Page 69 of Rescuing Sophia

“If that’s the case,” Max says slowly, “what’s the real target?”

“Or who.” CJ runs a hand over his face. “That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?”

“Okay, let’s break this down.” Sam’s deep voice cuts through the tension. “What do we know for certain?”

Mitzy ticks off points on her fingers. “We’ve had unauthorized access to multiple secure areas. Data transfers that we can’t account for. And a series of small but persistent glitches in our security systems.”

“And it all started when?” A nagging feeling grows in the pit of my stomach.

Forest consults a tablet. “The first anomaly was detected a few days ago, but it could have been going on longer without us noticing.”

Right around the time I lost my badge. The coincidence is too glaring to ignore, but I can’t bring myself to voice my suspicions.

Not yet.

“What about external factors?” Brady asks. “Any unusual activity from known hostile entities?”

Sam shakes his head. “Nothing out of the ordinary. If anything, it’s been quieter than usual on that front.”

“Which could be suspicious in itself,” Ethan points out.

The discussion continues, theories flying back and forth. Each possibility seems more far-fetched than the last, but none of them feel quite right. It’s like we’re all dancing around the edges of something, unable to see the full picture.

I clear my throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “What if…” I hesitate, feeling the weight of their stares. “What if this isn’t about stealing information or sabotage? What if it’s about planting something?”

“Like a virus? Or a backdoor?” Mitzy’s eyes widen.

“Something that would give them ongoing access. Or worse, control.”

The idea that someone could be laying the groundwork for alarger attack is concerning. Cyber warfare isn’t my thing, but Mitzy and her crew are experts when it comes to battling it out in the digital realm.

“It fits,” Forest says slowly. “The random pattern, the subtle intrusions. They could be setting up multiple points of entry.”

“Or exit,” CJ adds grimly.

Sam straightens, his face set in determination. “Alright, this gives us something to work with. Mitzy, I want your team to start looking for any unauthorized additions to our systems. Forest, work on strengthening our firewalls and intrusion detection. Something connects everything. We have to find it.”

“We’re already on it.” Mitzy tugs on the tips of her psychedelic hair. “Right now, it’s random. Nothing connects.”

“As for the rest of you,” Sam addresses the Guardian teams. “I want increased patrols. Physical and digital. Anything out of the ordinary, no matter how small, gets reported immediately.”

“What about ongoing missions?” Max asks. “Do we pull back?”

“We can’t afford to. Whatever this is, we can’t let it disrupt our operations.” CJ shakes his head. “That might be exactly what they want.”

Sam leans forward, his voice steady. “Maintain your current assignments but be on high alert. And absolutely no discussion of this situation outside this room. We don’t know who we can trust.”

As the meeting breaks up, I hang back, my mind whirling. The timing of my lost badge and the start of these intrusions can’t be a coincidence. The possibility Sophia might be involved gnaws at me, but it’s a truth I’m not willing to consider—not yet.

“Blake?” Ethan’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just processing.” I force a smile.

“It’s a lot to take in. But we’ll figure this out. We always do.”

Before I tell the team anything, I need to talk with Sophia. It has to be a coincidence, and I trust her.

I have to trust her.

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