Chapter Three: Level Zero Is Not a Floor

From inside her thermal suit, she produced a hub bolt and placed it in the final recess. The north wall opened without sound, revealing a narrow elevator. Cold air spilled out, smelling of iron sealed away for years. The sign above it did not show a downward arrow. In old colonial lettering, it read: LEVEL ZERO IS NOT A FLOOR. LEVEL ZERO IS THE ORIGIN. The alarms drew closer. Governor Helan Qiao’s voice entered the bay. “Officer Voss, seal the entrance and detain the three intruders. The underground facility cannot sustain life.” “She said three,” Zhou murmured, looking at Ying. “The system can’t see the child.” Voss’s weapon moved between Lin and the entrance. At last, he fired into the surveillance camera. “Now it can’t see any of us.”