Trapped in a 5-Second Future: A Landlord's Cold War Trap in Arlington
👉 [Previous Decision]: You chose Option B – Convince Sergeant Kincaid to bypass the hydraulic lock valve on the main blast door.
“Sergeant Kincaid,” Clara whispered up to the vent, her voice taut, “Holloway isn’t coming back for a while. You saw how angry he was. He won’t trust anyone else with his smear campaign. We have a window.”
Kincaid nodded slowly, his eyes darting around the empty control room. “But the hydraulic lock… it’s tied to the main blast door. It’s a direct defiance of his orders.”
“He’s slandering an innocent woman who served her country,” Clara pressed, her voice urgent. “He’s committing a federal crime by holding me here without cause and manipulating military resources for personal gain. Your duty isn’t to *him*, Sergeant, it’s to justice. The door bypass. It’s our only chance.”
Kincaid took a deep, shuddering breath. His gaze hardened. With a determined nod, he pulled back from the vent. Clara heard his footsteps retreat across the catwalk, followed by the faint click of a control panel being opened.
Then, a loud, metallic clanking echoed through the sub-basement. The heavy steel door mechanism, unseen but clearly audible, began to groan. Gears ground, hydraulics hissed, and the reinforced seal started to break. Hope surged through Clara. Freedom was within reach.
Just as the door began to visibly shift, a sudden, sharp bang echoed from the stairwell. The thud of heavy boots. Holloway! He was back unexpectedly.
“Kincaid! What in blazes do you think you’re doing?!” Holloway’s voice was a roar, filled with immediate, lethal fury.
Clara heard a scuffle, then the unmistakable click of a weapon. Her heart jumped into her throat. Through the reinforced glass of the observation window, she saw Holloway standing over Kincaid, a dark, heavy sidearm now clutched in his hand, pointed directly at the young Sergeant.
Kincaid stood frozen, his hand still on the manual hydraulic override lever. The heavy door mechanism clanked to a halt, still slightly ajar, but the seal remained unbroken. Holloway’s face was a mask of pure, unadulterated rage, his eyes blazing.
“Treason, Sergeant?” Holloway snarled, his voice low and dangerous. “Are you actively assisting a suspected Soviet sympathizer? I’ll have you shot for insubordination! I’ll have you court-martialed and thrown in the brig for the rest of your worthless life!”
Kincaid’s face was ashen, his body stiff with fear, but he didn’t move from the lever. He stood his ground, staring Holloway down, his eyes wide but determined. The sight of the gun, the raw anger in Holloway’s voice, was terrifying. But Kincaid had made his choice.
Clara watched, helpless, through the reinforced glass. The confrontation was escalating, reaching a terrifying peak. Holloway had caught Kincaid in the act, and now the young sergeant’s life, and perhaps her own freedom, hung in the balance. The heavy door, slightly ajar, was a cruel, tantalizing glimpse of liberty.
➡️ Read CHAPTER 11 to continue the story
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