Chapter 5 Into the Glass Cage

Port Haven’s night was a canvas of shadows, its skyline fractured by the glow of Nexus DataCorp’s headquarters, a glass monolith that loomed like a predator’s eye. Lena Carver crouched in the alley across the street, her breath shallow, her leather jacket blending into the dark. The drizzle had stopped, leaving the air heavy with salt and the faint hum of the city’s pulse. Her Glock rested against her hip, a familiar weight, but it offered little comfort against the unknown waiting inside. Sarah Lin’s text *North entrance,  confining herself to a trap. But the USB drive in her pocket, Riley’s decrypted files, and the ghost of Ethan’s death pushed her forward. The truth was in there, and she’d tear it out, no matter the cost.

The north entrance was a service door, tucked behind a loading dock, its security camera conveniently dark either Sarah’s doing or a setup. Lena checked her watch: 8:57 p.m. Her burner phone stayed silent, no word from Riley or Sarah since the last message. Doubt gnawed at her Sarah’s sudden appearance, Riley’s hesitation, Marcus’ warnings. Even Daniels, the rookie, felt like a liability, his eagerness a potential leak. She was alone, as always, and that was how she preferred it. Trust was a blade that cut both ways.

She slipped across the street, her boots silent on the wet pavement, and tested the door. Unlocked. Her pulse quickened, instincts screaming trap, but she eased it open, revealing a dim corridor lined with pipes and humming servers. The air was cool, sterile, laced with the faint buzz of electricity. She moved forward, her gun drawn low, every shadow a potential threat. The corridor led to a stairwell, its metal steps spiraling up into the tower’s heart. Sarah had said the meeting was on the executive floor level 42. Lena climbed, her senses razor-sharp, the weight of the USB a reminder of what was at stake.

At the landing, she paused, hearing voices low, clipped, professional. She pressed against the wall, peering through a glass panel into a sleek conference room. Three figures sat at a polished table: a woman in a tailored suit, her face obscured; a man with graying hair and a politician’s posture; and a third, hidden in shadow, his presence commanding despite his silence. Victor Kane, the fixer? Or the Architect? Lena’s grip tightened on her gun. No sign of security, which was either luck or a lure.

She slipped her phone out, recording silently through the glass. The woman’s voice carried, sharp and precise. “The leak is contained. Wells is gone, Lin’s next. The system’s secure, but Carver’s a problem. She’s got the drive.”

The politician leaned forward, his voice smooth, familiar Senator Hargrove, a frequent face on Port Haven’s newsfeeds. “Handle her quietly. No more bodies. The mayor’s already asking questions.”

The shadowed figure spoke, his voice low, gravelly. “She’s Ethan’s sister. She won’t stop. We end this tonight.” Lena’s blood ran cold. They knew her, knew Ethan, knew the USB. She stopped recording, her mind racing. Sarah had betrayed her or been forced to. Either way, Lena was exposed.

Footsteps echoed behind her, heavy and deliberate. She spun, gun raised, to face a security guard mid-30s, broad, with a scar across his cheek. “Drop it, Carver,” he said, his own weapon drawn. “You’re out of your depth.”

Lena’s eyes flicked to his badge: Nexus logo, no name. “Kane?” she asked, stalling, her mind calculating escape routes.

He smirked, but his eyes were cold. “Not that lucky. Move.” He gestured toward the conference room, his gun steady. Lena weighed her options fight now, risk a shot, or play along and buy time. She lowered her Glock, keeping her movements slow, and stepped forward, her heart a steady drumbeat of defiance.

Inside the room, the woman stood, her face now visible Clara Voss, Nexus’ CEO, her blonde hair pulled tight, her smile venomous. “Detective Carver,” she said, her voice dripping with mock warmth. “You’re persistent. Like your brother.”

Lena’s jaw clenched, but she kept her cool. “And you’re sloppy. Staging Wells as a suicide? Amateur.” She glanced at the shadowed figure, still seated, his face obscured. “Who’s your boss? The Architect?”

Clara’s smile faltered, but the politician Hargrove laughed, a hollow sound. “You’re in over your head, Detective. Hand over the drive, and you might walk out.”

Lena’s hand hovered near her pocket, the USB a bargaining chip. “And if I don’t?”

The shadowed figure rose, stepping into the light. A man, mid-40s, impeccably dressed, adjusting his cufflinks with a predator’s calm Victor Kane. “Then you end up like Ethan,” he said, his voice smooth, lethal. “A tragedy, but necessary.”

Lena’s vision tunneled, rage and grief colliding. She lunged, not for Kane but for the table, flipping it with a crash that sent papers flying. Hargrove yelped, Clara stumbled, and the guard fired, the shot grazing Lena’s shoulder. Pain seared, but adrenaline surged. She dove behind the table, returning fire, her bullet catching the guard in the leg. He crumpled, cursing, as alarms blared.

Kane moved fast, slipping through a side door, Clara on his heels. Hargrove scrambled after them, leaving Lena with the wounded guard. She kicked his gun away, her shoulder throbbing, blood soaking her jacket. “Where’s Sarah Lin?” she demanded, her voice raw.

He spat, his face twisted in pain. “Gone. You’re too late.”

Lena didn’t wait for more. She bolted for the stairwell, the alarms deafening, her mind a storm of questions. Sarah compromised or dead? Kane and Clara were escaping, and the USB was still in her pocket, unleveraged. She hit the corridor, footsteps pounding behind her more guards, closing in. She needed an exit, needed Riley, needed answers.

Her phone buzzed as she reached the service door a text from Riley: Nexus servers breached. Get out now. They know. Lena cursed, shoving the door open into the night. The black SUV was back, idling across the street, its lights cutting through the dark. She sprinted for her sedan, pain flaring with every step, and peeled out, tires screeching. Nexus’ tower receded in her rearview, but the weight of its secrets clung to her.

She drove toward the docks, her shoulder bleeding, her mind racing. Kane’s words like Ethan cut deeper than the bullet. Sarah’s betrayal, if it was that, meant Lena was alone again. But the USB, Riley’s breach, and the recording on her phone were weapons, fragile but sharp. Port Haven was a city of predators, and Lena was no prey. She’d bring Nexus down, even if it meant burning everything to the ground.