Chapter 10 - THE TEN-MINUTE COUNTDOWNThe underground chamber transformed into chaos.
Red lights flashed.
Alarms sounded.
Claire held the memory card.
“What does purge mean?”
Julian looked at the countdown.
“When it reaches zero, every digital copy of the trust records will be destroyed.”
Davis shouted:
“Can we stop it?”
“Maybe.”
“How?”
“We need the master terminal.”
Marcus pointed toward the far room.
“Then move.”
They rushed through the corridor.
Doors opened automatically.
Screens showed files disappearing.
Bank transfers.
Photographs.
Names.
Videos.
Everything was being erased.
Claire looked at Julian.
“Who designed this system?”
“My father.”
“Then you know how to shut it down.”
Julian stopped.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Victor isn't the one who built the final failsafe.”
Claire stared.
“Who did?”
Julian looked at Emily.
“Your sister.”
Emily froze.
“I never built anything.”
Julian shook his head.
“You did.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Before you disappeared, you stole the source code.”
Emily's face changed.
She remembered.
A laptop.
A red folder.
A password.
She had thought it was only banking software.
But it had been the control system.
Emily ran toward the terminal.
“Give me a keyboard.”
Marcus pulled the memory card from Claire's hand.
“What does this contain?”
Emily answered:
“The master authentication.”
She inserted the card.
The screen displayed:
IDENTITY REQUIRED.
Then a biometric prompt appeared.
Claire stepped closer.
“Use my fingerprint.”
Emily shook her head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Your mother designed the system.”
Claire stared.
“She is dead.”
“The system doesn't care.”
Claire placed her finger on the screen.
Nothing happened.
Then it displayed:
DNA MATCH REQUIRED.
Claire looked confused.
“What?”
Julian suddenly understood.
“It's locked to Nathan's bloodline.”
Claire's face went pale.
“Then Nathan can open it.”
“He isn't here.”
Emily looked toward the monitor.
“Nathan!”
The screen flickered.
Nathan appeared again.
He looked weaker.
“I'm here.”
“Can you hear us?”
“Yes.”
“We need you.”
Nathan looked at Claire.
“I thought this day would come.”
A hidden microphone activated.
“Place Claire's hand on the terminal.”
Emily did.
“Now place yours.”
Nathan couldn't move.
“I'm restrained.”
Julian walked toward the camera.
“Tell us the code.”
Nathan shook his head.
“There is no code.”
“Then what?”
Nathan whispered:
“My voice.”
The terminal activated voice recognition.
Nathan spoke.
“Claire Vale.”
The machine scanned.
Then:
“Welcome, Beneficiary.”
The countdown stopped.
Everyone exhaled.
But another screen opened.
Hundreds of names appeared.
Some were crossed out.
Some were marked alive.
Some were marked dead.
At the top:
PROJECT VALE: ORIGINAL PARTICIPANTS
Claire scrolled.
Then she saw one name.
MARA VALE.
Her mother.
Status:
ALIVE.
Claire dropped her hand from the screen.
“No.”
Emily stared.
“I thought Mom died.”
Julian looked away.
Claire grabbed him.
“You knew.”
Julian said nothing.
“You knew my mother was alive.”
“Yes.”
“Where is she?”
Julian's silence was answer enough.
Claire shouted:
“Where?”
Julian finally whispered:
“She's the one giving the orders.”
The screen suddenly changed.
A video began playing.
Claire's mother appeared.
Older.
Alive.
Standing in a room filled with monitors.
She looked directly at the camera.
“Claire.”
Claire stopped breathing.
Her mother smiled.
“You finally opened the door.”
Then another voice came from behind her.
Victor.
And Victor said:
May you like
“Now bring me my granddaughter.”
The screen went black.
