The crimson warning lights pulsing through the mainframe room didn't just illuminate the sterile alabaster walls; they stained them in the color of fresh arterial blood. The rhythmic, high-frequency hum of the climate units shifted to a violent, low-frequency roar as the sub-basement’s emergency vents began to seal with a series of heavy, pneumatic thuds.
Behind the double-paned, bulletproof glass of the corridor, Erika Voss’s face was a masterpiece of aristocratic ice. She slowly lowered her gold-plated tablet, her smoke-grey eyes locked onto the silver vulture collar glinting at Elena’s throat with a venomous, quiet satisfaction.
"The mainframe is a closed loop, Miss Vance," Erika's voice purred through the intercom, smooth, crisp, and entirely devoid of mercy. "To preserve the integri
