Chapter 10 - Glass and Fire
""Kill him!"" Julian wheezed, backing away toward the vault console.
Two private security guards stepped out from the side rooms, raising submachine guns. Mark didn't dive for cover; he lunged straight forward, firing two shots in rapid succession.
The first bullet shattered the overhead sprinkler main, dumping thousands of gallons of pressurized water into the high-voltage electrical distribution panels along the wall. The second bullet tore through the neck of the nearest guard, sending him crashing into his partner.
Sparks erupted in blinding blue bursts as the water hit the four-hundred-volt transformers. The lights died instantly, plunging the entire sub-level into shrieking emergency strobes and wailing sirens.
The second guard scrambled to aim his weapon in the flashing darkness, but Mark closed the gap, slamming the heavy gallon jug of solvent across the man’s helmet. The plastic cracked, splashing volatile chemicals over the guard’s uniform. Mark pulled his trigger a third time.
The muzzle flash ignited the solvent vapors. A wall of orange flame exploded across the corridor, separating Mark from the security corridor and trapping Julian and Victoria inside the glass cleanroom.
""Mark, stop!"" Victoria screamed, pounding on the shatterproof glass as flames licked against the exterior pane. ""You destroy this vault and you destroy everything your wife ever built! Her name, her legacy—gone forever!""
""Her legacy isn't inside that computer, Victoria!"" Mark roared, his voice cutting through the wailing sirens as water showered around him. ""Her legacy is alive. And she is far away from you!""
Mark hurled his homemade battery-arc incendiary device against the vault’s external data junction. The wiring hissed, caught fire, and fed on the chemical solvent pooled on the floor.
Inside the vault, the terminal screens suddenly flashed crimson: CRITICAL TEMPERATURE FAILURE. PURGING ENCRYPTED PARTITIONS.
""No!"" Julian screamed, frantically punching keys on the ruined terminal. ""The sequence! Stop the purge!""
Smoke poured into the cleanroom vents as the air filtration systems failed. Victoria began to cough violently, her pristine dress turning black with soot. She looked at Mark through the glass, seeing for the first time the cold, terrifying finality in his eyes.
""Mark... please!"" she begged, tears of smoke and terror streaming down her cheeks. ""Unlock the door from the outside! The override is by your hand! Don't leave me in here!""
Mark looked at the emergency door release switch beside the frame. His hand hovered over it for a fraction of a second.
Then, he reached up, tore the wiring out of the wall, and crushed the switch under his boot.
""Enjoy your reception,"" Mark whispered.
May you like
He turned his back on their screams, walking back toward the utility stairs as the flames consumed the vault behind him. But when he reached the ground floor exit, he didn't find the empty alley he expected.
Dozens of red and blue emergency lights flashed through the rain. A line of unmarked black SUVs blocked every escape route, and a man in a gray trench coat stepped forward, holding a federal badge.
