The first explosion didn't destroy the facility.
It sealed it.
A deep, thunderous impact echoed from above as the main entrance collapsed inward, concrete crashing like a closing jaw.
Dust filled the corridors.
Lights flickered violently.
Then steadied into a dim, blood-red glow.
Dmitri's voice cut through the chaos.
"They've locked the exits."
Nikola checked the rear corridor.
"Not just locked. Collapsed."
Mikhail exhaled sharply.
"So we're boxed in."
Yelena's expression didn't change.
"No."
A pause.
"They're boxed in with us."
Artyom turned toward Ω-1.
The second subject had retreated slightly, back pressed near the wall, breathing uneven.
Not panic.
Overload.
"They're coming for you," Artyom said.
Ω-1 shook its head slowly.
"No…"
A pause.
"For us."
Footsteps.
Heavy.
Coordinated.
Not rushed.
Not chaotic.
Controlled.
Getting closer.
Roman's voice was cold.
"Positions."
The Volkov siblings moved instantly.
Not loud.
Not frantic.
Precise.
Like this was what they were built for.
Viktor stepped closer to Artyom again.
Not shielding.
Aligning.
"Stay with me."
Artyom didn't argue this time.
Because this wasn't about pride.
This was survival.
The corridor lights flickered again—
And then—
They appeared.
Figures in dark uniforms.
Faces covered.
Eyes hidden.
No hesitation in their stance.
No emotion.
Just purpose.
They didn't rush.
They advanced.
Step by step.
As if they already knew the outcome.
Ω-1 reacted first.
Not with aggression.
With fear.
Real fear.
"They don't stop," it whispered.
"They don't listen."
Its hands trembled.
"They reset everything…"
Artyom's jaw tightened.
"Not today."
The first clash happened fast.
Movement.
Impact.
Sound echoing violently in the narrow space.
But it wasn't chaos.
It was controlled collision.
Force meeting force.
Mikhail moved like a storm.
Direct.
Unstoppable.
Nikola was quieter.
Precise.
Every move calculated.
Yelena didn't step forward—
But the moment someone shifted wrong—
She noticed.
And that was enough.
Dmitri's voice came through sharply.
"They're not reacting to intimidation."
Roman answered without looking away.
"They weren't trained to."
Artyom stayed alert.
Watching.
Learning.
Adapting.
Just like before.
Only now—
He understood something new.
These people weren't here to capture.
They were here to erase.
One of them broke through the line.
Straight toward Artyom.
Fast.
Focused.
Target locked.
Artyom moved instinctively—
But before he could react—
Ω-1 stepped in front of him.
Everything slowed.
The impact came hard.
Ω-1 staggered—
But didn't fall.
Didn't break.
Didn't move away.
For a moment—
Everyone froze.
Even the attackers.
Ω-1's breathing shook.
But its voice—
For the first time—
Was clear.
Strong.
"You don't touch him."
Artyom stared.
Not at the action.
At the choice.
Ω-1 wasn't reacting anymore.
It was deciding.
Viktor moved instantly after that.
The space cleared again.
The pressure shifted.
The attackers paused.
Not retreating.
Reassessing.
Then—
A voice came through their comms.
Cold.
Distant.
Final.
"Priority updated."
A pause.
"Subject Ω-0 and Ω-1 must not leave."
Artyom's chest tightened.
"Now they're focused."
Nikola's eyes sharpened.
"They always were."
Ω-1 looked at Artyom again.
Something different in its gaze now.
Not confusion.
Not fear.
Understanding.
"You're important," it said quietly.
Artyom shook his head.
"No."
A pause.
"We both are."
Outside—
More units arrived.
Silent.
Relentless.
Closing in.
Inside—
The facility groaned under pressure.
Walls cracking.
Systems failing.
Time running out.
Dmitri's voice cut through again.
"I found something."
Everyone shifted slightly.
"A lower exit."
Roman's gaze sharpened.
"Where?"
Dmitri turned the screen.
"Below us."
A pause.
"Restricted level."
Valentin's voice was soft.
"That's where they kept the failures."
Silence.
Heavy.
Dark.
Artyom looked at Ω-1.
Then at Viktor.
Then at the collapsing corridor behind them.
"No more running," Artyom said.
His voice steady.
Certain.
Viktor's eyes locked onto his.
"Then lead."
And for the first time—
Artyom didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward.
Toward the lower level.
Toward the truth beneath everything.
Toward whatever they had tried to bury.
Ω-1 followed.
Not because it was told.
Because it chose to.
And behind them—
The ones sent to erase them—
Moved faster.