Page 185 of Fractured Devotion
She leads with purpose, and I follow without hesitation.
We reach the archive wing—a locked hall sealed off behind biometric scanners long since disabled but still humming faintly.
I step forward, entering Rourke’s access code.
The door unlocks with a reluctant hiss.
We slip inside.
The archive is dark, lined with old storage units and forgotten tech. Dust hangs in the air like ghosts waiting to be stirred.
She doesn’t speak.
And neither do I.
I lead her through the maze of old systems, my steps sure.
We stop at an unmarked terminal tucked behind an old partition wall.
I kneel, pulling away the cover.
There it is.
The key to everything.
I glance back at her once, meeting her gaze.
No words are needed.
I retrieve it.
I slip the drive into my pocket, feeling the weight of it settle against me like a ticking bomb.
She watches every move I make, unblinking. “Where do we decrypt it?” she asks, her voice low.
“My secured terminal,” I answer without hesitation. “In the archive vault.”
She nods once. “Lead the way.”
I rise, and we move deeper into the labyrinth, toward the vault.
Behind us, the air seems to close in, thick with the gravity of what we’re about to unleash.
We reach the final door, which is locked by a manual key and a passcode only I know.
I unlock it, pushing the door open.
Inside, the vault hums with quiet power, the old systems still alive, forgotten by most.
I move to the console, entering the sequence.
She stands behind me, close enough that I feel the heat of her breath against my neck.
“Show me,” she orders.
I slot the drive in.
And the screen lights up.
