"Five minutes. Maybe four if I skip the verification checks."
"Skip them."
Someone punched in an override code outside. It failed—Finn had locked them out remotely.
"They're getting frustrated," Griff guessed. "Frustrated people make mistakes."
"Or they call for bigger hammers," Sarah countered, fingers flying. "Second cleanup account... third..."
Another attempt. Another failure.
Footsteps in the corridor again. Multiple sets this time. Moving systematically, checking each room.
Griff held up four fingers, then pointed to the door. Four guards. Sarah nodded, continuing to type in silence.
Sarah hit account forty-seven, then held up one finger. Primary accountsdone. She pointed to her screen where text showed: "Starting cleanup accounts."
Someone punched in an override code outside. It failed.
Through her earbud, Finn spoke: "Blocking them, but they'll figure it out soon."
Sarah typed faster, occasionally touching Griff's arm and holding up fingers. Two accounts done. Three. Four.
“No way. Try it again.”
Another attempt. Another failure.
A gruff voice called out. "Something's wrong. Get a supervisor."
Griff's jaw tightened. He typed on his phone, showed her the screen: "Security Chief = bad news."
She whispered back: "How bad?"
"Very."
More footsteps. A new voice, older, more authority. " What's the problem?"
Griff tensed beside her. His hand moved to his weapon.
"Door won't open. Override's not working. And Daniels is missing."
"How long?"
"Twenty-five minutes."
A pause. Then: "Get maintenance. And bring a breach team."
Sarah's hands trembled slightly but kept moving. Seven accounts done. Eight.
Griff typed on his phone again: "90 seconds until breach. Hurry."
Through her earbud, barely audible: "Sarah, the auto-trigger is rebuilding. We're losing."
She couldn't respond without speaking. Nine accounts done. One more.
The footsteps returned. Many of them.
"Maintenance is five minutes out," someone reported. "But I've got the manual override sequence."
