Chapter 8 - The Federal Raid
The heavy oak doors of the vestry were blown off their remaining hinges with a deafening concussion grenade blast that filled the room with thick white smoke and the acrid smell of gunpowder. Heavily armored federal agents swarmed the space in seconds, their assault rifles drawn and laser sights painting the walls.
“Federal Bureau of Investigation! Drop your weapons! Down on the floor, now!” a commanding officer roared, stepping through the smoke with his service weapon raised.
The three tactical operatives working for Robert didn’t hesitate; they dropped their submachine guns to the stone floor and raised their hands, dropping to their knees as agents swarmed over them with zip-ties. Robert stood frozen in the center of the room, his expensive suit wrinkled, his face a mask of bitter defeat as two agents shoved him hard against the wall, slapping steel handcuffs around his wrists.
Eleanor curled into a tighter ball against the corner, sobbing hysterically as an agent hauled her up by her arm to read her her constitutional rights.
Julian stood untouched amidst the chaos, his hands still casually resting in his pockets. He watched impassively as his brother was dragged past him toward the shattered doorway.
“This isn’t over, Julian!” Robert screamed, straining against the grip of the federal agents as they hauled him toward the hallway. “You think you’ve won? You don't even know who’s really pulling the strings! The council will destroy you, your children, your entire bloodline! You can’t stop what’s coming!”
Julian didn't respond. He simply watched Robert disappear into the flashing red strobe lights of the hallway. The heavy doors were secured by federal agents establishing a crime scene perimeter, sealing off the vestry from the outside world.
An agent wearing a senior investigator badge walked up to Julian, holding out a digital notepad. “Mr. Vance? I’m Agent Miller, FBI Cyber Crimes division. We intercepted the data packet you uploaded from the thumb drive. It’s comprehensive. Your brother’s financial network is completely compromised, and we’ve already initiated asset freezes across twelve international banks.”
“Good,” Julian said flatly, his tone devoid of triumph. “Focus your search on the underground archives beneath the cathedral. There are subterranean tunnels leading north toward the lakefront. My daughter and infant child used them to escape. Secure that perimeter immediately.”
Agent Miller frowned, his brow furrowing as he tapped furiously on his digital notepad. “Wait a minute, Mr. Vance—what daughter? According to the official family registry and hospital birth records filed twelve years ago, you only have one child, Lily. The second twin was documented as stillborn.”
Julian’s eyes narrowed, a cold knot forming in his stomach. “The records were falsified by the hospital board under pressure from the council Robert mentioned. My second daughter was smuggled out of the maternity ward the night she was born.”
Agent Miller looked up from his screen, his expression turning grim. He tapped a command into his radio headset. “All units, be advised: we have a secondary missing persons priority. Search the subterranean tunnel network immediately. But Mr. Vance… you might want to look at this dashcam footage our patrol unit just transmitted from the cathedral’s north exit.”
The agent spun the digital notepad around, pressing play on a live video stream captured by a police cruiser parked in the alley behind the cathedral. On the screen, a dark, unmarked black van was idling near the entrance of the underground railway tunnel. As the video played, two masked figures emerged from the tunnel carrying a small, squirming bundle wrapped in a frayed pink blanket.
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Julian’s heart stopped. On the screen, Lily could be seen running desperately behind them, screaming out as she was violently shoved to the ground by one of the masked men before they threw the infant into the back of the van and sped away into the night.
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