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There were voices echoing from just ahead.
Men were shouting back and forth in Farsi.
Kendra reached an intersection in the corridor and crouched beside the corner. She strained to listen.
‘What are they saying?’ Adam whispered.
Kendra tilted her head. ‘Onyx is yelling for someone to turn on the backup generator. And another guy is yelling back. Saying he doesn’t know where it is. And Onyx is frustrated. He’s worried about corrupted data because all the computers have gone dead—’
Suddenly a light glowed from the corridor ahead, and Kendra’s heart skipped.
She eased back behind the corner.
Footsteps were approaching. A VAJA operator was carrying a flashlight. It was almost certainly an old-fashioned model. One that ran on an incandescent bulb, which was why it was still functioning despite the electromagnetic pulse.
The footsteps got louder and closer.
Kendra gritted her teeth.
The operator marched right past the intersection. He didn’t notice Kendra and Adam huddled against the wall, just below his eyeline.
Adam tracked the guy with his laser.
Kendra reached out and gave Adam’s shoulder a squeeze.
Adam hit him with a three-round burst.
The operator’s body seized up in mid-stride, and he fell. His flashlight clattered against the floor, rolling.
Kendra duck-walked towards it. She picked it up and switched it off.