Chapter 12 - The Man Behind HalcyonThe old man descended the stairs slowly.
He looked at Adrian.
“You grew up.”
Adrian raised his gun.
“You should be dead.”
“I was.”
“For seventeen years?”
“Long enough.”
Claire looked at Victor.
“You brought him here.”
Victor nodded.
“Your father wanted to meet his greatest failure.”
Jonathan Whitmore stepped forward.
Claire could not move.
Her father looked older than the photographs.
But his eyes were the same.
“Claire.”
She whispered:
“Dad?”
He opened his arms.
She ran to him.
The embrace shattered something inside her.
She cried against his chest.
“I thought you were dead.”
“I know.”
“You left me.”
“I was trying to keep you alive.”
“You let me believe my mother was dead.”
“I know.”
Claire pulled away.
“You both lied.”
Her parents exchanged a look.
“We thought we could protect you.”
“By destroying my life?”
Neither answered.
Adrian stepped forward.
“What do you want?”
Jonathan looked at him.
“The same thing I wanted twenty years ago.”
“To control the Meridian.”
Jonathan smiled.
“To destroy it.”
Victor laughed.
“Too late.”
Jonathan turned toward him.
“You never understood the network.”
“What is there to understand?”
“It was never just money.”
Claire frowned.
“Then what is it?”
Jonathan looked at her.
“Knowledge.”
He explained.
The Meridian Network contained evidence on political leaders, organized crime families, corporations, judges, intelligence officers.
Enough information to destabilize governments.
Enough leverage to start wars.
“It was never meant to be sold,” Jonathan said.
“Then why did you build it?”
“Because I thought I could control evil.”
Claire stared.
“And you couldn't.”
“No.”
Jonathan looked at Adrian.
“Neither could his mother.”
Adrian clenched his jaw.
“What happened to her?”
Jonathan replied:
“She died protecting you.”
Adrian froze.
Claire looked at him.
Jonathan continued.
“Your mother tried to expose Halcyon. Victor found out.”
Victor's smile vanished.
“You're rewriting history.”
“Am I?”
Jonathan turned.
“Tell Claire who ordered the plane crash.”
Victor's face went pale.
Claire whispered, “You.”
Victor raised his gun.
“Enough.”
Adrian moved.
Victor fired.
Adrian shoved Claire aside.
The bullet hit his shoulder.
Claire screamed.
Her mother shot Victor's weapon from his hand.
Gunfire erupted.
Jonathan grabbed Claire.
“Run!”
“No!”
“Claire!”
She turned toward Adrian.
He was bleeding but still standing.
They fought through the chaos.
Then Victor disappeared.
Again.
Claire chased him toward the runway.
He got into a car.
She ran after him.
The car sped away.
Adrian reached her.
“He'll come back.”
Claire looked at him.
“He always does.”
Adrian touched the blood on his shoulder.
Then he looked at the horizon.
A convoy of black vehicles appeared.
Dozens of cars.
Police?
No.
Halcyon.
Jonathan saw them.
His face went pale.
“They found us.”
Claire stared.
“How many?”
Jonathan replied:
May you like
“Enough to take Charleston.”
And the city lights began going dark one by one.
