Chapter 8 - The Infiltration
The plan was set.
Phase one.
Access the mainframe.
Julian needed an inside man.
Someone at the Thorne Foundation.
He checked the files.
Sarah Miller.
Head of IT.
Underpaid.
Overworked.
And ignored.
Julian found her coffee shop.
The corner on 5th.
He sat nearby.
Watching.
She looked tired.
Frazzled.
He approached slowly.
He didn't look like a threat.
He looked like a student.
"Rough day?" he asked.
She sighed.
"You have no idea."
"Server issues?"
She looked up.
Suspicious.
"Who are you?"
"A friend of progress."
He slid a card across.
No name.
Just a digital key.
"I can fix your problems."
"And your bank account."
Sarah hesitated.
She looked at the card.
"What do you want?"
"Access."
"Just for an hour."
She shook her head.
"That's suicide."
"Not if you're careful."
"Arthur Thorne is a monster."
"I know."
He leaned closer.
"He's destroying people."
"He's destroying you."
She stayed silent.
The truth hurt.
It was a sharp blade.
"Think about it," he said.
He stood up.
He left the coffee.
He left the tension.
He walked away.
The hook was in.
He just had to wait.
He sat in his car.
The engine hummed.
He felt the weight.
The pressure.
One mistake.
And it was over.
His phone buzzed.
A message.
Meet me at midnight.
He smiled.
The game was turning.
He had the shadow.
Now he needed the light.
May you like
He drove into the night.
Ready.
