“37%! I’m going as fast as I can!”
Xavier’s body convulsed, muscles locking rigid. I grabbed his skull, protecting it from the wood, feeling the brutal force of the contractions shuddering through him.
Shorter than the first. Forty-five seconds of violent shaking before the medication still in his system wrestled it back under control.
He went limp again, respiration ragged.
I drew up another dose of Lorazepam, administered it into his shoulder. The medication would buy us time, but I was running through the supply. Two more doses, maybe three before I’d have nothing left to stop the seizures.
And then what?
“Havoc.” The crack in my tone was audible. “Please.”
“52%. Encryption is layered. Military, then corporate, then custom. I’m peeling them back as fast as...”
“Faster.”
Forty minutes in, the arrhythmia started.
I’d been monitoring Xavier’s pulse manually, my fingers pressed to the artery in his neck. The rhythm had been fast but steady.
Then it skipped.
I pressed harder, counting.
Thump-thump. Skip. Thump. Skip-skip. Thump-thump-thump.
Irregular. Getting worse.
“His cardiac rhythm is off.” Hellhound stopped pacing, turned to look at me. “Arrhythmia.”
I grabbed the portable monitor from the medical kit, clipped the leads to Xavier’s chest. The screen flickered to life, showing the erratic spikes of his heartbeat.
Not immediately dangerous. But deteriorating.
Hellhound moved closer, his shadow falling across the surface. “What do you need?”
“Just stay close. In case I need another set of hands.”
He nodded. Positioned himself at Xavier’s shoulder, ready.
“Blood pressure’s dropping too. 90 over 60. He’s crashing.”
“Havoc.” Hellhound’s tone was granite. “How much longer?”
“68%. Almost there. Almost...”
The screen flashed red.
DECRYPTION FAILED - RETRY?
Havoc stared at it. The blood drained from his face.
“No. No, no, no. It rejected the key.”
My pulse stopped. “What does that mean?”
“It means...” Havoc slammed his fist on the surface, making the laptop jump. “It means I have to start over. Different approach. Different algorithm.”
