Chapter 13 - The Password Only Noah KnewThe countdown fell under eight minutes.
Richard stared at the control panel.
“What memory?”
Elena knelt beside Noah.
“Sweetheart.”
Noah looked at her.
“Do you remember the airplane?”
He nodded.
“Do you remember when we built it?”
“Yes.”
“What did you write underneath?”
Noah thought.
“Blue.”
Elena shook her head.
“The word.”
Noah frowned.
Then whispered:
“Home.”
Richard looked at the keyboard.
He typed HOME.
Denied.
Elena tried again.
“What did Grandpa say when you finished the airplane?”
Noah thought.
“He said...”
The child smiled faintly.
“Fly.”
Richard typed FLY.
Denied.
Another alarm sounded.
Five minutes.
Daniel searched the server room.
“There must be another clue.”
Mark found a notebook.
Inside were pages of dates.
Birthdays.
Anniversaries.
Addresses.
Then one sentence circled repeatedly:
THE FIRST FLIGHT.
Richard looked at Elena.
“What does that mean?”
She remembered.
“Before Noah was born, Mark and I took our first trip to Colorado.”
Richard said:
“The mountain lodge.”
Elena nodded.
“What happened that night?”
Elena closed her eyes.
“We saw Marcus.”
Noah suddenly spoke.
“He said five.”
Everyone froze.
“What?”
Noah held up five fingers.
“Five little birds.”
Elena stared.
Then her face changed.
“The lullaby.”
Richard understood.
She used to sing Noah a lullaby with five little birds.
What was the first line?
Elena whispered:
“Five little birds flew over home.”
Richard typed:
FIVE LITTLE BIRDS.
The system unlocked.
The countdown stopped.
Every server light turned green.
Daniel stared.
“It's copying everything.”
Evidence uploaded to multiple external servers.
Richard looked at Elena.
“You planned this.”
She nodded.
“I knew Marcus would eventually find the room.”
“How did you know you'd survive?”
“I didn't.”
The screen displayed:
TRANSFER COMPLETE.
Then a new message appeared.
YOU FOUND HER.
Marcus.
Richard looked up.
The tunnel lights turned red.
Doors slammed throughout the facility.
Elena whispered:
“He's here.”
Footsteps approached.
Slow.
Calm.
Marcus stepped through the doorway.
He looked at Richard.
Six years of lies disappeared in an instant.
Richard stared at his brother.
“You let us bury you.”
Marcus smiled.
“You mourned very well.”
“You destroyed my family.”
“No.”
Marcus looked at Noah.
“Your family destroyed itself.”
Mark stepped forward.
“You threatened my son.”
Marcus laughed.
“You gave me access.”
Richard moved between them.
“Enough.”
Marcus raised a gun.
Elena pulled Noah behind her.
Richard kept his voice steady.
“The evidence is already gone.”
Marcus's smile disappeared.
“You're lying.”
“Check.”
Marcus looked at the screen.
The upload was complete.
His face hardened.
“You don't understand.”
“I understand perfectly.”
Richard pointed toward the servers.
“Everything is backed up.”
Marcus's expression changed.
Then Claudia entered behind him.
She was holding a second gun.
Mark stared.
“Claudia?”
She looked at him.
“You were always the weak one.”
Marcus turned toward her.
“What are you doing?”
Claudia smiled.
“Changing sides.”
Marcus looked confused.
Then Claudia raised her weapon.
Not at Richard.
At Marcus.
The gunshot echoed through the tunnel.
Marcus fell.
Everyone froze.
Claudia looked at Richard.
“You want to know the truth?”
Richard's expression hardened.
“Now I do.”
Claudia lowered the gun.
“Marcus wasn't the one who started this.”
May you like
She turned toward Mark.
“He was.”
