My fingers flew across the keyboard, typing exactly what Johnson’s voice said in my ear. I had no idea what any of it meant but it didn’t matter, Johnson was the computer expert afterall.

“Now press enter,” he said when he was finally done reciting the code.

I did as he told me and the screen went black.

“It went black,” I stated. “Why’d it go black?”

“Because that’s exactly what’s meant to happen!”Johnson sighed. “Go do your job now. I’ll be watching you.”

“That sounds very ominous,” I whispered as I slipped out of the control room.

“Through the security cameras, Avery.” I could practically hear his eye roll.

I walked down the corridors as though I’m meant to be there - which I’m not but no one spared me a second glance. I groaned internally when the only security guards in this whole place were outside the room I needed to be in.

“Who are you?” one of the guards asked as I wandered up to them.

I breifly debated using the alias I’d been given to get in the building but there was no way it was going to grant me access to this room. I walked staight up to the guard and when he reached for his gun, I grabbed it and hit him on the head with it. He didn’t even attempt to stop me. Pathetic.

“Hands above your head!” I turned to see the two other guards’ guns trained on me.

I slowly put my hands up, still holding a gun, before shooting the gun out of the one guard’s hand and dropping the the ground as a bullet from the other whizzed over my head. I swept my legs out, knocking both guards over. Getting to my feet, shot them in the head. In order to be opened the door required an ID I didn’t have to but Johnson had that covered.

“Your in,” he said as the light turned green.

I pushed open the door and made a beeline for the centre of the room. The lab was spacious and filled with gadgets and machines. But as interesting and useful as they might be, that wasn’t my mission. My mission was to blow them to hell.

I placed the detonator on a desk cluttered with wires, batteries and bits of metal. I set the timer for five minutes and, after taking a deep breath, activated it.

“Nice job, Avery,” said Johnson in my ear.

“Thanks.” I smiled. “Now, how am I getting out of here?”

Johnson remained oddly quiet.

“Johnson? Are you still there?” I asked. “What’s my extraction plan?”

No reply.

“Johnson! What is my extraction plan?!” I yelled.

“There is no extraction plan.” His voice was so quiet I thought I’d misheard him.

“What?!” I spluttered. “No, there is an extraction—“

“I’m sorry, Avery,” he said and that was the moment when I realised it wasn’t ever the plan for me to make it out alive.