Violet Odyssey: Chapter 9
A choking sound was all I could come up with in response to the curling wisps of white smoke. I stumbled back into the protruding alarm panel, jabbing my shoulder blade painfully against its sharp corner. My eyes went wide, darting around the annex, searching for unfriendly company. “H… hey! Hello?” I finally managed to croak. As if in response, the alarm panel beeped three times, signaling its return to WALK TEST . This unfortunately meant the system was ignoring the very real danger unfolding beneath its compromised sensors in the server room. I rushed forward, stumbling over a coil of data cable. Hugging the corner, I kept my distance from the smoking server room door, which remained tightly shut, tendrils of smoke rising and pooling at the ceiling. I crossed the floor of the main office space and tried the front security door. The handle turned, but the door wouldn’t budge. I threw my weight against it with a grunt. The shoulder I had jammed into the fire panel thro...