Chapter 5
The laboratory fell into an eerie, suffocating silence, broken only by the rhythmic, mechanical beep of the heart monitor connected to Goliath’s harness. Dr. Vance’s hands were remarkably steady as he adjusted the magnification lenses over his eyes, bringing the microscopic access port into sharp focus. The blue beam of the laser scalpel cast a steady, sterile light across the back of the mastiff’s neck where the leather harness had been unbuckled and pulled back.
"Hold him tight, Elena," Vance instructed in a low, measured whisper. "The moment I interface with the bio-chip, the dog is going to experience a massive neural feedback loop. It will feel like a severe electric shock. His instinct will be to thrash."
Elena tightened her embrace, burying her face deeper into the thick fur of Goliath’s neck. "I've got him. He trusts me."
Jax stood directly behind them, his broad shoulders squared, his eyes locked on the heavy steel doorway leading back to the transit tunnel. He pulled a suppressed automatic pistol from his shoulder holster, checking the slide with a smooth, silent click before re-holstering it. He knew that the moment Vance accessed the system, a data ping would travel back to the master server upstairs. The traitor who had planted the override device would know immediately that their attempt had failed. Within minutes, security teams would be descending the ventilation shafts and service elevators.
"You have precisely four minutes before the local firewall detects an unauthorized manual override," Jax stated, keeping his voice calm and controlled.
"I don't need four minutes; I need three," Vance muttered, guiding the ultra-thin fiber-optic cable toward the micro-port at the base of the dog’s skull.
With a microscopic click, the cable seated itself inside the bio-chip. Instantly, Goliath’s body went completely rigid. A low, agonizing groan escaped the mastiff’s throat, and his massive paws dug convulsively into the metal floor grating, leaving deep white gouges in the steel. Elena strained every muscle in her body, throwing her full weight across the dog’s chest to keep him pinned to the table. Her breath came in ragged gasps, but she did not loosen her grip, murmuring continuous, soothing words into the animal's ear despite her own trembling arms.
"Steady... stay with me, big guy... almost there," she breathed, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.
May you like
On Vance’s monitor, a cascade of green hexadecimal code began scrolling downward at blinding speed, replacing the flashing red error messages. The encryption keys were dumping into a secure local hard drive, isolating the malicious malware before it could permanently corrupt the dog’s neural pathways.
"I've got the source IP address," Vance whispered, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple. "The signal didn't originate from inside the ballroom. It was being relayed from a mobile transmitter parked in the perimeter service lane."
