Chapter 5 - The Final Stand
The headquarters of Bennett Security was a fortress of glass and steel. With Miller’s help—and a very dangerous, unauthorized plan—we infiltrated the building under the cover of a massive thunderstorm. Noah was the linchpin. He knew the internal security protocols, the blind spots, and the master override codes that the Bennetts had forced him to memorize.
As we moved through the dark, humming corridors of the server room, the sense of impending doom was palpable. We had minutes before the backup security team arrived. Noah worked the console with frantic speed, his small hands dancing across the keyboard.
"Almost there," he whispered, his face illuminated by the blue light of the screens.
Suddenly, the doors hissed open. It wasn't the police. It was the Bennetts’ business partner, a man named Sterling, flanked by two private security contractors. He had made bail, and he was here to wipe the slate clean.
"Noah," Sterling said, his voice as smooth as oil. "Come back to your family. We can start over."
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I stepped in front of Noah, raising the emergency flare gun I had stolen from the motel’s safety kit. "It’s over, Sterling. The upload is already at 90 percent. Everyone is watching."
A standoff ensued, but the silence was broken by the thunderous sound of the SWAT team breaching the front entrance. Sterling didn't stand a chance. As the red lasers of the SWAT team painted his chest, he raised his hands, his face collapsing into a mask of defeat. The files hit 100 percent. It was done.
