Chapter 19: The Final Betrayal

The laboratory fell silent as Raven aimed his pistol directly at Elena.

"Twenty years ago you escaped," Raven said coldly.

"Today... your luck ends."

Before he could pull the trigger, Sebastian fired first.

The bullet struck Raven's shoulder.

Raven staggered backward but remained standing.

"Interesting," he laughed.

"You're finally becoming like your father."

Gunfire erupted throughout the laboratory.

Sebastian pushed Sabrina and Elena behind a steel console.

"Stay down!"

Victor Hale activated the emergency lockdown.

Massive steel doors began closing across the facility.

"We only have five minutes before the entire laboratory seals itself," Victor shouted.

"Everyone head for the emergency dock!"

Mercenaries rushed toward them from every corridor.

Sebastian exchanged fire while Sabrina helped injured scientists escape.

"This way!" she called.

"Don't stop running!"

Elena quickly downloaded decades of medical research onto a secure drive.

"Raven can destroy the building," she said.

"But he will never destroy our work again."

Just then, Raven's voice echoed through the speakers.

"Seal every exit."

"No one leaves this island alive."

The emergency doors slammed shut.

The escape route was blocked.

"We're trapped," Sebastian whispered.

Victor walked toward another hidden panel.

"There's one final exit."

"Only the founders knew about it."

He pressed his fingerprint against the scanner.

A secret passage slowly opened beneath the laboratory floor.

"Go!" Victor ordered.

"I'll hold them off."

"No!" Sabrina protested.

"You've already sacrificed enough."

Victor smiled gently.

"My generation made too many mistakes."

"Now it's your turn to build a better future."

Before anyone could stop him, Victor sealed the hidden passage from the outside.

"Victor!" Elena screamed.

The heavy steel door locked.

Moments later, dozens of explosions shook the laboratory above.

Victor had triggered the self-destruct system.

The hidden tunnel trembled violently as dust filled the air.

"Keep moving!" Sebastian shouted.

After several minutes, they finally reached the emergency dock.

A single speedboat waited beside the pier.

"Get in!" Sebastian ordered.

As the boat sped away, everyone looked back.

The entire fortress erupted into flames.

Black smoke covered the sky.

"Victor..." Elena whispered sadly.

Suddenly, another boat emerged from the opposite side of the island.

"Sebastian!" the detective shouted.

"That's Raven!"

Raven's boat raced across the water toward open sea.

"He's escaping!"

Sebastian immediately turned the wheel.

"We're ending this today."

The two boats sped across the waves at full speed.

Bullets flew over the ocean.

Raven fired continuously while laughing.

"You'll never catch me!"

Sebastian remained focused.

"Hold on!"

Their boat crashed into Raven's vessel.

Both boats spun violently.

Raven jumped onto Sebastian's deck.

The two men faced each other.

"This ends here," Sebastian said.

"I've heard that before," Raven replied with a grin.

They exchanged powerful blows as the boats drifted across the sea.

Meanwhile, Sabrina noticed something terrifying.

"Sebastian!" she screamed.

"The fuel tank!"

A stray bullet had pierced Raven's fuel tank.

Gasoline spread across both boats.

One spark would destroy everything.

Raven suddenly smiled.

"If I can't win... none of us will."

He slowly pulled a lighter from his pocket.

"Goodbye... everyone."