The ventilation system cut out, leaving only the low, hum of the server racks and the sound of our own breathing.

“What did you do?” Turner demanded, stepping toward me again.

“I isolated this sector of the grid,” I said, pulling the diagnostic tablet free from the interface.

“The file extraction has been paused at forty-eight percent, but the connection is still active.”

“The transmitter is somewhere inside this building,” I added, looking at the signal strength indicator.

Carter swallowed hard, his collar looking suddenly too tight for his neck.

“Sir, the external comms are down too,” Carter said, checking his handheld radio. “We’re completely cut off.”

“That is standard protocol for a class-one data breach,” I said, turning my back to Turner to face Chief Hayes.

Hayes had remained silent, his arms crossed over his chest, his boots planted firmly on the concrete floor.

His gray eyes were fixed on the locked door at the end of the short hallway.

“Chief,” I said.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Hayes replied, his voice steady and quiet.

“The person who initiated this download is still on this level,” I said.