Darkspace Renegade by G J Ogden

Author:G J Ogden
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ogden Media Ltd

CHAPTER

SEVENTEEN

Alarms rang out inside the cyber-security office, and heavy metal shutters rolled down over the windows. It was as if the room was a fortress preparing to defend against an enemy assault. Before Hallam could gather his wits, a strident, synthetic-sounding female voice announced, “Data security breach detected. Lock-down in progress.”

Hallam was gripped by a primal terror and frantically hammered at the fire alarm panel. The glass shattered, but the alarm system didn’t activate, and the fire doors didn’t unlock. His plan to get outside the HQ building was blown.

“Hal, what the hell did you give me!?” Mack yelled over the warning announcement, which had continued on repeat. Hallam spun around to see Mack standing in front of his console, tie loosened and jacket removed. There were visible sweat patches under his arms. “This drive was riddled with some sort of high-end malware.”

Hallam ran over to Mack’s desk and peered down at his screen, which was black, save for the message “Terminal Locked. Attempted Data Breach Prevented.” He looked up at Mack, who had his hands pressed to the top of his head, upsetting his normally perfectly-coiffured hair. “Didn’t you scan the drive first?” Hallam asked incredulously. “You’re a damn computer security expert!”

“Of course I did; it came up clean!” Mack hit back. “I even ran it in a virtual machine, but somehow it managed to spread to the main network. It would have gotten through too, but some sort of low-level corporate security firewall caught it. I didn’t even know that existed!”

Hallam laughed nervously. “This is the cyber-security department – how can you not know?!”

“For the Tanker Division, yeah!” Mack snapped. “We’re not exactly top of the food chain down here. The geniuses are all up on the ninth floor.”

Hallam looked around the room; the terminals of all the other workers had also been locked, and everyone was chatting in hushed, worried tones. The enforcer at the main door was now blocking the exit, weapon held ready, finger on the trigger guard.

“So what happens now?” Hallam asked Mack, fighting hard to retain his self-control.

“The CIB investigators will be on the way down here, along with a dozen more armed heavies,” said Mack, who was now sweating profusely. “They think there’s a damn spy in here, trying to steal their data. Hell, it wouldn’t surprise me if that low-level firewall is some sort of honey trap, designed to catch people out. That’s just the sort of thing those assholes on the ninth would do!”

Hallam grabbed Mack’s shoulders and pressed tightly; he was starting to lose control, and that wouldn’t help either of them. “Mack, just calm down and tell me what happens next. How do I get out?”

Mack shook his head, flinging sweat onto his desk and Hallam’s hands. “No one gets out until they have their man. I’m screwed!”

Hallam cursed under his breath and surveyed the room again, looking for any way out, but it was locked down like a vault. The only way in or out seemed to be through the door he’d used to access the office in the first place.

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