PART 14: THE MOLE IN THE RIDGE
While the battle raged in Europe, the threat inside the Viet Tri compound finally exposed itself.
Marco, the chief of intelligence, sat in the dark surveillance room watching a single monitor.
A security guard named Viktor, who had been with Alejandro for four years, was moving quietly through the lower corridors toward the server room.
Viktor carried a specialized data-cloning device in his jacket pocket.
He didn't know that every step he took was being logged by an isolated AI system Camila had installed before her departure.
The door to the server room clicked open.
Viktor stepped inside, the blue light of the mainframes reflecting off his nervous face.
He pulled out the device and reached for the primary fiber-optic cable.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice said from the corner.
Viktor spun around, drawing his weapon instinctively.
Marco stood there, his arms crossed, surrounded by four heavily armed operatives.
"Alejandro paid for your mother’s heart surgery, Viktor," Marco said quietly, his disappointment heavy in the air.
"Why?"
Viktor’s hand shook, his gun pointing unsteadily at Marco’s chest.
"They have my brother," Viktor choked out, tears running down his face.
"Elena Varga... she has him in a warehouse in Genoa. If I don't deliver the encryption keys tonight, they’ll send him back in pieces."
Marco didn't lower his guard, but his expression softened slightly.
"You should have come to us," Marco said.
"Alejandro solves problems. He doesn't punish desperation."
"It's too late," Viktor whispered, looking at the blinking lights of the server.
"They're watching me right now through the network."
Suddenly, the screen on Viktor’s cloning device flashed green.
A text message appeared from Camila, routed directly from her jet over the Atlantic.
We found your brother, Viktor. He is safe.
Put the gun down.
May you like
Viktor stared at the screen, his weapon slipping from his numb fingers before it clattered onto the concrete floor.
He fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands as the guards moved in to secure him.
