The terminal console beeped. The countdown timer locked at nine minutes, fifty-eight seconds. Red warning lights activated along the ceiling. A mechanical siren pulsed three times. Then silence. The hub lockdown protocol engaged. Magnetic seals slammed across the main corridors. Ventilation dampeners closed. The system isolated the terminal room from external networks. Heavy steel shutters dropped over the ventilation grates. The door locks engaged automatically. The room sealed.
Alexander pulled up the perimeter camera array. Gate three breached. Four figures. Dark jackets. Heavy tool cases. They bypassed the outer turnstile. Cut the fiber line to the security desk. They moved toward the inner corridor. Sterling insignia visible on the collar tabs. Loyalists. Objective: hardline sever. If they cut the primary trunk cable, the purge halts. The system defaults to global freeze.
