Chapter 33 - The Ghost of the Estate
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I sprinted down the dark, emergency-lit hallway toward the server vault, the sound of heavy gunfire and shattering glass echoing through the floorboards above.
I swiped my biometric card at the vault door, stepped inside, and slammed the heavy steel door shut behind me, locking the deadbolts.
I rushed to the central console, jammed the physical master key into the manual override slot, and began typing the override commands. Lines of red text filled the central screen:
BLACKOUT PROTOCOL INITIALIZED.
BROADCAST NODE CONNECTING... 12%... 24%...
Suddenly, the lights inside the server room flickered. The overhead vent grille crashed onto the floor, and a tall figure dropped down silently into the room behind me.
I spun around, raising my pistol.
Standing before me, holding a silenced pistol, was Victoria Sterling. Her expensive designer suit was covered in soot, her hair disheveled, but her face was twisted into a mask of psychotic fury.
"Step away from the console, Audrey," Victoria commanded, aiming her weapon at my forehead.
"You're too late, Victoria," I said, keeping my hands steady on my weapon. "The broadcast has already started."
"It takes three minutes to complete the transfer," Victoria sneered, stepping closer. "And three minutes is more than enough time to put a bullet through your head, smash that main drive, and escape out the ventilation system."
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"You killed Agent Miller," I said, holding her gaze to buy seconds on the screen behind me. 48%... 62%... "You ordered the attack on my mother twenty years ago."
"Your mother was a fool who thought she could play saint in a world run by monsters," Victoria spat. "And you are just like her."
