The Ticking Clock
Chapter 05 - The Ticking Clock
“Bomb! Get back!” Officer Miller yelled, shoving Mark toward the wooden stairs.
“Wait!” Officer Davis yelled, leaning closer with his tactical light while keeping a safe distance. “It’s not an explosive! Look at the wiring—it’s connected to a localized signal jammer and an automated cloud wipe transmitter!”
Mark scrambled up two steps, his heart pounding in his throat. “What does that mean? What is that device doing?!”
“It’s a dead-man's switch or a timed wipe,” Davis said urgently, taking high-resolution photos of the unit with his police camera. “If the system isn't reset with a master code every twenty-four hours, or if the main power grid detects a breach, it initiates a total remote wipe of every off-site server and cloud drive connected to this network!”
“She has partners,” Officer Miller realized instantly, his face darkening with intense authority. “She wasn't doing this alone. Whatever evidence, financial records, or networks she was working with are hosted on a remote server. When that timer hits zero, the entire digital trail vanishes forever!”
“We have less than fifteen minutes!” Mark shouted. “Can you stop it? Can you cut the wire?!”
“If we cut the wrong wire without knowing the architecture, it could trigger an immediate instant purge!” Davis replied, his brow dripping with sweat. “We need the master code, or we need the person who set this up!”
Upstairs, the sound of loud commotion rang out through the house. Shouting echoed down the hallway toward the master suite.
“Hey! Stop her!” a voice yelled from the front lawn.
Mark and the two officers sprinted up the narrow staircase, bursting out of the hidden mirror door into the master bedroom, and ran down the hallway to the front entry.
Outside in the driveway, Brenda was screaming hysterically. The secondary transport car had just arrived to take her to the county jail. As the transport officer attempted to guide her into the backseat, Brenda had faked a sudden fainting spell, dropped to her knees, and used the distraction to violently kick the officer in the shins. She scrambled to her feet, her hands cuffed tightly behind her back, frantically trying to run toward the wooded area bordering the property.
“Brenda!” Mark roared, leaping off the front porch like a man possessed.
Driven by pure, unfiltered fury for what she had done to his daughter, Mark sprinted across the wet grass. He tackled Brenda from behind, bringing her crashing down onto the soft lawn. Brenda let out a grunt of pain as they hit the ground.
Officer Miller and Officer Davis arrived a second later, grabbing Brenda’s arms and pinning her firmly to the grass.
“Get off me! Get your filthy hands off me!” Brenda shrieked, spitting dirt from her mouth, her eyes wild with madness. “You have nothing on me! You hear me, Mark?! Nothing! You’re weak, just like your pathetic dead wife!”
Mark stood over her, his chest heaving, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. He knelt down right in front of her face, his eyes cold enough to freeze hell itself.
“We found the room, Brenda,” Mark said, his voice terrifyingly calm. “We found the keypads. We found the ledger. We found Project Lily.”
Brenda’s hysterical screaming instantly stopped. The color drained from her face, leaving her looking like a ghost in the flashing red and blue lights of the police cruisers.
“And we found the timer in the cabinet,” Mark added, leaning closer. “You have eleven minutes before your server wipes itself. Tell us the code, Brenda. Tell us who you’re working with, or I swear to God I will make sure you spend the rest of your life in a maximum-security prison cell!”
Brenda stared at him for three agonizing seconds. Then, a terrifying, wicked smile slowly crept across her lips. A cold, sinister laugh erupted from her throat.
“You think you’re so smart, don’t you, Mark?” Brenda sneered, wiping dirt from her cheek against her shoulder. “You think this was all my idea? You idiot. I was just the field agent. If that server wipes, you’ll never find out who really ordered Sarah’s car to lose its brakes three years ago.”
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Mark felt as if his entire world had just detonated. His vision blurred with absolute shock. “What did you just say...?”
“You heard me,” Brenda whispered, her smile widening into a terrifying grin. “Sarah didn't die in an accident, Mark. And if that clock hits zero, the man who paid me to marry you and take your daughter’s money gets away scot-free.”
