Chapter 20
A sharp, blue laser line swept down beneath my palm.
The scanner beeped.
For a terrifying moment, nothing happened.
Then, a synthesized electronic voice echoed from a small speaker above the door.
BIOMETRIC PROFILE MATCHED: BROOKS, LINEAGE CONFIRMED.
ACCESS GRANTED.
A massive pneumatic hiss filled the corridor as the heavy steel locking bolts retracted inside the door frame.
The blast door swung outward with a low, grinding groan, revealing a vast, dark chamber beyond.
As we stepped inside, overhead fluorescent lights flickered on one by one, illuminating a fully functional underground command center.
Rows of vintage server racks stood like silent sentinels, their cooling fans spinning up with a collective, deafening roar.
In the center of the room sat a massive horseshoe-shaped console surrounded by computer monitors displaying scrolling lines of green diagnostic code.
It looked like a ghost ship that had suddenly been brought back to life.
"My God," Detective Collins breathed, lowering her weapon as she looked around the room.
"This entire setup... it’s been drawing power from the local grid undetected for decades."
Vance walked past her, ignoring his cane entirely now, drawn to the main console like a moth to a flame.
"Beautiful," he murmured, his fingers hovering over the vintage keyboard.
"The ultimate ghost network."
"Unreachable by internet hackers. Untraceable by foreign satellites."
"The entire global intelligence apparatus, completely contained within this room."
Suddenly, a muffled explosion rocked the chamber.
The ceiling showered us with fine concrete dust.
"They just blew the hatch upstairs," James shouted, moving back toward the blast door.
"They’re coming down the stairs!"
He grabbed the edge of the massive steel door and tried to pull it shut, but the pneumatic arm was locked in place.
"Daniel! The console!" James yelled. "There has to be a manual override to close the door from the inside!"
I ran to the main desk, my eyes frantically scanning the hundreds of switches and buttons.
Everything was labeled with cryptic military acronyms.
"Vance!" I roared. "How do we close the blast door?"
Vance didn't look up from his screen. He was typing furiously, his face illuminated by the green glow of the monitor.
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"I'm downloading the network directories," he muttered, completely ignoring the danger. "Just a few more seconds..."
"Vance!" I grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him around. "Close the door or we die right here!"
