Chapter 12 – Algorithm of Doom

**LuTech Headquarters – Subterranean Server Farm**

“This place gives me vertigo,” Serena muttered, stepping into the blue-lit corridor, concrete humming with static. “How many floors below ground are we?”

“Three,” Julian said. “Possibly five. No one’s sure anymore.”

Their footsteps echoed over industrial grates. Above, cables snaked across the ceiling like black arteries.

Julian stopped at a biometric scanner. “Ready?”

Serena held up her ID badge. “Not like we have a choice.”

He pressed his palm to the panel. Serena scanned her clearance. The vault door groaned open, revealing the central data node of **Project Ouroboros**.

“This is it,” Julian said. “The algorithm that almost killed you.”

**Inside the Server Core – 9:46 p.m.**

Serena’s fingers flew over the console. “Encryption is triple-layered. But I can peel it back.”

Julian glanced at the real-time vitals display. “Someone hard-coded me into this. As a dependent variable.”