Chapter 10 - Infiltration at Midnight
The rain had slowed to a persistent, heavy mist by the time they reached the perimeter fence of Dean’s corporate headquarters—a sleek, futuristic research facility guarded by motion sensors, thermal cameras, and armed patrols. Dressed in dark tactical gear he had retrieved from a secure drop, he crouched beside the chain-link fence, using a wire cutter to silently snip through the reinforced metal. Clara wore a dark utility jacket over her sweater, her bare feet now protected by thick military boots that were a few sizes too big. ""Stay right behind me in my shadow,"" he whispered, checking the magazine of his sidearm before sliding it back into its holster. ""If the alarm trips, you run straight to the extraction van parked in Sector Four. Don't look back."" Clara gripped his arm fiercely, her knuckles turning white. ""I'm not leaving you behind, do you hear me? We finish this together."" He looked surprised for a fraction of a second, then nodded with a fierce, approving grin. They slipped through the gap in the fence, moving like ghosts across the manicured lawns toward the maintenance bay doors. Inside the building, security guards patrolled the corridors with trained precision, completely unaware that the fox had already entered the henhouse. Using an override code Julian had left memorized in Clara’s mind, the electronic service door clicked open with a soft hiss, granting them entry into the belly of the beast.
