Chapter 19: The Final Operation

The early morning bathed Carl’s cabin in soft light. At the table in the center of the room, Jack, Carl, Sam, Ali, and Leah were gathered. The atmosphere was tense but determined — each of them knew this was their last chance to strike at Mickey.

Carl unfolded the layout of the old warehouse, where, according to their information, Mickey and his men were keeping key evidence, clues, and possibly “Dyla”—the mysterious program that had become the core of their operation.

“This will be difficult,” Carl began. “The warehouse is well-guarded. We have three points of entry, but each one is a trap. We need to act synchronously and flawlessly.”

Jack looked at the map, his gaze focused.

“Sam and Ali, you’ll be the distraction. Carl and Leah will handle disabling the security systems. And I…” he paused, as if weighing the decision. “I’ll go inside. I know better than anyone how to handle traps like these.”

Leah crossed her arms over her chest.

“You want to go in alone? That’s suicide. If it’s a setup in there, they’ll just kill you.”

Jack glanced at her, his face unreadable.

“I know what I’m doing. We need everything or nothing. If we don’t get Dyla now, we’ll lose.”

As the sun rose higher, the team gathered outside the warehouse. Each of them was equipped with the necessary gear. Leah was checking her lock-picking device, Carl was scanning frequencies to disable alarms, while Sam and Ali were preparing to create a distraction.

Jack surveyed the group.

“We’ll make it. The key is trusting each other.”

Sam placed his hand on Ali’s shoulder.

“Are you ready?”

Ali nodded, trying to hide his nerves.

“Yeah. We can do this.”

Soon, the operation began. As planned, Ali and Sam drew the attention of the guards with the loud sound of an engine and bright flashes of light. Meanwhile, Leah and Carl were disabling cameras and alarm systems.

Jack entered the warehouse through the back entrance. Inside, he was met with a maze of boxes, containers, and metal shelves. Every step was careful, every move calculated. In the distance, he could hear the noise—the team was executing their part of the plan.

He made his way to the central server, where, according to Carl, Dyla could be located. Connecting to the system, he started downloading the data. But at that moment, he heard a rustling sound. Someone was nearby.

— Did you really think I would just let you take this? — The voice was cold and threatening. It was Mickey.

Mickey stepped out of the shadows, accompanied by two armed men. Jack slowly raised his hands, trying to buy time.

— You were always smart, Carter, but you’re too predictable, — Mickey sneered. — Now, if you don’t mind, we’ll be taking back what belongs to me.

But Jack was ready. Pressing a button on his device, he activated the security protocol Carl had integrated into their system. This shut down all the servers, including the central one, catching Mickey by surprise.

— You talk too much, — Jack said, launching into an attack.

A tense fight ensued. Jack used all his skills to neutralize the attackers. Meanwhile, outside, Sam and Ali fought their way through the remaining guards, while Carl and Leah finished transferring the data from the server.

When it was all over, the team gathered at the exit. Jack held a small disk with the “Dyla” data. They were all exhausted, but the smiles on their faces said it all.

As silence enveloped the warehouse once more, Jack looked around. The neutralized guards lay nearby, and Mickey, gasping for breath, fell to his knees. His eyes were full of rage, but also a sense of helplessness.

— You won, Carter, but you don’t understand what you’ve done, — Mickey whispered, clutching his chest. — “Dyla” isn’t just a program. It’s a door. You opened it, and now it won’t close.

Jack squinted, trying to understand the meaning behind his words, but there was no time for contemplation. Leah stepped out of the shadows, her face covered in dust, but her gaze remained determined.

— Jack, we need to leave. Time’s running out, — she said, nodding toward the exit.

Jack raised the disk with the data, glanced at Mickey, and without saying a word, headed for the exit. Leaving him alive was risky, but killing him wasn’t their style. Mickey remained lying there with his men, clearly aware that his game was over.

On the way to Carl’s house, the tension gradually eased. Ali sat in the corner of the van, wearily closing his eyes, while Sam checked his radio, ensuring all signals were clear.

— That was close, — Ali said quietly, without opening his eyes.

— But we did it, — Sam replied, placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder. — You did great.

Carl, sitting behind the wheel, turned to Leah.

— We gathered everything we could. Do you think it’s enough to stop this madness?

Leah thoughtfully looked at the disk with the data that Jack was holding.

— We’ll find out when we decrypt these files. But I don’t think this is the end. Mickey knew exactly what he was doing. If he mentioned a door, it could be something much bigger than we anticipated.

At Carl’s house, everyone gathered in the kitchen. Despite their exhaustion, each of them felt a sense of relief. Sam was brewing coffee, and Leah was spreading out a map to analyze the gathered data. Ali sat in the corner, hugging a cup of hot tea, his gaze distant.

— This all feels like a chess game, — Carl said, twirling a pencil in his hands. — We made an important move, but it’s not certain that it’s checkmate.

Jack looked at the horizon, where the sun was slowly rising.

— I’d say we just flipped the board, — he remarked with a slight smile.

Sam poured coffee into mugs and passed them around.

— What’s next? — he asked, sitting next to his brother.

Jack leaned on the table, thoughtfully staring at the disk.

— We’ll decrypt the data and find out what’s in it. But I’m sure this isn’t the end. This is the beginning of something bigger.

Later, in the evening, when everyone else had fallen asleep, Jack and Carl sat on the porch, watching the starry sky.

— Did you know it would end this way? — Carl asked, taking a drag from his cigar.

Jack shook his head.

— No. But I knew it would cost us.

Carl looked at him with sympathy.

— You’ll make it, Jack. You always have.

— I hope you’re right, — Jack replied, lowering his gaze.

The next day, the team began analyzing the data. Leah, working at the computer, suddenly stopped, her eyes wide with shock.

— This is impossible, — she mumbled, beckoning Jack over.

On the screen were diagrams and codes, seeming to be just part of something much larger.

— This isn’t just a program. It’s… a weapon, — she said, her voice trembling.

Jack tensed, his gaze turned cold.

— What is this door, Leah?

— It’s access to something that could change everything. If we don’t stop it now, the consequences will be catastrophic.