Chapter 142
Chapter 142:
She looked down at their joined hands, remembering the hospital room where they had first met years ago—though she hadn’t remembered until he told her. How strange that their paths had crossed twice: once when she was simply kind to a stranger, and again when that stranger had become her ally against those who sought to destroy her.
“Ms. Kane?” Hannah called from across the room. “You should see this.”
Camille and Alexander returned to the central console, where Hannah had pulled up a new display.
“We’re detecting an unauthorized access attempt on the main server,” Hannah explained, pointing to a flashing indicator. “Someone’s trying to view the activation data from Section A.”
“Can you trace it?” Victoria asked sharply.
Hannah’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “It’s bouncing through multiple proxies, but… yes. The origin appears to be a penthouse in Tribeca.”
“Herod’s building,” Alexander confirmed. “They’re wondering if their sabotage is working as planned.”
“Let’s give them exactly what they want to see,” Camille said, her voice hardening. “Show them the honeypot data. Let them think everything is proceeding according to their plan.”
Hannah nodded and initiated the protocol. “Feeding them the false telemetry now. They’ll see minor fluctuations that appear consistent with their sabotage timeline.”
“Perfect,” Victoria said with grim satisfaction. “Let them believe they’re winning.”
On the main screen, a notification appeared indicating the unauthorized user had downloaded the doctored data and disconnected.
“They took the bait,” Hannah confirmed.
Alexander’s phone buzzed. He checked the message and looked up. “That was my team watching the installer. He just got into a car with dark windows. Looks like a pickup.”
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“Follow him?” Camille asked.
Alexander shook his head. “Better to let him go. If we spook their operative now, Rose and Herod might realize something’s wrong.”
Victoria turned to the engineering team. “Proceed with bringing the remaining sections online according to schedule. Remember, from the outside, everything must appear to be following their sabotaged blueprints precisely.”
As the team resumed their work with renewed vigor, Camille felt a strange calm settle over her. For so long, she had been reacting to Rose’s machinations, scrambling to catch up. Now, finally, she was a step ahead.
“You should rest,” Alexander said quietly. “You’ve been here all night.”
“I couldn’t sleep now if I tried,” Camille replied, her eyes fixed on the glowing blue network that represented her vision made real. “Besides, I want to be here when Section B comes online.”
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