Chapter 8 - Chapter 7: Cold Wallet

The server room door hissed shut behind them, sealing with a soft, final click. Blue LEDs cast cold light across humming racks. Fans whispered like distant rain. No windows. No visible cameras. Probably hidden in the ceiling tiles. Kai moved straight to the central console, fingers already dancing across the touchscreen. "Cold wallet's in the Faraday cage at the back. Retina and thumb lock."Elara scanned the space. "Security?""Offline. No network unless authorized. That's why we're here." He shot her a quick look—reassuring, steady. "You good?"She nodded. The alcove memory still lingered on her skin—his heat, cedar and musk, the press of him—but she locked it down. Focus. Kai pulled a matte black device from his pocket—no brand, sleek as a razor. "Spoofer. Mimics my retina. Thumb's easier—old print from a contact."She watched him work, calm, efficient. "You have contacts inside the Curators?""Contacts everywhere." He didn't elaborate. The spoofer beeped. Green light. The Faraday cage opened with a pneumatic sigh. Inside, a black box the size of a paperback sat on velvet—isolated, untouchable. Kai lifted it carefully, set it on the console. Elara stepped closer. "How do we get the ledger?""Plug in. Extract the fragment. Ten seconds if we're lucky."She handed him her USB drive. His fingers brushed hers—brief, electric. Neither reacted. He connected it. The console hummed. A progress bar crawled across the screen. Five seconds.Ten.Fifteen.Red warning flashed: UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED. ALERT TRIGGERED.Kai swore—low, controlled. "Anomaly detection. Silent alarm." Elara's stomach dropped. "How long?""Thirty seconds. Maybe less."She looked around—no obvious exits besides the door they'd come through. The fans seemed louder now, the blue light colder. Kai yanked the USB free, pocketed it. "We move. Now."The door hissed open. Two guards stepped in—black tactical gear, suppressed pistols raised."Hands up!" one barked. "Step away from the console!"Elara froze. Kai didn't.In one fluid motion, he shoved the cold wallet into his jacket, grabbed her arm, and pulled her behind a server rack. Gunfire cracked—sharp, muffled. Bullets pinged off metal. Kai returned fire with a compact pistol she hadn't even seen him draw—two precise shots. One guard dropped. The other dove for cover."Stay low," Kai whispered, voice steady against her ear. Elara pressed against the rack, heart hammering. She reached for her multi-tool, flipped out the blade—small, but better than nothing . The remaining guard advanced, sweeping his barrel. Kai moved like shadow—fast, silent. He tackled the man from the side, pistol clattering. They grappled, rolling across the floor. Elara saw a loose Ethernet cable dangling from the rack—thick, heavy. She grabbed it, yanked hard, and swung it like a whip—cracking it across the guard's face. He yelped, stumbled, blood blooming on his cheek. Kai used the distraction—sharp elbow to the temple. The guard went limp. Silence fell, broken only by the fans and their breathing. Kai stood, chest rising and falling, eyes scanning her. "You okay?"She nodded, adrenaline singing in her veins. "Yeah. You?"He gave a tight nod, then grabbed her hand—firm, warm. "We run. Now."They bolted for the door, alarms finally blaring overhead—red lights pulsing. The corridor stretched ahead, endless and dim. Behind them, the yacht came alive—footsteps pounding, shouts echoing. Elara's pulse roared. She glanced at Kai—his jaw set, eyes forward, hand still locked around hers. They had the ledger. They had each other. But the yacht was waking up. And the shadows were closing fast.