Chapter 13 - The Master Console
Director Vance slowly turned around.
The sight that met Sarah and Thomas made their blood run cold. Director Vance’s entire left side—from his jawline down to his chest—was no longer human tissue. It had been completely integrated with the silvery, metallic matrix of the parasite network, glowing with an intense, pulsing crimson light that synced directly with the massive radio transmitter outside.
"You're too late," Director Vance said, his lips barely moving as the synthesized voice echoed from the overhead speakers. "The broadcast has already reached the regional relay stations in Ironwood and Oakhaven. By sunrise, the entire county will be tuned. The static of humanity is gone forever. A unified voice is taking its place."
"We're going to shut it down, Director," Thomas said, stepping forward with his walking staff raised, his voice steady and resolute. "Even if we have to smash every single circuit board in this room."
Director Vance let out a low, echoing chuckle that rattled the glass of the control panels. "You can't smash the future, Thomas. And if you try to pull the master breaker... you'll complete the grounding circuit through your own bodies."
Sarah didn't hesitate. While Director Vance was focused on Thomas, she sprinted around the side of the massive control console, her eyes scanning the complex array of switches, dials, and fiber-optic cables.
Right in the center of the console was the master power lever—a heavy, insulated industrial switch labeled EMERGENCY BROADCAST SHUTOFF.
But wrapping around the base of the lever like a living snake was a thick cluster of glowing, silvery parasites, their heads pulsing in unison, protecting the mechanism from interference.
"Thomas, keep him occupied!" Sarah yelled.
Thomas didn't wait. He lunged forward, swinging his heavy wooden staff with all his might, catching Director Vance squarely across the shoulder. The impact sent a shower of sparks flying from Vance’s integrated metallic arm, staggering him backward against the console.
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"You fools!" Director Vance roared, the collective voices of a hundred infected townspeople screaming through his throat as he lashed out with supernatural speed, grabbing Thomas by the collar and slamming him hard against the concrete wall.
Sarah leaped onto the control console, ignoring the burning pain in her left ear where the infection had nearly taken hold earlier. She reached out with her bare hands, grabbing the writhing, pulsing cluster of parasites guarding the master switch.
