Chapter 19
We descended deeper into the subterranean concrete maze,
following the thick bundles of data cables that throbbed with a faint,
almost imperceptible hum,
indicating that a massive amount of electrical power was still flowing through the earth.
Lily kept her eyes locked on her tablet,
monitoring the localized signal strength of the assassination algorithm's primary network.
The data density is increasing exponentially as we get closer,
she whispered,
and she stopped abruptly as her screen suddenly flashed a brilliant,
bright purple warning.
There is a highly sophisticated motion-sensing grid just twenty feet ahead of us,
she stated,
and the system is hardwired directly into a automated close-in weapon station.
I raised my flashlight,
carefully painting the ceiling and walls of the narrow corridor ahead,
until the beam illuminated the sleek,
black barrels of twin multi-barrel machine guns mounted to a motorized ceiling track.
Can you loop the sensor feed,
I asked quietly,
and I lowered my body into a low,
defensive crouch against the cold concrete wall.
The automated grid is completely isolated from the main network to prevent external hacking,
Lily explained,
meaning I have to physically splice into the local control junction box right beneath the guns.
That means you have to walk directly into the active kill zone to reach it,
I noted,
my heart rate spiking as I realized the immense,
terrifying risk of her proposed plan.
Then you will have to trust my absolute speed,
she said with a grim,
determined smile,
and she dropped her heavy backpack onto the floor to maximize her physical agility.
I will cover you,
I promised,
though I knew my customized pistol would do absolutely nothing against the heavy armored plating of the automated turrets.
Lily took a deep,
shaking breath,
and she suddenly lunged forward with incredible explosive speed,
sprinting flat out down the center of the dark,
concrete corridor.
The twin machine guns instantly reacted to her movement,
their motorized mounts whining sharply as they spun around to lock onto her position,
the barrels beginning to rotate with a terrifying,
high-pitched mechanical scream.
I fired three rapid shots directly at the primary optical sensor of the left turret,
shattering the glass lens and causing the weapon to fire wildly into the ceiling,
showering the corridor in a chaotic cascade of bright sparks and concrete dust.
The right turret opened fire with an absolutely deafening roar,
unleashing a torrent of high-velocity rounds that chewed through the floorboards just inches behind Lily's heels.
She threw herself into a hard,
sliding dive,
wedging her body tightly into a small alcove right beneath the automated junction box,
just as a wall of lead obliterated the concrete wall where she had been standing a millisecond prior.
She frantically ripped open the metal door of the junction box,
severing the main power line with a pair of insulated wire cutters,
and causing the entire automated system to die instantly with a low,
descending whine.
The absolute silence returned to the corridor,
broken only by the sound of falling concrete dust and Lily's heavy,
ragged gasps for air.
I ran down the hallway to her side,
pulling her up from the debris and checking her quickly for any physical injuries.
That was entirely too close,
I muttered,
my hands slightly shaking from the intense rush of pure, unadulterated adrenaline.
I am perfectly fine,
she gasped,
wiping a layer of white concrete dust from her forehead,
and she picked up her tablet to verify the local system status.
The security grid for sub-level four is completely down,
May you like
she announced,
meaning the main server core is now completely vulnerable to our direct physical assault.
