Beyond the heavy steel blast door lay the faint outline of an inner chamber, submerged in a thick, freezing gloom. I raised my flashlight, the beam cutting through the dark to illuminate a secondary door that defied the sterile architecture of the Admin sector.
At its center sat a heavy, round doorknob made of polished silver, intricately cast into the shape of a snarling creature's head. Surrounding it, etched deep into the reinforced metal face of the door itself, was a massive, precise pentagon—a bizarre, ritualistic symbol looking entirely out of place amidst the raw machinery.
I stepped forward, my hand extending toward the silver frame.
But then—
A sudden, blinding white line sliced horizontally across my vision.
It wasn't a visual glitch. It was a localized system execution.
