Chapter 28 - The Glass Tower
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The executive elevator hummed softly as it swept us up to the 50th floor. The glass walls offered a breathtaking view of the London skyline, but my eyes were fixed on the digital floor indicator glowing red above the doors.
Marcus walked out first, weapon raised, sweeping the cavernous, darkened lobby of the executive suite. The floor was empty. The leather chairs, pristine glass tables, and abstract art stood undisturbed in the dim emergency lighting.
"Server room is secure," Dad signaled, gesturing for me to follow.
I walked toward the master console at the center of the room, holding Maya's travel capsule tightly in my left arm while balancing the tablet in my right.
I slotted the silver drive into the main console. Immediately, thirty screens flared to life, showing red warning signs across every department module.
‘CRITICAL SYSTEM FAILURE: DATA PURGE IN PROGRESS (68%)’
"He’s fast," I muttered, fingers dancing across the terminal interface to initiate Protocol Zero. "He’s already bypassed the secondary firewalls."
"How long do you need?" Dad asked, standing near the glass wall, looking down at the street below.
"Three minutes to establish the reverse trace," I replied. "Just keep the floor secure."
Suddenly, the massive screen behind the reception desk flickered. The corporate logo of Vance Dynamics vanished, replaced by a dark, static-filled video feed.
A man sat in a high-backed leather chair against a backdrop of deep blue ocean. He looked to be in his late sixties, with snow-white hair, sharp gray eyes, and a tailored suit that oozed power.
May you like
Gabriel Vance.
"Hello, Mara," the man’s voice echoed through the high-ceilinged room, calm, rich, and terrifyingly sophisticated. "And hello to you, Marcus. It has been a very long time."
