**Episode 14: The Heart of the Beast**
The night was Ayaan's ally as he and Elina slipped through the shadows towards the imposing glass tower that housed **Black Dune Technologies**. Its sleek, modern design was a far cry from the gritty industrial operations that Reza usually relied on. But Ayaan knew better. The polished exterior masked a labyrinth of secrets beneath.
They were here to expose them.
Ayaan adjusted his jacket and looked at Elina. "We need to get inside the server room. If we can access the internal networks, we'll have everything we need to take them down."
Elina's eyes glinted with determination. "You know the drill. Get in, get out."
They approached the front entrance. The lobby was pristine, guarded by two security officers who sat behind a desk, oblivious to the real threat standing just a few feet away.
Elina smiled faintly. "Leave this to me."
Before Ayaan could respond, she moved with practiced ease, disappearing into the shadows near the security desk. Moments later, she emerged with one of the officers' access cards and a small earpiece that would serve as their connection to the building's system.
"Got it," she whispered into the comms. "Let's go."
They made their way to a service elevator at the back of the building. The card was slid into the scanner, and the elevator doors slid open. As they descended, the tension in the air thickened, both knowing what was at stake. Elina adjusted the wire-frame glasses she had donned — a piece of tech that allowed her to access and decrypt the building's digital security grid.
The elevator pinged.
It was time.
The basement was dark, lit only by a few flickering overhead lights. Security cameras panned in synchronized intervals, but Elina had already looped their footage. They moved past them undetected, heading deeper into the building.
"This way," Elina murmured, guiding Ayaan to a nondescript door at the end of the hallway. The server room was behind it.
They reached the door — locked. But Elina was already working on the keypad, fingers dancing over the surface with precision.
"Done," she whispered.
The door opened with a soft hiss, and they slipped inside.
Rows of high-end servers hummed around them, the digital heart of Black Dune. Ayaan felt a rush of adrenaline as he moved toward the main terminal. He sat down quickly and connected his laptop, his fingers flying over the keys.
Elina kept watch.
Ayaan's screen flickered as he bypassed several layers of security. "I'm in," he muttered under his breath, pulling up the network's database.
What he saw made his blood run cold.
Millions of dollars in transactions funneled from Black Dune into shell companies, private accounts, and most notably — **Meryx Trust**. The same trust that had been linked to the paramilitary operations and Reza Murad's shadow army. But there was more — codes. Ciphered conversations. Names. Locations.
He was about to expose it all when—
*"Movement."*
Elina's voice was sharp, cutting through the silence.
Ayaan froze, his eyes darting to the door. Footsteps.
They weren't alone.
Before he could react, the server room's lights flickered off, leaving them in darkness.
And then, the unmistakable sound of gunfire echoed from the hallway.
**Ayaan's heart pounded.**
Elina didn't hesitate. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him to his feet, already moving toward the rear exit.
"There's an emergency exit down this way," she whispered.
Ayaan barely had time to respond before the door flew open — and two heavily armed security guards stormed inside.
The first one barely registered the motion before Elina was on him. Her elbow drove into his throat, and he dropped, gasping for air. She didn't pause, already turning to the second guard.
But Ayaan wasn't waiting around. He grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall, threw it at the second guard, and followed it up with a swift punch to his gut.
The man staggered back, but not before pulling his gun.
Ayaan ducked, grabbing Elina by the arm. "Move!"
They bolted, sprinting down the hall toward the exit. The sound of pursuit was growing closer. The sirens were blaring now, security had been alerted, and the countdown to escape was ticking.
Elina pushed through the emergency exit door, and they emerged into the alley behind the building.
Ayaan didn't look back.
"We've got what we came for," he said, chest heaving.
"And we'll need it," Elina replied, scanning the streets for any sign of pursuit. "Because now we've crossed a line. Reza won't stop until we're dead."
Ayaan's eyes burned with resolve.
"Then we don't stop either."
**To be continued…**