BXBX NOVEL Chapter 46 - 46 Into the Storm
Chapter 46: Into the Storm
Alyssa was beside him, her face hardened with resolve. Marcus and Eleanor were checking their weapons, running through final equipment checks. Laura was stationed back at their temporary command center in Singapore, ready to guide them through the mission.
The tension was palpable. This wasn't just another operation it was the culmination of everything they had been fighting for. One wrong move, and The Falcon would consolidate his power over the world's data, making him virtually unstoppable.
Marcus broke the silence. "We're approaching the island. Security looks tight, but nothing we haven't handled before."
Dominic gave a short nod. "Remember, this is a precision hit. We get in, take down the servers, and get out. If we're compromised, we won't make it off the island."
Eleanor checked her gear one last time. "What's the exit plan?"
Alyssa answered, her voice steady. "We'll exfil the same way we came in. Laura's monitoring the local security systems, so we'll know if reinforcements are headed our way."
Dominic looked at each member of the team. "Let's move."
The boat slipped into a small inlet near the island's shore, hidden from view by the rocky outcrops surrounding the artificial island. The team moved with practiced precision, donning night-vision goggles as they slipped silently through the water and onto the island.
The perimeter of the data center was guarded by armed mercenaries, patrolling the area with military-grade gear. But Dominic and his team were invisible in the darkness, making their way to the entrance undetected.
Laura's voice came through their earpieces. "Security patterns are tight, but there's a gap in the east sector. Move now, and you can avoid the next patrol."
Dominic led the team through the gap, slipping past the guards and reaching the side of the massive complex. The walls were sleek, metallic, and covered in cameras and sensors.
"Eleanor," Dominic whispered, gesturing to the security system.
Eleanor nodded, pulling out a small device. She knelt beside the wall and began to hack into the system. Sparks flew as she carefully rewired the security grid, her fingers moving with surgical precision.
"Got it," she said after a few tense moments. "We're in."
They slipped inside the facility, the sterile white walls of the data center contrasting sharply with the dark night outside. The hum of servers filled the air, the heartbeat of The Falcon's network pulsing through the complex.
"This place is massive," Marcus muttered, scanning the interior.
Alyssa moved toward a central terminal. "We need to locate the core servers. Once we bring those down, the whole system collapses."
Laura's voice crackled in their ears. "The server room is in the lower levels, three floors down. You'll need to disable the cooling system first. Otherwise, the servers are protected by a failsafe."
Dominic nodded. "Eleanor, take care of the cooling system. Marcus, cover her. Alyssa and I will head to the server room."
The team split up, moving quickly but quietly through the facility. Every step felt like a race against time. They knew The Falcon wasn't far behind.
Dominic and Alyssa reached the lower levels, where the core servers were housed. The room was vast, filled with towering server racks, each one glowing with the light of data flowing through them. This was it the nerve center of The Falcon's operation.
Alyssa pulled out an EMP device, designed to short-circuit the servers. "This will fry everything in here, but we need a few minutes to charge it up."
Dominic kept his weapon ready, his eyes scanning the room. "We'll hold the position."
As Alyssa began setting up the device, Dominic's heart pounded. This was the moment they had been fighting for the moment they could finally cripple The Falcon's empire.
But as the EMP charged, a door on the far side of the room slid open. Dominic's pulse quickened as a squad of armed guards stormed in, their weapons raised.
"Contact!" Dominic shouted, opening fire.
The room erupted into chaos as bullets ricocheted off the walls. Dominic and Alyssa ducked behind cover, returning fire as the guards closed in.
"We've got hostiles!" Alyssa yelled into her comms. "We're pinned down in the server room."
Laura's voice came through the earpiece, frantic. "More guards are moving in. I'm trying to slow them down, but they know you're there."
Dominic gritted his teeth, firing at the advancing guards. "How much longer on the EMP?"
"Thirty seconds," Alyssa shouted over the gunfire, her hands working frantically.
Eleanor's voice came through the comms. "Cooling system is down. You're clear to activate the EMP as soon as it's ready."
The guards pressed closer, their bullets tearing through the server room. Dominic's breath came in ragged bursts as he fired, his mind focused solely on protecting Alyssa and finishing the mission.
"Ten seconds!" Alyssa called out, ducking as a bullet whizzed past her head.
Dominic fired again, taking down two more guards, but more were coming. They were running out of time.
"Now!" Alyssa shouted, slamming the EMP device onto the central server.
A blinding flash of light filled the room, and the servers sparked and whined as the EMP overloaded them. The entire facility shook as the core systems crashed, the lights flickering and then going dark.
"We did it," Alyssa breathed, her voice a mix of relief and exhaustion.
But Dominic's eyes were still on the guards. "We're not out of this yet."
As the servers died, the remaining guards in the room seemed to falter for a moment, as if unsure of what to do without their comms and support systems. But it didn't take long for them to regroup.
Dominic grabbed Alyssa's arm. "We need to move. Now."
They sprinted through the darkened facility, the sound of footsteps echoing behind them as more guards poured into the building. The team regrouped at the entrance, where Eleanor and Marcus had already neutralized several guards of their own.
"Exit's blocked," Marcus said, his voice grim. "We'll have to fight our way out."
Laura's voice came through the comms. "I'm scrambling their systems as best I can, but reinforcements are coming fast. You've got two minutes before this place is crawling with more mercenaries."
Dominic's mind raced. They had completed the mission, but getting out alive would be the hardest part.
"Stick together," Dominic ordered. "We fight our way out and exfil to the boat. No matter what happens, we finish this."
The team moved as one, weapons raised, fighting through the remaining guards as they pushed toward the exit. The facility was in chaos, the destruction of the servers sending shockwaves through the entire complex.
But Dominic knew one thing they had done it. They had crippled The Falcon's empire, shattered his grip on the world's data, and dealt a blow that he wouldn't recover from.
Now, they just had to make it out alive.