The silence was deafening.
Tricia's hand hovered near her gun, her mind racing. Jared was a fugitive. A man with secrets buried deeper than even hers. But despite everything, she couldn't shake the truth, he had saved her life. More than once.
And right now, they had bigger problems.
She exhaled sharply, lowering her weapon. "We deal with this later. Right now, we need to focus."
Nathan didn't look happy about it, but he gave a sharp nod. "Then let's move."
Jared held her gaze for a second longer, something unspoken passing between them before he turned away.
The next step in unraveling Project S.O.L.A.C.E. was finding the Cipher Key.
And that led them straight into the enemy's territory.
The Blackout District – 1:37 AM
The city's power grid had been unstable for months, plunging entire blocks into darkness. Nathan led them through an abandoned train station on the outskirts of town. The air smelled of rust and damp concrete.
"The Cipher Key isn't just data, it's an access code," Nathan whispered as they reached a rusted maintenance door. "Encrypted sequences hidden inside a physical drive. Without it, we can't decode the rest of Lorne's research."
Tricia frowned. "And where is it?"
Nathan hesitated.
Jared answered instead. "Inside a government black site."
Her stomach dropped. "You're kidding."
"Nope."
Reed cursed under his breath. "You mean to tell me we're about to break into a high-security facility for a flash drive?"
Nathan shot him a look. "A flash drive that could unlock every classified file on Project S.O.L.A.C.E. including why Tricia's the key asset."
That shut him up.
Tricia squared her shoulders. "Then let's do it."
The Break-In
They infiltrated the facility through an underground service tunnel, bypassing motion sensors and heat scanners. Nathan worked fast, hacking the internal network to reroute security patrols.
Tricia and Jared moved ahead, sticking to the shadows. Every step brought them closer to the server room, where the Cipher Key was stored.
But something felt off.
Tricia's instincts screamed at her. Too easy.
Then, as Jared reached for the access panel,
The alarms blared.
Red emergency lights flashed. Metal shutters slammed down over the exits.
It was a trap.
Nathan's voice crackled through their earpieces. "You've got hostiles inbound. Get the damn drive and get out!"
Tricia didn't hesitate. She sprinted toward the server racks, scanning the labels until she found it, a small encrypted drive labeled S-045.
She grabbed it just as the first gunshot rang out.
Jared shoved her behind cover, firing back at the incoming guards. Reed took out two before ducking behind a terminal.
Tricia shoved the drive into a secure pouch. "We have to move, now!"
Jared shot the nearest guard and turned to her. "Go. I'll cover you."
"No," she snapped. "We do this together."
Nathan's voice was sharp in their ears. "You don't have time to argue. They're locking down the entire sector!"
More guards swarmed in.
Tricia made the call.
She grabbed a flash grenade from Jared's belt, pulled the pin, and threw it.
A deafening BANG erupted, blinding their attackers.
"RUN!" she shouted.
They sprinted toward the emergency exit. Thirty seconds.
Reed kicked down the side door. They barely made it through before the corridor detonated behind them.
Smoke and fire filled the air as they burst onto the streets. Sirens blared in the distance.
Nathan's SUV skidded around the corner. "Get in!"
They dove inside, tires screeching as they sped away.
Tricia clutched the drive in her shaking hands.
They had it.
The Cipher Key.
But at what cost?