Pop 1
The blue-white glow of the laboratory monitors cast harsh reflections against the sterile metal counters.
The air hummed with the low buzz of machines left running overnight—constant, mechanical,
impersonal. In the center of it all, Dr. Sebastian Mireles, mid-forties with sharp features
dulled by stress, sat hunched in front of his terminal,
sweat trickling down the side of his face.
The hallway lights flickered overhead as Dr. Mireles young assistant stormed into his laboratory,
His coat flaring behind him. His pulse raced.
Urgency in his tone.
“Dr. Mireles! Lucien just authorized a facility-wide lockdown. He’s two floors down—security’s with him.
He’s headed here.”
Sebastian didn’t answer. He knew this day will arrive.
The question had always been, just when-never why.
He swiped his badge on the secured monitor, the lights buzzed cold blue as his Assistant stares at him.
“Do you want me to….?” Dr. Sebastian stared quickly. “Yes, just go. They won’t stop you, Lucien is after me.”
The assistant took a deep breath, and rushed out of the lab as Sebastian turn his gaze back on the monitor.
On his screen, a blinking warning pulsed:
>> INTERNAL ALERT — EXECUTIVE LOCKDOWN IN PROGRESS
>> USER OVERRIDE: L.UCIEN DRAKE ,CEO>>ACCESS SHUTDOWN IN 00:00:05
“Shit.”
He sat down, hands flying over the keyboard, deleting encrypted folders,
wiping years of raw chrono-cell data.
He moved fast, like muscle memory, sweat already breaking on his brow.
His phone rang. It was his girlfriend Pam, she works at the Nursing home few blocks from the lab.
He ignored Pam’s call, he only has two seconds left.
He click the delete key.
Gone.
Everything.
His eyes flicked up to the wall of reinforced glass shelves at the end of the room.
There they were—neatly arranged rows of pill bottles.
ChronoCell.
His idea.
His invention.
His research.
His technology.
A hundred of them.
Thirty capsules per bottle.
A decade of work all lined
And waiting for his next move.
He hesitated. Then stood. Walked to the shelf.
His fingers trembled as he keyed in the override code: 9-7-6-1-CRX72
With a soft click, the case unlocked.
He grabbed one bottle and stuffed it into his coat pocket—just one.
The door behind him clicked.
He turned.
Lucien Drake stepped in with two security guards flanking him.
The CEO raised a single, disappointed eyebrow.
“Sebastian.”
Sebastian wiped the sweat from his brow.
He already knew.
He’s not only in big trouble.
He’s in a cluster fuck trouble
“They’re waiting for you.”
Lucien smirked.
