Chapter 6 - THE SUBTERRANEAN SECRET"Project Genesis," Eleanor repeated, the words tasting like ash in her mouth. She kept the shotgun locked dead on James’s chest, her finger trembling slightly from the sheer adrenaline crash. "Explain it to me. Now."
James sneered, leaning against the doorframe, bleeding slightly from his shoulder where the buckshot had grazed him. "Your father didn't close Montgomery Biotech, Ms. Montgomery. He just buried it. Thirty-eight floors down, right beneath the immaculate marble and glass of your corporate tower, the real research never stopped. Genetic splicing, longevity enhancement, engineered human assets. And the ultimate project? A child born with pure, unmodified DNA capable of reversing cellular decay."
Eleanor’s mind reeled. Cellular decay. Billions of dollars poured into pharmaceutical research worldwide, and her father had cracked the code decades ago—using human lives as lab rats.
"And the mother?" Eleanor demanded.
"One of the lead researchers," James spat. "She grew a conscience at the last second, stole the subject, and tried to smuggle her out through the city dumpsters. Too bad she didn't make it very far before we caught up with her."
"You killed her," Eleanor said quietly.
"Business is business," James shrugged, his eyes darting toward the micro-SD card still resting on the desk. "Now, hand over the locket, Eleanor. And hand over the baby. If you cooperate, maybe the board will let you keep your fancy title on the thirty-eighth floor. If not... well, accidents happen in downtown alleys every day."
Marcus whimpered in the corner, clutching the baby tighter. "Eleanor, don't listen to him. They'll kill all of us."
Eleanor looked at James. Then she looked down at the micro-SD card in her hand. A fierce, cold resolve settled over her features. She wasn't just a victim caught in her father's web anymore. She was an apex predator who had just been cornered in her own den.
"You want the locket, James?" Eleanor asked softly.
"Hand it over."
"Come and get it."
Instead of tossing it, Eleanor slammed her boot heel down onto the heavy glass display case beside her, shattering it instantly, and lunged toward the emergency override panel hidden behind it.
"STOP HER!" James roared, lunging forward.
Eleanor slammed her palm down onto the master lockdown button marked REACTOR / VAULT PURGE.
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BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
A harsh, automated voice echoed through the entire estate: “WARNING. FACILITY LOCKDOWN ENGAGED. RELEASING HALON GAS IN THIRTY SECONDS.”
