Chapter 34: System Override

The moment Gary and Ramona hit the hallway, the facility didn't just lock down—it woke up angry.

Every overhead light snapped from emergency red to a blinding, strobe-like white. Along the polished concrete corridors beneath the sprawling subterranean transit nexus stretching toward Grand Central Terminal, floor panels hissed open, deploying sleek, metallic security drones that hovered into the air with an ominous hum.

“Well,” Gary panted, drawing his sidearm now that the manual safety overrides had kicked back in. “Looks like the smart home feature is set to murder.”

“It’s not just a lock down,” Ramona said, gripping Fang as a half-dozen drone cameras locked onto her face. “It’s funneling us. It wants a controlled environment.”

Above them, the ceiling speakers chimed with that infuriatingly cheerful corporate cadence:

“Notice: unauthorized guests in sector four. Please remain stationary while the extermination sweep is initiated. Have a wonderful day.”

Heavy blast doors dropped from the ceiling fifty yards ahead, sealing off the main exit toward the historic lower loops. Simultaneously, behind them, wall panels slid back to reveal automated defense turrets spooling up with a high-pitched whine.

They were trapped in a hundred-yard killing corridor directly beneath forty-second street.

“Dad,” Ramona said, a grim, adrenaline-fueled smile crossing her face. “Hope you’ve been doing your cardio.”

Gary grinned back, racking the slide on his weapon. “Let’s show this toaster what a real patch note looks like.”