Page 82 of Playing with Fire

I followed, matching his pace as we navigated through the dark forest. Years of hunting had taught me how to move without sound, how to blend with the shadows, how to become nearly invisible even in minimal cover. Algerone, I noted with grudging respect, moved with the same predatory instinct, despite being decades older.

The sound of battle grew behind us as Reid's team engaged Burns' forces, drawing them deeper into the forest and away from our approach. Through my comm, I could hear Reid directing his people with cool professionalism, calling out targets and positioning his team for maximum effectiveness despite being outnumbered.

"At the fence line," Algerone reported as we reached the compound perimeter. "Standard electrified barrier with motion sensors at ten-meter intervals."

"The sensors are on a closed circuit," Leo informed us, the sound of his typing audible over the comm. "But there's a junction box thirty meters to your right. I should be able to loop the signal if you can access it."

Algerone moved immediately, locating the junction box. He removed a small tool kit from his tactical vest and had the box open within seconds.

"Ready, Leo," he reported, holding his tactical pad up to the exposed circuitry.

"Connecting now," Leo confirmed. "I need ten seconds to splice into the system."

Those ten seconds felt like an eternity as we crouched exposed at the perimeter fence, the sounds of the firefight with Reid's team echoing through the forest behind us. Finally, Leo's voice returned.

"Done. You've got a fifteen-meter dead zone in the fence directly in front of you. No electricity, no sensors. But I can only hold it for two minutes before the system auto-resets."

"More than enough time," Algerone said, already cutting through the chain link with a specialized tool from his vest.

We slipped through the opening and onto the compound grounds, staying low and moving quickly toward the main building. The server facility looked different now, its unassuming exterior transformed by the chaos of the night. Emergency lights cast harsh shadows across the concrete walls, and what had appeared to be a simple corporate logo now revealed itself as a stylized phoenix in illuminated red.

"Main entrance is on the east side," Leo directed us. "But there's a service door on the north wall that should have minimal security."

We approached the indicated door cautiously, watching for any sign of remaining guards or automated defenses. The service entrance was exactly where Leo had described, a simple metal door with a keypad lock.

"Can you get us in?" I asked Leo, keeping my voice low despite the unlikelihood of being heard over the distant battle.

"Working on it," he replied. "The system architecture is... unusual. Highly customized. Burns knew what he was doing with this setup."

Algerone examined the keypad with narrowed eyes. "Military grade," he observed. "Double encrypted with biometric backup." He glanced at me. "Your hacking friend is good, but this will take time we don't have."

"Then we create our own entrance," I decided, reaching into my tactical vest for a small breaching charge. "Stand back."

The charge was designed for minimal noise but maximum effectiveness—a shaped explosion that would destroy the lock mechanism without alerting anyone more than a few meters away. I placed it carefully, making sure the directional force would be properly contained.

"Ready," I reported, moving back to a safe distance. "Three, two, one..."

The charge detonated with a muffled thump, the sound barely louder than a handclap. The door's locking mechanism disintegrated, leaving the entrance unsecured.

"We're in," I reported to Leo. "Any movement inside the building?"

"Minimal heat signatures," Leo confirmed. "Most security is still engaged with Reid's team. But... Xavier, there's something strange about the interior layout. The blueprints don't match what I'm seeing on the thermal. There are spaces that should be there but aren't showing up."

"Hidden rooms," Algerone concluded, drawing his weapon as we moved through the doorway. "Burns has built more than just a server farm here."

The interior of the facility was eerily quiet after the chaos outside. Emergency lighting cast everything in a dim red glow, creating more shadows than illumination. The corridors were sterile and industrial, with exposed ductwork and concrete floors that reminded me of a military installation rather than a tech company.

"Server room should be straight ahead," Leo directed us. "But be careful."

We moved carefully through the corridor, checking each intersection before proceeding. The facility seemed deserted, with no sign of the technical staff that should have been maintaining a server operation of this size.

"This isn't right," I murmured to Algerone. "Where is everyone?"

"Evacuated when the perimeter was breached," Algerone suggested, though his tone indicated he wasn't convinced by his own explanation. "Or it was never staffed to begin with."

The server room door stood open ahead of us, the space beyond filled with the familiar hum of high-end computer equipment. Racks of servers lined the walls, their status lights blinking in rhythmic patterns that cast shifting blue and green lights across the otherwise red-tinted room.

"This looks like what we expected," I said, moving toward one of the server racks to examine it more closely. "But something feels off."

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