A massive pincer drove down into the elevator, tearing through the ceiling with brutal force.

Jagged edges bent outward as the limb forced its way inside, cutting through the exact space Don had just occupied.

He had already moved.

A hard step back, just enough.

The pincer slammed down—

THOOM—~

Missing him by inches.

The air displaced hard, rattling the walls as fragments of metal and insulation rained down around him.

In his ear—

"Don! Are you okay, what’s your situation?!"

Elle.

Urgent.

He didn’t answer immediately.

Didn’t have the space to.

The elevator jolted again, dropping faster as the structure above continued to fail.

Don planted his foot, trying to stabilize against the shifting floor, muscles tightening as he forced balance into a system that refused to give it.

Then he moved.

His arm snapped upward—

And he struck.

BOOM—!

His fist collided with the pincer, the impact sending a heavy shock through the confined space. The limb buckled slightly under the force, its surface cracking where he hit it—

But the recoil came back just as hard.

Don twisted his body, angling himself between the child and the backlash as the force pushed him off balance. His back slammed into the side wall—

THUD—!

The impact rattled the entire frame, metal groaning under the strain as the elevator continued its uncontrolled descent.

The child shifted from the jolt.

A small movement.

Enough.

Don didn’t see it—

But he smelled it.

Fresh blood.

Faint.

But there.

His expression tightened, eyes narrowing as the scent registered instantly.

’...Damn it.’

The pincer withdrew.

Slow at first—

Then faster.

SCRRRAAPE—~

It dragged back through the torn ceiling, leaving behind a warped opening and twisted metal edges that still glowed faintly from friction.

Don’s gaze snapped forward.

’I can’t fight in here.’

The thought came clean.

Immediate.

No hesitation behind it.

He shifted his focus.

Not upward.

Not outward.

Forward.

His vision changed.

The augmented overlay flickered into alignment, data streaming across his sight as the system adjusted. Floor indicators flashed rapidly as the elevator tore past them—

Numbers blurred—

Then—

Green.

A flash.

Gone.

Another—

Green.

Gone.

Each floor passed in fractions of a second, the augmented reality’s systems marking every possible exit point as it tried to predict his intent.

Don watched.

Measured.

Waited.

Too fast.

Too tight.

Too risky.

His jaw tightened.

’I can survive it...’

But the child—

His grip shifted slightly, pulling the suspended body closer.

’...He won’t.’

For a second—

He hesitated.

And that was enough.

Above—

Something changed.

A shift.

He felt it first.

Heat.

Then heard it—

A low, aggressive burn—

SSSSSHH—~

His head snapped up.

Through the torn ceiling, two points glowed faintly, metal around them softening, edges warping outward under rising temperature.

The male infected.

Its feet.

Burning through.

Don’s hesitation vanished.

"—Now."

Another flash—

Green.

He moved.

His body dropped low for a fraction of a second—

Then launched forward.

BOOM—!

He drove straight through the closed elevator doors as the floor aligned just enough for the timing to work.

The metal buckled outward under the impact, hinges snapping as the doors tore open—

CRRRAASH—!

He cleared it—

Almost clean.

His left wrist didn’t.

It clipped the upper frame—

Hard.

CRACK—!

The shock tore through his arm instantly, a sharp, blinding jolt that shot straight to his shoulder.

Even with his durability, the force of that collision sent a surge of pain through him strong enough to break his rhythm mid-motion. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

His body twisted as he tumbled into the hallway beyond.

THUD—!

He hit the ground shoulder-first, rolling once before sliding across the polished floor. The child remained suspended just above the surface, his control holding by instinct alone as he came to a stop.

A low groan escaped him before he could stop it.

"—Tch..."

He pushed himself up slightly, his free hand gripping his wrist as the pain settled into a deep, throbbing ache.

In his ear—

"Don! What’s going on? Are you okay?!"

Elle again.

He exhaled once.

Short.

"I was just getting away from the male infected mutant... or whatever it’s called," he said quickly, forcing himself upright as he lowered the child carefully to the ground for a moment.

His fingers pressed against his wrist, testing movement—tight, but functional.

"I’m about to head up to meet Charles and help—"

"Then I advise you move fast."

Winter cut in.

Flat. Direct.

"The horde of potentially divergent infected has exited the tower not too far from your location. At current speed, they will reach the Ebon Crest in no less than forty-seven seconds."

Don muttered under his breath.

"...shit."

He crouched, scooping the child back up into his arms without hesitation, adjusting his grip to keep pressure off the wound as best as possible.

"Winter! Direct me to the stairs. Hurry."

"Directions have been given in your augmented set."

The overlay shifted immediately, a path drawing itself across his vision—clean, precise, leading down the hall and toward a stairwell access point.

Winter continued.

"You have descended several floors. Estimated time to reach the roof is two minutes. If you divert to meet Charles based on his current marker, add an additional two minutes."

A pause.

Then—

"In that time, it is highly likely the horde will overwhelm the security personnel and defensive measures. Estimated time for vertical breach—ten minutes."

Don was already moving.

His pace picked up quickly, boots striking against the polished floor as he sprinted down the corridor, the environment blurring past him—closed doors, decorative panels, soft lighting that felt out of place against the urgency driving him forward.

"Let’s hope that’s enough time."

His voice was low.

Focused.

Elle spoke again.

Colder this time.

"If it gets out of hand, Don... focus only on getting yourself out of there."

No hesitation.

No softness.

He didn’t react.

Didn’t slow.

"I will."

The words came easily.

Too easily.

Because even as he said it—

He already knew.

He wasn’t sure if that would be the call he made when it mattered.

But that wasn’t a problem for now.

Right now—

All he could do was run, as fast as he could.

Because the clock was already running as well.