Chapter 6
The air in the sub-basement stairwell was thick, smelling of damp concrete and warm electrical transformers. The bright white lights of the main gala floor were entirely absent here, replaced by flickering fluorescent bulbs that cast a sickly greenish hue over the concrete steps. Elena descended first, her rubber-soled nursing shoes making barely a sound against the steps. Arthur followed closely behind, his breath coming in measured, controlled puffs as he carried a heavy steel master key ring.
"Watch the third step from the bottom," Elena whispered over her shoulder, pausing on the metal landing. "The maintenance crew never fixed the loose bracket."
Arthur nodded, carefully stepping over the hazard. They reached the heavy fire door marked Authorized Personnel Only – Server Room B. A faint, rhythmic hum vibrated through the metal door, accompanied by the distinct clicking of a mechanical keyboard coming from inside. Julianna was still in there, racing against time to complete the wire transfer.
Arthur tried the handle; it turned, but the heavy electronic deadbolt remained engaged. "She’s locked the internal deadbolt from the console," he whispered, frustration lacing his tone.
Elena stepped up to the keypad mounted beside the door. It was an older biometric and numeric combination lock. She looked down at the small scuff marks on the rubber keys—specifically numbers 3, 5, 8, and 9. "Common lazy habits," she murmured. She quickly punched in a sequence based on Julianna’s known vanity dates, but the red light flashed immediately, accompanied by an annoying buzz.
"Wait," Arthur said, pushing her gently aside. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small, encrypted override card stamped with the Sterling family crest—a legacy key that bypassed all digital firewalls for emergency facility access. "My father had this installed when they built the wing in the seventies. Some old tech is too stubborn for modern hackers."
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He slid the card into the manual slot beneath the keypad. With a heavy, mechanical clack, the internal deadbolt disengaged, and the LED light shifted from harsh red to a steady, welcoming green.
Elena gripped the heavy handle, pulling the door open just enough to slip inside. The server room was freezing cold, filled with rows of black server racks blinking with frantic blue and amber activity lights. At the far end of the room, illuminated by the harsh glare of a dual-monitor setup, sat Julianna, her purple velvet dress bunched up around her waist as she furiously hammered away at the keyboard, oblivious to the door opening behind her.
