Chapter 9 - THE LAST STAND ON THE SKYLINEThe rotor wash of three heavy assault helicopters battered the shattered glass of the penthouse, their high-intensity searchlights sweeping across the room like searching fingers.
"They're not police," Marcus muttered, peering over the balcony ledge with his rifle raised. "It’s the Morozov Syndicate’s private air wing. They must have tracked Julian’s emergency beacon."
Arthur Vance struggled to his feet behind the desk, coughing violently from the smoke, his eyes wild with fury. "You fools! You've destroyed forty years of infrastructure! The Russians will slaughter every single one of us!"
"Let them try," Damian said coldly, stepping over the smoking remains of the console. He holstered his pistol and unclipped a heavy encrypted radio from Marcus’s tactical vest. "Marcus, activate Bear’s collar frequency. Set it to maximum broadcast."
Marcus grinned through the blood and soot on his face. "Executing protocol Cerberus, boss."
Down on the floor, Bear let out a deep, chest-resonating howl. The old leather collar suddenly emitted a high-frequency acoustic pulse that bounced off the steel framework of the skyscraper, transmitting an encrypted military override signal to every defense satellite and autonomous drone network within a fifty-mile radius.
From the night sky above, the sound of incoming jet engines drowned out the storm.
Three sleek, unmarked military interceptors tore through the clouds, their warning lights flashing amber as they locked their targeting systems onto the Morozov helicopters hovering outside the balcony.
"Unidentified aircraft, power down your rotors immediately or be engaged," an automated synthesized voice boomed from the sky above.
The lead Russian pilot panicked, attempting to swing his door gun toward the penthouse, but a single precision warning missile from the military drone clipped the helicopter's tail rotor, sending it spinning off into the rainy night.
Inside the penthouse, Arthur stared out at the sky in absolute disbelief. "You… you sold the core grid to the Pentagon."
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"I sold it to the highest bidder, Father," Damian said, walking slowly toward the old man. "And the price was your freedom."
HOOK: Before Arthur could draw his hidden derringer, a single gunshot echoed through the room—not from Damian, not from Marcus, but from Julian Reyes, who had broken free from Bear on the balcony.
