Page 50 of Furry Equations
Her fingers flew across the keyboard, following digital breadcrumbs. Marcus and Emily watched in silence as she worked, their presence grounding her racing thoughts.
“Got you,” she breathed finally. “They’re using a remote terminal in... Marcus, this can’t be right.”
He leaned over her shoulder. “Where?”
“Your corporate building. The signal’s coming from Vale Corp headquarters, executive floor.” She turned to face him. “Someone high up in your company is working against us.”
Marcus’s expression hardened to granite. “Jax get in here. Now.”
“Want me to initiate lockdown protocols at the main offices?” Emily asked.
“Not yet. We don’t want to tip our hand.” He focused on Natalie. “Can you track exactly which terminal they’re using?”
“Give me five minutes.” She cracked her knuckles, diving back into the code. “Though technically, given the complexity of the encryption and the multiple proxy servers they’re routing through, a more accurate estimate would be-“
“Natalie.”
“Right. Less talking, more hacking.” She grinned up at him. “Though I feel compelled to point out that your ‘command voice’ is significantly less intimidating when I know how easily you melt when I do that thing with my-“
“Focus.” But his lips twitched. “Before I’m forced to silence you again.”
“Is that supposed to be a deterrent? Because from a motivational psychology standpoint-“
Marcus’s growl of frustration was music to her ears.
Jax arrived as Natalie’s program zeroed in on the source terminal, his usual easy grin replaced by focused intensity. “What’ve we got?”
“Our mole’s using an executive terminal,” Marcus explained, pacing behind Natalie’s chair. “Someone with high-level access.”
“Got it!” Natalie’s triumphant cry drew them all closer. “Terminal 47-B, registered to... Liam Stone. Head of Security Operations.”
Marcus went utterly still. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees as his expression darkened to something dangerous. “You’re sure?”
“The data doesn’t lie.” She pulled up more details. “He’s been accessing my research files through back channels, copyingdata packets to an external server. The transmission signatures match the warehouse activity.”
“Son of a bitch.” Jax’s normal humor vanished. “I trained him myself.”
“Wait.” Emily held up a hand. “Isn’t he scheduled for the midnight security sweep?”
Marcus checked his watch - 10:47 PM. “If he’s smart, he’ll use that sweep to cover his extraction. Private server access, minimal cameras...”
“Then we need to move now.” Natalie stood, determination overriding her fatigue. “If he gets those files off-site-“
“No.” Marcus’s voice brooked no argument. “You’re staying here where it’s safe.”
“Like hell I am.” She planted her hands on her hips. “We’ve already been through this.”
“Natalie-“
“Don’t ‘Natalie’ me in that tone.” She jabbed a finger at his chest. “I’m coming. You can either work with me or I’ll find my own way after you leave.”
Jax coughed to hide what sounded suspiciously like a laugh. “She’s got you there, boss.”
Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’ll stay behind us.”
“Of course.”
“And follow my lead.”