Chapter 5
Elena looked down at the manila envelope resting against her shoes. The red wax seal was broken, revealing the edge of a document stamped with a federal seal that bore a date from three days in the future. She looked up at Arthur, her chest rising and falling in shallow, controlled breaths.
"You're forging court documents," Elena said, though the conviction in her voice was visibly eroding. "This date... this hasn't happened yet. You can't file a retroactive injunction."
"Injunctions are for civil disputes," Arthur replied, his voice calm and steady as he climbed the first step of the porch. "What is happening here isn't a dispute. It's an execution of judgment."
Martha stepped past Arthur, her keys jangling softly in her hand. She pressed a button on the smart lock. The keypad flashed green for a fraction of a second before a sharp, high-pitched alarm began to chirp rhythmically from within the house.
Julian rushed to the door, tapping a quick sequence into his phone to silence the alarm. "The network is overriding the local terminal," Julian warned, looking back at Arthur. "Someone is trying to access the main server from an external IP address."
Arthur’s calm demeanor vanished instantly. He exchanged a sharp, knowing glance with Martha.
"Who?" Arthur asked, his voice suddenly hard.
May you like
"Not someone," Martha said, her eyes fixed on the smart lock as the green light stabilized and the door clicked open from the inside on its own accord. "The person who actually holds the master key."
The heavy front door swung wide open, revealing a figure standing in the dimly lit foyer whom neither Elena, Martha, nor Arthur had expected to see for the next ten years.
