Chapter 12 - THE CLICK OF DESTINYWithout wasting a second, Emma wriggled out of the secondary vent opening above the server rack. She hung onto the edge of the ductwork for a moment before dropping softly onto the top of the metal cabinet, landing like a little cat.
She unzipped her backpack and pulled out the silver flash drive.
The control room was bathed in the eerie red glow of emergency lockdown lights. Monitors across the wall displayed live feeds of the mansion: mercenaries planting C4 on the vault doors, Lucas pacing nervously in the grand foyer, and the raging blizzard outside cutting off the estate from the rest of the world.
Emma scrambled down the side of the server rack and reached the main console. She found the pulsing blue USB slot right below the central master screen.
With trembling hands, she aligned the drive and pushed it in.
CLICK.
For a terrifying three seconds, nothing happened. The screens remained dark.
Then, a deep, mechanical hum resonated through the entire mansion's infrastructure. The main red emergency lights flickered and died, replaced by brilliant, blinding white illumination as the backup generator grid forcefully engaged.
On the master monitor, green lines of code rained down the screen. An automated voice echoed through the ceiling speakers:
MASTER OVERRIDE ACCEPTED. WELCOME BACK, DIRECTOR MORETTI. INITIATING PROTOCOL: BLACKWOOD CLEARANCE.
Across the entire estate, heavy titanium security shutters slammed down over all exterior windows and doors, locking Lucas’s mercenaries inside. The automated turret defense systems embedded in the hallway ceilings lowered themselves with a sharp metallic clack, their motion sensors scanning for unauthorized targets.
At the same time, a high-frequency emergency distress signal pierced through the blizzard storm, routing directly to the private military headquarters in the nearby city.
Emma let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She had done it.
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Suddenly, the heavy security door clicked open behind her.
Emma spun around. Standing in the doorway was Lucas Moretti, his expensive suit disheveled, his eyes bloodshot with pure, unadulterated madness.
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