A dim glow of orange lamps misted through the pitch-black darkness. All was silent.
Then, all at once, the thudding of footsteps and blinding, sweeping red search lights invaded the darkness, amid blaring alarms that threatened to alert the sleepy city to this pre-dawn disturbance.
Their leader pulled his face mask down and spoke to his second-in-command. 'Hyperia, get the team down to the main bunker. I'll take the control room.'
She nodded, and turned to her team, waving her right hand above her head as she order, 'Follow me.'
As they set off at a trot down the corridor, Frank ducked sideways into the control room and took out the single KORPS soldier with a careful shot. He moved straight to the computer, tapping a few keys to lock the area down and trap their targets. He felt that familiar rush of adrenaline that came with any MI9 raid, but ignored it. He needed to think clearly and stay focused.
'Move in and prepare for arrest,' Frank ordered through his radio, then added a warning. 'Proceed with caution. The area will be heavily defended.'
One floor above, Hyperia led the team through the corridors and into a wide open space. They met surprisingly little resistance.
As they entered the main bunker, her heart immediately dropped into her stomach and did a few somersaults for good measure. Towering above them was a huge rocket. A female computerised voice mocked them, 'Missile launch in 40 seconds.' She made a split-second decision.
'Keep going,' she said firmly. 'Find them.'
It was a mark of the team's respect for her that they obeyed without question. Ignoring the huge missile, the troops kept their weapons raised and continued forward in perfect formation.
Hyperia approached the missile and opened the control hatch. There was no mistaking the blinking letters on the screen. 'Destination, London,' she relayed the information through her radio. Her heart was hammering wildly but she ignored it.
Back in the main control room, Frank tapped frantically on the keys. He saw the blurry image of Hyperia standing beside the missile and his heart, too, began to pound madly within him.
'Frank, what's happening?' It was Stella's voice this time. She spoke urgently but kept her voice soft, not wanting to startle Frank.
Frank glanced around the control room wildly, desperately looking for a solution. His eyes fell on the dull red button on the control panel: blast doors.
Even while his brain whirred around in his head, searching frantically for an alternate solution, Frank knew in his heart what he would have to do. He pushed his emotions to the periphery of thought and focused on the rationality of his plan. He could seal the explosion by closing the blast doors, by Hyperia and the rest of the team would perish.
'I'm sorry Hyperia,' he said, as he explained what he was about to do.
Several miles away, Stella's heart lurched with panic. Deep down, she already knew that this was the only way but her first reflex was the protest. 'They'll all be incinerated!'
She regretted the words the moment they had left her lips. Frank was explaining the logic behind his decision through the radio; he was almost shouting.
'It's your choice, sir,' Hyperia said resolutely. Somewhere inside her, she realised that she had come to terms with her impending death the moment she had set eyes on the missile. It was for the greater good, and she would die with bravery.
Raising her right hand to her forehead, Hyperia stood straight at attention and looked into the security camera ahead of her through which Frank was watching her.
The world suddenly fell into slow motion. Frank's voice came through the radio again, this time barely more than a whisper, 'It's for the greater good.' Stella cried out almost at the same time: 'No! Frank!'. Her voice was tinged with such desperation that Hyperia suddenly wished she had a chance to say goodbye to her friend. Then, the entire world dissolve into brimstone and fire all around.