Chapter 9 - The Perimeter Breach
“Security!” I yelled, spinning back toward the operations console. “Trace the source IP of that Maryland relay override immediately. I want a full diagnostic on every external data packet routed through Alan Brooks’ corporate network.”
Before the lieutenant could hit enter, the entire overhead lighting system in the JOC flickered violently, dipped to a dull, sickly amber, and then died completely.
Emergency red backup strobes kicked on, casting long, frantic shadows across the concrete walls.
The hum of the server racks died instantly, replaced by a high-pitched, automated system warning chime.
WARNING: SYSTEM INTEGRITY COMPROMISED. EXTERNAL OVERRIDE DETECTED. MAINFIREWALL ISOLATING CORE DATABASES.
“What the hell is going on?” Ryan shouted over the alarms, grabbing my arm to keep his balance as the floor seemed to vibrate.
“It’s not a glitch,” I said, my heart slamming against my ribs. “It’s a remote wipe protocol. Someone is scrubbing the servers from the inside out to cover the tracks of that fleet redirection.”
“Commander Hayes!” the lieutenant called out from across the darkened room, his face illuminated only by the frantic blinking of his dying laptop screen. “We’ve got a physical perimeter breach at the base gate! Military police are reporting an unauthorized civilian vehicle forcing the checkpoint—registered to Alan Brooks’ private security firm!”
Ryan’s jaw clenched so hard I thought his teeth might crack. “He’s here. Alan is trying to destroy the physical audit servers before the Pentagon seals the logs.”
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“Not on my watch,” I said, grabbing a secure master keycard off my console and jamming it into my pocket. “Ryan, secure the tactical mainframe. Don't let them wipe the backup drives. I’m going down to the gate.”
“Like hell you are,” Ryan snapped, stepping in front of me. “You’re not going alone.”
