Chapter 19: The Counter-Protocol
Camila’s finger rested lightly on the trigger of her sidearm.
She looked up at Sterling, then across at Viktor, who was already stepping backward toward the open drainage outfall.
For a fraction of a second, she looked defeated. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and she lowered the barrel of her gun a few inches toward the concrete floor.
Sterling let out a breath of relief, lowering his weapon just enough to reach for his radio headset. "Extraction team, move in to sector four. We have a—"
He never finished the sentence.
Camila didn't drop her gun; she whipped it upward with blinding speed, not firing at Sterling, but shooting the emergency override box mounted directly on the concrete pillar beside him.
SPARK! BANG!
The electrical junction box exploded in a blinding shower of blue-white sparks and thick grey smoke, disabling the entire power grid of the subterranean complex instantly. At the same time, a high-pitched, automated chime rang out from Camila’s tactical watch.
“Protocol Omega verified. Automated satellite relay initiated.”
"What did you do?!" Sterling screamed from the catwalk, his vision temporarily blinded by the smoke and flashing sparks.
"I didn't trust you either, Sterling," Camila’s voice rang out from the dark, cold and absolute. "The moment you approved this operation without standard oversight, I set a dead-man switch on our communication servers. Every single decrypted file, wire receipt, and recorded conversation between you and Viktor has just been automatically broadcasted to every major news network, global intelligence hub, and federal prosecutor's office on the planet."
Viktor stopped dead in his tracks at the edge of the open drainage gate, his ice-blue eyes flashing with sudden, unadulterated fury. For the first time, the mask of absolute control completely shattered.
"You didn't just target us," Viktor hissed, taking a step toward her through the smoke. "You blew up the entire board."
"Game over, Viktor," Camila said, stepping out from the shadows as the heavy tactical boots of Commander Vance and his backup strike team finally flooded down the ramp behind her, their rifles locked and loaded.
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Sterling scrambled backward on the catwalk, frantically trying to raise his radio, but Vance’s tactical team had already surrounded the structure, cutting off all exits.
"Director Sterling, you are under arrest for high treason and conspiracy," Vance’s voice bellowed through the tunnel, echoing off the concrete walls like thunder.
