Chapter 9 - The Upload
The monitor flashed a brilliant emerald green as the progress bar hit one hundred percent, accompanied by a soft, triumphant chime echoing from the terminal speakers. A bold notification popped up across the screen: Data Packet Successfully Transmitted to Federal Oversight Node 04.
The gunshot cracked through the damp air a fraction of a second later, the bullet passing through the sleeve of Bryce’s varsity jacket with a sharp tearing sound before embedding itself deep into the concrete wall behind them. Bryce screamed, dropping to the floor in a panic and curling into a tight ball while the heavy metallic case he had been carrying slipped from his grip and clattered across the stone floor.
“No!” Maya yelled, pivoting away from the desk just as the second guard raised his weapon to fire a second shot directly at her chest.
Before the guard could squeeze the trigger, a heavy spark shower erupted from the archaic vacuum-tube mainframes directly behind them as the entire sub-basement power grid experienced a catastrophic surge. The ancient transformers, overworked by the massive data transfer and decades of neglect, hissed violently and blew their primary fuses, plunging the vast chamber into absolute, heavy darkness.
In the sudden blackness, shouts of confusion echoed from the stairs as Dean Sterling and his guards stumbled blindly against the damp stone walls and exposed cable bundles. Maya didn’t hesitate; she dropped to her hands and knees, crawling rapidly beneath the oak desk to grab the heavy metallic case Bryce had dropped. Her fingers brushed against the cold metal, and she hauled it toward her chest, feeling around in the dark for Bryce’s trembling hand.
“Maya? Where are you?” Bryce whispered in the dark, his voice shaking uncontrollably as the sound of heavy boots scuffed the floor just feet away.
“Shut up and follow my voice, crawl toward the back utility tunnel,” Maya hissed back quietly, grabbing his sleeve and dragging him along the floor toward a low, rusted maintenance opening hidden behind the main server racks.
The utility tunnel was cramped, smelling of stagnant water and rusted iron, but it was too narrow for adult men in heavy gear to pursue them effectively. They scrambled backward through the dust and grime, their elbows scraping against the rough concrete walls as muffled curses and flashlight beams swept the area they had just vacated.
“They’re heading toward the emergency exit shaft, cut them off at the surface access ladder!” Dean Sterling’s voice echoed from down the main chamber, muffled by the distance and the thick layers of industrial machinery.
Maya pushed herself forward through the tight passage, using her knowledge of the building’s original blueprint to navigate the pitch-black labyrinth without hesitation. After what felt like hours of agonizing crawling, a faint circle of natural moonlight appeared at the end of the tunnel, marking the surface vent that opened directly into the campus quadrangle.
May you like
They popped out of the ground-level vent into the crisp, cool night air of the campus quad, gasping for breath as the distant sirens of approaching police cruisers began to wail across the university grounds.
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