THE LAST CARD

Marcus and Thomas stood over Kane’s unconscious form, their breaths heavy with relief and exhaustion. But the silence in the room was shattered by Kane’s voice, weak but laced with a final, sinister edge.

Kane: "Did you really think it would be that easy?"

Marcus and Thomas froze, their eyes darting toward Kane as he slowly sat up, his face twisted in a wicked grin.

Marcus: "You’re still alive."

Kane: "Barely. But not for long. Before I go, I have one last gift for you."

Thomas: "What are you talking about?"

Kane chuckled darkly, his hand fumbling with a hidden panel on his jacket.

Kane: "A little something I left behind. A virus embedded in the system. Triggered by my death."

Marcus’s eyes widened in horror.

Marcus: "No…"

Kane: "Oh yes. And if the system detects my death, it will activate the remaining bioweapons. You see, I never intended for this to be a clean victory."

Thomas: "Damn it! We have to stop it!"

Kane’s grin widened as he pushed a button on a small device he pulled from his pocket. A screen flickered to life on the wall, displaying a countdown with a red warning.

Kane: "There it is. A countdown to your doom. Good luck."

Marcus’s heart raced as he watched the countdown begin. Only ten minutes.

Marcus: "We need to find a way to stop this. Now!"

Thomas: "I’m on it. But we need to be quick."

Thomas rushed to the control panel, his fingers flying over the keys as he tried to override the virus. Marcus paced, trying to calm his racing thoughts.

Marcus: "What the hell did he do?"

Thomas: "He embedded the virus deep in the system. It’s not just a countdown; it’s a fail-safe to release bioweapons if the system detects an attempt to disable it."

Marcus: "So, if we try to shut it down, it activates the bioweapons?"

Thomas: "Exactly. We have to find a way to stop the virus without triggering the fail-safe."

Marcus looked at Kane, who was now laughing weakly.

Marcus: "You really are a monster."

Kane: "I always said I was a necessary evil. And now you’ll see the true cost of playing hero."

Marcus grabbed Kane by the collar, shaking him.

Marcus: "Tell us how to stop it! Or so help me, I’ll make sure you suffer."

Kane’s eyes glinted with malice.

Kane: "Even if I told you, it’s too late. The virus is too embedded. You’re running out of time."

Thomas: "Marcus, we need to focus. We can’t let him get to us."

Marcus released Kane, turning back to Thomas, who was frantically trying to decode the virus’s encryption.

Marcus: "How close are you?"

Thomas: "I’m working on bypassing the primary security, but it’s complicated. I might be able to find a workaround if I can isolate the virus code."

Kane’s laughter filled the room, growing weaker but more desperate.

Kane: "You know, I never thought you’d be the one to fail so spectacularly. It’s almost poetic."

Marcus gritted his teeth, his frustration boiling over.

Marcus: "This isn’t over. We’re not letting you win."

Thomas: "Marcus, keep him occupied. I need a few more minutes."

Marcus nodded, moving to stand guard over Kane, who continued to chuckle, his amusement growing with each passing second.

Marcus: "You think this is funny?"

Kane: "Oh, very much. The world is about to witness the chaos I’ve always dreamed of. And there’s nothing you can do to stop it."

Marcus felt a surge of anger but fought to stay calm, focusing on Kane.

Marcus: "You’re going to rot in prison for this. You won’t live to see your twisted dreams come true."

Kane’s smile was cold and indifferent.

Kane: "I doubt that. But do enjoy your final moments. It’ll be a show worth watching."

Marcus glanced back at Thomas, who was still working furiously, sweat dripping from his brow. The countdown clock continued to tick down, a constant reminder of their dwindling time.

Thomas: "I think I’ve found something! There’s a way to initiate a manual override, but it’s risky. We’ll have to shut down the entire system temporarily to break the connection."

Marcus: "Do it. We don’t have a choice."

Thomas nodded, his fingers moving with renewed purpose. He initiated the manual override, and the room’s lights flickered as the system began to shut down.

Kane: "You’re playing with fire, Marcus. Shut down the system, and you’ll activate the fail-safe. It’s only a matter of time before the bioweapons are released."

Marcus: "We don’t have a choice. We have to take the risk."

Thomas: "Almost there… just a few more seconds…"

The screen flickered and then went dark, the countdown clock halting abruptly. The room was filled with tense silence as Marcus and Thomas waited for the system to reset.

Kane: "You’re running out of time. The system is rigged to activate the fail-safe once it detects tampering. You’re all doomed."

Thomas: "Got it! I’ve bypassed the fail-safe mechanism. The virus is being neutralized."

Marcus let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, but his relief was short-lived. The lights in the room dimmed, and a new alarm began to blare.

Thomas: "What’s happening?"

Kane: "Ah, there it is. The final twist."

The screen flickered back to life, showing a new countdown. This time, it was a different kind of timer: it was counting up, with a message below it.

Screen: "Self-destruct sequence activated. Time until detonation: 5 minutes."

Marcus: "What? How—"

Kane: "I always have a backup plan. You see, even if you managed to stop the bioweapons, the base itself is rigged to blow. No one leaves here alive."

Thomas: "This can’t be happening! We need to get out of here, now!"

Marcus: "There’s no way out. The exits are sealed."

Thomas: "We have to find an alternative escape route. There has to be something."

Marcus frantically searched the room, his mind racing for any possible escape. Kane’s laughter was the only sound in the room, a cruel reminder of their dire situation.

Marcus: "Thomas, do you see any way to override the self-destruct sequence?"

Thomas: "I’m looking. There’s a backup control room, but it’s locked down. We might be able to access it if we can get through the security systems."

Kane: "Good luck with that. The system’s defenses are more secure than ever. You won’t make it."

Marcus’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Kane.

Marcus: "You’re not going to win this. We’re not giving up."

Thomas: "Marcus, I need your help. We have to get to the control room."

Marcus nodded, grabbing Kane and dragging him along as they raced toward the control room. The base was shaking with the impending explosion, the tension palpable.

Marcus: "This way!"

They sprinted down the corridors, their footsteps echoing in the chaos. The alarms blared louder, and the walls trembled as the self-destruct sequence continued.

Thomas: "We’re almost there! Just a bit further!"

Marcus looked back at Kane, who was now struggling to keep up, his face pale and defeated.

Kane: "You’re all fools. There’s no escape. No matter what you do, you’re all going to die."

Marcus: "We’re not done yet. We’re not letting you win."

They reached the backup control room, but the door was sealed tight, a heavy metal barrier blocking their way.

Thomas: "The door’s locked. I need a minute to hack into the system."

Marcus turned to Kane, who was now watching them with a twisted smile.

Marcus: "You’re going to pay for everything you’ve done."

Kane: "And you’ll join me in the afterlife. It’s only a matter of time."

Thomas worked feverishly, his hands flying over the controls as he tried to break through the security.

Thomas: "Come on… just a little longer…"

The room was filled with the sound of the self-destruct countdown, each second feeling like an eternity. Marcus’s heart raced as he watched the timer.

Marcus: "Thomas, hurry!"

Thomas: "I’m almost there…"

Suddenly, the door slid open with a loud clang, and they rushed inside. The room was filled with blinking lights and screens displaying various system statuses.

Thomas: "This is it. I need to shut down the self-destruct sequence before it’s too late."

Marcus looked around, his eyes scanning the room for any sign of more trouble.

Marcus: "We’ve got to be quick."

Thomas worked furiously, his face tense with concentration. The countdown continued, ticking away the precious seconds.

Kane’s voice echoed in the room.

Kane: "You’re too late. The timer’s set. There’s no stopping it now."

Thomas: "We’ll see about that."

With one final keystroke, Thomas shut down the self-destruct sequence. The alarms stopped blaring, and the lights returned to their normal state.

Thomas: "Got it! The sequence is deactivated."

Marcus let out a breath, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. But before he could react further, the room