Chapter 31 - The Heist Setup
Preparing for the infiltration of the Ghost Vault required a level of operational security Haven Ledger had never previously utilized. We transformed the sub-basement of our office into a staging ground. Chloe leveraged her contacts in the private security world to acquire a set of authentic Vanguard Defense technician uniforms.
"The timing has to be absolute perfection, Anna," Chloe said, tossing a heavy, dark blue canvas jacket onto the table. "I have designed a localized disruption malware. When I trigger it, it will cascade through Vanguard's primary servers, causing a complete system panic. The cameras, the biometric scanners, the electronic doors—everything will freeze and reboot. You will have exactly seven minutes of total darkness before the auxiliary generators kick in."
I slipped the Vanguard jacket over my shoulders, testing the flexibility. Hidden in the lining of my sleeve was a custom-built decryption module I had coded myself, designed to brute-force standard numerical keypads.
"Seven minutes is more than enough," I replied calmly.
"We need a legitimate reason for you to be in the building before the blackout," Sophia interjected, looking over the guest list for the commercial spaces above the vault. "We can't just have you wandering the lobby."
"The top floor of the building is hosting a high-profile political fundraising gala tonight," Chloe noted, pointing to the screen. "Senator Hastings is the keynote speaker. The entire building will be swarming with wealthy donors, catering staff, and security."
"That's our cover," I realized, a sharp thrill of adrenaline cutting through the room. "If the building is packed for a gala, the security teams will be concentrated on the top floors, protecting the VIPs. The subterranean levels will be running a skeleton crew."
"You're going to attend the gala?" Sophia asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No," I smiled, holding up a fake security badge Chloe had printed. "I am going to be the emergency IT technician dispatched to fix the 'glitch' in the catering company's Wi-Fi network. Once I am inside the service elevator, I bypass the top floor and take it straight down to the basement."
Chloe handed me a small, discreet earpiece. "I will be in the surveillance van parked two blocks away. I'll have eyes on the building's thermal signatures and access to their internal radio frequency. If things go wrong, I will guide you out."
May you like
I put the earpiece in and looked at my reflection in the dark monitor screen. I was no longer the terrified woman clutching a bruised hand in a marble kitchen. I was a predator, stepping into the dark to hunt the monsters.
"Let's go balance the ledger," I said.
