1400 hours arrived under a gray, oppressive sky.
Ted stood in the center of his glass cell, outwardly calm while every nerve was taut. The hunger had grown into a sharp, insistent pressure in his chest. He had spent the morning conserving energy and reviewing every detail of the plan. The cameras watched him constantly, but the guards had grown slightly complacent after two days of "cooperative" behavior.
Through the intercom, Dr. Kane's voice occasionally checked in with routine questions. Marcus had visited once that morning, smirking through the glass. "Enjoy your last hours of freedom, Harlan. After today's tests, they'll never let you out."
Ted had said nothing.
Now, the moment was approaching.
At exactly 1400, distant alarms began to wail — not the full perimeter breach siren, but a localized alert from the east gate loading bay. Shouts and hurried footsteps echoed through the corridors as personnel rushed to respond.
Elena had done her part.
A voice crackled over the hub-wide comms: "Minor breach at east loading bay! Infected pack infiltrated during convoy preparation! All available personnel report to east sector!"
The two guards outside Ted's cell exchanged glances. One spoke into his radio. "We're on containment duty. Do we stay or respond?"
"Stay put," came the reply. "The prisoner is priority."
But the distraction was already working. The wing's normal security thinned as soldiers were pulled toward the east gate.
Ted waited for the perfect window.
He activated **Minor Flesh Crafting** at low power, adjusting his posture and expression to look more fatigued and compliant. Then, focusing on the captured mutants in the adjacent cells, he tested **Basic Horde Command** very carefully — spending only 15 Essence on the weakest pulse possible.
*Make noise. Slam the barriers. Draw attention.*
The two mutants in the nearest cells suddenly became more agitated, throwing themselves harder against the reinforced glass with louder, wet thuds and snarls. The sound echoed through the wing, drawing the remaining guard closer to investigate.
As the guard stepped away from Ted's cell door to check the mutants, Ted struck.
He poured 80 Essence into a focused **Basic Horde Command** aimed at the three closest lesser mutants in the wing: *Break. Attack the glass near the guard.*
The command hit. One of the mutants slammed into its barrier with unnatural force, cracking the reinforced glass. The guard spun, raising his rifle.
In that split second of chaos, Ted activated his upgraded **Flesh Crafting** fully and slammed his shoulder into his own cell door with every ounce of his boosted Strength 22. The reinforced lock groaned but held.
Not enough.
He tried again, combining strength with a desperate second command pulse on the mutants to create more distraction. The glass on the adjacent cell finally shattered. Infected spilled into the corridor, forcing the guard to open fire.
Ted slammed the door a third time. This time the lock gave way with a metallic shriek.
He burst into the corridor just as the guard turned. Ted moved with enhanced agility, closing the distance in a blur and striking the man's rifle aside before delivering a precise, non-lethal blow to the temple with the edge of his hand. The guard crumpled.
Alarms inside the containment wing began to blare.
Ted didn't waste time. He grabbed the guard's access card and sidearm, then sprinted toward the exit. Horde Sense guided him — he could feel the chaos at the east gate growing.
Elena's distraction was buying him precious minutes.
As he reached the wing's outer door and swiped the card, the System rewarded his bold move:
*[Emergency Quest: Avoid Permanent Containment – Partial Success. +150 Necro Essence. Escape Branch progressing.]*
**Necro Essence: 719**
The corridor beyond was in confusion. Personnel were rushing toward the east gate. Ted moved with the flow, keeping his head down and using **Flesh Crafting** to alter his appearance slightly — making his posture more hunched and his face look more like a generic laborer in the chaos.
He spotted Elena near the loading bay entrance, directing panicked workers while creating just enough disorder to mask his approach. Their Ally Bond pulsed strongly as she sensed him nearby.
A shout rang out behind him.
"Harlan has escaped! Containment breach!"
Marcus's voice carried over the noise. "Find him! He's heading for the convoy!"
Ted broke into a run toward the east gate, heart pounding. The supply convoy trucks were already loaded and starting to move amid the distraction. Infected moans mixed with gunfire from the minor breach Elena had engineered.
He had only seconds.
Elena caught his eye across the chaos and nodded once — *Go!*
Ted sprinted for the nearest moving truck, using his agility to leap onto the running board as it accelerated through the partially open gate.
Gunfire cracked behind him. Marcus was firing wildly, shouting, "Stop him!"
The truck sped out into the ruined streets, the hub walls receding behind them.
Ted clung to the side, breathing hard, the wind whipping past.
He had escaped the glass cage.
But the hunt had only just begun.
The ruined city stretched ahead — full of dead, resources, and the chance to finally grow without walls closing in.
And somewhere behind him, Marcus, Dr. Kane, and the hub's forces would be coming.