CHAPTER 6 – Project Phoenix
The ambulance raced through the city.
Inside, doctors fought desperately to save Jonathan Hawthorne's life.
Outside...
Ethan stood in the pouring rain, staring at the tiny brass key resting in his palm.
PROJECT PHOENIX – LEVEL 7.
"What does it mean?" Claire whispered.
Before Ethan could answer, his phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
He answered immediately.
Richard's calm voice echoed through the speaker.
"You have twenty-four hours."
"If you want Lily back..."
"...bring me the key."
The line went dead.
Federal agents immediately traced the call.
Nothing.
It had lasted only eleven seconds.
One investigator looked at Ethan.
"Whoever this man is..."
"...he planned this years in advance."
Ethan tightened his grip on the key.
"I'm going after my daughter."
Two hours later...
The key opened an abandoned safety deposit box hidden beneath the oldest Hawthorne Bank building.
Inside was no money.
No jewelry.
Only a worn leather journal...
...and a hard drive labeled:
PHOENIX FILES.
Claire opened the journal first.
Jonathan's handwriting filled every page.
"If you're reading this, Richard has already made his move."
"Everything the Hawthorne family owns is only a fraction of the truth."
The final page revealed a photograph.
Ethan's heart nearly stopped.
It showed Jonathan...
Richard...
Victoria...
...and a young scientist standing beside a newborn baby.
On the back of the photograph were six handwritten words.
"The experiment began with Ethan."
Claire looked at Ethan in horror.
"No..."
"This can't be real."
Before anyone could speak, the hard drive automatically unlocked on the investigator's laptop.
A hidden video began to play.
Jonathan appeared on the screen—much younger, his face filled with regret.
"If this recording has been activated..."
"...then my family has failed."
He took a long breath before continuing.
"Ethan..."
"You were never chosen to inherit the Hawthorne fortune."
"You were created to protect it."
The room fell silent.
Created?
Ethan stared at the screen, unable to understand.
Jonathan continued.
"Project Phoenix was never a business."
"It was a classified operation."
"And Richard isn't trying to steal the company..."
"He's trying to recover something hidden inside you."
Suddenly every monitor in the vault went black.
The emergency lights flashed red.
A computerized voice echoed through the underground chamber.
SECURITY BREACH DETECTED.
VAULT LOCKDOWN IN TEN SECONDS.
Footsteps thundered through the hallway outside.
Dozens of armed men were coming.
Ethan slowly looked toward the only exit.
It was already being sealed shut.
Then a voice echoed through the darkness.
"Hand over the key..."
May you like
"...or none of you leave this vault alive."
To Be Continued...
