Chapter 21

The underground levels of Hale Systems HQ felt colder than usual. Emergency lighting bathed the concrete corridors in a sterile, white glow. Hannah had initiated a partial lockdown to isolate the compromised servers.

When Cole and I entered the command center, Hannah was surrounded by scattered papers and half-empty coffee cups.

"I found a discrepancy," Hannah said immediately, not bothering with a greeting. She pointed to a massive monitor displaying a ledger of property acquisitions from twenty years ago.

"What am I looking at?" Cole asked.

"This is the corporate real estate portfolio for Hale Systems, dating back to when Thomas Hale and Arthur Price were originally building the infrastructure," Hannah explained. "Most of the properties are office buildings, data centers, standard corporate assets. But look at this entry."

She highlighted a single line of data.

Asset 404 - The Hollows. Transfer of Deed to C. Vance.

"Celeste," I breathed. "My father transferred a property to her?"

"Not just a property," Hannah said, typing rapidly to pull up a schematic. "It’s an old subterranean communications bunker built during the Cold War. It’s located in the Berkshires, completely off the grid. The transfer happened two days before your father died."

"He didn't give her a house," I realized, the pieces finally clicking together. "He gave her a vault. The Apex Key isn't a digital file. It’s physical hardware."

"And the Architect knows about the transfer now," Cole said grimly. "That’s why they took Celeste. They need her biometric signature to access the bunker."

"Can you pinpoint the exact location?" I asked Hannah.

"I have the GPS coordinates," Hannah confirmed, loading a map onto her tablet and handing it to me. "But you can't go up there alone. If the Architect's men have Celeste, they will be heavily armed. They operate like a paramilitary unit."

"I’m calling in a federal tactical team," Cole said, pulling out his encrypted radio.

"No," I stopped him, placing a hand on his arm. "If Vale’s network is still active, they have moles in federal law enforcement. The moment you request a tactical team, the Architect will know we're coming. They'll execute Celeste and extract the Key before we get halfway down the highway."

May you like

After seven hours trapped in a failing elevator, my firefighter husband...

David thought he had broken the only woman who could stop him

My husband thought he had humiliated a helpless new mother—until he disc...

Cole stared at me, knowing I was right. "So what’s the play?"

"We go dark," I said. "Just the three of us."