Chapter 6 - The Glass Fortress
The private express elevator to the executive suites on the forty-second floor of the airline's downtown corporate tower moved in near-total silence.
Simone stood in the center of the mirrored car, her shoulders squared, her tailored blazer buttoned to the top. Agent Miller stood beside her, his hand resting casually near the concealed service holster beneath his suit jacket. The digital floor indicator blinked upward in a steady, blood-red sequence: thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty.
"Ma'am, if Director Vance has the executive board backing him up on this floor, walking in unannounced without a signed federal warrant is a tactical risk," Miller murmured, his eyes fixed on the sliding brass doors. "They can lock down the network remotely and wipe every server before we reach the conference room."
"Let them try," Simone replied, her voice smooth and unyielding. "They think they're dealing with a compliance inspector who can be reassigned, silenced, or discredited with a manufactured misconduct report. They don't know that every keystroke I made on that plane was routed through an independent encrypted backup node connected directly to the congressional oversight committee."
Ding.
The elevator doors glided open, revealing a vast, minimalist lobby paved in white Italian marble and accented with brushed chrome. At the far end of the hallway stood massive double doors made of frosted glass, bearing the gold-embossed logo of the corporate parent company: AeroGlobal Transport & Logistics.
Through the frosted glass, the silhouettes of several figures could be seen moving around a long conference table.
Simone didn't hesitate. She stepped out of the elevator, her heels clicking a sharp, rhythmic tattoo against the marble floor.
"Inspector Sterling," Miller whispered, falling into step beside her. "Protocol—"
"Protocol went out the window the moment my own division director decided to partner with the people we're investigating," Simone said coldly.
May you like
She reached the double doors and didn't bother knocking. With a sharp, decisive shove, she pushed them open, sending the heavy glass panels swinging inward with a echoing crash that instantly silenced the room.
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