Chapter 3 - The Boardroom Siege
The heavy oak doors were kicked inward before Vance could draw his taser. Six men in unmarked carbon-fiber tactical armor poured into the room, assault carbines raised. Their visors were tinted opaque black, obscuring their identities.
""Metropolitan PD, stand down!"" Vance shouted, drawing his service Glock.
""Jurisdiction voided,"" the point-man barked through an electronic voice modulator. ""Asset recovery protocol seven. Step away from the infant.""
Leo didn't flinch. He reached into his blazer pocket, pulled out an heirloom silver pacifier, and slammed it onto the mahogany desk. It landed with a heavy, metallic thud, revealing a tiny USB drive embedded in the tip.
""They're not here to arrest me, Vance,"" Leo whispered, ducking behind the desk’s reinforced steel privacy panel as the first suppressed rounds shattered the window behind him. Glass rained over the boardroom table like frozen diamonds.
""Get down!"" Claire screamed, diving behind a filing cabinet as Vance returned fire, the explosive noise deafening within the enclosed office.
Leo crawled quickly across the carpeted floor beneath the desk. His small frame, usually a handicap in the adult corporate world, was now his greatest tactical advantage. Bullets shredded the leather back of his chair, feathers and padding exploding into the air.
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""Vance!"" Leo yelled over the gunfire, tossing the silver pacifier across the floor toward the officer’s boot. ""Take the cipher! It contains the real follower log! They're hiding the true counts!""
Vance lunged, scooping the drive off the floor just as a concussive flashbang rolled across the threshold, blinding the room with sheer white light.
