We know you're in there."

The rapid knocks on the door grew louder, more insistent, as if an unseen force was trying to break through. Sam and Liam exchanged a tense glance. They were outnumbered, and a direct confrontation would be suicidal.

"We need to move," Liam whispered, his hand resting on his weapon. "Now."

They moved quickly, their movements practiced and efficient. Sam grabbed the notes from the company and what they have written, and Liam gathered their limited arsenal of equipment. They slipped through a back door, a hidden passage they had discovered during their initial sweep of the apartment, and into the dimly lit alleyway behind the building.

The city streets were a labyrinth of shadows and secrets, but Sam and Liam navigated them with practiced ease. The damp, cool air clung to their skin, and the distant hum of the city provided a constant, low thrum. They moved through alleys, across rooftops, and through crowded areas, using the urban landscape to their advantage.

The smell of exhaust fumes mingled with the damp earth, and the occasional flicker of neon signs cast long, distorted shadows. They knew they were being pursued, but they managed to stay one step ahead, their pursuers' footsteps echoing faintly in the distance.

Sam directed Liam towards a place he said would be safe. They reached their destination, a secluded garage tucked away in a quiet corner of the city. The heavy steel door opened silently, revealing a high-tech workshop filled with surveillance equipment, computers, and various gadgets.

The air hummed with the low thrum of electronics, and the scent of solder and ozone filled the space.

"Close one," Reyes said, his voice flat and emotionless, as he closed the garage door and activated the security system. The heavy door thudded shut, sealing them inside the secure space.

Reyes was a master of technology and surveillance, a man of few words but immense skill. He had worked with Sam and Liam on previous operations, and they trusted him implicitly. The cool, metallic surfaces of the equipment reflected the dim light, and the soft glow of the computer screens illuminated Reyes's focused expression.

Liam turned to Reyes, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Reyes, I have to ask... Why are you helping us with this? It's incredibly dangerous."

Reyes's expression remained neutral. "I owe you two anyway. Besides, if you want to pay me for the use of my services and equipment, just treat me to chicken and beer."

Liam shook his head slowly, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Oh, so you still love chicken and beer, huh? We'll definitely treat you. It's not just the equipment though, it's the risk."

Reyes's eyes flickered, a hint of something unreadable in their depths. "We all have our reasons. Besides, this… this is bigger than any job we've ever done. If that shadow thing is real, then we all have a problem."

"I contacted Reyes a night or two ago," Sam explained, "after we first found the coded message. I knew we'd need his expertise. I told him what we discovered, and he was shocked, but he went straight to work, monitoring the company and the warehouse."

Reyes nodded in agreement, and said, "I've been monitoring some unusual energy signatures, that have been increasing in frequency. It might be related," while pointing to a screen displaying complex waveforms.

The screen pulsed with erratic lines and spikes, a visual representation of the unsettling energy he was tracking.

"I've also been keeping an eye on the old warehouse," Reyes continued, pulling up surveillance footage. "Remember the explosives? I tracked the vehicles involved."

A map appeared on a large screen, showing the movements of several vehicles, including the van. "They all led to the company building," Reyes stated, his voice flat. "And I managed to place a tracker on one of them, using a drone.

"He pulled up a live feed from the tracker, showing a vehicle parked in the company's underground garage. The feed was grainy, but the vehicle was clearly visible, its dark paint reflecting the dim garage lights.

"It's becoming clear," Reyes said, his eyes focused on the screen. "The ritual isn't just planned for a specific time. It's planned for the location itself. The company building is the threshold."

He showed them camera footage he had, from the general area of the company, and some of the cult's known locations. They also briefed Reyes on the situation, showing him the note from the company and describing the mind control device.

Reyes listened intently, his eyes focused on the details.

"I have a device that can disrupt the signal, if it is placed close enough." Reyes stated, and handed Sam a small, sleek device. "It needs to be attached directly to the mind control device."

"That's too dangerous, Sam," Liam objected, his voice filled with concern. "They'll be expecting you."

"We don't have a choice," Sam replied, his gaze unwavering. "We need to disrupt that signal, and I know where to place a disruptor. Besides," he continued, "I have the card from Mr Richards, remember? I'll try to enter the normal way, and their reaction would be an indicator of safety or danger."

Liam still wouldn't allow Sam to do it for the risks involved. He asked Reyes, "Can't you locate the device from outside the building and remotely disrupt its signals?"

"Of course, I can do that," Reyes replied. "But it is riskier. If they can have a device that is capable of mind control, they can definitely pinpoint our location from my signal disruption commands. They can shut it off or block it as well, and it will be more dangerous, increasing the risk of plan failure."

Liam nodded reluctantly in defeat. They began to plan a countermeasure, using Reyes' equipment. They decided to try and stop the genocidal plans, to make the employees of the company evacuate safely. They needed to make sure everyone was safe. They also planned how Sam would move within the building again, to place the disruptor.

They needed to make it work, to make it a success. So many lives were at stake, and if the evil plans succeeded it would be like a grand dinner for the entity, making it extremely stronger.

As they worked, Sam's mind raced. He thought about the blank stares of the employees on the sixth floor, the unnaturally perfect plants, the chilling hum of the device.

He thought about the distorted voice on the other side of the door, the chilling message on his phone. He thought about the looming deadline, the impending ritual.

He moved away from the main workstation, his mind focused on the task ahead. He needed to be ready. He walked over to a rack of equipment, his fingers tracing the cold steel of the various tools and devices.

He selected a slim, black case, opening it to reveal a set of specialized lock picks, a custom made gun,and a small, powerful flashlight. Meanwhile, Reyes sat hunched over his workstation, his eyes fixed on the complex waveforms displayed on the screen. He glanced at the surveillance footage, the grainy images of the company's interior.

He zoomed in on the sixth floor, the location of the storage room. He saw the faint, almost imperceptible hum emanating from the storage room, the source of the mind control signal.

Suddenly, a pattern emerged on the screen, a series of repeating numbers and symbols. He stared at it, his eyes widening. It was a sequence, a code, a message. He quickly cross-referenced it with the coded messages they had already deciphered. It was a match.

The signal was transmitting instructions, commands, orders.

He leaned back in his chair, his mind racing. The mind control device wasn't just controlling people's actions. It was controlling their thoughts, their beliefs, their very souls.

Liam was also sending out warnings to the designated security system of the building via texts, emails, and even using the support system and customer service website of the company. But all his attempts had been dismissed by the receivers as mere pranks. He believed that it was the cult members working in the defense department of the company, who were actively making sure that their genocidal plan would go smoothly.

Frustrated, he closed the laptop he was using, and his phone rang. He glanced at the screen, his brow furrowing. "Unknown number," he said, his voice low. He answered, holding the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" he said, his voice cautious.

"Liam," the caller said, with voice that's barely audible. "They're moving… something big. Be careful."

"Who is this?" Liam asked, his voice sharp.

"Just a friend," the voice replied, then the call disconnected.

Liam stared at the phone, his mind racing. "What was that?" Sam asked, his voice tense.

"Someone warned us," Liam said, his eyes narrowing. "They said something big is happening."

They exchanged glances, knowing very well that any form of friendly tips or warnings could always be the enemy's doing.

They needed to move with perfect precision, efficiency and speed, for the deadline, the dreaded "31/10, 14:00", was fast approaching.