A high-pitched whine began to rise from the server racks.

The blue lights on the terminal screen turned a bright, violent amber.

“Natalie, stop,” Caroline said.

She lunged forward, her fingers clawing at my vest.

I grabbed her wrist, twisting it downward with the force of my training.

The tactical officer started to turn his weapon back toward me.

The emergency alarms began to howl, their red strobe lights bathing the wet concrete in blood-colored flashes.

A heavy steel security grate began to slide down from the ceiling above the stairs.

“What did you do?” Caroline hissed, struggling against my grip.

I pushed her away, stepping back into the shadow of the server racks.

“I locked the system,” I said.

“And I’m going to Virginia.”

The steel grate slammed into the concrete floor with a deafening crash, sealing the stairwell.

The strobe light flashed once more, catching the sudden terror in my mother’s eyes.

The metal vibration rattled the soles of my combat boots.

Behind the heavy steel bars, Caroline was screaming, her face distorted by the red strobe lights.