Chapter 9 Infiltration

The darkness fell around the old industrial district as Jill, Dr. Park, and Henry neared the government research facility in question. The concrete and steel building was heavily fortified with high fences, and security cameras mounted at regular intervals. The west side maintenance entrance was no doubt lighter on guards than other parts of the facility, just as SEA-Z had promised, but Jill had learned a thing or two about underestimating the defenses of a building.

When they reached the edge of the fence, Jill halted them. "Henry, you said you'd be able to get us past the guards. How exactly are you going to do that?" His tone wasn't skeptical, but it had a note of urgency.

Henry smiled, pulling a small device from his jacket pocket no larger than a deck of cards. "This little gadget shoots out a low-frequency EMP burst. It temporarily disables the cameras and some of the sensors. It won't give us much of a window, but it should suffice just to slip past."

Jill nodded. "Alright, but keep it quiet. The fewer disturbances we make, the better.

Behind them, Dr. Park trailed along, her eyes darting nervously around them. Her mind reeled, desperate to understand everything that had taken place in the last few hours-from a simple day in her lab to being chased by some shadowy organization and now breaking into a government facility. It was as if she lived another person's life, far more careless and adventurous than a scientist she took herself to be.

Henry flipped the switch for the EMP device; a low humming noise filled the air. In an instant, most of the security cameras over the maintenance door sputtered to a halt, and the red lights that identified motion sensors dimmed. Jill gestured for Dr. Park to keep up with her as they ran to the now highly vulnerable electronic state of the maintenance door. He retrieved a small toolkit attached to his belt and promptly short-circuited the electronic lock.

They slipped inside, the metal door closing behind them with a soft click. Outside, the narrow corridor was dimly lit, humming overhead with fluorescent lights. Jill kept his steps light as they moved down the corridor, heading for an access staircase that SEA-Z had marked on the facility schematics.

"SEA-Z, keep scanning for any heat signatures," Jill whispered. "We need to avoid patrols."

"Scanning now, Host," SEA-Z said. "Two guards on the floor above. They appear to run routine rounds."

Jill looked back at Dr. Park and Henry. "Stay close behind me, guys. If we get caught, we stick to non-lethal methods. We're here for Dr. Grant, not a fight."

They reached the access staircase, and Jill peered out the narrow window in the door onto the upper floor. Indeed, there were two guards patrolling, their footfalls resounding through the walls of otherwise quieted premises. Timing their movements, Jill waited until the guards had turned a corner before slipping through the door, gesturing for the others to follow.

As they navigated through the labyrinthine corridors, Jill's senses went to red alert. They hadn't encountered any Nexus agents as of yet, but he could tell by the taut silence that this was just the lull before the storm. He knew they weren't the only ones after Dr. Grant tonight.

"SEA-Z," Jill whispered as they neared Dr. Grant's lab, "anything from Nexus?

"Negative, Host. No unauthorized personnel detected in the vicinity. However, local network activity indicates an external breach attempt in the building's security system," SEA-Z replied.

Jill's jaw tightened. "So, they're trying to hack their way in. If they succeed, we could be dealing with an ambush."

They entered into Dr. Grant's lab-a huge room teeming with state-of-the-art equipment and messy workstations. Jill could see through the observation window Dr. Grant, an older man with graying hair, engrossed in a holographic display. He was oblivious to the situation unfolding just outside his lab.

Jill opened the lab door carefully and slipped inside, his hands raised. "Dr. Grant, we don't have much time. We have to get you out of here."

The scientist looked up, startled. "Who are you? How did you get past security?" His eyes darted between Jill, Dr. Park, and Henry, suspicion etched on his face.

"We're here to help," Dr. Park supplied, stepping up beside Jill. "I'm Dr. Amelia Park, and this is Jill Alexander. We have reason to believe that you are in danger. Nexus is targeting scientists like us."

Dr. Grant's tone slightly softened as he regarded Dr. Park with a hint of recognition. "Amelia Park... I've read your work. What do you mean, 'Nexus is targeting scientists'? Why would they come after me?"

Henry spoke up; the urge in his voice palpable. "We do not have the details yet, but they are looking for all persons who have involved themselves in highly sensitive projects, most of which involve military use or high technology.

Dr. Grant paled. "If Nexus is after me, then they're looking for something specific," he whispered, his eyes darting back at the holographic display where streams of data flickered complexly across the screen. "It has to do with the work I've been doing on quantum energy manipulation.

Before Jill could respond, SEA-Z's voice cut into his mind, keen and clear. "Host, multiple heat signatures closing from the north. Time to contact: sixty seconds."

"Nexus," Jill said grimly, drawing his sidearm. "They're here. We have to move-.now!

Jill sprinted to the door, peering down the hallway. Down at the far end, he saw three figures moving in formation, guns drawn. They were closing in fast. "SEA-Z, initiate a facility-wide alert," he instructed. "Make it appear to be a system malfunction, but keep Nexus busy.

As alarms suddenly wailed and the emergency lights for the facility flashed red, Jill seized Dr. Grant's arm and tugged him toward a secondary exit. "Stay close to me and move quickly!" he growled, glancing back at Henry and Dr. Park. "We head for the rooftop; there's a helipad. We can use it to extract."

They sprinted down the hallways, the Nexus agents hot on their heels. Jill's mind raced as he sized up the situation-if they could just make it to the roof, he had an extraction plan, but getting that far was easier said than done. Just as they were approaching the stairwell that would lead them up onto the higher levels of the complex, Jill could hear gunfire. Bullets whined off the metallic walls, passing just inches over their heads.

Henry pulled out a smoke bomb and rolled it down the hall. It spewed out a dense cloud of smoke, concealing them from their pursuers. "That should buy us some time!" he yelled.

Jill was leading, bounding up the stairs two at a time with Dr. Park and Dr. Grant hot on his heels. Behind them, they could hear the sounds of pursuit: Nexus agents shouting orders, the metallic clink of weapons being readied. They reached the rooftop door, Jill slamming it open and stepping out into the cold night air.

The helipad was straight ahead, the dark cityscape wrapped around it. Jill did a quick sky-sweep, and right on schedule, a small VTOL aircraft lumbered in, blinking lights on. "SEA-Z, confirm ID on that aircraft," Jill said, squinting at the craft.

"Identification confirmed," replied SEA-Z. "Trusted contact from Special Response Unit. They are here for extraction.

The helicopter just hovered there over the heliport, then its back hatch opened and out came the rope ladder. Jill led off Dr. Grant and Dr. Park, then followed on after as Henry was the last.

The Nexus agents finally broke onto the rooftop door, firing a volley of rounds toward the departing VTOL as they ascended into the aircraft. The door slid shut and it ascended steeply, to leave the facility-and their pursuers-behind.

Jill took a deep breath, leaning back against the cabin wall. Relief washed over him as he said, "We made it... for now." He glanced at Dr. Grant. "But this isn't over. We need to know exactly what you were working on-and why Nexus wants it so badly.

Dr. Grant turned to Jill, his eyes haunted. "There's something I didn't tell you," he confessed. "My research... it's part of something much larger. Something called Helix Protocol."

As the VTOL vanished into the darkness of the night, Jill knew it was only about to get worse. The deeper they got into the bottom of Nexus's plans, the more they were pulled into an espionage web that threatened not just the lives of a few scientists but the fate of the world itself.