Page 80 of Rogue Hope
Boots pounded away, heading in the opposite direction of their actual position.
Zara released a silent breath, exchanging a look with Finn in the dim emergency lighting. His expression held a mixture of relief and grim determination that mirrored her own.
Their only chance now was to reach the command center, restore communications, and warn the team. Zara crawled through the narrow shaft, every movement an exercise in controlled agony.
Whatever happened next, they’d face it as they should have from the beginning.
Together. Whether she trusted Finn fully or not.
42
The metal ductvibrated beneath Finn’s palms as he crawled forward, each movement carefully controlled to minimize noise. Behind him, Zara’s labored breathing told him more than any medical scan could about her condition. His jaw clenched. She was pushing through serious pain, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it except keep moving.
Ahead, Kenji paused at a junction. “Left here,” he whispered. “Maintenance access point thirty meters ahead.”
They reached the access point, a narrow grate set into the ventilation shaft’s floor. Kenji produced a multi-tool from his pocket and made quick work of the fasteners. As the grate swung free, he disappeared into the darkness below. Finn gestured for Zara to follow, noting how she bit her lip to stifle any sound as she lowered herself through the opening.
He slid through last, landing in what appeared to be a reinforced communications hub—one of Knight Tactical’s redundant command centers, designed for precisely this type of emergency. The room was small but well-equipped: monitoring stations, communication arrays, and a reinforced door that Kenji immediately sealed and locked behind them.
“Secure,” Kenji announced, the word releasing a fraction of the tension in the room.
Zara straightened, her transition to commander instantaneous despite the physical strain evident in her posture. “Kenji, status check on communications. See if you can bypass whatever interference Reynolds is running.”
“On it.” The physician dropped into the chair before the main terminal, fingers already dancing across the keyboard.
Finn watched Zara, noting how she unconsciously massaged her wrist while surveying the small command center. Her breathing had steadied, but the faint tremor in her left hand betrayed the toll this was taking.
“You need to rest,” he said quietly.
Her eyes flashed to his, a spark of defiance cutting through the exhaustion. “What I need is to neutralize Reynolds and secure my team.”
Finn raised his hands in surrender, a gesture that earned him the ghost of a smile before her attention returned to Kenji.
“Anything?”
Kenji’s expression tightened as data scrolled across his screen. “Multiple security breaches. Someone’s systematically dismantling our defenses from the inside.” He pointed to a flashing schematic. “These access codes—they’re administrator level.”
Finn leaned forward, scanning the code patterns flowing across the monitor. Recognition hit like a physical blow. “Those are Cipher’s signatures. I’d know them anywhere.”
“Reynolds is Cipher,” Zara confirmed grimly.
Kenji’s head snapped toward Finn. “You knew?” Accusation edged his normally professional tone.
“Negative.” Finn’s response came sharp and immediate. “I never knew who Cipher was—to my knowledge, no one did. He operated through cutouts and digital intermediaries. I nevermet him face-to-face. I only knew Reynolds as Zara’s mentor, and the guy who put together the legit Paris op.”
Kenji’s shoulders slumped slightly as he turned back to his terminal.
“Someone with official clearance is definitely inside,” he reported after a moment. “These bypass sequences are methodical. Definitely targeted. He knows exactly what he’s after.”
Finn moved to Kenji’s terminal, studying the screen with intense focus. “Look at the pattern—systems are failing in sequence, not simultaneously. That’s a physical infiltration signature, not a remote hack.” His finger traced the progression on the monitor. “Someone’s moving through the building, disabling systems as they go.”
“But remote attacks can be sequenced too,” Zara countered.
“Not like this.” Finn pointed to the timestamp data. “The intervals are irregular—slightly longer at junctions, shorter in corridors. These are human walking patterns.”
“There’s more,” Finn added grimly. “This facility has biometric verification points that require in-person override. No remote hack can bypass them.” He pulled up another screen. “And these access points were just cleared using high-level credentials. Reynolds’ credentials.”
“But why come personally?” Zara asked, her analytical mind cutting through the chaos to the essential question. “Why expose himself after maintaining anonymity for so long?”
