The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting an eerie glow over the cluttered laboratory. Rows of sleek, silver workstations lined the walls, each one covered in a tangled mess of wires, circuit boards, and half-built prototypes. The air was thick with the smell of solder, ozone, and burned coffee. A man in his late 50s with a wild shock of black hair and a grey-flecked beard, worked with frenzied intensity, his eyes darting between the intricate device on the workbench and the countdown timer on his wristwatch. His white lab coat was stained with grease and coffee, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing a pair of futuristic smart watches on his wrists. As he worked, a voice crackled in his earpiece, "Only a minute left before contact, Doctor," the voice sounded stoic and official. The man hands moved swiftly, connecting wires and sparking the device to life. The air was thick with tension as he worked against the clock. "Just a few more touches," he muttered, his hands moving with precision. The device began to glow with a bright blue light, signaling success. His face lit up with a triumphant smile. "Haha! It's complete. I've managed to upgrade it. All that's left is to test it for any probable errors," he muttered to himself The voice in his earpiece warned, "10 seconds to contact, Dr. Morgan," Morgan's expression turned grim. "Ah, fuck it! Let's go," he growled, hastily shutting down the device and packing it into a briefcase. The voice counted down, "2 seconds to contact, we need to leave now, Sir," it stated And almost immediately several footsteps echoed outside the lab, growing louder as they approached. "Dr. Morgan! We've been given orders to escort you out of the building," a husky, male voice declared. "We request you come out peacefully without any of the company's property whatsoever, including the Oscillatory device. Boss's orders!" the voice warned. It belonged to a burly man in a black military outfit, holding an assault rifle in his arms. And behind him was a small squad of men in the same outfit, all armed to the teeth Morgan's face paled. "Crap!" he whispered, his gaze darting around the room. "Contact has been made, Dr Morgan," the voice in the ear comm stated "Gee, thanks for pointing that out, Alfie," he replied sarcastically. Glancing around the room, his eyes landed on a small, spherical device on the table. A sly smile spread across his face as he grabbed it and pressed a few buttons. The device began blinking with a red light. The men outside grew impatient. "We know you're in there, Dr. Morgan. Come out now before things get ugly." Morgan placed the device back on the table, his eyes locked on the ceiling. He took a deep breath and cursed inwardly .... Outside the lab, the burly man waited patiently. And after a second of receiving no reply, he signalled to one of the other men, directing his gaze to the door The man nodded and walked forward, he took out a keycard and scanned it on the door's lock screen. The screen beeped with a flash of green light before sliding open, with a hiss sound. The men burst into the lab, rifles at the ready. But Morgan was gone, leaving behind only the faint hum of machinery. The burly man's face twisted in frustration. "Shit! He escaped. Find the device, check every corner of the room for it," he ordered, giving orders to two of the men "The rest of you, find..." Beep! He was interrupted by a soft beeping sound that echoed through the lab. He frowned and glanced across the room, then his gaze landed on a spherical device sitting on a table in the distance He walked towards it and scrutinized it properly. "Could this be it?" he thought, reaching out to the device. But before he could touch it, he hesitated, seemingly remembering something. "Wait, the boss said the machine looked like a disc, not a ball," he muttered, staring at the device with curiosity Then it made another beeping sound, this time more louder and consistent. And that's when realisation dawned upon him. With years of being a soldier and mercenary, how could he not recognise that particular beeping sequence. He instantly knew what it was His eyes widened in horror as he quickly warned the other men. "It's an explosive, get down!" he yelled, diving for cover. BOOM! The device detonated, sending the lab into chaos. The blast wave shook the room, and the sound of shattering glass filled the air. As the dust settled, the men stumbled out of the lab, their ears ringing. The burly man's face was grim. They, a bunch of soldiers had been outsmarted by a scientist, an old one at that. His blood boiled and veins popped up on his head, he was annoyed. He used his hands to clear the smoke, scanning the room in hopes of finding a certain machine, but then his gaze landed on an opened vent in the ceiling. "We need to find Morgan and that device. Now," the burly man growled, his eyes scanning the surrounding area. The men nodded, still shaken from the explosion. They fanned out, as they began searching every corner of the building. As they searched, the burly man's comms device crackled to life. "Report in, team leader," a voice said. The burly man hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "Dr. Morgan escaped with the device. He seemed to have escaped through the vent, but he's probably still in the building premise," he reported There was a pause before the voice responded, "I see. But be advised, the device is priority one. Capture or neutralize Dr. Morgan if necessary. Just make sure you find it," The burly man's expression turned grim. He knew what "neutralize" meant. "Understood," he replied and ended the transmission. Before tapping on the screen of his watch and speaking into it. "Red alert! I need all troops in on this, search every inch of this building for Dr. Theo Morgan. Don't let him escape!" he ordered. And soon, every guard and combat force in the building was after the old scientist. Meanwhile, Dr. Morgan was making his escape, the briefcase containing the Oscillatory device clutched tightly in his hand. He navigated through the labyrinthine corridors, avoiding security patrols. As he walked, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. He glanced over his shoulder from time to time, knowing that he was being hunted. Suddenly, his earpiece crackled to life. "Dr. Morgan, I've hacked into the security grid. I can clear a path for you." Morgan's eyes lit up with hope. "Alfie, you're a lifesaver. What's the route?" "Head to the east stairwell. I'll disable the cameras and alarms. You'll have a 30-second window to make it to the exit. I've prepared the escape vehicle," Morgan nodded, already moving towards the stairwell. "Thanks, Alfie. Whatever would I do without you." As he descended the stairs, Morgan could hear the sound of security patrols closing in. He quickened his pace, his heart pounding in his chest. He burst through the exit door, gasping for air. The cool night air enveloped him, a welcome respite from the chaos behind. Morgan looked around, getting his bearings, when a sleek, crimson Ferrari 488 GTB came to a smooth stop directly in front of him. The car's engine purred softly, and the passenger door swung open, revealing a luxurious interior. "Haha! Now we're talking," Morgan slid into the passenger's seat with a sense of relief, feeling the soft leather envelop him. He knew that Alfie had arranged for a getaway car, and he was glad to see that it had arrived. But the craziest part was, the car had no driver. "Thanks, Alfie," Morgan said as the car began to move. "No need to thank me, Doctor. I'm only observing my primary function," the smooth British voice, known as Alfie said. But this time, it didn't come from the earpiece. It came from the car speakers. The Ferrari accelerated smoothly, its engine roaring as it sped away from the facility. The car seemed to be driving itself, steering expertly navigating the twists and turns of the road. Dr. Morgan breathed a sigh of relief as the self-driving car sped away from the organization's building. The cool night air rushed past him, a welcome respite from the chaos he'd just escaped. But his relief was short-lived. A convoy of black SUVs screeched out of the building's parking lot, their tires squealing as they took off in pursuit. "We've got company!" he exclaimed "Not for long. I advise you fasten your seatbelt, Dr. Morgan," Alfie replied. And instantly, the steering wheel began moving more vigorous and precise. The car expertly navigated the winding roads, dodging other vehicles with ease. Morgan held on tight, his knuckles white as he clutched the briefcase. The SUVs closed in, their headlights casting an eerie glow over the dark streets. And from the vehicles came several shots, all aimed at the Ferrari. Energy blasts ricocheted off the self-driving car's armor-plated hull, sending sparks flying everywhere. Morgan's heart pounded in his chest as the car took a sharp turn, narrowly avoiding a collision with an oncoming truck. The SUVs were relentless, their drivers expertly trained to take down their quarry. But the self-driving car... or rather Alfie, was no ordinary driver. It expertly wove through traffic, using its advanced sensors to evade the pursuers. For a few heart-stopping moments, it seemed like they'd shaken off the tail. "I think we lost them. Good job, Alfie," Dr. Morgan said "They stand no chance against, the fast and the furious Alfie," Alfie replied with an invisible smug smile. But then, out of nowhere, a sleek black Porshe appeared in front of them, its headlights blindingly bright. Then a man popped out through the window of the passenger seat, holding a rocket-propelled grenade. "That can't be good," Dr. Morgan muttered with a stunned and petrified expression The man, a skilled operative, wasted no time and launched a rocket-propelled grenade at the car. Morgan's eyes widened in horror as the projectile hurtled towards them. "Brace yourself, Dr. Morgan!" Alfie exclaimed, trying to steer the car away from the incoming threat. But it was a bit too late, the grenade struck the car with incredible force, sending it careening out of control. The doors immediately slid open and Morgan was thrown from the vehicle, the briefcase clutched tightly in his hand. He landed hard on the asphalt, the wind knocked out of him.