Chapter 5 - The Price of BloodThe vault beneath the Vance Financial Tower was a fortress of steel and reinforced concrete, buried three stories below the subway lines.
Arthur dragged Victor down the access corridor by the collar of his expensive suit, leaving a streak of dark blood along the white tiles. Behind them, Arthur’s squad held the security doors, keeping the remaining corporate guards at bay.
"It won't work, Arthur!" Victor sobbed, clutching his shattered leg as he was hurled against the vault door. "It’s not just a fingerprint! It’s a retinal scan and a multi-factor voice authorization code! You force me, and the system initiates a self-destruct wipe on the serum!"
Arthur didn't answer. He pulled a small, militarized tablet from his tactical vest and slapped it onto the digital console beside the vault door. He plugged a heavy fiber-optic cable from the tablet directly into the vault’s control board.
"Major Vance," Arthur spoke into his earpiece. "I’m at the vault. Initiate override."
On the tablet screen, lines of green code began to cascade at blinding speed.
Through the earpiece, Sarah’s voice rang clear: "The Department of Defense didn't just audit Victor's company, Arthur. We spent six months installing a back-door Trojan into his proprietary security network. We don't need his voice. We don't need his eyes."
Victor’s face went completely ghostly white. "What...? No... that’s impossible! My system is air-gapped!"
"Nothing is air-gapped from the people who built the grid, Victor," Arthur said coldly.
BEEP. BEEP. CLICK.
The massive pneumatic vault door hissed, heavy steel bolts retracting into the frame. The heavy door swung open, revealing a small, sterile laboratory bathed in harsh blue light. In the center of the room, inside a temperature-controlled glass case, sat a single metal briefcase containing six vials of clear, glowing liquid.
The antidote.
Arthur stepped into the room, grabbed the briefcase, and confirmed the seal. "Got it," he said into the radio. "Preparing transport."
"Arthur, wait!" Victor pleaded from the floor, crawling toward the doorway, his hands covered in his own blood. "Listen to me! If you take that, they will hunt you to the ends of the earth! The Iron Syndicate isn't just a business! It’s controlled by people higher than the military! Higher than the government!"
Arthur walked back to the doorway, holding the briefcase tightly in his grip. He looked down at his uncle—a man who had traded his own family's blood for power and money.
"Let them come," Arthur said softly.
Suddenly, Arthur’s radio clicked again. It wasn't Sarah’s voice. It was static, followed by the sound of gunfire echoing through a phone line.
"Arthur!" Sarah’s desperate voice broke through the noise. "Arthur, come back to the hospital NOW! They’re here! The Syndicate sent a clean-up crew to the ICU! They’re trying to destroy the evidence—they’re trying to kill Tessa!"
Arthur’s blood ran cold.
He looked down at Victor, who suddenly began to laugh—a desperate, manic cackle.
"I told you!" Victor wheezed, blood spitting from his lips. "You can't save her, Arthur! Even if you have the medicine, you’ll never reach her in time! They’ll burn that hospital to the ground before you take three steps out of this building!"
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Arthur pulled his sidearm, racking a round into the chamber with a single, sharp motion.
"Watch me," Arthur said.
