Chapter 6 - The Digital Trap
Mathis grabbed Elise by the waist and sprinted down the tunnel with every ounce of strength he possessed.
Ten seconds.
The slippery ground made it almost impossible to maintain their balance.
Five seconds.
Mathis saw an access ladder leading up to a street-level manhole.
He pushed Elise up the rungs and scrambled right behind her.
The explosion shook the earth with a terrifying, muffled roar.
A wave of heat and dust blasted up the shaft, throwing them out onto the wet pavement above.
They collapsed on the deserted street, coughing up gray dust and smoke.
Mathis checked on Elise, who gave a weak nod to confirm she was unhurt.
He looked at the small metallic flash drive still clutched tightly in his fist.
"We need a computer to access this file and send it to the federal prosecutor," Mathis coughed.
They broke the back window of a closed electronics repair shop down the street.
Mathis booted up a display laptop and inserted the drive.
A password prompt appeared, requiring a specific biometric thumbprint.
He pressed his thumb against the scanner, praying his father had authorized his print.
The screen flashed green, and a video file began to decode.
Suddenly, the video vanished, and the laptop screen turned blood red.
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Every television and computer screen in the entire shop flickered to life simultaneously.
They all displayed a high-definition live security feed of Mathis and Elise standing inside the shop, followed by a text message that read: "I see you, little brother."
