The blast door opened just wide enough for one person to squeeze through.
Marcus went first.
He ducked beneath the twisted metal, Noah still strapped against his back, and stumbled into the darkness beyond.
Damian followed with Adrian in his arms.
Ethan and Caleb slipped through after them.
The moment the last person crossed the threshold, the floor lurched violently beneath their feet.
A deep metallic groan rolled through the mountain.
Behind them, something massive collapsed.
The blast door shuddered in its frame, then jammed halfway open.
No one looked back.
They ran.
The passage beyond was far wider than the corridors they had crossed before. Black metal walls curved overhead, threaded with dim strips of blue light. Some still burned steadily. Others flickered without rhythm, leaving entire sections of the passage in darkness.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The mountain groaned again.
Marcus nearly lost his footing.
Noah's fingers tightened weakly against his shoulder.
"Straight."
His voice was barely audible.
Marcus forced himself forward.
At the end of the corridor stood another door.
This one was already open.
Beyond it—
Light.
Not the cold blue light of the tunnels.
Hundreds of screens.
Thousands.
They covered the walls from floor to ceiling, wrapping around an enormous circular chamber. Some displayed maps. Some showed rows of numbers and unfamiliar symbols. Others flickered between surveillance feeds from different parts of the facility.
Above them, the entire ceiling was one vast screen.
For a moment, it showed the mountain from above.
A network of underground passages glowed beneath its surface like veins.
Then the image distorted.
A jagged line tore across the display.
Half the ceiling dissolved into static.
"Control room," Ethan breathed.
The chamber was larger than the crystal vault.
Rows of curved consoles spread outward from a sunken central platform. Tall banks of machinery stood between them, their internal lights pulsing unevenly.
The entire place was still running.
But only barely.
Alarms flashed soundlessly across dead screens.
Mechanical arms twitched in empty workstations.
Ventilation fans slowed, caught, then struggled back into motion.
One screen after another turned white with static.
Then black.
Caleb spun in a slow circle.
"This place is still active?"
"No," Noah whispered.
Marcus turned his head slightly.
"What?"
Noah lifted his face from Marcus's shoulder.
His skin had gone pale beneath the dirt. Even opening his eyes seemed to cost him effort.
"It's dying."
As if in answer, a row of monitors along the left wall went dark.
The room trembled.
Somewhere beneath the floor, metal tore apart with a shriek.
Damian tightened his grip on Adrian.
"We need an exit."
Noah's eyes moved across the chamber.
"Take me around."
Marcus stared ahead.
"You can barely stay conscious."
"Move."
There was no strength in Noah's voice.
But there was certainty.
Marcus shifted Noah higher against his back and started running.
"Which way?"
"Outer ring."
Marcus veered toward the curved wall.
Caleb stayed at his side, one hand ready behind Noah in case his grip failed. Damian followed several steps back, carrying Adrian. Ethan brought up the rear, glancing constantly at the failing screens.
They passed the first bank of monitors.
Most showed underground corridors.
Some were empty.
Others were no longer recognizable.
The walls had split open.
Dark roots—or cables—had pushed through the metal.
One feed showed an entire passage twisting slowly, as though the tunnel itself were alive.
The image convulsed.
Then vanished into static.
Caleb looked away.
"Please tell me that was the camera moving."
No one answered.
"Slower," Noah said.
Marcus reduced his pace only slightly.
Noah scanned each screen as they passed.
A transport tunnel.
A sealed chamber.
Rows of cylindrical tanks.
Marcus almost missed them.
"Back."
He stopped so hard Caleb ran into him.
"What?"
"Two screens back."