Chapter 8 - The Quantum Countdown
The green blinking light on Polina’s wrist collar shifted to a rapid amber strobe. Arthur Vance noticed the change a split second too late, his eyes darting down to the device as the high-pitched beep doubled in frequency.
"What is this?" Arthur snarled, his confident demeanor instantly evaporating into sheer panic as he looked back at Diego. "You tampered with the frequency!"
"I didn't have to," Diego said coldly, his right hand shooting forward with blinding speed.
Instead of grabbing the legal documents, Diego seized Arthur’s wrist, twisting it upward with bone-crushing force until the chairman screamed out in agony and dropped the remote control onto the concrete floor. At the exact same second, Marcus vaulted from the doorway, rushing the nearest tactical guard and tackling him into a stack of empty wooden pallets with a resounding crash.
The second guard swung his rifle toward Diego, but Diego was already moving. He swept his leg in a low, brutal arc, knocking the guard’s boots out from under him and sending the heavy weapon clattering across the floor.
Diego didn't hesitate. He dropped to his knees beside Polina, ignoring the chaos erupting around them. He grabbed the small metallic collar on her wrist, inspecting the micro-seams along the casing. There was no keyhole, but there was a manual override latch hidden beneath the pearl-beaded strap of her handbag.
"Hold still, sweetheart," Diego whispered urgently, his fingers working with frantic precision.
The collar beeped erratically—*beep, beep, beep*—the sound echoing like a ticking time bomb in the cavernous loading dock. Polina stared at him with wide, trusting eyes, her small hands gripping the lapels of his black suit.
"Daddy, make it stop," she whimpered softly.
"I've got you," Diego gritted through his teeth.
With a sharp twist and a metallic click, the casing popped open, sliding off her wrist just as the amber light turned solid red. Diego hurled the device across the loading dock toward an empty corner just as it emitted a muffled pop and died, a wisp of gray smoke curling from its circuits.
Behind them, Arthur Vance groaned on the floor, clutching his broken wrist while Marcus stood over him, holding the chairman’s own tactical radio in his hand.
"All units, this is Chairman Vance. Stand down," Marcus faked into the microphone, mimicking Arthur’s voice with surprising accuracy.
Through the grated iron windows of the loading bay, the red laser sights of the exterior security snipers flickered and died. The perimeter was secure, at least for the moment.
Diego scooped Polina up into his arms, pressing her head against his chest. He stood up, towering over the groaning chairman, his eyes burning with an intense, unyielding fury.
"You thought you could bury my family twice," Diego said softly, his voice dropping to a terrifying register. "You made one critical mistake, Arthur. You forgot who built the foundations of this estate."
Arthur spat a drop of blood onto the concrete, looking up with a defiant sneer. "You think you've won, Diego? Check your phone. The moment I walked into this building, an automated dead-man’s switch was triggered. The entire Sterling corporate portfolio is currently being auctioned off to our primary competitor in Tokyo."
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Diego’s expression didn't change, but his pocket suddenly vibrated with a relentless, incoming call from his chief financial officer.
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