Chapter 3
The heavy steel door of the interrogation room slammed against the concrete wall as the police chief thrust the glowing tablet toward Detective Vance. On the small screen, a live security feed flickered erratically before dissolving into a wall of aggressive static. The timestamp in the corner froze at precisely 3:14 PM.
"What do you mean, dark?" Vance demanded, standing up so fast his metal chair screeched against the linoleum floor. "It’s a secure municipal holding facility. Backup generators should kick in within three seconds."
"They didn't kick in," the chief replied, his voice dropping to a trembling whisper. "The main power grid for the entire north sector was severed. Not by an accident. By a localized explosive charge. The thermal cameras show an unassigned black van breaching the perimeter fence just sixty seconds after the lights went out."
Arthur remained completely still, his handcuffed hands resting calmly on the table. A slow, terrifying smile touched the corners of his mouth.
"You fools," Arthur said softly, his voice cutting through the panic in the room like a razor. "You thought by arresting me, you were securing the asset. You just walked the wolf right into the hen house."
Miller spun around, slamming his palms onto the table and leaning over Arthur. "Who is hitting that facility? Talk to us right now, or I swear to God, I’ll let the feds take you to a black site where you’ll never see daylight again!"
"The people who killed my son," Arthur answered, his eyes locking onto Miller's with chilling composure. "They didn't want the forty million dollars. They wanted the encryption key embedded in Ellie's baby blanket. And now that you've separated her from me, she has zero protection."
The chief’s phone buzzed aggressively in his pocket. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and his face turned the color of ash. He pressed speakerphone with a shaking thumb.
"...repeat, perimeter is compromised," a frantic voice crackled through the small speaker, mixed with the deafening sound of automatic gunfire and shattering glass. "They are breaching the second-floor nursery! We need immediate tactical backup—"
A deafening explosion echoed through the phone line, cutting the radio transmission into a sickening hiss of electronic white noise.
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"Call the state police!" Vance yelled, drawing his service weapon. "Mobilize every unit we have in the county!"
"It's too late," Arthur whispered, standing up as tall as his aged frame would allow, the handcuffs clinking in the silent room. "They already have her."
