Keifer POV
The warehouse had turned into chaos.
Alarms screamed overhead, and red emergency lights flashed across the metal containers like lightning in a storm.
I moved through the aisles quickly.
Guards tried to stop us.
They failed.
Felix shoved one into a stack of crates beside me.
"Seriously," he said between breaths, "why do villains always pick warehouses?"
Ci-N blocked a punch from another guard and pushed him aside.
"Because they're dramatic."
I didn't answer. My eyes kept scanning the shadows ahead.
He was here.
I could feel it.
Then the sound came.
Slow clapping.
Everyone stopped.
The sound echoed between the containers like someone applauding a performance.
A figure stepped out from the darkness.
Calm.
Perfectly composed.
Kaiser Watson
He looked exactly the same as always. Like the chaos around him didn't exist.
"Impressive," he said.
I stepped forward.
"Where's the detonator?"
Kaiser lifted a small remote in his hand.
The warehouse screens flickered.
The timer jumped.
00:45
Felix groaned behind me.
"Oh great."
Kaiser's smile grew slightly.
"You all came exactly as predicted."
I didn't like that smile.
"Let them leave," I said.
He tilted his head.
"And miss the finale?"
Felix leaned toward Ci-N and whispered loudly,
"He talks too much."
I didn't wait anymore.
I moved.
My fist slammed into Kaiser's jaw.
The fight exploded instantly.
Jay POV
The control booth felt too small.
Every screen around us flashed warnings.
Explosive circuits.
Signal lines.
Override commands.
The timer was still counting down.
00:28
Hex leaned over the console, typing quickly.
His fingers moved like lightning across the keyboard.
"This is insane," he muttered.
"Focus," I told him.
Carlos's voice came through my communicator.
"Jay, the explosives are still active. If the timer hits zero, everything detonates."
I stared at the wiring diagrams on the screen.
"How long to shut it down?"
Hex paused.
Then his expression changed.
"…Ten seconds."
"That's fine," I said.
He shook his head.
"Not really."
He pointed at the screen.
"The shutdown sequence needs someone holding the override key the entire time."
For a second, everything felt very quiet.
I understood immediately.
Whoever started the shutdown…
wouldn't have time to leave.
The timer dropped again.
00:25
Outside the booth I heard metal crashing.
Keifer fighting Kaiser.
Felix yelling somewhere below.
The entire warehouse shaking from the fight.
I looked at Hex.
He looked back at me.
Neither of us said anything.
Then I spoke into the communicator.
"Everyone needs to leave the warehouse."
Hex nodded slowly.
"I'll handle the shutdown."
"No."
He raised an eyebrow.
"You're already injured."
He gave a small smirk.
"Flattered you noticed."
The timer dropped again.
00:20
Felix's voice suddenly exploded through the communicator.
"Jay! We're running out of time!"
I grabbed the mic.
"Everyone move to the exits. Now."
Felix hesitated.
"What about you?"
"Go."
There was silence for a second.
Then Keifer's voice came through.
"…Understood."
One by one, I heard the team start moving toward the exits.
But inside the control booth…
Hex and I stayed where we were.
And the timer kept falling.