Chapter 10 - The Breach
The underground garage was a labyrinth of concrete and flickering security lights.
Our footsteps echoed, sharp and rhythmic, against the damp floor.
"If we make it to the terminal, we can broadcast the data globally," Julian said, his voice straining.
"We don't just broadcast it," I corrected. "We link it to every major bank's security protocol. We force them to acknowledge the fraud."
"That's suicide," he said.
"It's justice."
We reached the car, but the tires were slashed.
The garage door was already coming down, blocking our exit.
A black sedan screeched around the corner, its headlights blinding us.
"Get down!" Julian tackled me, throwing us behind a concrete pillar just as bullets sprayed the spot where we had been standing.
The sound of the gunfire was deafening.
This wasn't corporate warfare anymore.
It was a hunt.
"Give us the drive, Elena!" a voice boomed over the speakers.
It was the Foundation’s head of security.
I looked at Julian.
He was bleeding from his shoulder, his face pale with pain.
"They're not going to let us leave," he groaned.
"They won't," I said.
I looked at the drive in my hand, then at the service elevator.
"You have to run. Distract them."
"I'm not leaving you," he yelled.
"You are, because I’m the bait."
I handed him the drive.
"If you don't make it to the broadcast station, everything I suffered was for nothing."
He looked at me, eyes glistening.
"Elena..."
"Go!"
He sprinted toward the far exit, the gunmen turning to pursue him.
I stood up, stepping into the light of the sedan.
"You want the drive?" I shouted. "It's right here!"
I held up a decoy—a flash drive painted silver.
The sedan accelerated, bearing down on me.
I ducked behind the pillar at the last second, the car smashing into the concrete with a bone-jarring impact.
The driver was knocked unconscious.
I didn't wait.
I sprinted toward the service entrance, my lungs burning.
I had successfully created the opening.
May you like
Now, it was Julian's turn to play his part.
The war was reaching its climax, and I was holding the final, chaotic piece of the puzzle.
