Chapter 13 - What Richard HidChaos exploded through the estate.
Alarms screamed.
Doors opened.
Security systems failed.
Elias stared at the monitors.
“That is impossible.”
Daniel smiled.
“You said the system needed all three signatures.”
“It does.”
“You forgot the fourth.”
Elias turned.
Richard stood behind him.
Bleeding.
Alive.
“You.”
Richard nodded.
“I'm the architect.”
Elias's face hardened.
“You were always weak.”
“No.”
Richard raised a small device.
“I was waiting.”
Daniel looked at his father.
“What did you do?”
“I built a backdoor.”
Elias stepped forward.
“You never understood what Echo could become.”
Richard looked at him.
“You never understood what it already was.”
He pressed the device.
The monitors exploded into life.
Files appeared.
Thousands.
Then millions.
Names.
Transactions.
Recordings.
Hidden accounts.
Secret prisons.
Illegal experiments.
Assassinations.
Elias shouted.
“Stop!”
Richard shook his head.
“It is already out.”
Evan stared at one screen.
His father's name appeared.
A file opened.
It contained proof that he had infiltrated Orpheus years earlier.
Evan whispered.
“You were undercover.”
His father nodded.
“I was trying to destroy them.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because they watched you.”
Daniel looked at Richard.
“Did you know all of this?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you expose it?”
“Because I needed time.”
“For what?”
Richard looked at Lily.
“To make sure she could survive the truth.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“You knew she was the key.”
“Yes.”
“Since when?”
“Before she was born.”
Daniel's anger returned.
“You're no better than Elias.”
Richard flinched.
“I made terrible choices.”
“You let Vanessa marry me.”
“Yes.”
“You let Orpheus watch us.”
“Yes.”
“You let me believe you were dead.”
“Yes.”
Daniel stared at him.
“Why?”
Richard answered quietly.
“Because every person who knew the full truth was hunted.”
Elias suddenly lunged toward the control panel.
Adrian tackled him.
The two crashed against the console.
Vanessa pulled Lily away.
Evan reached for Daniel.
“Move!”
A gunshot rang out.
Elias froze.
Adrian staggered backward.
Daniel rushed toward him.
The bullet had struck his shoulder.
“I'm fine,” Adrian said.
Elias disappeared into the lower corridor.
Richard shouted:
“Don't let him reach the central server!”
Daniel followed.
The corridor descended beneath the estate.
At the bottom was a massive chamber.
A wall of servers stretched into darkness.
Elias stood before them.
“You think you can destroy my work?”
Daniel raised a weapon.
“I don't need to destroy it.”
Elias smiled.
“Then what will you do?”
“Show the world.”
Elias laughed.
“They will destroy themselves.”
Daniel looked at the servers.
Then at the camera above him.
“Maybe.”
He pulled the emergency upload lever.
Every file began transmitting.
Elias's smile disappeared.
“No.”
Richard appeared beside Daniel.
“It's done.”
Red lights flashed.
PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION: 3%
5%.
10%.
25%.
Elias fired.
Richard pushed Daniel aside.
The bullet struck him.
“Dad!”
Richard fell.
Daniel caught him.
“Don't.”
Richard looked at him.
“You were always stubborn.”
Daniel laughed through tears.
“Where is Lily?”
Richard's eyes widened.
His final words were barely audible.
“Not with Vanessa.”
Daniel turned.
Vanessa was gone.
Lily was gone.
May you like
And on the server screen, a new message appeared.
ECHO CHILD TRANSFERRED.
