Chapter 45 - The External Breach
The warning remained on every monitor.
EXTERNAL BREACH DETECTED
For the first time since entering Evergreen, the alarms sounded different. They were deeper, slower, almost hesitant.
Kevin Ross stared at the system log.
"Marcus..."
"What?"
"The breach isn't targeting us."
Marcus frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Kevin enlarged the incoming security report.
"The system classifies us as Internal Threat Group Seven."
He pointed to another flashing line.
"But whoever just entered..."
The monitor updated automatically.
UNIDENTIFIED ENTITY
Rachel looked between them.
"So Evergreen doesn't know who they are?"
Kevin slowly shook his head.
"No."
"It doesn't recognize them at all."
That was impossible.
Everything they had discovered suggested Evergreen tracked families, courts, police officers, judges—even investigators.
Yet someone had entered the facility without triggering any identity match.
Detective Susan Ortega immediately opened the live security feeds.
Corridor after corridor appeared on the wall.
Most remained empty.
Then one camera flickered.
A lone figure wearing a long dark coat walked calmly through Sector Nine.
No attempt to hide.
No urgency.
No visible weapon.
The person simply continued forward as security doors unlocked before them one after another.
Marcus narrowed his eyes.
"They aren't forcing the doors."
Kevin zoomed in.
"The system is opening them."
Rachel whispered,
"It's letting them in."
A new notification appeared.
MASTER ACCESS DETECTED
Marcus looked toward Kevin.
"Does anyone outrank Elizabeth?"
Kevin searched every recovered administrator file.
One result appeared.
ROOT AUTHORIZATION
Status:
RESTRICTED
Owner:
UNKNOWN
Before anyone could examine it further, every monitor switched again.
Instead of security footage, a countdown appeared.
LOCKDOWN IN 18:00
Ortega looked at Marcus.
"Eighteen minutes."
Marcus nodded once.
"We move now."
They left the terminal behind and headed deeper into Phase Two, following the only corridor that remained unlocked.
Behind them, the countdown continued.
17:59...
17:58...
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17:57...
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