Chapter 3 - The Ghost in the Sky"They're tracking our transponder," Eleanor said calmly, though her grip on her coffee cup tightened. "Robert may be broke, but Karen’s family has underground connections in illegal gambling rings. He must have used his final favors to charter a flight."
"Can they force us down?" I asked, panic rising in my throat.
"Not in mid-air," Eleanor replied cold-bloodedly. "But they don't need to force us down. They just need to beat us to Zurich."
For the next six hours, our jet sliced through the Atlantic skies at maximum speed. When we finally hit the runway at Zurich Airport, the sun was just beginning to peek over the snow-capped Swiss Alps, casting a pink and gold light across the tarmac.
As soon as the cabin door opened, cold, crisp European air filled my lungs. But there was no time to admire the scenery. Two black armored SUVs were waiting directly on the tarmac.
"Move quickly," Eleanor instructed.
We sped through the streets of Zurich toward the financial district. The city was quiet, wrapped in a blanket of pristine white snow, but my heart was pounding like a hammer. We pulled up to the formidable marble steps of the National Reserve Bank of Zurich.
The bank was an ancient fortress of stone and reinforced steel. Inside, the grand lobby was dead silent, lined with polished granite pillars and armored guards.
A tall, white-haired banker in a bespoke suit stepped forward, bowing deeply to my grandmother. "Madame Carter. We received your priority wire. Vault 404 is prepared."
"Thank you, Director Hoffmann," Eleanor said. "This is Emily. Clara’s daughter."
Hoffmann looked at me with deep reverence. "You look so much like your mother, child. Follow me."
We descended into the depths of the bank, passing through three separate biometric security gates, going deep underground where the air felt thick and heavy with history. Finally, we stopped in front of a massive vault door made of polished titanium.
"Vault 404," Hoffmann announced. "It requires the mechanical key, followed by a DNA scan of Clara's direct heir."
I stepped forward, my hands trembling. I pulled the small silver key from my neck and inserted it into the narrow slot in the center of the vault door.
Click.
The mechanism inside whirred to life. A faint blue light swept over my face and scanned my eyes.
"DNA Verified: Emily Carter," a automated voice echoed in German and English.
The massive heavy steel bolts unlocked with a loud THUD. The door slowly swung open, revealing a small, lit chamber containing a single obsidian box on a pedestal.
Before I could take a step inside, a loud explosion rocked the upper corridor. Dust rained down from the ceiling. Alarm sirens began to blare in dark red flashes.
"What was that?!" Hoffmann shouted in horror.
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From the elevator shaft behind us, smoke poured out. Out of the haze stepped three men in black tactical gear—and behind them walked my father, Robert, his face bruised, eyes bloodshot, and holding a silenced pistol.
"Did you really think I'd let you take my fortune, Eleanor?" Robert hissed, his voice echoing maniacally down the concrete hall. "I spent eighteen years playing the loving, miserable father! That patent belongs to ME!"
