THE RETURN Of the LEGENDARY KING of WAR

Into Verizon

It had been tiring for Lizzy at this point,she was out of options…She had to carry out her most pending plan regardless of what it felt like, risk or not.

Looking out of the window of the cafe lost for a while, she took a quick look at her watch.

Burke was running late as usual. She kissed her teeth in disapproval before getting lost again in the other world.

Outside the sky hung heavy with dark clouds that promised a threat of rain.

The Streetlights cast it shimmering light right to where she took every breath and turned at every footstep.

She sat at the far end of a dimly lit cafe, enough to be hidden from everyone else but him, her eyes kept flickering between the entrance and the half-empty cup in her hand.

So far the place was quiet with just a few sounds from her fingers that tapped against the ceramic mug rhythmically.

“What the hell, why is he taking eternity!" She grumbles.

She picks up her phone and dials his cell.

"Hello, what is taking you too long? Just tell me if…”

She fell quiet.

“Alright, I'd be expecting." She muttered after what felt like a while.

She wasn’t nervous. No. She was focused. She had waited too long, seen too much, lost too many people already, couldn't afford mistakes now. All she wanted was to get the few details left and nothing… nothing was going to make her change her plans.

At long last, the bell above the café door jingled, and she sighs in relief.

She didn’t look up. She didn’t need to as a whiff of his cologne breezes in as Burke slid into the seat across from her with his usual cocky grin, dark curls messily tied back, an old hoodie clinging to his wiry frame.

“You’re late,” she said without emotion.

He pulled the hood down and stretched. “I was making sure no one followed me, you know we can't risk anything till everything about this deal is confirmed.”

She finally looked up, her gaze sharp. “You’re also not the one with the target on your back.”

He smirked, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Touché. So, what exactly are we doing here, Lizzy? Because I didn’t think that you would want to take so much risk doing all of this.”

“That’s exactly why we’re meeting.” She slid a flash drive across the table, her fingers pausing a second too long on it.

He eyed it, then glanced up. “What's this?”

“A direct access that night helps us in, I need to get this in, I don't know how, but it is important.”

“Are you sure this is right, what if you are caught?” He sighs worried.

“Then we improvise.”

He gave a short laugh. “Improvise? We’re talking about breaking into Verizon, not sneaking into just anywhere.”

Lizzy leaned forward, lowering her voice. “This isn’t just about the company, Burke This is about the new owner. He's hiding something and I need to know why!”

Burke raised an eyebrow, his tone suddenly serious. “You think that I would want to be part of this?”

Lizzy hesitated. “You are already part, just finished it up."

He thought about it for a second, something about it felt unusual.

Was she aware of the dangers of this? Was she orchestrating this? Or was he as much a pawn in this game as the rest of everyone?

“That Lady I told you about, I think…” she said slowly, “she knows more than she’s letting on. And if I’m right, like my mom is thinking… We have to do this, she is not expecting that I would go in today.”

Burke leaned back in his seat. “Alright. Say I’m in. What’s the plan?”

“We enter tonight. And you will be driving.”

“Tonight?” he blinked. “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious.” She pulled out a folded map of the Verizon facility from her bag. “You’ll trigger the silent zone from the security room on the third floor. It’ll buy us fifteen minutes, no cameras, no alarms, no internal logs.”

She looks at him. "You know how to do that right?”

He nods. " Common, that is a piece of cake.”

"Meanwhile, I go into the restricted room on Level 6 where the CEO office is, there should be something.”

“You’ve really thought this through.” he smiles.

Lizzy didn’t respond.

Burke's voice softened. “You’re not just doing this for the truth, are you?”

Her jaw clenched.

“No,” she admitted. “I’m doing this for myself, just be ready.”

He nodded slowly. “Alright, Liz. Let’s burn this thing down.”

******

(Verizon Headquarters )

Later that night.

The rain had finally started to fall, soft and steady as her car stopped.

The main gates of Verizon loomed in the distance, as they alighted from the car parked at a side road, a few hundred meters from the west of Verizon.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

Lizzy stared at the building for a long moment, her breath fogging the window.

“As I’ll ever be.”

They moved through the wooded fence line, like it was rehearsed. Lizzy’s heart pounded louder than her footsteps. Every step toward the facility felt like forever.

Soon they were in.The hallway was dark, only emergency lights flickering every few feet.

Burke veered off toward the third floor while Lizzy took the elevator to Level 6, praying that Burke had something planned to distract the guards on duty.

Her fingers trembled as she typed in a code gotten from Katrina.

As the door hissed open. She exhaled.

“Damn, she is right…Maybe I am wrong about her.”

She walked toward a desk just before the CEO office that fitted Katrina's description.

Soon a monitor screen blinked.

******

(Meanwhile – Upper Floors)

Andrew had no intention of returning to Verizon tonight, but something gnawed at him. Ever since Baron’s report about the ID breach and the impersonator, a heavy fog of dread sat in his chest, he had to clear it out of his head, and the only place he could think about was here.

He pulled into the underground garage and made his way up the elevator alone. His mind raced.

He walked the hallway slowly, dark expensive boots echoing off the marble floors.

The air felt…off. Something about it felt unusual with each step that he took.

He looked around as he could feel this strange aura, but brushed it off quickly.

He turned down the corridor toward the surveillance room on the fifth floor, but froze as he was making his way up when something pulled his attention.

Pausing, his pulse slowed. He arches his eyes brow as he takes steps closer to the window with the hair of his skin prickling with anticipation.

Maybe, he was being paranoid or maybe it was his years of experience in the military.

Whatever had made him stop, it turned his attention again to a car at the far end, through the reinforced glass windows facing the outer compound.

It was Silver and Small. Tucked under the trees like it was trying not to be noticed.

He narrowed his eyes for a closer look, his heart racing to a stop.

“Lizzy’s car?” He stood there puzzled.

What the hell was she doing here?