Chapter 11: Infiltration**
At 8:30 AM, the glass skyscraper of Vance Logistics hummed with the bustling energy of hundreds of employees, completely oblivious to the war being fought in the upper echelons of leadership.
Security was unusually tight. Men in sharp suits with discreet earpieces patrolled the revolving doors and underground parking garages. Victor Cole stood near the executive elevators, his sharp gaze monitoring every person passing through the metal detectors.
Down in the loading bay, a laundry delivery van backed into the service bay.
Inside the back of the van, Julian checked Lily’s seatbelt one last time. Father Dominic had insisted on accompanying them, sitting beside Lily in the back seat with a calm, reassuring presence.
“Stay with Father Dominic until I come get you, sweetheart,” Julian whispered, gently brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I’m not scared anymore, Daddy,” Lily said softly, her eyes clear and steadfast. “Tell them the truth.”
Julian nodded. He pulled a maintenance jumpsuit over his clothes, stepping out into the concrete belly of the building accompanied by Marcus and Thomas.
Using Thomas’s old security bypass key, they slipped into the boiler room vents, bypassing the primary elevator banks entirely. Marcus swiftly dismantled the electronic lock on the auxiliary server vault, sliding the door open with a quiet hiss.
Inside sat the master communications grid for the entire corporation.
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“We’re in,” Marcus whispered, plugging the satellite drive directly into the central terminal. “Five minutes until the board meeting begins.”
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