Chapter 10 - Behind the Steel Wall
Smoke poured from the crumpled hood of the SUV as Julian kicked his door open, stepping out into the blinding halogen glare of the depository’s security terminal. Half a dozen private guards advanced with sidearms raised, their uniforms bearing the private crest of the depository’s private security corps.
""Hold your fire!"" Julian bellowed, holding up his Vance Maritime executive credentials alongside Marcus’s bloody security badge. ""Executive override code Delta-Nine-Nine! We have a critical medical emergency and a board-level breach!""
The head of security, recognizing Julian from annual board meetings, lowered his weapon, motioning his men to stand down. ""Mr. Vance? What is the meaning of this? The silent alarms from your estate triggered fifteen minutes ago.""
""My nephew is dying of neurotoxin poisoning,"" Julian said, his voice hard as iron. He opened the rear door, hauling Marcus out by his collar while Clara followed, carrying Leo wrapped in an insulated thermal blanket. ""We are accessing Box 404 immediately. If anyone delays us by three seconds, I will personally see every man on this shift indicted for accessory to murder.""
The guard swallowed hard, taking in the bruised form of Marcus Vance and the dying child in Clara's arms. He turned and swiped his master override card across the titanium blast door leading into the inner sanctum. ""Follow me.""
The vault was an immense subterranean cavern lined with thousands of brushed-steel safe deposit boxes, chilled to forty degrees to preserve delicate documents and organic assets. Clara rushed toward the center console, laying Leo onto the cold steel examination table. The child's skin was cold, his lips a faint, terrifying shade of blue. His pulse had slowed to a faint, erratic flutter beneath Clara's fingers.
""Box 404,"" Julian commanded, shoving Marcus against the biometric console. ""Scan him.""
The guard pressed Marcus’s head against the retinal scanner. A bright red laser swept across his right eye, followed by a soft chime.
“Biometric verified: Marcus Vance. Secondary authorization required.”
Clara pulled a small titanium drive from her collar, slotting it into the interface. The screen flickered, a string of complex cryptographic hashes resolving into an emerald green verification prompt.
“Biometric confirmed: Arthur Vance (Executor Post-Mortem). Vault 404 Unlocked.”
With a heavy hydraulic hiss, a two-foot square steel panel slid out from the wall. Julian reached inside, pulling out an insulated metallic cooler marked with the Vance pharmaceutical crest. He ripped the latches off, revealing two sealed pre-filled autoinjectors filled with a clear, golden fluid.
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""Clara, do it!"" Julian yelled.
Clara took the pediatric injector, pressing it firmly against Leo’s outer thigh. The mechanism fired with a sharp click. For three agonizing seconds, nothing happened. The infant lay completely limp, the cardiac monitor flatlining into a single, continuous, high-pitched scream.
