Chapter 13 - The Traitor in the MansionThe signal came from Vincent's mansion.
I read the coordinates twice, hoping I had misunderstood them.
The remote administrator was operating through a secure terminal in the private study, less than an hour away.
Someone had remained behind while we fled.
Someone with access to Vincent's most confidential equipment, his personal security network, and the original device.
I called the trusted guards who had stayed at the mansion.
No answer.
Vincent tried again.
Nothing.
Then the relay's screen displayed an incoming transmission.
The image showed Daniel, the bodyguard who had entered my bedroom on our wedding night.
He was sitting in Vincent's study, dressed in a black suit.
Beside him stood another man.
My brother, Tyler.
I stopped breathing.
Tyler looked older than he had when I last saw him, his face thinner, his hair unkempt. But the gold chain around his neck was unmistakable.
He had stolen that chain from our father's dresser years ago.
Daniel placed a document on the desk.
Tyler signed it.
Then he accepted a leather bag filled with money.
My stomach turned.
My brother had sold me too.
I had known Tyler was cruel.
I had known he was addicted to gambling and willing to humiliate me to impress his friends.
But watching him sign another contract while Daniel smiled made something inside me finally break.
The transmission ended.
Vincent touched my arm.
He typed.
“I'm sorry.”
I shook my head.
“Don't apologize for what he did.”
Then I picked up the phone and called my brother.
He answered on the third ring.
“Emily?”
His voice sounded cheerful.
“Where are you?”
A pause.
“Why?”
“Because I can see you.”
Silence.
Then a laugh.
“Of course you can. Vincent's cameras are everywhere.”
“You sold me.”
“Don't be dramatic.”
“You sold me to a man who experimented on Anna.”
Tyler exhaled impatiently.
“Dad said it was necessary.”
“He lied to us.”
“He always had a plan.”
I felt sick.
“Anna was a child.”
“So were you,” he snapped. “And you got everything. You were Dad's favorite. You got to pretend you were better than us while I cleaned up his debts.”
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
“I worked two jobs to keep food on the table.”
“And Dad took care of you.”
“He took care of himself.”
Tyler's voice hardened.
“You have no idea what he was trying to accomplish.”
“Then explain it to me.”
He hesitated.
For one brief moment, I thought there might still be a part of my brother worth saving.
Then he laughed.
“You really think you're going to destroy the archive? That system is worth more money than you'll ever see in your life.”
“People died because of it.”
“People die every day.”
I ended the call.
My hands were trembling.
Anna stood beside me, her eyes filled with pain.
She had heard everything.
I hugged her.
Then I looked toward Vincent.
“We're going back.”
He shook his head.
The relay's screen displayed another transmission.
Daniel was now standing in front of the mansion's main entrance. Behind him, dozens of armed men lined the driveway.
He lifted a small black capsule toward the camera.
It was identical to the object I had removed from Vincent's ear.
Daniel placed it on the desk.
Then he looked directly into the lens.
“Vincent, I know you're watching.”
He tapped the capsule.
“You've spent your whole life believing you were the boss. But the device inside your head wasn't only listening to you. It was recording everything around you, then sending the information to the archive.”
He leaned closer.
“Every meeting you held. Every order you gave. Every secret you thought was safe.”
Vincent watched the screen, his jaw tightening.
Daniel continued.
“You can come home and surrender, or I can release everything your family has done for the last thirty years.”
He smiled.
“Your choice.”
The transmission ended.
Mother examined the relay.
“He still has the original receiver.”
“Can we disable it remotely?” I asked.
“Not without the administrator key.”
Vincent pointed to the screen.
It displayed three options.
REMOTE SHUTDOWN.
ARCHIVE WIPE.
ADMINISTRATOR TRANSFER.
The final option required a live biometric signature.
My mother's face changed.
She understood something.
“Vale's plan was never to destroy the archive,” she said. “He intends to transfer the administrator role to Emily.”
I stared at her.
“Why me?”
“Because the system was designed to recognize you as the original biological key. Whoever controls that role can access the complete archive.”
Vincent shook his head.
Mother continued.
“Vale wants to replace Vincent with Emily, then use your identity to take control of every connected device.”
Anna touched the screen.
A new file opened.
It contained a list of active subjects.
Thousands of names.
At the bottom was a designation I had never seen before.
PRIMARY SUBJECT: EMILY CARTER.
My pulse quickened.
Beside my name was a second label.
STATUS: AWAKE.
Then the screen went black.
May you like
A single message appeared.
WELCOME BACK, SUBJECT EMILY.
