The corridor was silent except for the hum of electricity running through unseen circuits. My pulse was still uneven from my encounter with Echo, but there was no time to dwell on it. I had to keep moving. I had to know the truth.
At the end of the hallway, a reinforced door stood waiting, its metal surface reflecting the dim emergency lights overhead. This was it—the data vault. Whatever the Overseers were hiding, it was behind this door.
I reached into my pack, pulling out a drive loaded with a decryption program Kane had built.
"Kane, I’m at the vault," I whispered, inserting the drive into the access panel. "Talk to me."
Her voice came through, steady but tense. "I’m patching in now. Hold tight."
Seconds ticked by. My skin prickled with anticipation.
Then—click.
The door hissed
