Reese walked over to the door, grabbed the handle, and gave it a hard twist. It didn''t move at all.


    "That''s weird," she muttered.


    She leaned in, listening, and caught the sound of footsteps outside. Tapping lightly, she called out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"


    L''s voice drifted in from the hallway. "Stop knocking. I don''t have iris ess. Can''t you open it from the inside?"


    Reese frowned. "Can you call Sofia and ask her toe unlock it?"


    L paused for a second. "Alright, hang on."


    She stepped away to make the call. "Hey, Sofia? Are you able toe by ckOak for a bit? Theb door''s stuck. Reese is trapped inside and can''t get out-only you can open it with your iris scan."


    Sofia was in the middle of dinner at the ckOak Center café. "Fine, but I''m busy right now. It might take a while."


    As she hung up, her eyes narrowed and she smirked. Reese was the reason she''d been kicked out of the de Project, and she wasn''t sure what kind of wee she''d get back at the Ratcliff Global R&D group. And now Reese needed her help? Let her wait.


    Back in the hallway, L called through the door, "Sofia''s on her way. Just hang tight, okay? I need to head back." Her footsteps faded, and then everything went quiet.


    Reese checked the time-just after eight. Still early. She figured she could use the time to finish syncing the de and Vault data.


    She turned to Annie and tried to reassure her. "Someone will be here soon to open the door. Will you keep mepany for a while?"


    Annie nodded and sat down, quiet and obedient.


    As the evening wore on, Reese uploaded thest bit of data and stretched, ncing at the clock again. Three hours had slipped by and Sofia still hadn''t shown up.


    Reese pulled out her phone to try calling for help, only to remember there was no signal in theb.


    She moved to the door and knocked. "Hello? Anyone out there?" Her voice echoed. "Can someone please get Sofia? We need her to open the door!"


    Silence.


    Suddenly there was a loud snap, and the room was swallowed by darkness. Even the hum of the vents stopped. Only the equipment lights blinked faintly.


    "Auntie, where are you?" Annie had been dozing at the table. Now she sat up, rubbing her eyes, looking scared.


    "Don''t worry, I''m right here." Reese fumbled in the dark until her hand found Annie''s, her fingers icy cold "Its probably just a power


    y cold


    The lights wille back age.


    soon."


    She tried to sound calm, but a knot of worry twisted in her stomach. ckOak''s power system was always reliable-why would it just go out? And why were the machines. still running?


    "Is anyone there?" Reese called, banging on the door. The air was getting heavier, harder to breathe. She pounded again, listening, hoping for footsteps in the hall.


    Her arms felt like lead. Her throat was raw. Theck of venttion made the air thick, every breath harder than thest.


    "Auntie... I can''t breathe..." Annie''s voice shook, her breathing shallow and quick.


    Reese groped her way along the wall, searching for a window. She found it, but the ss wouldn''t budge—it was sealed shut.


    "Don''t be scared, Annie. I''m right here." Reese squeezed her hand. "Someone wille soon."


    She raised her voice, banging on the door again. "Please! Open the door! We''re trapped!"


    No one answered.


    Out in the hallway, Sofia stood by the breaker, listening to the sounds inside. She pulled her hand away from the switch, a cold smile on her lips, and walked off.


    Minutes crawled by. The heat in theb grew thick and stifling, like being trapped in a sauna. Reese''s head spun Hervision started to blushe could feel Annie trembling, her breathing fading to a whisper.


    "Annie... hang on..." Reese''s voice was barely there. She reached out, pulling Annie close. As her fingers brushed the girl''s back, she felt something-warm, and blinking.


    Squinting in the faint light from the windows, Reese saw a tiny green dot shing on Annie''s back, like a signal.


    Without thinking, Reese pressed it. The light switched from green to red, and a piercing rm cut through the silence.


    Relief washed over her. It had to be some kind of emergency beacon-probably something Matthew set up to protect Annie.


    Help was on the way.


    Reese drifted in and out, time slipping away. Somewhere in the haze, she heard someone pounding on the door.