Chapter 18 - The Final StandBack at the mansion, sitting in the executive study connected via encrypted satellite link to the primary mainframe, Evelyn had spent the last twenty minutes bypassing Julian’s firewall using the master administrative backdoor her grandfather had built into the original system architecture—a backdoor Julian never even knew existed.
"Checkmate, Julian," Daniel said coldly.
With a roar of fury, Julian lunged off his chair, his hand whipping out a concealed firearm from his waistband as he aimed directly at Daniel’s chest.
Before Julian could even pull the trigger, Commander Thorne and the tactical agents opened fire.
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!
Multiple rounds struck Julian squarely in the shoulder and side. He gasped, dropping his weapon as the momentum spun him hard against the edge of the server rack, sliding down into a heap on the cold concrete floor.
The gun clattered across the metallic grating.
Silence descended upon the vault, broken only by the hum of cooling fans and Julian’s ragged, shallow breathing.
Daniel walked slowly forward, standing over his former friend and vice president. Julian coughed, a thin stream of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he stared up at the ceiling with glazed, unblinking eyes.
"You... you ruined it all..." Julian choked out, his voice a pathetic wheeze.
"No, Julian," Daniel said quietly, looking down without an ounce of pity. "You ruined yourself."
Commander Thorne stepped forward, snapping heavy steel cuffs around Julian’s wrists even as medical personnel rushed into the vault with a stretcher. "Get him stabilized and transported to the federal medical wing. He’s going to stand trial for every single count."
Daniel turned away, sliding his phone out of his pocket and dialing home.
The line connected on the first ring.
"Daniel?" Evelyn’s voice came through, shaking with unshed tears. "Are you safe? Did it work?"
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"It worked, sweetheart," Daniel breathed out, a massive wave of relief finally crashing over him. "The system is secure. Julian is down. It’s finally, truly over."
Over the phone line, he could hear Evelyn let out a long, shuddering sob of pure joy, followed by little Lily's happy voice shouting in the background, "Daddy's coming home!"
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