Chapter 11 - The Counter-Strike
The underground bunker hummed with a fierce, electric energy as Ethan’s fingers flew across the multi-monitor console. Lines of green cascading code mirrored the reflection in his eyes, while Ghost lay quietly at our feet, his head resting between his paws, keeping a steady, unwavering watch on the heavy steel security door behind us.
"The encryption firewall protecting the Oberon master files is multi-layered," Ethan explained, his voice clipped and professional, shifting seamlessly back into the commander I had known in the mountains. "If we push the data packets directly to civilian internet servers without a military-grade gateway, their cyber-defense grid will intercept and scrub the broadcast within three seconds."
"Which is why we aren't using civilian servers," I said, stepping up to the secondary terminal and pulling the heavy military satellite transceiver I had brought from the clinic out of my go-bag. I slammed the data cable into the terminal port. "We route the broadcast through the old DARPA tactical relay network currently orbiting over the mid-Atlantic. It's an unmonitored legacy channel that the Pentagon's current cyber-command forgot existed after the 2018 defense restructuring."
Miller leaned over the console, his eyebrows raised in grudging respect. "You two really were the best intelligence pairing in the command, weren't you? That relay hasn't been active in a decade."
"It's active now," I said, hitting the enter key.
Blink. Blink. Steady green.
A progress bar appeared on the central monitor: UPLOADING MASTER ARCHIVE TO GLOBAL DEFENSE OVERSIGHT NODES. 14%... 28%... 43%...
Suddenly, the overhead fluorescent lights in the bunker flickered violently, changing from a cool blue to a harsh, pulsating crimson. An automated klaxon began to wail a low, rhythmic warning tone.
WARNING. EXTERNAL BREACH DETECTED. SUB-LEVEL SEAL COMPROMISED.
Ethan didn't flinch. He didn't even look away from the monitor. "They found us faster than I calculated. Vance's QRF must have tracked the power spike when we booted up the mainframe."
"How many?" Miller asked, drawing his Sig Sauer and moving toward the security door, taking up a tactical flanking position beside the steel frame.
"At least a dozen," Ethan said calmly, tapping another key. "And they brought heavy breaching charges. They're going to blow the bulkhead in forty-five seconds."
"We can't hold this room if they use thermite charges," I said, pulling my modular pistol and checking the magazine. "The ventilation shafts lead directly to the surface near the old naval pier. If we split their forces—"
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"We aren't running, Madison," Ethan interrupted, turning his head to look at me, a fierce, determined light in his eyes. "We finish the upload first. Every second the progress bar ticks forward, another piece of their illegal syndicate crumbles into dust."
Ghost stood up, his body tensing, his low, vibrating growl filling the bunker as the heavy steel security door began to shudder under the unmistakable impact of heavy sledgehammers and hydraulic rams outside.
