Chapter 11 - Biometric Deadlock
Leo didn't hesitate. He grabbed Vance by the collar of his soaked trench coat, hauling the larger man to his feet with terrifying ease and slamming him hard against the freezing metal surface of the bunker door.
"You can die here in the snow, Vance, or you can open the door and take your chances with a federal judge," Leo said, his voice dropping into a chilling, absolute stillness. "Your choice."
Vance stared into Leo’s eyes for three agonizing seconds, searching for any sign of bluff. Finding none, he spat a glob of blood onto the steel and pressed his thumb firmly against the illuminated glass of the biometric scanner.
BEEP.
A harsh red light flashed across the scanner face.
ACCESS DENIED. SECURITY PROTOCOL OMEGA ACTIVE.
"What does that mean?" Elena asked, terror sharpening her tone.
"It means the director locked me out of the mainframe remotely the moment we left the diner," Vance hissed, a triumphant sneer returning to his face. "You're trapped. The turret is recalibrating its thermal sweep right now."
Clara pushed Vance aside with surprising force, stepping directly in front of the scanner. She pulled a modified circuit jumper from her apron pocket, popped open the plastic casing beneath the keypad with a pocket knife, and began rapidly rewiring the internal motherboard connections.
"He didn't lock you out, Vance," Clara said rapidly, her fingers flying across the exposed wires with practiced surgical precision. "He locked me out. But he forgot that internal affairs backdoor overrides are hardcoded into every unit manufactured before last year."
"Clara, the turret is pivoting!" Elena screamed, pointing up toward the ridge line.
The heavy mechanical hum grew deafening as the automated gun barrel swung downward, its red laser targeting dot sweeping across the snow just inches from Clara’s boots.
With a frantic motion, Clara jammed the stripped copper wire directly into the main capacitor terminal.
BEEP. BEEP. CLICK.
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The harsh red light on the scanner shifted instantly to a solid, welcoming green. The heavy steel door of the bunker unlatched with a loud hydraulic hiss, swinging inward just as the automated turret above them opened fire.
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