Chapter 16 - Unit 412
Unit 412 sat at the end of a long, dimly lit corridor formed by two opposing metal buildings. Above the door, a small security camera pointed outward, its red LED indicator blinking rhythmically in the dark. I crouched beneath the camera's field of view, pulling Anna down beside me against the corrugated metal wall. "The camera has a wide-angle lens," I whispered into her ear. "If we stand directly in front of the door, it will trigger the motion sensor and alert the off-site monitoring station." Anna pulled a small, flat metallic object from her coat pocket—a signal-jamming device she had prudently brought from her university research lab. "Point it toward the lens," she whispered, handing it to me. I raised the device, pressed the activation button, and watched as the blinking red LED on the camera abruptly turned solid green, then flickered out entirely.
"Nicely done," I breathed, sliding past the neutralized camera toward the metal roll-up door of Unit 412. I grabbed the metal handle, but it didn't budge. A heavy padlock hung from the latch, securing the door shut. I cursed under my breath, reaching into my pocket for my keys, knowing they wouldn't help. But as I ran my hand along the underside of the latch housing, my fingers brushed against something cold and metallic—a small, magnetic key box tucked neatly out of sight. I pulled it down, popped the plastic lid, and found a standard brass key resting inside. Marcus had always been arrogant, relying on convenience rather than true security. I slid the key into the padlock, turned it, and heard the satisfying, heavy *clack* of the mechanism releasing.
I pulled the padlock off the latch, tucked it into my pocket, and slowly began to lift the heavy metal door. It rose with a low, metallic groan that sounded deafening in the quiet night air. I paused, holding my breath, listening for any sign of movement or sirens in the distance. The facility remained dead silent. I clicked on my tactical flashlight, sweeping the narrow beam into the dark interior of the storage unit. What was revealed in the light made my blood run cold. The unit wasn't filled with old corporate boxes or spare office furniture. It was a digital command center. Against the back wall stood a massive server rack, its internal fans whirring softly, surrounded by monitors, wiring harnesses, and stacks of external hard drives labeled with names, dates, and account numbers.
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And sitting at a folding table in the center of the room, illuminated by the cold blue glow of a laptop screen, was Marcus. He turned his head slowly toward the doorway, his eyes wide with shock, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his thin lips. "Well, David," Marcus said smoothly, leaning back in his folding chair and resting his hands behind his head. "I was wondering when you'd finally find your way to the heart of the maze."
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