Chapter 7 - The Courier
""Emily?"" Sarah gasped, her voice trembling in disbelief from the shadows of the stair alcove.
The figure stepped fully into the dim crimson light. It was Emily, Clara’s younger daughter, but she bore little resemblance to the quiet archivist who had left for the city three years ago. Her dark hair was cropped short, her tactical vest strapped tight over a soaked black utility jacket, and her eyes held a cold, predatory focus that matched Julian's own hired men.
""Get Sarah out through the cellar,"" Emily commanded, not turning her head as she kept her weapon leveled at the kitchen doorway. ""Now, Mom.""
Julian leaned heavily against the kitchen counter, his hand pressed against a bleeding graze along his shoulder. He laughed, a sharp, bitter sound that echoed through the smoky room. ""Emily Vance. I should have known. The Department of Defense liaison didn't reassign you to cataloging—they put you on proprietary retrieval.""
""You breached protocol the second you hired private contractors to intercept a state-funded trial, Julian,"" Emily said, her voice completely flat, devoid of emotion. ""You aren't a corporate executive anymore. You're an enemy asset operating on domestic soil.""
The first intruder, who had been nursing his broken wrist behind the pantry door, suddenly kicked the door outward, lunging toward Emily with an exposed combat knife. Emily didn't flinch. She sidestepped with effortless precision, deflecting his arm with the barrel of her carbine, and drove her elbow brutally into his throat. The man collapsed to his knees, gasping for air, and Emily finished the takedown with a swift, merciless kick to his temple that knocked him cold against the linoleum.
""Upstairs, Maya! Bring the drive down!"" Emily called out.
Maya appeared at the top of the landing, clutching the plastic case against her chest, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at her aunt. ""Aunt Em?""
""Move, kiddo,"" Emily urged, stepping toward the stairs to cover her niece. ""The perimeter isn't clear. Julian didn't come with just two men. There’s a recovery unit moving up the tree line.""
Julian leaned back against the counter, coughing slightly as smoke pooled around the ceiling. Despite being outmatched and wounded, a smug smile returned to his lips. ""She's right, Sarah. You think your sister is here to save you? Ask her what her orders are. Ask her who owns the rights to that synthetic enzyme once she clears this room.""
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Sarah froze, looking up at Emily with sudden, crushing realization. ""Emily... what did you tell the Department?""
Emily didn't answer immediately. Her finger remained hooked around the trigger guard, her gaze fixed on the shattered front door where red laser designators suddenly painted the wet gravel of the driveway. ""We talk about that later. We have forty seconds before they breach.""
