THE OVERRIDE

Marcus’s hands hovered over the keyboard. Every keystroke felt heavier than the last as the terminal screen glowed in front of him. The override sequence was there, ready to be executed. His heart pounded as he prepared himself for what was to come. The room was quiet, too quiet, except for the soft hum of the machines around him.

Evelyn’s voice crackled through his earpiece, steady but filled with urgency. “Marcus, you know what this means, right? Once you hit that final key… there’s no going back.”

Marcus nodded, even though she couldn’t see him. “I know, Evelyn. It’s the only way. We have to stop Kane, and this is the only option we have left.”

Thomas, standing just behind Marcus, stepped closer, his face a mix of desperation and anger. “There’s gotta be another way! We can’t lose you, man. You’re the only one holding this team together. If you go down…”

Marcus didn’t turn around. He kept his eyes locked on the screen. “If I don’t do this, millions will die, Thomas. That’s what’s at stake here. It’s not about me.”

“Damn it, Marcus!” Thomas’s voice broke. “You always pull this self-sacrificing crap. We need you alive!”

Marcus sighed heavily, pressing his hands to the console as if drawing strength from it. “I don’t want to die, but I can’t let Kane win. We’ve come too far, lost too much. It ends here.”

Evelyn’s voice came through again, softer this time. “You’ve always been the one to carry the weight, Marcus. But are you sure? You’ve never had to face this choice before.”

“I’m sure,” Marcus said, his voice unwavering. “It’s the only way.”

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the room, and the ground beneath them trembled. Kane’s voice boomed over the loudspeakers, dripping with malice.

“Oh, Marcus… always the hero, aren’t you? You think you can stop me with one last noble act? You think one man can change the course of everything I’ve built?”

Marcus gritted his teeth, his fingers trembling over the final button. “Kane, I don’t have time for your games. This ends now.”

“You think you can just flip a switch and everything goes back to normal?” Kane’s laugh echoed through the facility. “You’re a fool. You’ll die for nothing.”

Thomas grabbed Marcus’s arm, his eyes wild with fear. “Marcus, wait! We can track down Kane, we can stop him another way! This doesn’t have to be the end!”

Marcus shook his head. “It’s too late. He’s rigged everything. If I don’t stop this now, it’s over.”

Evelyn’s voice was tense. “Marcus, I’m detecting multiple systems going offline in the base. Kane’s accelerating the countdown. We have less than five minutes!”

Marcus’s breath quickened. His mind raced, the weight of the decision pressing down on him like never before. He had to act fast.

“I have to do this,” he whispered.

“Don’t!” Thomas shouted, pulling harder on his arm. “There has to be another way. Let’s think this through!”

Marcus yanked his arm free, his eyes burning with determination. “I’m sorry, Thomas. But there’s no time.”

Kane’s voice returned, colder than ever. “You really think you’re a hero, don’t you, Marcus? You’re just a pawn. Always have been. And in the end, pawns are sacrificed.”

“Shut up, Kane!” Marcus yelled, slamming his hand on the terminal. “I’m not your pawn, and this is where your game ends.”

Kane’s laughter echoed again, sending a chill down everyone’s spine. “You think pressing a button will stop me? You’re so blind, Marcus. You’ve already lost.”

Evelyn’s voice was urgent. “Marcus, you have two minutes! Whatever you’re going to do, do it now!”

Marcus took one final breath, his eyes locking onto the final button. His heart pounded in his chest, but his resolve was firm. This was it.

He pressed the button.

For a moment, nothing happened. The room was silent. Then, a loud alarm blared through the facility. The ground shook violently, and sparks flew from the consoles.

Evelyn’s voice was frantic. “Marcus! The system… it’s overloading! The bioweapons are shutting down, but the base is going critical!”

Thomas grabbed Marcus, shaking him. “We need to get out of here! Now!”

But Marcus was frozen. His body felt heavy, his mind spinning as the energy from the system coursed through him. He could feel it—his body was shutting down.

“I… can’t…” Marcus gasped, collapsing to his knees. “I’m… sorry…”

Thomas’s eyes widened in horror. “No! Marcus, stay with me!”

Evelyn’s voice cracked. “Marcus, the override is working, but you need to move! Get out of there!”

Marcus’s vision blurred, his strength fading. The room around him was chaos—alarms blaring, lights flickering, the ground trembling. He could hear Thomas shouting, but the words felt distant, like they were coming from underwater.

Suddenly, a cold voice cut through the noise. Kane.

“You’re too late, Marcus,” Kane sneered. “You may have stopped the bioweapons, but you’re not walking out of here. This base will be your tomb.”

Marcus struggled to lift his head, his body trembling. “I’m… not afraid… of you.”

Kane’s laughter filled the room again, cruel and mocking. “You should be. You were never in control. You’re just a man playing a part in my game.”

The ground beneath them shook violently again, and the ceiling began to crack. Thomas grabbed Marcus by the shoulders, desperately trying to pull him up.

“We need to go! Now!” Thomas shouted.

Marcus’s body refused to move. His head fell back, his vision darkening as the system continued to overload. “I… can’t…”

Thomas’s grip tightened, his voice cracking with emotion. “Don’t you dare give up on me, Marcus! Not now!”

But Marcus’s body was shutting down, the strain of the override too much to bear. His breathing slowed, his heartbeat faint. He could feel himself slipping away.

Evelyn’s voice was barely audible over the chaos. “Marcus… please…”

Suddenly, a deafening explosion rocked the facility. The ground shook violently, and a massive section of the ceiling collapsed, sending debris crashing down around them.

Thomas screamed, shielding Marcus with his body as the debris rained down. The room was filled with dust and smoke, the air thick and suffocating.

For a moment, everything was still. Then, through the haze, Kane’s voice echoed once more, cold and victorious.

“You may have stopped the bioweapons, Marcus… but you didn’t stop me.”

The words hung in the air like a dark cloud, suffocating and final. The facility groaned under the strain of the damage, and the walls began to crack.

Thomas coughed, struggling to breathe through the dust. He looked down at Marcus, who lay motionless on the ground, his body limp and unresponsive.

“Marcus?” Thomas’s voice was weak, filled with fear. “Marcus, please… don’t do this…”

But there was no response.

Outside, the sound of approaching helicopters filled the air. Reinforcements had arrived, but it was too late.

As the facility continued to collapse around them, Thomas realized with horror that Marcus was gone.

And Kane… was still out there.

Marcus’s sacrifice had stopped the immediate threat, but Kane was still at large, his final plan still in motion. What other horrors had he set in motion, and could anyone stop him before it was too late?