Chapter 19 - The Race to Monterrey
Arthur didn't hesitate. He radioed David immediately from the quarry floor. "David, I need an immediate data-lock on an offshore server located in Monterrey, Mexico. Cruz has a dead-man's switch on the refugee registry."
"I see the traffic, Arthur," David’s voice came through, frantic but focused. "But it’s protected by a biometric encryption protocol. I can't hack it from here. I need physical access to the primary server mainframe, or the decryption key from Cruz’s terminal."
Arthur leaned down, grabbing Cruz by his expensive lapels. "Give me the code, Raymond."
"Never," Cruz sneered. "My loyalty to the old network is worth more than my life. In ten hours, your beautiful sanctuary becomes a hunting ground."
"He won't give it up, Arthur," Vance said, walking down the quarry slope, his face set in hard lines. "But we don't need him to. Look at the satellite terminal. The data stream isn't going to Mexico by wire. It's using a dedicated point-to-point microwave link. The receiver station is right across the border, in a secure corporate facility owned by a Vanguard front company."
"We have nine hours," Arthur said, looking out toward the southern horizon. "Vance, secure the quarry and get the federal authorities here to clean up this mess. David, tell Lily to prepare the center for a full electronic lockdown. Nobody leaves, nobody enters."
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"Where are you going, Dad?" Lily’s voice came through the command channel, her tone full of sudden, fierce protective concern.
"I'm going to finish the job your father started thirty years ago, Lily," Arthur said softly into his mic. "Keep the family safe until I get home."
