Page 65 of Glass Rose
“Armory’s stocked for exactly this scenario. Catch.” He tosses me a sleek black assault rifle. “Works for you?
I catch it one-handed. “Perfect.”
A grim smile appears beneath his wild beard as he flips a switch on the security console. Throughout the warehouse, metal shutters slide down over the windows, and reinforced doors lock into place, the magnetic seals engaging with heavy thuds that vibrate through the floor.
John grabs a tactical vest, tossing one my way. “The main entrance is the weak point.”
I strap the vest on. “Any other exits?”
The pounding of feet on the metal stairs interrupts us as Sofia returns with Dr. Cho and Marcus in tow. Dr. Cho’s hair is perfect despite being woken from sleep, her posture rigid as ever.
Marcus looks disheveled but alert. “What’s the situation?”
John gestures toward the monitors. “Green Assholes found us. Courtesy of our buddy Alex.”
“I knew he was untrustworthy.” Dr. Cho’s mouth compresses into a thin line. “But this…”
A tall figure steps out of the lead SUV, and something in my gut twists. Not from personal experience, but from the files I’d studied before infiltrating Green fourteen months ago. The resemblance to his father is unmistakable—same aristocratic features, same cold eyes, same air of arrogance.
“Gabriel Green,” I say.
Sofia moves beside me. “He was supposed to be in Europe when the outbreak started.”
“Didn’t you hear? He didn’t board the plane because of some—” Dr. Cho’s mouth hangs open.
“Because of what, Min?” Marcus asks.
“Because of some malfunction in the labs…”
“He knew about the outbreak from the beginning,” I say. “Came back to do damage control. Both the virus and the cover-up. But he sure as fuck underestimated the situation.”
A crackle from the warehouse intercom system makes everyone flinch.
“Attention occupants.” Gabriel Green’s voice fills the room, smooth and cultured like expensive whiskey. “This is Gabriel Green of Green Industries. We know you’re in there, Dr. Cruz, Dr. Cho. And you, too, Subject Seven.”
Not a name. A number.
“We’re not here to harm you,” Gabriel continues. “Weneed your help. The situation has… escalated beyond our control.”
The tactical team spreads out around the building.
“They’re looking for entry points,” I say.
“We are fucking trapped.” John drops onto the chair. “We kept our cars inside for a reason. No tracks outside, nothing to show people are living here.”
“Which is smart until you need to escape.” Marcus studies the SUVs outside. “What about those?”
“I know you can hear me,” Gabriel Green’s voice filters through the intercom. “Let’s talk like civilized people.”
Sofia accepts a handgun from Marcus. We only trained once, me hoping she would never need it. “Maybe we can negotiate?—”
“With men like Gabriel Green?” I cut her off, harsher than intended. “The only negotiation he understands is strength. Anything else is just stalling until he gets what he wants.”
John taps the microphone. “This is private property.”
“I apologize for the late hour and intruding. Although I’d like to argue that an apocalypse doesn’t know private property.”
“Still don’t appreciate it.”
