Chapter 7 - The Queen’s GambitUpstairs, the ballroom was a scene of controlled chaos. Federal agents cataloged evidence, locked down terminals, and escorted Mr. and Mrs. Vance out in handcuffs. Flashbulbs popped incessantly as reporters pressed against the velvet ropes.
Clara sat in a leather chair at the head table, her torn wedding dress now draped like a battle cloak over her shoulders. Her fingers flew across her encrypted laptop keyboard, lines of code scrolling across the screen at blinding speed.
"Director," Clara said without looking up as an FBI senior agent approached her. "Your men in the sub-basement need to move now. Dr. Aris Thorne is down there."
The agent blinked, surprised. "Thorne? We thought he vanished years ago. How do you know?"
"Because he’s cleaning house," Clara replied coldly, pressing enter to execute a master trace. "He’s attempting to purge the remaining terminal nodes of Project Genesis before they can be seized as federal evidence. If he succeeds, every digital footprint of the human experiments disappears."
The agent didn't hesitate. He barked orders into his shoulder radio, dispatching a tactical team down the emergency stairwell.
Clara stood up. Her baby kicked gently against her womb—a sudden, grounding reminder of life amidst the carnage. She placed a protective hand over her stomach, her gaze fixed on the main security monitor.
The feed from the sub-basement flickered back online via a backdoor Clara had just installed.
On the screen, Dr. Thorne and his biohazard-suited men were loading an unconscious Julian into a heavy steel containment crate.
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"Not so fast, Aris," Clara muttered to herself, a lethal smile touching the corners of her lips.
With a few keystrokes, Clara locked every electronic door, bulkhead, and elevator shaft in the entire subterranean complex. A heavy steel blast door slammed shut over the only exit from the sub-basement with a thunderous CLANG, trapping Thorne and his team deep underground.
