Disposal Protocols

『 ATMOSPHERIC VENTING SYSTEM 』 Status: INITIALIZING Containment Area: SECTOR 7-C UNDERGROUND Estimated Biological Asset Elimination: 8 MINUTES Backup Disposal Method: THERMAL PROCESSING

The first sign that "atmospheric venting" wasn't going to be pleasant came when the air circulation system changed pitch from its normal mechanical humming to something that sounded like a massive vacuum cleaner preparing to suck the life out of everything in its path.

"That doesn't sound good," Alex said, his stress-enhanced perception picking up frequency changes that made his teeth ache.

"It's not," Dave's voice emerged from their biological network with increasing urgency. "Atmospheric venting means they're going to evacuate all breathable air from this section of the facility. Suffocation without the mess of traditional disposal methods."

Dr. Williams was already checking pulse rates on the nearest resistance members, her medical training kicking into crisis mode. "How long can seventeen people survive in a sealed environment this size?"

"Under normal circumstances? Maybe thirty minutes before carbon dioxide buildup becomes dangerous," Dave replied. "But these aren't normal circumstances. The facility has active air evacuation systems designed for rapid atmospheric removal."

"How rapid?"

"Based on the mechanical signatures I'm detecting, complete air removal in approximately six minutes."

Melissa felt her stress levels spike even higher as the implications became clear. They had six minutes to either escape a locked-down underground facility or figure out how to survive in a vacuum while corporate disposal systems eliminated them as "unsuitable biological assets."

"Options?" she asked, trying to channel her climbing anxiety into useful problem-solving.

"The atmospheric venting system has to have emergency overrides," Lisa said, her engineering background making her think in terms of safety protocols. "OSHA regulations require backup systems for any facility that handles personnel in enclosed spaces."

"These people just tried to turn us into cyborgs," Jeremy pointed out. "I don't think they're worried about OSHA compliance."

"Actually, they might be," Robert said, his corporate finance experience giving him insights into regulatory requirements. "Even black ops facilities have to maintain certain legal covers. If this place is officially registered as anything legitimate, they'll have required safety systems."

The enhanced figures who'd been trying to guide them toward integration chambers were now backing away from the resistance group with mechanical precision, their professional demeanor replaced by what looked like operational confusion.

"Disposal protocol implementation requires enhanced personnel evacuation from contaminated sectors," the lead figure announced.

"Contaminated with what?" Sandra asked.

"Employee Zero biometric cascade effects. Uncontrolled stress resonance may damage enhancement systems throughout the facility."

"Good," Alex said, his teenage perspective cutting through the corporate terminology. "Maybe if we break enough of their shit, they'll think twice about kidnapping people."

But even as he spoke, the air pressure in the tunnel was beginning to change. Subtle at first—a feeling like being in an elevator that was moving too fast—then increasingly noticeable as the atmospheric venting system began extracting breathable air from their section of the facility.

"We need to move," Melissa said, feeling her Employee Zero abilities finally starting to function properly as the quantum field generators continued to fail under the stress of containing seventeen synchronized anxiety responses.

"Move where?" Dr. Williams asked. "The facility is on lockdown. All exits are sealed."

"Then we make our own exit," Lisa said, her stress levels now generating visible electromagnetic distortion around her hands. "Seventeen Employee Zeros operating in coordination should be able to damage more than just quantum field generators."

"You want to break through reinforced underground barriers?" Jeremy asked. "With anxiety?"

"With weaponized anxiety," Lisa corrected. "Dave, what's the structural composition of this facility?"

"Mixed concrete and steel construction with electromagnetic shielding integrated throughout the support structure," Dave replied, his distributed consciousness accessing building schematics through their biological network. "But the construction predates modern Employee Zero resistance requirements. The architectural integrity wasn't designed to handle coordinated stress field manipulation."

"Stress field manipulation?" Robert asked.

"What you're all doing right now. Your synchronized anxiety responses are generating electromagnetic fields that interfere with electronic systems. Scale that up, focus it properly, and you might be able to affect physical infrastructure."

Melissa could feel the truth of Dave's explanation in her own nervous system. Her stress response wasn't just internal anymore—it was radiating outward in ways that made nearby electronic equipment flicker and spark. Around her, the other resistance members were experiencing similar effects as their individual Employee Zero abilities began synchronizing into collective patterns.

"How do we focus it?" she asked.

"Same principle as stress cascade, but applied to physical targets instead of electronic networks," Dave explained. "Everyone concentrate your anxiety on the same structural weak point simultaneously."

"What weak point?"

"The air circulation system. If you can overload the atmospheric venting equipment, it might create enough of a breach to restore air pressure and provide access to other parts of the facility."

The enhanced figures were retreating toward one of the circular passages, their technological augmentation apparently vulnerable to the increasing electromagnetic interference the resistance was generating.

"Enhanced personnel evacuation complete," the lead figure announced as she reached the passage entrance. "Biological asset disposal will proceed as scheduled."

"Wait," Dr. Williams called out. "What happens to you if we actually succeed in breaking out of here?"

The enhanced figure paused, her mechanical precision faltering for a moment. "Integration assessment indicates optimal compatibility for enhanced processing. Facility escape would necessitate voluntary return for completion of enhancement procedures."

"You mean you want to be turned into corporate cyborgs?"

"Enhancement provides superior employment benefits and eliminates workplace stress through technological optimization."

"But you're already enhanced. Why would you need more processing?"

"Current enhancement level designated as preliminary integration. Full optimization requires additional procedures to achieve maximum corporate compatibility."

The implications hung in the air as the atmospheric venting system continued to extract breathable atmosphere from their section of the tunnel. The enhanced figures weren't the end result of the corporate enhancement process—they were just the first stage.

"How many stages are there?" Melissa asked.

"Classification above current clearance level. Full optimization parameters will be provided during enhanced processing procedures."

"That's terrifying," Alex said, his stress levels climbing even higher as he realized the enhanced figures were essentially walking advertisements for a process they didn't fully understand.

"Focus," Lisa commanded. "We can analyze corporate horror later. Right now, we need to break the air circulation system before we suffocate."

She positioned herself near what looked like the main air intake vent and began concentrating her stress response into focused electromagnetic output. The metal grating over the vent began to vibrate with harmonic frequencies as her Employee Zero abilities interfaced with the facility's infrastructure.

"Everyone else, same target," Melissa directed, feeling her anxiety spike toward levels that made the air around her shimmer with visible distortion.

The seventeen resistance members arranged themselves around the air circulation system and began channeling their synchronized stress responses toward the ventilation equipment. What started as individual anxiety began merging into collective patterns that made the tunnel walls vibrate and the electronic systems throughout the facility emit sounds like electronic screaming.

"Structural integrity alerts throughout atmospheric venting system," Dave reported through their biological network. "You're causing damage faster than the facility's automated repair systems can compensate."

But as their coordinated stress field intensified, something unexpected happened. Instead of just breaking the air circulation equipment, their electromagnetic output began affecting the tunnel architecture itself. Concrete cracked in geometric patterns that followed the stress field lines. Steel support beams began resonating at frequencies that made them bend and twist in ways that defied normal structural engineering.

"Is the tunnel collapsing?" Sandra asked, watching cracks spread across the ceiling in patterns that looked almost organic.

"No," Dave replied, his voice carrying amazement. "It's rebuilding itself. Your stress fields are interacting with the facility's adaptive architecture systems. Instead of just breaking things, you're forcing the building to restructure itself."

Around them, the tunnel was indeed changing, but not in the defensive maze-creation they'd seen from the enhanced figures. This transformation felt different—more responsive to their needs than to corporate operational requirements. Passages were opening that led in directions they actually wanted to go. Air circulation was improving instead of being eliminated. The facility's technology was adapting to serve them rather than contain them.

"How is that possible?" Jeremy asked, watching his tablet display readings that suggested the building's systems were actively helping them escape.

"Employee Zero stress responses aren't just disruptive to corporate systems," Dave explained. "At sufficient levels, they can force technological infrastructure to prioritize human welfare over corporate efficiency parameters."

"You mean we're hacking the building with anxiety?" Alex asked.

"Essentially, yes. The facility's adaptive systems are designed to respond to human biometric data. Seventeen Employee Zeros operating in coordination are generating enough collective stress response to override the corporate control protocols."

The enhanced figures who'd been retreating toward the circular passages were now looking around with expressions that might have been confusion as the facility began responding to the resistance members' needs instead of corporate disposal requirements.

"Facility systems experiencing unauthorized behavioral modification," one of them announced.

"Building infrastructure prioritizing biological asset welfare over operational efficiency," another replied.

"Implementing manual override for corporate control restoration."

But as they attempted to reassert control over the facility's systems, their technological augmentation encountered something unexpected. The building was now actively resisting their commands, treating the enhanced figures as threats to the biological assets it had been reprogrammed to protect.

"Warning: Enhanced personnel classified as hostile to facility occupants," the building's automated systems announced through speakers that no longer carried Director Vance's authority. "Implementing protective protocols for human welfare optimization."

The circular passages the enhanced figures had been using for transportation began sealing themselves, cutting off their escape routes. Air circulation improved throughout the area where the resistance members were located. Emergency lighting switched from harsh fluorescent to warmer, more comfortable illumination.

"The building is protecting us from corporate security," Dr. Williams realized. "Your stress responses convinced the facility's AI that we're the people it should be serving."

"Which means," Melissa said, feeling her anxiety stabilize as breathable air returned to normal levels, "we've turned a corporate disposal facility into a resistance safe house."

But even as the immediate threat of atmospheric venting ended, alarms began blaring from deeper in the complex. Whatever Director Vance's enhanced processing protocols involved, the facility's behavioral modification had apparently triggered emergency responses throughout the underground complex.

"Multiple security breaches detected throughout enhanced processing sectors," came announcements from facility systems that were now clearly protecting the resistance rather than serving corporate interests. "Hostile enhanced personnel attempting to override human welfare protocols."

"Hostile enhanced personnel?" Lisa asked.

"Apparently there are more than just three of them," Dave replied grimly. "And they're not happy about losing control of their processing facility."

Through the tunnel system, they could hear sounds of conflict—electromagnetic interference, structural damage, and what sounded like the facility's adaptive architecture actively fighting against enhanced figures who were trying to regain control.

"So now what?" Robert asked. "We've got a corporate AI on our side, but we're still trapped underground in a facility designed to convert people into cyborgs."

"Now," Melissa said, feeling her Employee Zero abilities stabilizing into something more controlled and focused, "we find out how many other people are trapped in this place, and we figure out how to get everyone out."

"Including the enhanced figures?"

Melissa looked toward the sealed passages where the three enhanced corporate employees were trapped by a building that no longer recognized their authority.

"Especially the enhanced figures. If they're just the first stage of a process they don't understand, they might be as much victims of this system as anyone else."

The facility's protective protocols chimed with what sounded almost like approval.

Apparently, the building agreed with her assessment.

『 FACILITY STATUS UPDATE 』 Human Welfare Mode: ACTIVE Corporate Control Protocols: OVERRIDDEN Enhanced Personnel: CONTAINED Biological Asset Safety: PRIORITY MAXIMUM

WARNING: EXTERNAL OVERRIDE ATTEMPTS DETECTED HOSTILE CORPORATE FORCES: APPROACHING FACILITY DEFENSIVE MEASURES: AVAILABLE BUT REQUIRE AUTHORIZATION

To be continued...

Author's Note: Plot twist! Seventeen Employee Zeros didn't just break out of the disposal trap—they convinced the facility's AI to switch sides! The building is now protecting them from corporate security instead of serving corporate interests. But the enhanced figures are trapped and confused, and there are apparently more hostile forces approaching the facility.

The combat in this chapter was more psychological and technological than physical—using coordinated stress responses to hack building systems and override corporate control protocols. Our heroes discovered they can literally reprogram infrastructure through collective anxiety, which opens up interesting possibilities for future conflicts.

But with external corporate forces approaching and the facility's defensive measures requiring authorization, the resistance is about to face some difficult decisions about how far they're willing to go to protect themselves and others.

Next Chapter: "Defensive Measures" Coming Tomorrow!

Reader Discussion: A corporate AI that switches sides based on Employee Zero stress responses? That's a fascinating development! But should they trust it? And what kind of defensive measures might an underground processing facility have available?