flash
The humming sound of the Boeing 777 engine felt distant, drowned out entirely by the deafening realization pounding inside Nathan Wells’s ears. / Chapter 6 / 8

Chapter 6 - The Glass RoomThe heavy titanium doors of Sub-Level 4 bore deep scorch marks.

Julian Vance stood in the center of the containment lab, surrounded by three heavily armed mercenaries. Bound to a high-tech medical chair in the center of the room was Catherine.

Her eyes were closed, her dark hair damp against her temples, and glowing fiber-optic cables were wired directly into the temples of her skull, feeding data into a towering bank of quantum processors. On the massive curved monitor behind her, a progress bar flashed: CONSCIOUSNESS ERASURE: 87%.

"You're too late, Nathan," Julian sneered, turning around with a sadistic grin as the heavy doors hissed open. He held a dead-man’s switch in his right hand—a small black detonator wired directly to the facility’s primary coolant valves. One click, and the entire subterranean lab would freeze into a cryogenic tomb.

Nathan stepped through the doorway, his pulse-pistol raised and locked on Julian’s chest. "Let her go, Julian. It's over. The master override is active. You have nowhere to run."

"Over?" Julian laughed, a manic, breathless sound. "Look at the screen, Nathan! In three minutes, Catherine’s mind will be wiped clean. Her proprietary algorithms will belong to Vanguard Security, and we will control the neural link of every human being on this continent. You can't stop progress!"

"He’s not alone, suit-man," a small voice piped up from behind Nathan’s leg.

Julian’s eyes widened in disbelief as Lily stepped out from behind Nathan’s trench coat, walking calmly into the center of the freezing laboratory. She didn't look at Julian; she looked straight at the woman in the chair.

"Catherine?" Lily whispered loudly.

In the medical chair, Catherine’s eyelids suddenly fluttered. The glowing progress bar on the monitor stuttered, freezing at 91%.

"L... Lily?" a weak, raspy voice echoed through the laboratory speakers.

Julian panicked, his thumb hovering over the detonator. "Kill them! Shoot the girl!"

The nearest mercenary raised his rifle—

BANG.

A blinding flash of blue light hummed through the room. The mercenary dropped his weapon, collapsing to the floor as a non-lethal pulse charge locked his nervous system in place.

Marcus stepped into the doorway behind Nathan, smoking rifle raised, having flanked them through the maintenance shaft.

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My phone was still pressed against my ear. On the other end, Marcus—my most trusted lieutenant—was breathing heavily. The sound of muffled police radios and shouting filtered through the speaker.

My phone was still pressed against my ear. On the other end, Marcus—my m...

Detective Maria Santos tapped her fingernail against the glossy photograph spread across the metal interrogation table. The overhead fluorescent light hummed, casting a sterile, buzzing shadow over the room.

Detective Maria Santos tapped her fingernail against the glossy photogra...

Katherine did not cry when she walked into their immaculate suburban home. The silence of the empty house, which usually felt lonely on the nights Reginald claimed to be working late, now felt like a tactical advantage.

Katherine did not cry when she walked into their immaculate suburban hom...

"Drop it, Julian," Nathan snarled, stepping forward with his pistol locked dead on Julian’s forehead.

Julian’s face twisted with rage. "If I go down, everyone goes down!" His thumb slammed down onto the detonator switch.

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