Chapter 7
Navigating the internal service corridors of the facility required a delicate balance of timing and spatial awareness. The barracks wing was dead quiet, save for the rhythmic, muffled snoring of off-duty recruits filtering through the thin drywall of the temporary housing blocks. Marcus and Elena moved in absolute synchronization, their footsteps silent, their bodies hugging the dark perimeter of the hallway where the recessed safety lighting failed to reach.
Sergeant Grant’s quarters were located at the far end of the restricted zone, marked only by a heavy wooden door fitted with a standard mechanical deadbolt rather than a digital lock—a deliberate choice by a man who trusted analog security over networked vulnerabilities.
Elena knelt beside the wooden frame, pulling a compact leather-wrapped lockpick set from the inner pocket of her leggings. With practiced, microscopic precision, she inserted the tension wrench into the keyway and began probing the pins with a slender titanium hook. The faint, metallic clicks sounded like falling stones in the absolute quiet of the hall.
Marcus stood guard behind her, his senses strained to catch the slightest sound of an approaching patrol. His bad shoulder throbbed dully, a persistent reminder of the physical cost of their investigation.
With a soft, satisfying click, the internal cylinder turned. Elena gently pushed the door open, slipping into the dark room like a shadow.
The quarters were sparse: a narrow metal-frame cot made with military precision, a small wooden desk covered in stacks of technical manuals, and a heavy iron footlocker secured with a brass padlock at the foot of the bed. Elena bypassed the footlocker entirely, heading straight for the desk drawer where a small, silver USB drive sat exposed beside a pack of cigarettes.
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She picked up the drive, her thumb brushing the textured casing. It was an unencrypted physical data bridge—the exact tool needed to bypass the firewall locks on the armory terminal.
Suddenly, the harsh beam of a flashlight cut through the darkness of the hallway outside, accompanied by the heavy, deliberate tread of heavy combat boots approaching the door.
