The Apex facility loomed ahead like a fortress out of a nightmare. Carter and Maya moved swiftly through the compound's grounds, their bodies tight with tension, every shadow an enemy. The courtyard was eerily still, the silence amplifying the quiet crunch of their boots on the gravel. Carter felt the adrenaline surging through him—his heart hammering as they stuck close to the walls of the facility, using the dim light from the moon to stay concealed.
They'd made it inside undetected so far, thanks to the EMP, but Carter knew the clock was ticking. The moment the systems rebooted, they'd be running out of time. Apex wouldn't stay blind for long.
"Elle," Maya whispered into her comm, her eyes scanning the courtyard. "Where's our next checkpoint?"
Elle's voice came through in a low hum. "Two hundred meters ahead. There's an auxiliary entrance on the west side of the building. I'm unlocking the door for you now."
Carter glanced at the massive structure ahead. It wasn't just one building—it was a sprawling complex of sleek, modern architecture, connected by a series of courtyards, sky bridges, and steel walkways. It looked like a high-tech university or some futuristic business park. The design was clean, minimalistic, but Carter could see the subtle signs of high-level security—reinforced windows, hidden cameras, and discreetly placed sensors.
Maya pressed herself against the wall, crouching as they approached the auxiliary entrance. Carter followed suit, his pulse quickening as they moved. He could see the outline of the door ahead, a steel panel set into the wall, illuminated by a faint red light. The main entrance was too heavily guarded—they needed to slip in through the back.
"There," Maya said softly, nodding toward the door.
Carter could feel the tension rising. They were about to step into the lion's den. There was no telling what awaited them inside, but one thing was certain—Apex wasn't going to make this easy. If they got caught, there'd be no talking their way out of it.
Maya knelt in front of the door, producing a small device from her belt. She pressed it against the keypad, and the red light blinked once, then turned green. The door clicked open with a soft hiss, and Maya glanced back at Carter.
"Ready?" she whispered.
Carter gave her a tight nod. "Let's do it."
--
The door slid open, and Carter and Maya slipped inside, the cold, sterile air of the facility washing over them. The interior was sleek and minimalist, all glass and steel with soft, white lighting that gave the place a clinical feel. It was almost too clean, too perfect—like stepping into a high-tech lab from a sci-fi movie. The hallway stretched out in front of them, empty and silent, but Carter could feel the presence of the security systems lurking just out of sight. Cameras hidden behind tinted glass, motion sensors embedded in the walls—it was all there, watching, waiting.
"Which way?" Carter whispered.
"Straight ahead," Elle's voice came through their earpieces. "I'm disabling the cameras as you move. There's a stairwell at the end of this hall that'll take you to the server room on the third floor. That's where you'll find what we're looking for."
Maya moved first, her steps silent as she led the way down the hallway. Carter followed close behind, his eyes darting to every corner, every shadow. The tension in the air was suffocating. He could feel his muscles coiled tight, ready to spring at the slightest sound. Every instinct told him to be on high alert—this was the part of the job where things could go wrong in an instant.
The hallway seemed to stretch on forever, the silence only broken by the faint hum of the building's air conditioning. Carter's mind raced with thoughts of what could go wrong. If the guards found them, if Elle couldn't disable the security systems fast enough, if Apex had already detected the breach—there were a thousand ways this could end in disaster.
"Almost there," Maya whispered, glancing back at him.
They reached the end of the hallway, where a sleek, metal door stood at the far wall. Maya didn't hesitate, pulling a small tool from her belt and jamming it into the door's lock. The door clicked open a second later, revealing a narrow stairwell leading up to the third floor.
"Up we go," Maya said, starting up the stairs.
Carter followed her, his heart pounding in his chest. Each step felt like it echoed too loudly, bouncing off the metal walls. He could feel the sweat starting to form on the back of his neck. They were deep in enemy territory now, and there was no room for mistakes.
The stairwell led them to another hallway, this one lined with large, reinforced glass windows that looked out over the courtyard below. Carter could see the security towers from up here, their turrets still frozen in place from the EMP blast. But he knew it wouldn't last forever. Sooner or later, Apex would figure out something was wrong, and when they did, they'd come down on them hard.
"Server room's ahead," Elle said through the comms, her voice calm but focused. "You're almost there."
Maya approached the door to the server room, checking the lock. It was a heavy, steel door with a reinforced electronic lock—clearly designed to keep people out. But Maya wasn't easily deterred. She pulled another tool from her belt, a small hacking device, and pressed it against the lock. The device beeped softly, and after a few seconds, the door clicked open.
"We're in," Maya said, pushing the door open.
Carter stepped into the server room, his eyes widening slightly as he took in the sight. The room was massive, filled with towering racks of servers and computer terminals, all humming quietly with power. It was a data center—Apex's nerve center, where they stored all their most valuable information. The servers blinked with lights, casting a soft glow in the otherwise dimly lit room.
"This is it," Elle said through the speakers. "You'll find everything we need in here. Get to the main terminal, and I'll walk you through the rest."
Maya moved quickly, heading straight for the central console in the middle of the room. She typed a series of commands into the terminal, and the screen flickered to life, displaying a series of encrypted files and data streams.
Carter hung back, watching Maya work. He wasn't exactly a tech expert, so he let her handle the hard part. But even from where he stood, he could feel the weight of what they were doing. They weren't just breaking into some corporate office or stealing some high-tech gadget. They were tapping into the core of Apex Industries, one of the most powerful and dangerous organizations on the planet. And if they got caught...
"Alright, Elle," Maya said, her fingers flying over the keyboard. "I'm in. What now?"
"Start downloading the encrypted files from the main server," Elle replied. "We need everything they've got on their AI research, robotics, and bio-enhancement projects. It's all connected to me."
Carter's eyes narrowed as he watched the data start to transfer. The progress bar on the screen slowly inched forward, but he knew they didn't have time to wait around. The longer they stayed here, the more likely it was that Apex would catch on.
"How long is this gonna take?" Carter asked, his voice tense.
"Not long," Elle replied. "But you're going to have company soon. The EMP's effects are starting to wear off. You've got maybe five minutes before the backup systems kick in."
"Five minutes?" Carter glanced at Maya, who was still working furiously at the terminal. "We need to hurry."
"I know," Maya muttered, not looking up from the screen.
Carter moved to the door, peeking out into the hallway. The facility was still quiet, but he could feel the tension mounting. Any second now, the alarms could go off, and they'd be swarmed with security guards, drones, and whatever else Apex had at their disposal. His hand hovered over the gun at his hip, ready to draw it at the first sign of trouble.
"Come on, come on," Carter muttered under his breath.
Just then, the lights in the hallway flickered back to life. The cameras on the walls started rotating again, and the turrets outside began to hum as they powered back up.
"The system's rebooting," Elle warned. "You've got less than two minutes."
Carter swore under his breath. "Maya, we've gotta go. Now."
Maya's eyes flicked to the screen, watching the progress bar inch closer to completion. "Almost there."
The tension in the air was palpable. Carter could feel his heart racing, his pulse pounding in his ears. They were cutting it way too close. He could already hear the faint sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway—guards, moving in their direction.
"Maya—"
"Done!" Maya snapped, pulling a small drive from the terminal and slipping it into her jacket. "Let's move."
Carter didn't need to be told twice. He bolted for the door, Maya close behind him as they sprinted down the hallway. The facility was waking up now—the lights were fully on, and the security systems were back online. Carter could hear the whir of drones starting up, the mechanical clicking of turrets locking into place.
"We've got hostiles incoming," Elle warned. "Security teams are moving toward your location. You need to get out of there."
"Working on it!" Carter yelled as he rounded a corner, nearly colliding with a pair of guards.
The guards barely had time to react before Carter drew his gun, firing off two quick shots that dropped them both. Maya moved past him, her eyes focused and unshaken.
"This way!" she shouted, heading for the stairwell.
They burst through the door and started racing down the stairs, their footsteps echoing off the walls. The sound of alarms blaring filled the air now, and Carter could hear the pounding of boots as more guards rushed toward them.
"Elle, open the exit door!" Maya shouted into her comm.
"Already on it," Elle replied.
They reached the ground floor, and Carter threw open the door, leading them back into the courtyard. The turrets on the security towers were back online now, slowly rotating toward their position.
"Maya, we've got a problem," Carter called out, his eyes darting toward the turrets.
"I see it," Maya muttered, pulling the last EMP grenade from her jacket. She lobbed it toward the nearest turret, and a split second later, the turret sparked and went dead.
"Run!" she yelled.
Carter didn't need to be told twice. They sprinted across the courtyard, dodging between security towers and evading the few guards that had managed to catch up to them. The gate they'd come through was just ahead, still open from their initial breach.
Carter reached it first, skidding to a halt and turning back to cover Maya as she followed. Together, they bolted through the gate and into the forest, their footsteps pounding on the dirt path as they fled into the night.