Chapter 7: Caught in the Crossfire
The air inside the server vault froze. Mark instinctively shielded Eleanor and Victoria, his hand hovering over his sidearm. Detective Miller took a tactical step to the left, drawing the guards’ attention.
“Lower your weapon, Sterling,” Mark commanded, his voice deadpan and icy. “Federal agents have already surrounded this building. You’re trapped.”
Sterling chuckled darkly. “Federal agents don't control the power grid in this district, Detective. In thirty seconds, my team outside will trigger an EMP pulse that wipes every drive in this room—unless I leave with the physical master copy right now.”
Victoria stepped out from behind Mark, confronting Sterling directly. Her body trembled, but her eyes burned with defiance. “You lied to me, Arthur! You told me Clara was fine, that you were only protecting the foundation! You’re a monster!”
“I am a businessman, Victoria,” Sterling spat back. “Clara was naive. She thought she could give away a multi-billion-dollar medical cure to the public for free! Do you have any idea what that research is worth on the global market?”
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“It is worth human lives!” Eleanor spoke up, stepping forward beside Victoria, her stature regal and commanding despite her age. “Something you will never understand.”
At that exact moment, the emergency sirens blared as Miller threw a flashbang canister toward the entrance. A blinding burst of light and deafening sound shattered the room.
