Chapter 13 - Vault 9
The commercial shipping docks of Sterling Maritime sprawled along the dark coast like an iron fortress. Thousands of multi-colored shipping containers were stacked six-high in endless corridors, patrolled under normal circumstances by private dockworkers. But tonight, the main gates were barred, guarded by men wearing private security uniforms bearing the insignia of Hayes Security Group.
Audrey, Julian, and Richard stood inside the perimeter control office of Crane 4, overlooking the entire complex.
""They’ve cut the external fiber optic feeds,"" Julian noted, analyzing the terminal diagnostics on his tablet. ""Whatever is inside Vault 9, it’s being loaded onto the freighter Titan Sovereign as we speak.""
""That freighter flies under a foreign flag,"" Richard said, his teeth gritted. ""Once it enters international waters, we have zero legal jurisdiction to stop it.""
""Then we don't let it leave the berth,"" Audrey said coldly. She pointed to the central control schematic on the glass wall. ""Vault 9 is buried beneath the automated freight bay. It uses hydraulic security bulkheads. If I can reach the central crane terminal, I can drop thirty tons of steel across the ship's bow and lock down the slipway.""
Julian caught her arm. ""You can't go down there alone. Hayes’s personal black-ops team is securing the slipway. Sophia is down there with them, supervising the extraction.""
""They think I’m dead or hiding in a ditch,"" Audrey replied, pulling her tactical vest tight and checking her weapon. ""They know you and my father are mobilizing, but they will never expect me to walk straight into the loading bay.""
Julian held her gaze for several long seconds. In his dark, weary eyes, there was no condescension, only profound respect. Slowly, he unclipped a small electronic detonator from his belt and handed it to her.
""If the automated cranes fail,"" Julian murmured, ""the fuel lines running along the dry dock are rigged with emergency cutoff valves. Blow the junction. It will flood the bay with seawater and ground the ship instantly.""
Audrey took the detonator, nodding once. ""Stay alive, Vance. We still have a corporate contract to negotiate when the sun comes up.""
A ghost of a smirk crossed Julian’s lips. ""Count on it, Miss Sterling.""
Audrey slipped out the service hatch, descending the ladder into the maze of shipping containers below. The smell of diesel fuel and salt spray hung heavy in the freezing wind. Moving like a ghost through the labyrinth of iron crates, she approached the blinding floodlights of Berth 7.
The Titan Sovereign was massive, its black hull towering over the concrete dock. Heavy forklifts were feverishly transferring unmarked lead-lined containers from a subterranean bunker—Vault 9—straight into the ship's open cargo hold.
Standing on the loading platform, wearing a heavy yellow industrial coat over her designer clothes, was Sophia Hayes. She was furiously barking orders into a satellite phone.
""I don't care about the press!"" Sophia was shouting. ""The Sterling girl is dead, Michael is dead, and the framing is complete! Just tell my father to clear the naval blockade!""
Audrey stepped out from between two steel containers, raising her weapon with both hands.
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""You really should have stayed in politics, Sophia,"" Audrey’s voice rang out, clear and merciless.
Sophia spun around, her eyes widening in sheer, unadulterated terror.
