Chapter 7 - The Race Against Time
The tension inside the freezing vault was thick enough to feel like a physical weight. I stood in the center of the room, the thermal transport case clutched tightly in my right hand, my left hand hovering near my tactical belt. The four security guards had their weapons aimed directly at my chest, their fingers resting taut against the triggers.
"Richard," I said, my voice sounding completely conversational, devoid of any panic or fear. "You always were better at corporate posturing than actual tactical assessment. Look at the digital display on your containment console."
Vance frowned, his eyes darting toward the main terminal screen on the wall behind him. The green numbers displaying the facility's encryption status had suddenly turned into a cascading waterfall of bright red code lines moving with terrifying speed.
"What did you do?" Vance hissed, his confidence instantly evaporating.
"My security chief, Thomas Keane, didn't just bypass your camera loop," I explained, taking a slow step forward, the guards involuntarily tightening their grip on their weapons. "He uploaded a proprietary data-wipe virus directly into your primary server framework. Right now, every patent file, every research blueprint, and every financial transaction record owned by Vance Biotech is being permanently deleted from your network. It’s a complete systems collapse, Richard."
"You're bluffing!" Vance shouted, his voice cracking with sudden panic as he turned to his lead guard. "Shoot him! Take the case!"
"If your men fire a single shot, the virus executes the final phase," I continued, my voice dropping into a cold, lethal whisper that stopped the guard's finger mid-pull. "The backup servers located in your corporate headquarters downtown will be wiped as well. You will lose everything your company has built over the last twenty years within the next ninety seconds. Or... you can let me walk out of this building with the vials my wife paid to create, and Thomas will halt the deletion sequence."
Vance stared at me, his face turning a sickly shade of gray as his phone in his breast pocket began to vibrate frantically. He pulled it out, his hand shaking as he looked at the screen. It was a text message from his chief technology officer: CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FAILURE. ENTIRE DATABASE ERASED. WE ARE LOSING EVERYTHING.
"Let him go," Vance whispered, his shoulders sinking as he lowered his phone, the gold-rimmed cane slipping from his fingers. "Let him go."
The guards slowly lowered their weapons, stepping back to clear a path toward the secondary exit doors. I didn't say another word. I marched out of the vault, sprinting through the underground corridors until I reached the rainy alleyway where Thomas was waiting for me with the engine of the SUV roaring to life.
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"Did we stop the wipe?" Thomas asked as I threw myself into the passenger seat, slamming the door behind me.
"Stop it the second we clear the perimeter fence," I said, checking the thermal indicators on the transport case. The temperature was stable. The vials were safe. "Now drive, Thomas. We have exactly six hours left to prepare the serum before Ethan's heart muscle enters the terminal phase."
