Jamie hit the stop button as the recording we managed to retrieve from the security centre finished playing.
The sinking feeling in my gut intensified as if a black hole had formed right there in the pit of my stomach. “They recorded everything, Jamie. They know all about the Blue Hole.” My voice was a mere whisper amidst the bustling lab.
Jamie’s face paled a shade, but her eyes, ever sharp and observant, darted around, scanning for eavesdroppers. Without a word, she motioned for me to follow her.
Where was she taking us?
We navigated through the maze of the facility and my heart was pounding louder with each step, threatening to give away the panic I was feeling.
Our destination became clear as the distinct sound of Chinook helicopters reached my ears. As we approached the helipads, the colossal machines with their double rotors churned the air, creating a cacophony that felt oddly comforting. With the flying giants above our heads, our conversation would be drowned in their defying roar protecting our secrets for a little while longer.
Over the roar, Jamie leaned close and shouted into my ear. “We need to fix this, Jack. We must delete those recordings. It’s possible Rashmoor hasn’t had the chance to listen to them yet.”
I glanced at her with disbelief evident in my eyes. The enormity of our situation loomed large. “Jamie, there’s no way we’re setting foot back in there. If Rashmoor is waiting, that’s it. We’d be walking into our own graves.” I yelled back into her ear as one of the Chinooks flew over us.
She gripped my arm with her fingers cold but her gaze fiery. “Listen, we’re finished either way if we don’t get rid of those recordings. We have no other option.”
Bad news, part 2
I was about to retort when she cut me off. Her voice was shaking slightly betraying the hint of fear she felt. “And there’s more you should know. Remember the USB chip in the security centre I left? If they find it, they’ll unravel things they were never meant to see..”
The air around me seemed to grow colder. That chip, paired with the damning recordings, would be the end of us. “What are you talking about? What’s on it that is so important?” I asked and my voice tinged with desperation.
She was looking at me with her eyes locked into mine. Seconds were passing and she was just looking at me without saying anything.
“Let’s just focus on getting it back, Jack”. She eventually replied. “It’s probably more important to retrieve it than to delete these tapes”. She finished without providing any more information still looking straight into my eyes.
I took a deep breath, attempting to calm my racing mind. The situation was dire, but panicking wouldn’t help. “Alright, we go back tomorrow,” I conceded. “Retrieve the chip, delete the data if we can, and then figure out our next steps.”
Jamie nodded, determination seeping back into her stance. “It’ll be tricky to get back in there now, but we’ve got to try.”
The Chinooks continued their drills overhead, casting large shadows upon us. As I looked up, their mechanical dance seemed symbolic of our dilemma—trapped in a whirlwind of events, trying desperately to navigate safely through the challenges I was putting us through.
I couldn’t shake off the feeling that our actions tomorrow would define our futures. Would we successfully erase our tracks and keep our secrets? Or would we be caught in the act, with consequences too dire to even imagine?
The weight of the unknown pressed down on me. But amidst the uncertainty, one thing was crystal clear: tomorrow was a day of reckoning. The choices we made would change our lives forever.
