Free Web NovelChapter 23: The Smart Plan
The creature stopped moving.
Kael immediately tried to solve the problem.
His fist crashed into the creature’s chest.
Metal folded inward.
The creature disappeared through a support pillar.
Chunks of stone exploded across the chamber.
"Finally," Seraphina said.
Theren looked at her.
"What exactly is finally about this?"
"You people keep building problems."
She pointed at Kael.
"He keeps solving them."
The distant sound of collapsing metal echoed through the facility.
Seraphina nodded.
"See? Progress."
"That was a structural support."
"Still progress."
Kael didn’t wait to see if the creature got back up.
He was already moving.
The creature pulled itself from the wreckage just in time to receive a second strike.
Its shoulder shattered.
One arm detached completely and skidded across the floor.
Seraphina watched it slide past.
"That’s probably important."
Theren looked genuinely alarmed now.
"It should be inactive."
The arm hit a wall.
Nothing happened.
Seraphina pointed.
"Good news. The arm agrees with you."
"That’s not what I meant."
"I know."
The creature slowly lifted its head.
Kael stopped.
That alone made Seraphina suspicious.
Kael didn’t stop unless something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The crack running through the creature’s mask was growing.
Something pale glowed underneath.
Not machinery.
Not wires.
Not anything Seraphina wanted to meet.
She immediately stepped behind Kael.
Nobody commented on it.
Mostly because everyone else had the same idea.
Celestine folded her arms.
"Interesting."
Seraphina groaned.
"There it is."
Celestine looked at her.
"What?"
"You only say that when my day is about to get worse."
"Your day became worse three explosions ago."
"Fair."
The crack spread farther.
A strange sound came from inside the creature.
Not mechanical.
Not distorted.
A laugh.
A human laugh.
Every person in the room froze.
Even Theren.
That was impressive.
Theren looked at the creature.
Then at the monitors.
Then back at the creature.
For the first time since Seraphina met him, he genuinely looked like he didn’t know what was happening.
That was somehow more terrifying than the creature.
Seraphina pointed at him.
"No."
"No what?"
"I refuse."
"You refuse what?"
"Whatever expression you’re making."
Theren stared at her.
"I don’t control my expression."
"Then control it harder."
The creature laughed again.
Closer this time.
Its chest split open.
Not like a machine opening.
Like something inside was pushing its way out.
Kael moved slightly.
The movement was small.
Seraphina still noticed.
He was preparing to attack again.
Good.
At least somebody here had priorities.
The thing inside the creature continued forcing itself forward.
A pale hand emerged first.
Human.
Definitely human.
That somehow made everything worse.
Seraphina immediately pointed at the exit.
"I vote we leave."
"Agreed," Kael said.
"Seconded," Celestine added.
Theren looked offended.
"You don’t even know what that is."
"Exactly," Seraphina replied.
"That’s why I’m leaving."
The floor shook violently.
Everyone looked up.
A large section of the ceiling collapsed somewhere deeper in the facility.
Dust burst through the corridor.
The emergency alarms started screaming again.
The timing felt personal.
The hand emerging from the creature grabbed the edge of the broken armor.
Then another hand appeared.
The thing was climbing out.
Slowly.
Patiently.
Like it knew nobody could stop it.
Seraphina immediately pointed at Kael.
"Please hit it."
"I was already planning to."
"See? Teamwork."
The thing inside the creature finally spoke.
"Leaving already?"
The voice sounded amused.
That was not encouraging.
Seraphina frowned.
"You know what?"
Nobody answered.
"I liked it better when the giant murder machine wasn’t talking."
The voice laughed.
Unfortunately, it sounded even closer now.
And whatever was climbing out of the creature seemed completely unconcerned by the fact that Kael was preparing to punch it directly in the face.
The thing smiled.
That was unfortunate.
Not because smiling was threatening.
Because whatever was climbing out of the creature had no reason to smile.
People smiled.
Friends smiled.
Normal people smiled.
Ancient horrors hidden inside giant murder machines should not smile.
Seraphina immediately pointed.
"I don’t trust that."
"Good instinct," Celestine said.
"Thank you."
"I wasn’t complimenting you."
"Too late. I’m accepting it."
The pale figure pulled itself completely free.
It looked human.
Mostly.
Which somehow made everything worse.
No armor.
No weapons.
No visible injuries.
Just a tall man wearing an expression that suggested everyone else in the room was mildly entertaining.
Kael attacked immediately.
Seraphina respected consistency.
The stranger barely moved.
One small step.
Kael’s strike missed.
A section of the wall behind him exploded.
Everyone stared.
The stranger looked at the destroyed wall.
Then at Kael.
Then back at the wall.
"That seemed expensive."
Seraphina blinked.
"Why does it talk like a person?"
"I am a person."
"I don’t believe you."
"That’s fair."
The facility shook again.
A massive crack tore across the ceiling.
Chunks of debris crashed onto the floor.
The stranger glanced upward.
"Your timing is unfortunate."
"This isn’t my facility," Seraphina said immediately.
Theren looked offended.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"Because it is your facility."
"It isn’t mine."
"You work here."
"That isn’t ownership."
"It sounds close enough."
Another section of ceiling collapsed.
This time directly between them and the creature shell.
Dust exploded through the chamber.
The emergency alarms abruptly died.
The sudden silence felt wrong.
Very wrong.
The stranger’s smile faded slightly.
For the first time, he looked annoyed.
That caught Seraphina’s attention.
"You don’t like that."
"No."
"Excellent."
The floor trembled.
Once.
Twice.
Then a deep sound rolled through the facility.
Not an explosion.
Not machinery.
Something else.
Something huge.
The stranger immediately turned toward the lower corridors.
His expression changed.
Kael noticed.
Celestine noticed.
Seraphina definitely noticed.
"You know what that is."
The stranger didn’t answer.
"That’s never a good sign."
The sound came again.
Closer this time.
The stranger clicked his tongue.
A genuinely irritated sound.
Then he looked directly at Seraphina.
"You’re causing problems."
Seraphina looked offended.
"Excuse me?"
"You broke the system."
"You kidnapped me."
"I didn’t."
"You work with people who did."
"That is technically true."
"Then I’m counting it."
The floor suddenly lurched.
Hard.
Everyone grabbed something.
Except Kael.
Kael somehow remained standing.
The building itself seemed offended by that.
A huge section of the far wall collapsed inward.
For the first time since arriving in Noctaire—
an actual escape route appeared. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Fresh air rushed into the chamber.
Everybody stared.
Then Seraphina pointed dramatically.
"There."
Kael looked.
Celestine looked.
Even Theren looked.
The opening led outside.
Outside.
Actual outside.
Not another corridor.
Not another laboratory.
Not another secret room.
Outside.
Seraphina immediately grabbed Kael’s sleeve.
"Run."
"I was already planning to."
"See? Teamwork."
Behind them, the stranger laughed.
Ahead of them, freedom finally existed.
