Chapter 16 - The Neon AbyssThe downtown financial district of the city was a labyrinth of towering glass monoliths cutting sharply into the overcast night sky. The streets were slick with a cold drizzle, reflecting the garish neon signs of closed skyscrapers.
An unmarked federal SUV screeched to a halt in the subterranean loading bay of the Vanguard Technologies building. Daniel flung the door open, stepping out into the damp concrete garage alongside three armed tactical agents clad in heavy ballistic gear.
"Sector clear," the lead agent, Commander Thorne, muttered into his comm-link as they moved toward the freight elevator. "Agent Vance, stay behind us. If Vance is down here, he’s desperate, and desperate men do irrational things."
"I didn't come here to watch," Daniel said coldly, his grip tightening around his firearm.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime. They stepped inside, descending deep underground into the subterranean server vaults—a massive, climate-controlled bunker built to withstand seismic activity and electromagnetic pulses.
When the elevator doors opened on Sub-Level 4, the air was freezing cold, filled with the deep, rhythmic hum of thousands of server racks blinking with a thousand tiny blue and red LED lights.
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At the far end of the central control aisle, illuminated by the cold glow of multiple monitors, sat Julian Vance.
His coat was discarded on a chair. His sleeves were rolled up, and his fingers were flying across the mechanical keyboard with frantic speed. On the main wall screen, a progress bar read: ASSET TRANSFER AND SYSTEM PURGE: 87% COMPLETE.
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