Chapter 81: Into the Lion’s Den
Zak sat in the armoured SUV, hands cuffed in front of him.
Not because he couldn''t break free.
But because they needed to believe he was compliant.
Connors sat across from him, arms folded, eyes scanning him like a predator sizing up its prey.
Zak didn’t blink.
“Where are we going?” he finally asked.
Connors smirked. “Somewhere off the grid. Let’s just say this is where real power operates.”
Zak’s fingers twitched. He could already feel the energy around him shifting—subtle, but present.
Something wasn’t right.
And for the first time in a long time, he had no idea what was waiting for him.
<hr>
Dominion’s Hidden Facility
<blockquote>
DOMINION CLASSIFIED SITE 3 – CODE BLACKAUTHORISED ACCESS ONLYSUBTERRANEAN COMPLEX | LOCATION: CLASSIFIED</blockquote>
The convoy rolled across a barren desert landscape. Endless dunes. No signs of life. Just silence.
Then the ground itself began to move.
A hidden entrance opened, swallowing the lead SUV whole. The others followed, vanishing beneath the sand like ghosts slipping into a crypt.
Zak peered through the tinted window. This wasn’t just off-the-books.
This was something else entirely.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
A fortress beneath the earth.
A secret carved into the bones of the world.
<hr>
The Descent
When the SUV stopped, Zak was escorted out by two heavily armed guards. Before him stood a towering reinforced lift.
Connors gestured. “After you.”
Zak frowned. “What is this place?”
Connors offered a cold smile. “Let’s call it a forgotten piece of history.”
Zak hesitated, then stepped inside.
As the lift began its descent, he felt it.
The air pressure. The electromagnetic fluctuations.
This place was shielded.
Something dangerous was being contained here.
He braced himself.
The elevator slowed.
And the doors slid open.
<hr>
The Stolen Future
The underground facility sprawled out like a machine buried deep within the earth. Clean, clinical, humming with activity. Scientists moved in silence, their eyes avoiding his.
At the far end of the chamber—
Zak froze.
Suspended within a massive containment sphere, pulses of light dancing like lightning inside a crystal storm—
Was the QSE.
But it wasn’t his QSE.
It was larger. More refined. Augmented.
Like someone had taken his original concept and fed it steroids and stolen decades of future innovation.
His heart pounded.
This was what they’d built in secret.
This was what Dominion had become.
<hr>
The Ghost from the Past
And beside the sphere stood a figure Zak hadn’t seen in years—
Dr Ethan Raines.
Once Zak’s harshest critic. The man who ridiculed his theories. Who laughed him out of research labs.
Now?
He looked smug. Triumphant.
“Zak,” Raines said, voice smooth and condescending. “Welcome home.”
Zak stepped forward, rage boiling beneath his skin.
“You stole my work.”
Raines chuckled. “You misunderstand. We didn’t steal anything. We perfected it.”
“You don’t even know what you’re playing with.”
Connors leaned in, tone low. “That’s why you’re here.”
Zak’s fists clenched.
“You want me to fix what you broke?”
Raines gestured toward an observation chamber.
“If you cooperate, we might even let you see your family again.”
Zak’s blood ran cold.
So that was the game.
Do what they want—or lose everything.
<hr>
A Silent Decision
He could destroy this place. He wanted to.
But not yet.
He had to play along.
Maya, Liam, and Noah were still out there. Still at risk.
He couldn’t let his fury cost them their lives.
So he took a slow breath.
“Fine,” he said, voice flat.
Raines smiled. “Good. Then let’s begin.”
Zak turned to the QSE, eyes narrowing.
He wasn’t finished.
They’d taken his vision and corrupted it.
But now—
He was back at the heart of it all.
And he would make them pay.