Chapter 14 - The Traitor WithinBefore Elena could enter the final command string into the console, a deafening alarm klaxon blared through the bunker.
“WARNING. UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED IN SUB-LEVEL 2. FIREWALL COMPROMISED.”
The overhead lights flickered violently, plunging the command center into momentary darkness before emergency red strobes kicked in.
"Secure the perimeter!" Director Vance barked, drawing her sidearm instantly and gesturing to her tactical squad. "Someone bypassed the biometric locks at the freight elevator! Move, move, move!"
Elena didn't panic. Her fingers danced across the glass console, pulling up the facility’s internal security layout. A map of the underground bunker materialized in 3D holographic projection above the desk.
"It's not an external breach," Elena said calmly, tracking a blinking red icon moving rapidly through the ventilation shafts toward the main server room. "It's an internal override. Someone in this facility gave them the backdoor key."
"Who?" Vance demanded, cocking her weapon.
"Look at the authorization badge," Elena pointed to a tiny digital ID flashing on the corner of her screen. "ID-8843. Assigned to... Chief Security Officer Miller."
Director Vance froze. Her face twisted in sheer disbelief and betrayal. "Miller? He's been my right-hand man for twelve years!"
"Not anymore," a voice echoed from the shadows behind them.
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The control room doors hissed open. Standing in the doorway was Chief Miller, flanked by four heavily armed corporate mercenaries wearing unmarked tactical gear and ballistic shields. In Miller’s hand was a heavy-duty EMP launcher, its barrel aimed directly at the central quantum server.
"Drop the terminal access, Elena," Miller said, his voice cold, steady, and entirely devoid of the warmth he had shown just hours earlier at the cathedral. "And Director Vance, drop your weapon unless you want your brains splattered across this pristine concrete floor."
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