ETHAN DRAKE: WORLD HORIZON GAMES

The elevator shaft yawned open before me, a black void stretching down into nothingness. I craned my neck, peering into the abyss where the cables should've been. Gone. Snapped or cut—either way, we weren't taking the express route down.

Alice's voice cut through the tension. "So, how do we go down now?" Her tone was steady, but the way she shifted on her feet betrayed unease.

JD, always the first to jump to solutions, shrugged. "We climb." He tested the edge of the shaft with a boot, like he was already sizing up the descent.

Rain scoffed, arms crossed over her chest. "Or we find the damn stairs like normal people."

Kaplan was already fumbling with his holo-map, the blue glow of the display reflecting off his sweat-slicked face. "There." He pointed at the projection. "Stairs leading down three levels. We can use them."

I glanced at him, then back at the broken elevator. The jagged metal edges where the cables used to be didn't sit right with me. "You think this was an accident?" My voice came out low, thoughtful. I looked at the others, waiting for the wheels to turn in their heads. "Or did the Red Queen do this on purpose?"

Alice's gaze met mine, searching for answers I didn't have. "Why would she?"

I turned, stepping towards the row of massive observation windows. Fake cityscape wallpapers stretched across them, an eerie illusion of normalcy in this tomb of steel and concrete. I tapped my knuckles against the glass, a dull thud echoing through the silent corridor. "Maybe she wants to make sure no one escapes," I said. "Or maybe she wants to make sure whatever happened here... stays here."

A beat of silence.

Rain narrowed her eyes at me, then at the duffle bag slung across my back. "Where'd you get that?"

I adjusted the strap casually, letting it hang just right against my shoulder. "Found it on the train. Same place we found Spence."

Every head in the room snapped toward Spence. He stiffened under their stares, raising his hands like he'd just been caught stealing. "I—I don't remember anything," he muttered, a weak excuse that barely scraped the surface of the truth.

Matt, standing off to the side, stiffened. "I think I heard something in the vents."

Rain rolled her eyes. "You always think you hear something. You're a fake cop. What, you scared?"

Matt bristled, stepping forward. "I'm a real cop. My identity just... isn't in the database yet."

James, ever the no-nonsense type, spoke up. "Enough. We move. Stairs it is."

Rain's eyes flicked back to my duffle bag, suspicion thick in her expression. "What's in the bag?"

I smirked, unzipping it just enough for to peek through. "T-virus." I paused, letting the weight of the words settle. "Want to see?"

The room went still. Kaplan swallowed hard. Alice's eyes widened. Rain's fingers twitched near her weapon, but she didn't draw.

James was the first to snap out of it. "Let's move."

Just like that, the conversation was over. They ignored the vials like they weren't there, like I hadn't just shown them Pandora's Box strapped to my back. Denial was a hell of a thing.

As the group started toward the corridor, I caught Alice's eye. "Stay in sight," I murmured.

She hesitated, and Rain's voice cut in like a blade. "Don't trust him, Alice. Remember? He took you as a human shield before."

Alice faltered, the weight of uncertainty settling in her posture. Matt stepped up beside her, voice sharp. "So, she trusts you? The guy who's so quick to use people?"

Rain didn't even blink. "She's an agent. She's not soft."

Matt scoffed. "An agent who lost her memory." He turned back to me, eyes narrowing. "And you. You're all about control, aren't you?"

I smiled, cold and thin. "Matt, I think you should start watching your back... especially from Rain."

The color drained from his face just a little, a shiver running down his spine. Rain, to her credit, only grinned like she relished the idea.

James clapped his hands once, sharp and impatient. "Enough. We don't have time for this. Rain, JD, take point. Move."

Alice stepped forward, but not before securing handcuffs around Matt's wrists. He grumbled, but she didn't flinch. Rain shot me one last look, her expression unreadable.

I adjusted the duffle bag again, falling in line behind the others. The corridors stretched ahead, dark and endless.

We marched forward.