Chapter 15 - The Breach
The first impact dented the vault.
The second shook dust from the ceiling.
By the third, even the officers exchanged uneasy glances.
Thomas checked the reinforced hinges.
"Industrial equipment."
David shook his head.
"No."
"What then?"
"They wouldn't risk damaging the archive."
Another impact thundered through the chamber.
A thin crack appeared across the inner locking wheel.
Daniel listened carefully.
His expression changed.
"That's not a battering ram."
"What is it?"
He swallowed.
"A hydraulic spreader."
Thomas frowned.
"Police use those."
"So do the people who trained us."
Emily looked from one face to another.
"Who exactly are we dealing with?"
David answered without hesitation.
"The organization that erased entire investigations before they reached court."
The emergency voice sounded again.
"Two minutes remaining."
Thomas turned to Emily.
"We can't stay."
Emily looked once more at the cabinet labeled FOR MY DAUGHTER.
Without another word, she grabbed it by the handle.
To everyone's surprise, it lifted free from the shelving.
It wasn't built into the wall.
It was a portable case disguised as a cabinet drawer.
David stared.
"You figured it out."
"I wasn't leaving it behind."
A faint smile crossed David's face despite the danger.
"You're more like your mother than me."
The vault door groaned loudly.
Metal twisted inward.
A narrow gap appeared.
Through it, a flashlight beam swept across the room.
Then came a calm voice.
"David Carter."
"We've spent twelve years looking for you."
"Don't make us spend twelve more."
The countdown reached ninety seconds.
Thomas slung the case over his shoulder.
David pointed toward the hidden passage.
"Run."
No one argued.
They disappeared into the narrow tunnel just as the vault door finally burst open behind them.
The last thing Emily heard before the darkness swallowed them was the stranger's quiet order echoing through the archive.
May you like
"Bring me the daughter alive.
The father is optional."
