Chapter 5 - The Judas Trap
Panic spiked in Julian’s chest. He slammed his fists against the reinforced glass of the server room door. It didn't budge.
"They’re going to kill us and make it look like a corporate espionage gone wrong," Elara realized, pulling a heavy wrench from her tactical belt. She began smashing the glass, but it merely spider-webbed.
"Stop," Julian said, his eyes darting around the red-lit room. "The Halon fire suppression system."
Elara froze. "What?"
"If a server overheats, the room seals and floods with Halon gas to extinguish the fire by removing all the oxygen," Julian explained, moving frantically to the main server rack. "If I manually override the cooling fans, the servers will overheat. The system will engage, but right before the gas floods the room, the magnetic locks disengage for exactly five seconds to allow personnel to evacuate."
"And if we miss that five-second window?" Elara asked.
"We suffocate," Julian said bluntly.
He ripped open the server panel and began crossing wires. Sparks flew. The massive machines began to whine, the temperature in the room instantly spiking.
The digital thermostat on the wall climbed rapidly. 90 degrees. 100 degrees. 120 degrees.
An automated siren began to wail. "WARNING. THERMAL CRITICAL. HALON DEPLOYMENT IN T-MINUS TEN SECONDS."
"Get ready!" Julian yelled, backing up to the heavy steel door.
"FIVE. FOUR. THREE..."
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The magnetic lock clicked. Julian and Elara threw their combined weight against the door. It burst open just as the heavy, white Halon gas hissed into the server room.
They spilled out into the hallway, coughing and gasping for air. But they weren't safe. Silas Thorne’s armed mercenaries were waiting at the end of the corridor.
