Chapter 15 - Flight Through the ShadowsThe showroom erupted into blind panic. Shouts echoed across the vaulted timber ceiling as the mercenaries scrambled in the dark, their tactical flashlights cutting erratic, blinding arcs through the thick spray of water.
Gideon didn't wait to see Pendelton’s reaction. He sprinted backward toward the mezzanine stairs, taking them three at a time with the explosive agility of his youth. His heart hammered against his ribs, not from fear, but from raw, unadulterated fury.
He threw open the heavy oak door of the mezzanine office. Inside, Sienna was standing by the control console, her tablet glowing in the dark like a beacon, while Ren and Nova stood side-by-side near the panic room hatch, holding hands with terrifying, stoic composure.
"They're inside the perimeter," Gideon panted, locking the office door behind him and throwing the deadbolt. "Pendelton has at least four men sweeping the ground floor. The local precinct’s automated backup hasn't triggered because they jammed the cellular relay."
"I've got a secondary backup," Sienna said, her fingers flying across her console with frantic speed. "An encrypted satellite uplink routed through a military-grade relay in Alaska. I managed to broadcast an emergency distress beacon to Federal Marshal Miller before they completely severed our fiber line."
Ren stepped forward, her hazel eyes reflecting the green light of the console. She wasn't crying. She didn't look like an eleven-year-old girl caught in a corporate warzone; she looked like a strategist evaluating a compromised board.
"They aren't just here to take us, Gideon," Ren said quietly. "They want the core decryption key from our DNA to unlock the consortium's main server. If they catch us, they don't even need us alive anymore—they just need a tissue sample."
Gideon dropped to one knee, gripping Ren’s shoulders tightly. "They are never, ever getting near you. Do you understand me? We are going through the utility tunnel into the old Pioneer Square underground passages. I have a vehicle waiting three blocks away."
Suddenly, a loud, concussive boom echoed through the office door.
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One of the mercenaries was using an industrial breaching charge on the heavy oak hinges. Wood splintered inward, sending sharp shards flying across the room.
"Move!" Gideon shouted, shoving the heavy panic room hatch open. "Sienna, lead the girls down! I'll cover the rear!"
