Chapter 3 - The Chase Through the Lumis
The two guards closed in, their broad shoulders cutting off any chance of slipping past them into the stairwell. The atmosphere in the hallway instantly shifted from tense to hostile.
"We're busy," I said, stepping defensively in front of Lily and Sloan. "Tell Mrs. Pell she can wait."
"She said immediately," the larger guard repeated, taking another heavy step forward.
Before he could reach for his radio, Sloan moved with shocking speed. She kicked the service cart beside the wall, sending a mountain of folded linens crashing directly into the path of the lead guard. As he stumbled, swearing, Sloan ducked under his arm, swept his knee out with a sharp, calculated blow, and sent him crashing hard onto the tiled floor.
The second guard lunged at me, but years of high-stakes corporate survival and underground defense training kicked in. I caught his wrist, twisted it sharply behind his back, and slammed his head against the reinforced drywall, sending him sliding down into unconsciousness.
"Where did you learn that?" I panted, looking at Sloan in stunned disbelief.
"Pediatrics is a rough field," Sloan said smoothly, not even losing her breath as she grabbed Lily’s small hand. "Move! They'll have backup here in sixty seconds."
We sprinted down the narrow service corridor, past industrial kitchens and laundry chutes, dodging bewildered hotel staff who stared at us in utter shock.
"Where are we going?" I asked, navigating a sharp turn toward the back elevators.
"The server basement," Sloan replied, pulling the titanium micro-drive from her pocket. "That’s where the main terminal for the charity network is housed. If we can upload the drive's contents to the federal cloud before Vivien's firewall locks us out, her entire financial empire collapses tonight."
We reached the freight elevator. Sloan slammed her fist against the manual override button. The heavy steel doors groaned and slid open, revealing a dark, cavernous shaft. We piled inside, and I punched the button for Level -3.
As the elevator plunged downward into the bowels of the hotel, Lily looked up at me. She didn't sign a question; she simply reached out and took my hand. Her small fingers were warm and steady, grounding me amidst the absolute chaos.
"We are winning," she signed with a small, brave smile.
"Yes, we are, sweetie," I murmured, kissing the top of her head.
When the elevator doors finally dinged and opened, we stepped out into a massive, freezing room filled with humming server racks, blinking blue lights, and tangled bundles of fiber-optic cables.
It was the digital heart of the Lumis Hotel—and right in the center of the room stood a glowing mainframe terminal.
"We have about three minutes before Vivien realizes her guards failed," Sloan said, rushing to the terminal and plugging the micro-drive into the master port.
Lines of green code began flashing across the massive monitors.
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Suddenly, a blaring red alarm echoed through the basement. The screen flashed a bright warning: ACCESS DENIED - OVERRIDE PROTOCOL INITIATED BY MASTER ADMIN.
"She's locking us out remotely!" Sloan yelled, her fingers flying across the keyboard with frantic speed. "She's wiping the servers from the ballroom stage!"
