Chapter 9: B: The Fried Circuit

👉 Previous Decision: You chose to demand Julian personally execute the emergency stop sequence.

“Julian, you have the override card!” Maya shouted, her voice tight with desperation. “Stop the train! Now!”

O’Reilly stepped forward, pushing the keycard into Julian’s hand. “You heard her, Larsen. Insert this into the panel and follow the emergency stop protocol. Immediately.”

Julian’s eyes narrowed. A chilling smile played on his lips, devoid of humor. He stalked to the emergency brake panel, which glowed faintly on the wall. He inserted the keycard.

The panel lit up, displaying a series of prompts. Julian’s fingers moved with deceptive speed, keying in a sequence of numbers. His gaze met Maya’s, a flicker of malevolent triumph in his eyes.

Suddenly, a loud ZAP! The panel crackled with blue electricity. Smoke billowed out, carrying the acrid scent of burnt plastic and ozone. The screen went dark, dead. A faint grinding sound shuddered through the train, then stopped.

Julian pulled his hand back, a smirk on his face. “Oops. Wrong code.”

The electronic brake circuit board was completely fried. The emergency override was now useless. The train, unbraked, roared toward the bridge, which was now terrifyingly close, its broken silhouette dominating the view through the windows.