Chapter 10 - The Darkness Descends
The heavy steel door banged shut with a resounding thud, followed by the metallic click of an automated deadbolt engaging from the outside. The sudden plunge into darkness lasted only a second before the emergency backup generator kicked in, bathing the server room in a sickly, amber glow.
"What just happened?" David Miller cried out, spinning around to slam his fists against the locked steel door.
"Someone from the upper security desk just overrode the manual release from the main console," Martha said, her voice tight with tension as she kept a firm grip on a still-struggling Eleanor Vance.
Clara walked swiftly to the electronic keypad beside the door, punching in the master override sequence Marcus had just given her on the flash drive. The screen flashed a bright red error message: ACCESS DENIED - SYSTEM LOCKED BY HIGHER AUTHORITY.
"Marcus, your override code isn't working," Clara said, turning sharply to face the former legal counsel.
Marcus frowned, stepping up to the keypad and frantically entering a secondary sequence. "That's impossible; root access cannot be locked out unless..." He paused, his face turning pale. "Unless the corporate board just initiated an emergency Chapter 11 asset freeze from an off-site terminal."
Eleanor suddenly stopped struggling, a manic, triumphant laugh escaping her lips despite Martha holding her arms. "You fools," she wheezed. "You think I was working alone in this hotel? The primary stakeholders are already voting to dissolve the corporation as we speak!"
"Shut your mouth, Eleanor!" Marcus snapped, shoving her back against the server rack.
Clara felt a cold knot form in her stomach. If the board dissolved the corporation before she could legally register her inheritance deed with the state clerk, all the physical assets, including the hotel itself, would be auctioned off to offshore shell companies by morning.
"We need to get to the master communications hub on the roof," Clara declared, her voice cutting through the panic in the room. "That's the only terminal with a direct, unfiltered satellite uplink to the state registry."
"The roof stairwell is sealed off during structural lockdowns," David stammered, backing away from the door.
May you like
"Not if we go through the old maintenance ventilation shafts," Martha countered calmly, reaching into her pocket to pull out a heavy brass utility key. "Your grandfather built this place to withstand a siege, Clara. There's always another way out."
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