Chapter 24 - The Biological Key
Before I could process my father’s revelation, the secure communication console on his desk flickered to life. A blinding red emergency light flashed across the Alpine facility's ceiling.
Warning: External perimeter breach detected. Sector 4.
Vincent’s calm demeanor vanished instantly. He slammed his hand onto the main console, pulling up a multi-angle security feed of the mountain pass outside.
A convoy of four unmarked military-grade armored trucks was smashing through our outer security gates, disgorging dozens of heavily armed mercenaries wearing unmarked black tactical gear.
"Who are they?" I snapped, stepping over to the monitors. "Dante’s remnants?"
"Worse," Vincent said, his jaw tightening. "The Zurich board didn't die when we froze their accounts, Adrien. They have a contingency protocol known as Project Omega. They want the Alps facility, and more importantly, they want Sophie."
"Sophie is back at the estate in California," I said, cold dread flooding my veins.
"No," Vincent replied, tapping a secondary tracking interface. "Elena’s brother in Naples wasn't just threatened—he was a double agent for the Zurich board. Two days ago, before you left for the Alps, Elena received a secure transmission. They didn't just want data; they tracked Sophie's genetic signature using the micro-transmitter dust left behind in her doll."
My phone buzzed violently in my pocket. I yanked it out, swiping the screen open. It was an encrypted satellite call from Bruno.
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"Boss!" Bruno’s voice screamed through the speaker, drowned out by the heavy sound of automatic gunfire and shattering glass in the background. "The estate is under attack! They breached the perimeter with heavy ordinance! We're holding the nursery, but—"
The line cut out with a deafening screech of feedback.
