CASSIAN
The explosion came from outside, but it was so powerful the building itself shuddered. Dust rained down from the concrete ceiling.
The lights flickered and died for a second before the red emergency glow returned. It was the sound of a contingency plan being executed.
The facility's secondary power grid, the one Emilio thought was his secret, had just become a bomb.
I looked at Emilio, whose hands were now shaking as much as mine had been.
"That would be my contingency," I said simply.
The metal door hit the wall with a bang that echoed like a gunshot.
Three of Emilio's men flooded into the room, their movements frantic and uncoordinated.
The carefully constructed scene of a captive in a chair had collapsed into a mess of panic.
They weren't looking at me like a prisoner anymore; they were looking at me like a problem they didn't know how to solve.
"Sir," one of them panted, his eyes darting to the ceiling as another distant explosion rocked the floor.
