The northern feed shook as another impact struck Checkpoint Seven.
Ramona ignored the creature tearing through the barricade and studied the soldiers instead. Their firing line had shifted left, leaving the drainage channel exposed. Several smaller mutants slipped through the smoke and disappeared into it.
“There,” she said, pointing toward the channel. “They're drawing our attention away from the tunnels.”
Gary followed her gaze, his expression hardening. “Toward the eastern sector.”
Ramona nodded. “Exactly.”
She turned to the communications officer. “Pull up the internal security grid.”
The officer hesitated. “Central Command controls—”
“Use the local network.”
Gary gave the order before the officer could argue.
The security map appeared, showing three routes between the command center and the eastern gate. Ramona studied them once before selecting the narrow service corridor.
“I'll take this one.”
Gary frowned. “You're bypassing the main route.”
“That's the point.”
Lina looked up from the console. “The gate has twelve seconds.”
“Cut the eastern power feed.”
“That will disable the emergency systems.”
“For thirty seconds.”
Lina severed the connection, and the eastern gate display went black.
Ramona headed for the service corridor.
“If they want the gate open, they'll have to use the manual controls.”
Gary caught her arm before she reached the door. “Don't underestimate whoever is behind this.”
“I won't. Hold the northern line, and don't send anyone east unless I call for them.”
She pulled free and disappeared into the corridor.
Ramona moved quickly without sacrificing caution. At the first junction, she noticed disturbed dust near a maintenance panel and fresh marks around the locking screws. Someone had forced it shut after passing through.
She continued another ten meters before climbing into the overhead service channel.
Two armed men appeared below, watching the corridor ahead. Ramona dropped behind them, disarmed the first before he could react, then drove the second into the wall and stripped his weapon. Within seconds, both were unconscious.
Neither wore northern-sector insignia. One carried an eastern-gate maintenance card.
Ramona pocketed it and continued toward the control room.
The intruders hadn't broken into the gate system from outside. They had entered through authorized personnel channels.
The card vibrated.
AUTHORIZATION CONFIRMED: RAMONA GARY.
Her clearance was legitimate. Gary had registered her as his emergency successor after she began assisting with military logistics and perimeter planning, giving her limited access to defensive systems such as the eastern gate. Activating it still required a second command authorization.
Someone had bypassed that safeguard using her identity.
Then the emergency lights returned, and the eastern gate began moving.
Instead of opening, it started closing.
A second message appeared on the maintenance card.
SECONDARY AUTHORIZATION CONFIRMED: GENERAL GARY.
Ramona's grip tightened.
Gary was still in the war room.
Her comm unit crackled.
“Ramona,” Gary said, his voice tense. “Someone just attempted to access my command profile.”
The control-room door unlocked.
At the same moment, a second voice came through the speakers.
It was Gary's voice, calm and unmistakably familiar.
“She's already here.”
Ramona stared at the opening door.
The system had accepted her identity, reproduced Gary's authorization, and somehow knew she had reached the control room.
Whoever was inside hadn't merely infiltrated the eastern gate.
They had been waiting for her.