Chapter 6 - The Lockdown
The heavy security shutters slammed down over the main exit with a resounding crash that rattled the glass of the nearby trophy cases, sealing off the entire corridor in a cage of reinforced steel. Bryce recoiled in sheer terror, his hands flying up to his head as he stared at the descending barriers that trapped them inside the restricted administrative wing. Maya remained completely composed, her grip tightening slightly on the collar of his varsity jacket before she shoved him back against the wall with sharp, calculated force.
“Stay behind me and keep your mouth shut if you want to make it out of this building alive,” Maya warned in a low, steely whisper, her eyes locked on the approaching figures marching down the dim hallway.
Dean Sterling led the group, his posture rigid and his expression carved from absolute stone, entirely lacking the polite, grandfatherly facade he usually wore during campus orientation events. Flanking him were the two men in dark mechanic’s jackets, their faces partially shadowed by low caps, carrying heavy metallic cases that clicked with a rhythmic, high-pitched hum. They moved with the synchronized precision of a military unit, paying zero attention to the flashing red emergency lights bathing the corridor in a blood-red hue.
“Dr. Vance’s daughter,” Dean Sterling said smoothly, stopping ten feet away from them and offering a thin, condescending smile that didn’t reach his cold eyes. “We were wondering when you’d finally piece the puzzle together, though I must admit, I expected better investigative work from someone who fancies herself a master coder.”
“You killed my father, and now you’re trying to wipe the mainframe to cover up five years of illegal student surveillance,” Maya fired back, her voice echoing off the concrete walls with razor-sharp clarity. “Every single biometric profile collected under the guise of campus health and safety has been funneled through this exact server bank to corporate defense contractors.”
Dean Sterling let out a dry, humorless chuckle, waving a hand dismissively as one of the men in mechanic’s jackets stepped forward, unlatching his heavy metallic case to reveal a glowing amber sequencing device. “Your father was a visionary, Maya, but he lacked practical vision; he wanted to shut down a multi-million-dollar defense contract over petty privacy concerns that modern students gladly surrender for free Wi-Fi and priority housing.”
Bryce peeked out from behind Maya’s shoulder, his face completely drained of color as the horrific reality of his actions finally set in. “Wait... you’re the one who sent me the DM? You used me to get her into the cold room?” he stammered, his voice cracking with disbelief. “You told me it was just a harmless prank for social media clout!”
“You’re an easily manipulated amateur, Bryce, perfectly willing to sell out your fellow classmates for a handful of digital followers,” Dean Sterling replied coldly, not even bothering to look at the terrified young man. “And now, unfortunately for both of you, your little prank has triggered a mandatory facility quarantine that cannot be reversed from the outside.”
The digital countdown timer above the main corridor displayed five minutes remaining, clicking down second by second toward the total system purge that would incinerate every hard drive and wipe every digital trace of the university’s illegal operations. Maya’s eyes darted frantically around the corridor, searching for the manual fire suppression override panel she knew was hidden behind the decorative wall paneling to her left.
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With a sudden, explosive movement, Maya slammed her elbow into the drywall, shattering the plaster and exposing the manual override lever just as one of the guards lunged forward to grab her.
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