Just then, my personal phone in my pocket began to vibrate.

I pulled it out and looked at the screen.

It was an restricted number from the Pentagon.

I answered it.

“Colonel Monroe,” I said.

“Allison, we have a problem,” the voice on the other end said.

It was my chief analyst, Captain Ross.

“The data transfers aren’t stopping,” Ross said.

“Even with the drives seized, the server in Frankfurt is still broadcasting.”

I froze, the phone pressed hard against my ear.

“Explain,” I said.

“Someone else is downloading the Aegis files right now,” Ross said.

“And the signal is coming from inside the house.”

“Where is the transmitter, Ross?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

“We can’t pinpoint the exact room yet, Colonel,” Ross said. “The signal is bouncing off the internal mesh network of the house. It’s using a military-grade scrambler.”

“Keep scanning,” I said and ended the call.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket.

In the library, the high-pitched whine of a diamond-tipped drill suddenly stopped.

The lead technician, a sergeant named Carter, stepped back from the wall.