Chapter 10: The Unbroken Bond

👉 Previous Decision: You found Evelyn’s brother, Thomas, under permanent severance in Sub-Level 4.

I rushed to terminal 14, my heart hammering. “Thomas!” I yelled, shaking him by the shoulder. His body was stiff, unresponsive. His eyes, fixed on the screen, registered nothing.

He responded only with rigid, corporate scripted phrases, a hollow echo of a human being. “Processing anomaly report 7-Alpha,” he mumbled, his voice flat. “System confirms voter dossier 427-B deletion.” His mind had been kept under continuous severance for over 18 months, without an off-shift exit.

Evelyn’s voice crackled through my hidden earpiece, strained with urgency. “He’s still in there, Julian! You have to copy the master override sequence from the central terminal before security seals the bulkhead!” Her words were punctuated by a high-pitched wail.

Alarm hooters suddenly echoed through the concrete vault, vibrating through the floor. Red emergency lights began flashing across the entire subterranean level, painting the faces of the working analysts in a demonic glow. They didn’t even flinch.

I looked at Thomas, then at the central terminal glowing ominously in the center of the room. The choice was clear: copy the evidence, or try to save Thomas.