Chapter 6 - THE DIGITAL TRAP
I waited ninety seconds—just long enough for Franklin to log into his laptop, open his encrypted financial portal, and step away to use the private restroom attached to the executive suite.
I tapped the stolen keycard against the electronic lock of the VIP lounge. The indicator light flashed green with a soft click.
I slipped inside, closing the door quietly behind me.
The suite was luxurious, featuring plush leather sofas, a private bar, and a heavy glass desk situated near the window overlooking the city lights. Sitting on the desk was Franklin’s customized, military-grade encrypted laptop. The screen was bright, displaying a complex financial interface titled Aegis Offshore Wire Portal.
My heart hammered against my ribs, but my hands remained entirely steady. Combat training doesn't leave you when the battle shifts from asphalt to carpet.
I rushed to the desk, pulled Carver’s silver flash drive from my bag, and inserted it into the laptop’s primary USB port.
A dark command window instantly popped up over Franklin’s financial dashboard. Green lines of automated code began executing rapidly, copying military manifest verification logs, shell company ownership papers, and secret offshore account numbers directly to the Army Cyber Command remote server.
Extraction Progress: 15%... 32%... 48%...
Suddenly, the handle of the private restroom door clicked.
I froze.
The restroom door swung open, and Derek stepped out, wiping his hands on a paper towel.
He stopped dead, staring at me standing over his father’s laptop.
“Noel?” Derek gasped, his eyes darting from my face down to the glowing screen and the silver flash drive sticking out of the side port. “What... what are you doing in here? How did you get in?”
“Derek,” I said calmly, stepping slightly in front of the laptop to block his view of the extraction progress bar. “You need to leave this room right now.”
Extraction Progress: 64%...
Derek’s eyes widened as real terror set in. “Is that... are you downloading Dad’s files? Are you insane?! If he catches you in here—”
“If he catches me, he goes to prison,” I interrupted sharply. “And if you don't walk out that door in the next thirty seconds, you’re going with him!”
Derek took two steps back, shaking his head frantically. “No... no, you don't understand! I didn't know what the forms were for at first! Dad just told me to sign the delivery manifests in Germany! He said it was standard administrative processing! He said everyone did it!”
“You signed off on missing medical crates, Derek!” I said, my voice cutting through his panic like a scalpel. “You certified that emergency trauma supplies had reached forward surgical units when those supplies were sold to private buyers in Eastern Europe! Soldiers died because those supplies weren't in the field!”
Derek collapsed against the side of a leather armchair, grabbing his hair with both hands. “I didn't know! I swear to God, Noel, I didn't know about the medical crates! He just paid off my credit card debts! He gave me fifty thousand dollars every six months!”
Extraction Progress: 89%...
“That fifty thousand dollars was stolen from the United States military,” I said coldly. “You traded your integrity for bottle service and sports cars.”
Before Derek could respond, the outer suite doors opened with a sudden, violent bang.
Franklin walked into the lounge, holding a glass of scotch. He stopped cold when he saw me standing at his desk and Derek cowering by the armchair.
Franklin’s gaze dropped to the laptop screen.
Extraction Progress: 100% — TRANSFER COMPLETE.
A bright green notification flashed across the screen: DATA SYNC SUCCESSFUL. REMOTE IP LOGGED.
Franklin dropped his scotch glass. It shattered against the hardwood floor, sending amber liquid and sharp shards of glass bursting across the rug.
“You...” Franklin roared, his face contorting into a mask of pure rage. “You miserable bitch!”
He lunged toward the desk.
I didn't flinch. I reached down, yanked the silver flash drive out of the USB port, and shoved it deep inside the hidden pocket of my velvet dress.
Franklin grabbed the edge of the glass desk, leaning over it, his veins bulging against his neck. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?! That data is proprietary corporate intelligence! It’s classified under commercial privacy law!”
“It’s evidence of high treason and government fraud, Franklin,” I said, taking two steps back into the center of the room. “And it’s already on a secure server at the Pentagon.”
Franklin turned toward Derek, his eyes wild. “Derek! Grab her! Get that flash drive out of her dress!”
Derek didn't move. He sat huddled on the arm of the chair, weeping quietly, his hands covering his face. “It’s over, Dad... she knows. The military knows.”
“Shut up, you coward!” Franklin screamed at his son.
Franklin turned back to me, reaching into his inner jacket pocket. My combat instincts flared instantly—I dropped into a low defensive stance, anticipating a concealed firearm.
Instead, Franklin pulled out a thin, silver remote control unit and slammed his thumb down on the red panic button.
Instantly, the heavy oak double doors of the VIP suite clicked, and electronic deadbolts slid into place. The room was sealed from the inside.
“You think you’re so smart, Captain,” Franklin hissed, stepping around the desk toward me, his voice dropping into a terrifying whisper. “You think you can walk into my world and destroy me? No one leaves this room until that flash drive is destroyed and my IT team wipes that remote server.”
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I pulled back the lace sleeve of my dress, exposing the jagged skin graft from my wrist to my elbow.
“Franklin,” I said, my voice echoing with absolute authority. “I survived an exploding fuel tank and an enemy ambush in the desert. Do you really think I’m afraid of an old man in a tuxedo?”
