Chapter 58: Fountain's Last Stand

Chapter 58: Fountain's Last Stand

He withdrew his hand from his pocket and drew out a small, metallic module, its surface inscribed with tiny symbols. A data drive. All he'd learned about Lisa's firm, her associates, the Seraph formula. A backup. In case he was killed, the data wouldn't be.

"Zane," he yelled, his voice barely more than a scream over the din of combat, "take this! Get it out of here!"

Zane's sweaty, grimy face glared up at him in alarm and confusion. "What are you doing? We're not leaving you behind!"

"No time!" Fountain yelled, pushing the drive into Zane's hand. "This is all we have! You have to get it to the resistance. They have to know!"

Zane didn't have time to gripe when Fountain spun on his heel and charged into the fight. Fountain fought with more ferocity, ducking through the crowd, shoving the enforcers. He was a magnet, a target, a decoy. He didn't have time to take them all down, but he could make a window of opportunity.

He barked a sequence of encrypted commands into his commas, and a series of pre-established system crashes ignited within the net of the lab. Doors cycled shut, security grids squealed on and up, and overhead lights strobed and blinked out, bringing the lab almost to darkness. He was short-circuiting Lisa's control, generating disorder and confusion.

They were centered on him, eyes blazing as they moved up to where he stood. He was the problem, a system failure, and they went ahead to eliminate him. He flinched as a bullet burned his arm, but he suppressed the pain. He had a mission to fulfill. He had to open a window for them. He was opening a window for them.

"Out of here!" Fountain yelled over the tumult, his voice taut. He grasped Jake's arm and spun him around. "This fight is not lost, but if you remain here, it will be lost. You have to go. Now!"

Jake staggered, panting, his face dirty and bloody. "I'm not going without you!"

"Gotta." Fountain pulled out something from the back of his pants—a flash drive. "That's got it all. Lisa's off-shore accounts, her offshore headquarters, it's all. The specifics she wanted kept from you. But just in case you're getting iced here and won't be able to use any of it, gets iced with you. See that someone more valuable is able to continue for it."

Zane growled deep in his throat. "In together. Leave no one behind."

Fountain grinned at him with an uneven smile. "I'm not one of yours. I'm just a man who got caught up in something more than himself. But this? This is my choice."

He turned around to confront the enforcers advancing on him. His fists clenched around the gun in his hand, but he knew bullets would do nothing. He needed to think. Think fast. He glanced at the others for one final moment together. "Get to Lisa. End this."

And then he ran.

Jake had to stop him. All his senses were wailing to chase after Fountain, but Zane held him back. "We chase after him and we're all dead. He made his choice. We have to respect it."

Jake's heart was aching, but he pushed on. They went into Lisa's compound deeper, and behind them stood Fountain rigid.

Fountain dodged behind a pillar, panting for breath before the point man began chasing him. He fired once, twice—the bullets barely kept the beast in line. Lisa's test flights had plated them, toughened them. He had to be fast.

He ran to the security center, his mind reeling. The compound defenses were computer-directed—video cameras, electric fence, robot guard guns. He couldn't fight them head-on, but he could outsmart them.

Sliding into the control room, he rapidly gained access to the system, his fingers raking across the keyboard. He redirected power, sealing doors to contain as many of the enforcers as he could. Then steeling himself, he triggered the emergency defense system—the same guns Lisa had employed to repel invaders were now directed at her own people.

Bullets shot out into the darkness as turrets blew. Lisa's men were panicked, but not quite so. He could hear them coming. Heavy tread, inhuman snarls. They were on him.

Fountain gasped harshly. He was not going to be afraid to die, not now. But he was not going to let Lisa win.

And as the enforcers approached the room, he punched in the final override button—calling for a security lock-down that would delay reinforcements arriving at Lisa a few seconds.

And right behind him was the first enforcer.

Agnosy ran over him as he stumbled into the console. He battled against it, all his power, but he was only man against beasts. A hand made of claws glided across his chest, and he stumbled back, blood flying from around him. His vision was fading away, but he smiled through pain.

"Checkmate," he growled.

And in his final breath, he entered one final command—a system-wide data deletion, destroying everything Lisa had laid hands on the computer. Not even death was able to remove it from her now.

Deep within the complex, Jake lurched, a chill coursing down his back.

Zane noticed the glance in his eyes. "What is it?"

Jake gulped hard. "He's dead."

Silence. And then Zane's fists clenched, his breathing harsh. He spun and away and beat on the wall. "Damn it!"

Mia's fingers flew out to cover her mouth, outrage and grief turning her eyes. "He. he saved us."

Rico, never quite sure he could trust Fountain, turned aside. His face impassive, he growled, though, when he found his voice, "We can't let it be for nothing."

Jake closed his eyes, shook his head. "We tie this up."

They went on, the location of Fountain's last stand behind them, carrying his sacrifice with them into the ultimate fight.