Chapter 18: The Big Evidence 
The group moved swiftly down the narrow hallway, the tension in the air palpable. Miguel kept close to Luca, his hand never straying far from his weapon. Robo-Aubree was ahead, her sensors on high alert as they neared the vault.
"The guards are heading to the upper floors," Julian’s voice crackled through their earpieces.
"Distraction’s working, but you’ll only have a short window."
“Understood,” Robo-Aubree replied, her tone clipped. She stopped in front of the final security door that led to the vault. It was a thick, reinforced barrier with a biometric scanner and keypad.
“Give me a minute.”
She began hacking into the system, her fingers moving with lightning speed as she bypassed the layers of security. Luca watched her, his tension evident.
“They’ll have someone monitoring this,” he whispered.
“If they see anything unusual, they’ll know we’re here.”
“I’m making it look like routine maintenance,” Robo-Aubree assured him.
“Just stay calm.”
Miguel placed a reassuring hand on Luca’s shoulder, sensing his anxiety.
“We’re almost there. Just keep it together.”
Luca nodded, taking a deep breath.
“I’m not used to being on this side of things.”
“Well, you’re doing great,” Miguel said, trying to ease the tension.
Robo-Aubree’s voice cut through their conversation.
“Got it. We’re in.”
The door clicked open with a soft hiss, revealing the entrance to the vault. It was a stark, cold room with metal walls and rows of filing cabinets, along with several computer terminals.
“Where are the records stored?” Miguel asked, stepping inside.
Luca pointed to a terminal in the far corner. “There. That’s the master server. Everything’s encrypted, but if we can access it, we’ll have what we need.”
Robo-Aubree moved to the terminal, quickly connecting a small device to one of the ports.
“I’ll extract the files. This will only take a moment.”
As she worked, Miguel and Luca kept watch by the door, their ears straining for any sign of approaching guards.
“This place feels like a tomb,” Luca muttered, his voice echoing slightly in the metallic room.
“It’s where they bury their secrets.”
“Not for long,” Miguel replied.
“Once we have this, they’ll be exposed.”
Robo-Aubree’s eyes flickered as she processed the data, decrypting files at an astonishing speed.
“I’m in. Downloading now.”
“Anything we should be worried about?” Miguel asked, his eyes never leaving the door.
“Nothing yet,” she replied.
“But keep your guard up. We’re not out of the woods.”
Luca leaned against the wall, trying to maintain his composure. “Once we get these files, what’s the next move?”
“We’ll take them to a secure location,” Miguel explained. “From there, we’ll start building a case. We have contacts who can help us take this public, make sure the mafia can’t bury it.”
“And what about me?” Luca asked, a hint of worry creeping into his voice. “Once this goes down, they’ll come after me with everything they’ve got.”
Miguel glanced at him, understanding the fear in his eyes. “We’ll protect you. We’ve got resources, people who can help you disappear if that’s what you want.”
Luca nodded slowly. “I never thought it would come to this. Turning against them… I used to think it was impossible.”
“You’re doing the right thing,” Miguel said firmly. “That’s what matters.”
Before Luca could respond, Robo-Aubree straightened up, detaching the device from the terminal. “Download complete. We have everything we need.”
“Good,” Miguel said, relief evident in his voice. “Let’s get out of here.”
The group exited the vault, Robo-Aubree securing the door behind them as if they had never been there. They moved quickly through the corridors, retracing their steps back to the service entrance.
“Julian, we’re heading out,” Miguel reported. “Everything go smoothly on your end?”
“Like a charm,” Julian replied. “No sign of any trouble. The distraction worked better than expected.”
“Let’s keep it that way,” Robo-Aubree added, her pace quickening as they neared the exit.
As they stepped outside, the cool night air hit them, a stark contrast to the sterile environment of the hospital. Miguel felt a surge of relief as they approached the van where Julian was waiting.
“Nice work, everyone,” Julian said, greeting them with a grin. “Didn’t break a sweat, did you?”
“Not yet,” Miguel replied, though the tension in his shoulders hadn’t fully dissipated.
They piled into the van, Luca taking a seat near the back, his expression a mixture of exhaustion and anxiety. Robo-Aubree handed the device with the downloaded files to Miguel, who inspected it briefly before securing it in his bag.
“This is it,” Miguel said, meeting Luca’s eyes. “The start of something big.”
Luca nodded, though his gaze was distant. “Yeah… let’s just hope it ends the way we want it to.”
“It will,” Robo-Aubree assured him. “We’ll make sure of it.”
Julian started the engine, and they drove off into the night, leaving the hospital and the mafia’s secrets behind them.
---
Back at their safehouse, the atmosphere was charged with anticipation. Robo-Aubree began decrypting and analyzing the files immediately, her processors working overtime to sift through the mountains of data they had acquired. Miguel and Julian hovered nearby, their attention focused on the screens displaying rows of documents, financial records, and encrypted communications.
“This is incredible,” Julian muttered, scrolling through one of the files. “They’ve got their hands in everything. Real estate, pharmaceuticals, even law enforcement.”
“Look at this,” Robo-Aubree said, her voice urgent as she pulled up a specific file. “These are the transactions involving the counterfeit drugs. It’s worse than we thought.”
Miguel studied the screen, his anger growing as he read the details. “They’ve been distributing these drugs to dozens of hospitals across the region. Hundreds of patients have been affected… and the ones who tried to expose it were silenced.”
“This is the smoking gun,” Julian said, his tone grim. “With this, we can bring them down. But we need to be smart about how we use it.”
“We’ll need to leak it to the right people,” Robo-Aubree suggested. “Media outlets that can’t be bought off, and legal experts who can build a case strong enough to withstand any pushback.”
“And we’ll have to be ready for the backlash,” Miguel added. “Once this goes public, they’ll come after us with everything they’ve got.”
Luca, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke up. “I can reach out to a few old contacts. People who’ve wanted out of the game for a long time. They might be willing to testify if they know the ship is sinking.”
Miguel looked at him, surprised by the offer. “You’re willing to go that far?”
Luca nodded, determination hardening his features. “I didn’t come this far just to back out now. I want to see them go down as much as you do.”
“Then we’ll make it happen,” Miguel said, a sense of resolve settling over him.
The team spent the next few hours coordinating their next steps, reaching out to trusted allies, and preparing the evidence for dissemination. As dawn began to break, casting a pale light through the windows, there was a sense of renewed purpose among them.
Robo-Aubree finally sat back, her task complete. “The data is secure and ready to be distributed. We just need the word.”
Miguel nodded, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders. “We’ll move tonight. Hit them before they even realize what’s happening.”
Luca stood up, his expression resolute. “I’ll make my calls. Let’s end this.”
As they all prepared for the final phase of their plan, there was a shared understanding among them. This was the beginning of the end for the mafia, and they would stop at nothing to see it through.
In the quiet of the morning, with the city just starting to stir, Miguel looked at his team his new ally, Luca, included and felt something he hadn’t in a long time.