Chapter 15 - The Voice Through the Glass"Step back," Mara instructed, pulling a specialized magnetic hacking device from her tactical rig and slamming it onto the steel casing of the keypad.
The device whined aggressively, discharging a blue arc of static electricity as it bypassed the digital encryption layer. Inside the panel, relays sparked and hissed, until finally, with a heavy, pneumatic shriek, the massive bulkhead door slid slowly open.
Grant rushed through the threshold into a brightly lit, sterile observation room lined with computer monitors and thick, bulletproof glass windows overlooking a series of detention cells below.
His heart stopped.
Sitting on a small metal cot inside cell number four was Sophie. She looked pale, wrapped in a grey thermal blanket, staring blankly at the opposing wall. On the floor beside her sat the silver music box, its lid closed tightly.
"Sophie!" Grant screamed, slamming his hands against the thick glass partition.
The little girl turned her head sharply toward the sound, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Daddy?" she cried out, scrambling off the cot and running toward the glass, pressing her tiny hands against the transparent barrier. "You came! I knew you would come!"
"Hold on, sweetheart, Daddy's going to get you out!" Grant yelled, turning frantically to the control console to find the cell-release mechanism.
"Don't touch it!" Mara shouted, lunging forward and grabbing his arm.
Grant blinked, looking down at the console in confusion. "What are you doing? My daughter is right there!"
"Look at the diagnostic monitor," Mara pointed to a blinking red script scrolling across the main terminal.
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Grant’s eyes scanned the text, and the blood drained completely from his face. CELL 4 - PROXIMITY DETONATION CHARGE ARMED. TRIGGER LINKED TO CENTRAL HEARTBEAT SENSOR.
"It's a trap," Mara whispered, her voice trembling for the first time. "If we open that door using standard protocols, the explosive charge beneath the floor plates will detonate instantly."
