Dungeon

CHAPTER 24 - FAST AND FURIOUS

Bryan stood up, half expecting to see them escorted to another room filled with private cars, but Juan kept sanitizing his hands, coating his hands with it rather than applying it all over. "I thought we were about to set forth for Teruel."

Ethan raised an eyebrow and gave out an incredulous look. He whispered into Bryan's ear, his eyes not taking their gaze away from Juan's hands. "Looks like he's got a lot of germs."

Ramírez stood up and motioned something to Juan. He turned towards Bryan and gave out a warm smile, straightening his blazer. "You'll be in Teruel in approximately twenty minutes. Juan will show you around to your transportation. Meanwhile, I'll have to bid farewell. Got a press meet to attend to."

With a wink, Ramírez strode out of the room, leaving the trio alone in the room. Bryan felt like he was about to choke on his own spit. "Teruel's at least four hours from here! There's no way we are reaching there in like twenty minutes!"

Juan smirked and folded his hands as if he were wearing something invisible. "We are about to enter the quantum sanctum. You'll understand everything once you step inside."

Ethan scoffed, clearly admonishing the whole idea. "And how are we supposed to enter this sanctum or whatever it is without you moving your butt from this place? Looks like you're busy killing germs on your lousy hands."

Juan bit his own tongue, restraining himself from acting up. He turned around to face the wall of the president's office and started waving his hand in a wiping motion. The wall around him started pixelating to life to reveal a hidden chamber within it. Bryan couldn't help but gape in wonder. "A wall behind a wall?"

Juan turned toward Bryan and raised his hand. "The entire Moncloa Palace is surrounded by pixelated visual illusions. What you see is not what it contains." His gaze shifted towards Ethan, his look as cold as the icy mountains. "And this is not a hand sanitizer. It's a pixel grip glove gel. The gel forms an invisible glove on your hand, triggering the pixel sensors surrounding the area."

Ethan, however, looked unfazed. "So anyone who manages to sneak into the palace can just lather this gel or whatever it is and unlock everything. More like stupidity."

Juan rolled his eyes and began typing in a passcode at the now-visible steel door. "The glove is computerized with only selected handprints. If an intruder happens to get the gel, highly unlikely, but let's just say he does, then he won't last long. The gel, being highly lucid, would travel all through his renal artery, which is responsible for supplying blood to the wrist and hand, and melts it." He let out a dramatic sigh, his eyes clearly enjoying the fear in Ethan's eyes. "A normal wrist injury can be fatal for about five minutes if left unattended; pixel grip gel doesn't even need twenty seconds."

The large steel door opened to reveal a dimly lit, long corridor filled with neon purple lights. Bryan stepped into the corridor after Juan, followed by a fearful Ethan, who now looked skeptical about his fate. It's best for me to leave Spain as soon as possible!

Cutting across his thoughts, a loud, static voice echoed throughout the corridor, which sent shivers running down Bryan's body. "Welcome to the Quantum Sanctum, where innovation meets elegance and the future of air travel awaits. In this chamber of marvels, you'll find yourself in the presence of the Quantum Falcon X, a masterpiece of aeronautical engineering. With its sleek lines and gleaming metallic exterior, the Quantum Falcon X stands ready to defy the boundaries of time and space."

Defy the boundaries of time and space? Before Bryan could resonate his thoughts aloud, Ethan's shriek cut across. He turned back to find Ethan fearfully pointing at what appeared to be a silhouette now approaching them. Before his mind could figure out what to do, Juan stepped forward and shook hands with a man, who was now visible under the neon purple light.