Chapter 26 - The Corporate Fortress
The Vance Holdings tower loomed over the downtown financial district like a monolithic spear of glass and steel. At 11:15 p.m., the building appeared entirely dormant, save for the sparse, rhythmic patrols of the armed private security contractors monitoring the ground floor.
Elias, David, and I approached the building through the subterranean service tunnels connected to the city’s subway system. Elias expertly bypassed the heavy iron service gate using a thermal cutting torch, moving with terrifying, silent precision.
We slipped into the sub-basement corridor. The air was frigid and smelled of ozone and humming electronics.
"Two guards stationed outside the server vault," Elias whispered into his comms headset, peering around the concrete corner. He held up two fingers, then tapped his chest. "I’ll neutralize them. Wait for my signal."
Elias melted into the shadows. Seconds later, I heard two dull, muffled thuds, followed by the heavy sound of bodies slumping to the floor.
"Clear," Elias’s voice crackled in my earpiece.
David and I hurried around the corner. The two guards were unconscious, securely zip-tied, and dragged out of sight. Standing before us was the massive, brushed-steel door of the server vault. A sophisticated retinal scanner glowed ominously on the wall beside it.
"Alright, David," I said, keeping my eyes fixed on the hallway behind us. "You’re up."
David knelt before the scanner, pulling a specialized tablet from his backpack. "Julian uses a dynamic retinal encryption. But Clara provided me with high-resolution photographs of his eyes from their wedding album. I’ve mapped the vascular structure onto a digital lens."
He pressed the tablet screen directly against the scanner. A tense, agonizing ten seconds passed. The machine beeped angrily twice.
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"Come on, you stubborn piece of junk," David muttered, adjusting the angle.
A sharp, green light flashed. The heavy steel bolts inside the door retracted with a loud, mechanical clunk. The vault was open.
