Part 48
I forced Julian to the terminal, his fingers trembling as he scanned his palm and entered the complex, rotating encryption keys required to access Vanguard's core network.
The terminal screen flashed green, granting full access to the Virginia data facility's environmental and security controls.
"Thank you, Julian," I said softly, my voice devoid of any warmth.
"You... you won't kill me," Julian breathed, looking up at me with a desperate, pathetic hope in his eyes. "I gave you what you wanted. We can make a deal. I can help you disappear."
"I already disappeared once," I said, my finger tightening on the trigger. "It didn't work."
A single, muffled pop echoed through the boardroom, and Julian collapsed onto the console, his body sliding lifelessly to the floor as the terminal continued to download the facility data to my portable drive.
I snatched the drive, stepping over his body as the fire alarms in the building suddenly began to blare—a delayed security response I had triggered to mask my exit.
I took the elevator back to the garage, slipping past the panicked crowds of wealthy elites who were fleeing the building in a chaotic frenzy.
Back inside the armored transport, I uploaded the facility schematics to the tactical console, mapping out the structural weaknesses of the Vanguard data fortress.
It was an underground compound built beneath an abandoned limestone quarry, designed to withstand a nuclear strike.
But every fortress has a flaw.
The data servers required an immense amount of liquid nitrogen cooling to prevent overheating during a full network purge.
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If I could breach the cooling lines, the servers would automatically lock down to prevent permanent destruction, trapping the Architect inside his own digital tomb with all the evidence intact.
I put the truck into gear, the heavy engine roaring to life as a massive thunderstorm began to roll over the city, lightning splitting the sky as if the world itself was preparing for the final reckoning.
