“TINA, are you able to see anything yet?”

“Initial scans complete. The backup lab appears intact. No signs of intrusion. Next step is a direct connection.”

Clara cut in. “You’re sure about this? Dad might’ve left booby traps…”

“I can handle any defenses and firewalls.”

Lock asked, “You sure we aren’t being followed?”

Emmett replied, “You can trust her.”

“It’s not that. I’m just not used to being the one snuck up on. Not a fan.”

Clara replied, “I think it’s going to be like that for a while. We are on the run, you know.”

“Direct connection complete. Bypassing defenses. Overriding controls. Securing access.”

The bunker doors hissed open, revealing a long stairwell beyond. Tiny red lights along the steps attempted to push away the darkness. Even from up here, eerie clangs and hisses echoed from the lab. Mod paused, trying to listen.

Clara and Lock slipped past him, descending the stairwell. Mod followed.

It was a long time before they reached the bottom. At one point, they were deep enough that Mod couldn’t see the blast doors or the bottom of the stairwell—all he could see was the stairwell. It felt like they were floating in darkness.

Before long, they reached the bottom of the stairs. The hall stretched out into the gloom. They followed it, passing half a dozen doors of reinforced steel and access hatches for the pipes and wiring that ran alongside the hallway like bundles of nerves. None of the doors were labeled—only numbered. Each of them had a small camera and display next to it, no bigger than his palm, and each looked to be several decades old.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Emmett slowed and stared at the door.

It was just like he remembered—the numbers 003 painted on it and the old display that would show the waveform of TINA’s voice.

“...There’s no way. This is the exact same setup.” Emmett glanced back toward the first two doors.

When he agreed to work for Dr. Venture, Emmett remembered being struck by the weirdness of the lab. So much of it was futuristic—except that certain access panels and security features were strangely low-tech or analog. Now Emmett knew that was because of Midas. Venture had thought that different levels of tech would mess with Midas’s abilities.

So far, all three of the backup lab’s doors were identical to the setups from the original lab. What were the odds of that?

“Talk about déjà vu…” He gestured for Clara and Lock to look at the door. But his friends had already walked ahead, leaving Emmett alone in the darkness.

That was weird. Emmett’s eyes were better than this. He should’ve been able to see his friends clearly across the hallway. He should’ve been able to hear them, too.

“Clara! Lock!”

Nothing. No voices. No footsteps.

“TINA… I think something’s wrong.”

Emmett called for his friends again—

This time, there wasn’t even an echo.

“TINA… TINA, are you there?”

~ ~ ~

END OF BOOK 5

ARC 3 CONTINUES…

START BOOK 6

Mod Superhero: Resistance—

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START BOOK 6

Mod Superhero: Glitch