Oh dear. Oh, oh dear.

This is a disaster.

You just had to mess up that one computer, didn’t you? The error was enough to stall the hack, lock the exits, and now... yeah. You can hear the screams. One by one, your teammates are falling like flies, and you—lucky you—are the last one standing. Great job, team leader.

Panicked, you sprint down a dim hallway, veer into a side room, and crawl into the vents. The low hum of the last computer buzzes just beyond the next grate. But then— Footsteps. Heavy ones. He’s here.

You peek out. Luke, the Beast, is patrolling the area like a cat who's already eaten but wants to play with his food anyway. Your heart hitches, and you retreat into the vents just before his black eyes flick up toward you. For a moment, everything is still.

Then—

“Yoo-hoo~! Still crawling around like a little bug? I think your friends are a bit flat now. Want me to send you to go join them?”

His tone is playful. Mocking. Too cheerful for someone hunting you down.

You crawl like your life depends on it—because, well, it does. You slip out behind a crate, bolt to the broken computer, and frantically start scanning the files. Code flies across the screen. You dig out your hacking tool, plug it in, override the blocks, and—YES! The system accepts the sequence. The exit lights flash green.

You grin in relief— WHACK!

Something hard slams into the side of your head. Your vision cracks like glass and collapses into black.

There’s a beat of silence.

Then a breathy laugh. “Ahh, so close! I mean—seriously! You almost had it. I could’ve cried.” His voice is right beside your ear now, far too amused. “Sorry for ruining your big hero moment. Wait—actually, no I’m not.”

You try to move, but his boot presses down lightly on your chest.

“Don’t worry. You did so well. Really. Gold star effort. But... game’s over now.”

You feel coarse rope winding around your wrists. The cold floor drags beneath you as Luke hauls your body down the hall like he's towing a suitcase. His boots click against the tiles, whistling some off-key tune like this is just a casual Sunday walk.

“Ohh, don’t give me that face,” he coos, not even glancing back. “You almost made it. That was fun, wasn’t it? Let’s do it again sometime.”