The truck driver told me she went on foot down toward the ocean. The last thing I wanted to do was run after her, but I had few other options.
—The journal of Isaac Ryland
Andrew needed to calm his mind. His fingers were shaking; this was the most important moment of his life. He breathed in and exhaled slowly. Once he calmed down he began to type. He hit each number on the keypad with a sense of certainty. Six, eleven, thirteen, two, four, fourteen, ten, eight, fourteen.
A beeping sound came, different from the last. The door began to open and Andrew felt his heart jump into his chest. He didn’t waste any time and ran into the small room.
The master server was a giant piece of electrical equipment. Andrew thought it looked a little outdated compared to Affinity’s equipment. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small device that held the virus, found the opening, and slammed it into the port. He watched a green light flash on the device. Soon all the lights on the server started flashing different colors. It had worked. Andrew pulled out his phone and hit “send.” He heard Zack pick up on the other end.
“It’s finished,” Andrew said.
There was a click on the other line. The first part was done, but now Andrew had to make sure the servers were destroyed beyond salvation. He pulled out the small pieces of putty Zack had given him and slammed one against the base of each of the two towers. Next he pulled out two vials of liquid. He unscrewed each cap carefully. Once he slammed them into the putty mixture he’d have fewer than thirty seconds before they combined to physically destroy the room. Andrew closed his eyes and with each hand pressed the vials into the putty. He turned to run and at the worst possible moment fell over his shoes. He hit the ground hard but didn’t take much time to recover before he sprinted back into the hall. The sound of the explosion was louder than Andrew expected. He wasn’t far enough away and felt a rush of air push him forward. He hit the ground again; his back felt warm, but he forced himself up and continued down the hall.
The sound of the explosion had passed, but an alarm was sounding through the entire building. Andrew felt like he was running for his life as he made it through the maze of the Mission, certain a guard would be upon him any second. Carter was gone. Trent was gone. Andrew hoped they were on the way to the studio.
No guard came into view; they were probably too distracted by the fire the small bombs had caused. Andrew raced past the front doors and down the steps. His lungs felt like they were about to explode, but his mind was too preoccupied by happiness to notice. It was done. They were successful.
His thoughts were distracting him too much though. Andrew didn’t see the outstretched arm come out of nowhere, and because of the speed he was traveling he fell flat on his back. He opened his eyes to see Grant Marsden staring down at him.
“You’re too late,” Andrew said.
Those were the last words he spoke before his world went black.