Chapter 3 - Into the Shadows
At 1:30 AM, a torrential thunderstorm broke over Austin. Heavy rain lashed against the gothic stone arches of St. Catherine’s Academy, turning the manicured lawns into muddy marshes.
Dressed in dark, water-resistant clothing, Javier crouched behind the dense hedge line near the school's eastern wing.
In his hand, he held a specialized network bridge device that Leo had configured, along with a high-powered thermal optic scanner.
"I'm in position," Javier whispered into a low-frequency radio earpiece.
"Copy that, Javi," Leo’s voice crackled through the receiver from a van parked three blocks away. "I’ve looped the motion sensors on the perimeter fence for a four-minute window. The main basement door near the boiler room has a digital keypad lock, but the firmware is outdated. Plug the bypass card into the maintenance slot."
Javier moved like a ghost across the wet courtyard, his heart hammering against his ribs. He slid the black bypass card into the electronic lock beside the heavy metal basement door.
A small LED light flashed from red to green with a quiet CLICK.
Javier slipped inside, closing the door behind him.
The basement smelled of damp concrete, old paper, and industrial floor cleaner. He clicked on a small red-lens flashlight, navigating down the narrow corridor toward the server room.
"You've got three minutes before the automatic guard check," Leo alerted him. "Server rack three, slot B. Plug the data tap directly into the blue fiber-optic line."
Javier reached the server room, pulling a heavy set of lockpicks from his pocket. Within forty seconds, the brass padlock surrendered. He stepped into the air-conditioned room, surrounded by humming black towers and blinking green lights.
He found Rack Three, locating the blue fiber-optic cable that routed the school's internal security feeds. He attached Leo’s hardware device.
"Tap connected," Javier breathed. "Do you have the data?"
"Downloading now!" Leo reported, his tone filled with intense concentration. "Holy crap, Javi... the server isn't just recording the hallways. It’s got high-definition audio and video from every classroom, storage closet, and counseling room for the last six months!"
Suddenly, the red emergency light on the wall began to flash silently.
"Javi! Get out!" Leo yelled through the earpiece. "Someone just initiated an override command from an off-site terminal! They’re wiping the drives from Arthur Sterling’s private estate!"
"How long do you need to complete the mirror copy?!" Javier demanded, planting his boots firmly on the floor.
May you like
"Ninety seconds! But the local alarm is going to trigger in ten!"
Heavy footsteps echoed down the concrete stairs at the end of the hallway.
