[ WP ] `` I wo n't have time to explain all of this to them . '' Start or end your story with this sentence .

*I wo n't have time to explain all of this to them. * 
 
 There was a familiar pain as my eyes adjusted to the current situation. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. My ears were ringing, and there was a slight taste of copper in my mouth. My body wanted to collapse, but there was no time for that. 
 
 *Time, * I thought, *it's always about time, is n't it? * 
 
 I stood there, gasping for air. I stood in place as I watched a stream of people wearing lab coats rush past. They were all trying to flee the building, as a response to the blaring alarms going off throughout the complex. It's completely and utterly rational to run away from danger. Unfortunately, I do n't have the luxury of acting rational right now. 
 
 The crowd continued to flood through the corridor. It was impossible to power my way upstream. I even tried once, it did n't go well. 
 With a quick glance down at my watch, I began counting in my head as I got into position. Left foot forward. Crouch down slightly. Right arm strung back, with hand clenched into a fist. I'm not one for violence, but sometimes it's necessary. 
 *3... 2... 1... Now! * 
 
 Carefully practiced, timed down to the exact moment, I swung my fist forward, directly in front of me, about 3 inches above my level. I put my whole weight behind that punch. I had to, because it's not exactly easy to knock out a 6'1'', 300 lbs security guard with one punch. However, just as planned, I did just that. 
 
 Frank's whole body relaxed before crumpling to the floor, as the unexpected hit knocked him out cold. At least I hope he was just knocked out. Never had a chance to check to see if he was okay. 
 
 I swiftly pulled the gun from the holster that Frank was wearing, turned off the safety with a flick of the finger, and fired three shots into the cement ceiling above me. The noise was deafening in the cement echo chamber of a corridor. Just as planned, the noise was even louder than the alarms. The mob of people trying to flee suddenly recoiled in response. 
 
 Taking advantage of the opportunity I had just created for myself, I rushed forward through the crowd. Most tried to step aside to avoid the seemingly crazed gunman. They seemed even more afraid than moments before. I do n't blame them. 
 
 Within a few moments from firing the shots, I had maneuvered my way to one of the emergency stairways that led deeper into the complex. I swung open the door and rushed inside just as the crowd returned to fleeing for their lives. The stairway was empty, as most of the employees on the lower floors had already been evacuated. I sprinted down the stairs, taking them two and even three at a time. I went as fast as I could until I reached the 34th step down from the 5th basement level door. That one always seemed to slip me up. I took special care to slow down and adjust my pace to avoid that step. 
 
 Navigating down the rest of the stairs and through the following corridors on the 12th basement floor was relatively easy. I had each twist and turn committed to memory. The next challenge was the large door laden with'Secure Personnel Only' warnings all over. It requires a 12 digit pass code that only the scientists assigned to the lab it protected knew. I happened to be one of those scientists, but I did n't have the time to slow down to input the numbers. As I sprinted towards the door, I raised the gun, took aim, and fired the remaining two bullets into the keypad. Thanks to the practice I had, and a bit of luck, the shots ripped into the circuitry and forced the door to slide open. I slipped through as soon as there was enough space in the doorway. 
 
 Inside was source of the crisis at hand. The particle accelerator my team had been working on had malfunctioned. Or instead, perhaps it had worked better than we had expected. We were researching anti matter in an attempt to find a way to safely gather and harness it as a possible fuel source for interstellar travel. The keyword in that sentence was'safely'. When it we turned it on for the first time earlier today, everything went to shit. 
 
 The lab was still filled with my colleagues, all huddled together against the far wall. They knew it was hopeless to run. Once the accelerator's safety measures fail, the resulting blast would decimate half the country. They tried their best in the time they had, but there was nothing else they could to stop it. Luckily, I had all the time in the world to come up with a solution. 
 
 I rushed through the lab to the main switch board. I knew what I had to do. 
 
 `` Alexandra, get over here!'' I yelled. She was one of my interns, and for some reason, always followed my orders when I got to this point. Quick to her feet, she rushed to join me at the console that controlled the mile long machine that contained our impending doom. 
 `` Wh-where did you go? How did you-'' Alexandra stammered. She was confused, and rightfully so. Unfortunately, there was n't much time left. 
 
 `` Listen closely,'' I said, calmly. `` I know how to stop all this but I need you to pay attention and do exactly as I say, without question. Got it?'' 
 
 `` I... yes. Of course.'' 
 
 With that, we began the long sequence of inputs that were necessary to save us. To save everyone. I could n't do it alone, as it required at least two people to get past multiple of the security protocols. Under so much pressure, Alexandra did great. She did just as I ordered, and everything was going smoothly until the final moments. It all came down to this. 
 
 `` On three, I'll increase the energy input to the max, while you hit that large red button to your left,'' I said. She quickly turned to me, shocked. 
 
 `` ONE!'' 
 
 `` W-wait, what!?'' She was freaking out. 
 
 `` JUST DO IT! TWO!'' 
 
 `` THREE!'' 
 
 I shoved the slider all the way forward, and she... hesitated. Fuck. 
 
 This was the farthest I had gotten, and in the final moment, that one moment of hesitation made the difference. It was all over for her, our fellow scientists, and half the country. It was not, however, over for me. 
 
 Just as the blast went off, I closed my eyes and focused. I knew what I needed to do differently. What to say to her. 
 
 I knew how to save everyone... 
 
 *I wo n't have time to explain all of this to them. * 
 
 There was a familiar pain as my eyes adjusted...
