Chapter 28 - THE ESCAPE INTO THE NIGHT
Taking advantage of the sudden chaos and total blackout, Daniel scrambled past the disoriented security agents, slipping through a narrow service elevator shaft that led directly up into the old ventilation tunnels of the historic building.
He crawled through the dusty, claustrophobic metal ducts, his elbows scraping against the sharp rivets as the muffled shouts of his pursuers echoed through the network below him. After what felt like hours of agonizing crawling, he spotted a rusted exhaust louver leading out to an alleyway behind the city's central transit station.
Kicking the louver hard with his heel, he popped the grate loose and tumbled headfirst out into the cool night air, landing heavily in a pile of cardboard boxes.
He scrambled to his feet, panting and covered in soot and dust, but he didn't stop. He blended into the bustling crowd of late-night commuters rushing toward the subway platforms. Pulling the hood of his jacket low over his face, he swiped a transit card at the turnstile and boarded the first downtown train that arrived, sliding into a corner seat just as the doors slid shut.
May you like
As the train accelerated into the dark tunnel, Daniel pulled out his phone. The global cloud server notification flashed brightly across the screen: *“Transmission complete. Master archives successfully distributed to 5 major media outlets. Public release imminent.”*
He closed his eyes, a profound sense of exhaustion washing over him. The war was far from over, but for the first time in his life, the invisible walls were finally starting to crumble.
