Page 144 of Immersed
They climbed as quickly as possible, the shaft twisting and turning, branching off more than once. Levi made instinctive choices at each junction, hoping his subconscious was picking up on air currents or other subtle cues that might lead to the surface.
The shaft ended at another access panel. Levi pushed against it, but it refused to budge.
“Come on!” Levi slammed his shoulder into the metal panel. It dented but held. He hit it again, harder, pain exploding down his arm as he did, and this time the panel broke free, clattering onto the floor beyond.
They emerged into what appeared to be a storage room, shelves of cleaning supplies and maintenance equipment lined the walls. A single door provided the only exit.
“Two minutes to structural collapse.”
Asher reached the door first, trying the handle, only to find it locked. Without hesitation, he took two steps back, then kicked with enough force to splinter the frame around the lock. The door swung open to reveal a corridor Levi didn’t recognize, narrower than the main halls, with exposed pipes running along the ceiling.
“A service corridor,”Asher said, grabbing Levi’s hand.“It should lead to an exit. Let’s go!”
They ran, the building’s shuddering growing more violent with each passing second. Dust filled the air, making it difficult to breathe. Pipes burst overhead, spraying them with water and steam.
The corridor ended at a T-junction. Asher hesitated, head turning as he analyzed both options.
“Left,”Levi decided, spotting a faded exit sign pointing in that direction.
They turned left, only to find the passage ahead blocked by fallen debris.
“One minute to structural collapse.”
“Back, go back!”Levi shouted, already turning.
As they retreated, Asher suddenly stopped, his attention caught by a small room off the corridor—a security station with monitors still flickering with power from emergency backups.
“Asher, what are you doing?!”Levi demanded as Asher abruptly changed direction, darting into the security room.
“Ten seconds,”Asher called back, scanning the equipment with predatory focus. His eyes locked on a server rack with blinking lights. He yanked open a drawer, extracted a small hard drive, and slipped it into his pocket.
“Seriously?!”Levi couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Asher rejoined him with a satisfied smirk.“Found it.”
“The recording? NOW?!”
“Fifty seconds to structural collapse.”
“Priorities,”Asher replied simply, already moving again.
They retraced their steps to the junction, then took the right branch, moving even faster now as time slipped away. This corridor stretched longer, twisting and turning, but steadily ascending.
The passage ended at a heavy metal door with“EMERGENCY EXIT”stenciled across it in faded red letters. Asher reached it first, grabbing the push bar and shoving with all his strength.
The door didn’t move.
“Sealed,”he growled, pushing again with no effect.“Part of the lockdown.”
“Thirty seconds to structural collapse.”
Levi looked around frantically, searching for anything they could use to force the door. A fire extinguisher hung on the wall nearby, not heavy enough to break through metal, but perhaps...
“The hinges,”he said, grabbing the extinguisher and passing it to Asher.“Hit the hinges!”
Understanding immediately, Asher swung the extinguisher against the upper hinge with enough force to dent the metal. A second blow caused the pin to bend. A third knocked it free. He moved to the lower hinge, repeating the process with efficiency.
“Fifteen seconds to structural collapse.”
