Chapter 5 - THE COUNTER-STRIKE“You’re too late,” Emily called out clearly across the smoky room, standing up from behind the marble pillar with her hands raised just enough to conceal her phone.
The lead operative paused, lowering his weapon slightly. “Step away from the terminal, Dr. Carter. We know you have the master encryption key.”
“Do you?” Emily smiled faintly. “Because while you were busy playing commando, my terminal didn't just download the server logs—it broadcasted a full telemetry dump to every federal regulatory agency, financial watchdog, and major news outlet in North America.”
The operative’s visor snapped toward her. “Bluff. The building’s local relay was jammed thirty seconds ago.”
“Jammed?” Emily laughed softly. “I didn't use the building relay. I routed through the bio-optic telemetry band Mr. Moretti was wearing. It operates on a decentralized satellite frequency you can’t block with a local jammer.”
Lorenzo, still recovering his strength, looked up at Emily with stunned admiration. Despite his near-death experience, a flicker of his legendary corporate cunning returned to his eyes.
“She’s right,” Lorenzo rasped, pulling himself up against the pillar. He pointed a trembling finger at Marcus Vance. “And the person who gave you our floor plan and access codes is sitting right over there.”
Marcus Vance leaped out of his chair, screaming in terror and rage. “He’s lying! He’s delirious from the heart attack!”
“Shut him up,” the lead operative ordered one of his subordinates.
Before the guard could raise his weapon, Emily tapped her screen. Execute Protocol Zero.
A piercing, high-frequency audio burst erupted from every smartphone, tablet, and electronic device in the room—including the tactical comm-sets worn by the mercenaries. The sound was deafening, a digital shriek that caused the armed intruders to drop their weapons, clutching their helmets in excruciating pain as their tactical displays short-circuited.
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“Now, Daniel!” Emily yelled.
Daniel Brooks, overcoming his fear, lunged forward with the heavy mahogany chair, smashing it directly into the lead operative’s knees. The man collapsed with a crash, his weapon sliding across the polished floorboards toward Emily’s feet.
