Chapter 6 - Infiltrating the Lion's Den
The drive from Silver Creek to Columbus took two hours of driving through pitch-black rural highways with my headlights cutting through the thick Ohio fog. By 2:30 AM, I parked my truck in the underground parking garage of the corporate transport headquarters—a towering, sleek glass monolith that stood in stark contrast to the quiet, rustic charm of my hometown.
Wearing a dark hoodie and carrying my old field backpack, I bypassed the main lobby security desks by using an old maintenance elevator shaft I had memorized during my years working there. The building was dead silent, save for the low, rhythmic hum of industrial servers echoing from the basement and the occasional sweeping patrol of a night guard.
I slipped down the third-floor corridor toward executive operations. My heart hammered against my ribs, not out of fear, but out of pure, unadulterated focus. Every step I took was calculated.
Left at the corner. Avoid the motion sensors near the conference room. Enter the maintenance code into the back door of the logistics wing.
The heavy metal door clicked open. I stepped into my former office.
It looked exactly as I had left it three days ago—neat, sterile, and professional. I sat down at my workstation, plugged my portable hardware interface directly into the secure local network port, and bypassed the primary firewall using my administrator override credentials.
A black command-line interface flickered to life on the screen. Lines of code scrolled past at blinding speed.
Accessing server... Querying routing logs... Filtering by sender ID: VANCE_M.
I narrowed the search parameters to the exact date range of my assignment—three days ago, right when Clara was murdered.
The screen populated with a list of encrypted internal memos and emails sent from Mr. Vance’s executive terminal. I clicked on the first file labeled “Project Silver-Relocation.”
My breath hitched in my throat as I read the contents on the screen:
To: [email protected] From: [email protected] Subject: Schedule Confirmation Text: The transport assignment for Alex has been finalized and locked for a three-day window starting Tuesday morning. He will be completely out of communication range in the eastern sector. Ensure the property transfer documents are signed by Clara before he returns. If she resists, handle it quietly. Once the land title is cleared, our commercial development deal for the Silver Creek expansion can proceed without interference.
There it was in black and white. Irrefutable, digital proof connecting my employer directly to the conspiracy that murdered my wife. Vance hadn't just known about it; he had engineered my absence to clear the board for my mother and brother.
I quickly inserted a secure thumb drive into the terminal and initiated a full, encrypted backup download of the entire email chain, routing logs, and financial transaction records linking Vance to my family's real estate acquisition schemes.
Suddenly, a loud klaxon alarm blared overhead.
Warning: Unauthorized network access detected on restricted executive subnet. Security lockdown initiated.
The computer screen flashed bright red, displaying a system override warning.
May you like
Damn it, I muttered under my breath. The automated security protocol had flagged my override attempt.
Heavy motorized security shutters slammed down over the office windows and doors, sealing the room tight. Down the hallway, I heard the rapid, heavy thud of corporate security guards sprinting toward my location.
