Chapter 8 - Breaking the Vault
The twin-engine chopper slammed down onto the lawn of the Vance estate with a deafening roar, kicking up turf and mud as the rotors spun down into a slow whine. Before the landing gear had even fully settled, Marcus flung open the cabin door and leapt to the ground, sprinting across the wet grass toward the grand manor. Arthur was right behind him, his pistol drawn and ready.
They didn't bother using the front entrance. Marcus headed straight for the reinforced security annex near the rear greenhouse—the hidden entry point leading directly to the subterranean bunker network.
"The digital lock requires a biometric override from Victoria's private terminal," Arthur warned as Marcus slammed his shoulder against the heavy steel door.
"Watch me," Marcus growled.
He didn't use a code. Instead, he grabbed a heavy steel crowbar from a nearby maintenance shed, jammed the tip into the door's locking mechanism, and leaned his entire body weight into it with a primal roar. Metal shrieked and groaned under the immense leverage until the electronic deadbolts snapped with a shower of orange sparks. The heavy steel door swung inward, revealing a dark, concrete stairwell spiraling downward into the earth.
"Move!" Marcus barked, charging down the steps two at a time, his gun raised.
Down in the subterranean infirmary, Victoria heard the distant metallic screech echoing through the ventilation shafts. She froze, the syringe hovering just inches from Emma's IV line.
"Guards!" Victoria snapped. "Check the perimeter!"
Before the two tactical guards could turn toward the doorway, the heavy metal door of the bunker flew off its hinges with a deafening crash, sent flying inward by a violent kick.
"Victoria! Drop the needle!" Marcus roared, bursting into the room with his revolver aimed straight at his mother's chest.
Arthur stepped in behind him, covering the guards who scrambled to raise their weapons, only to find themselves staring down the barrel of Arthur’s precision pistol.
Victoria slowly lowered the syringe, turning around to face her son. To Marcus’s utter horror, she didn't look panicked; instead, a twisted, melancholic smile touched her lips.
"Marcus," she whispered, spreading her arms slightly. "You're too late, or right on time. Depending on how you look at it."
"Put it down, Mother. It's over," Marcus said, his voice trembling with a mixture of immense grief and white-hot fury. "I know about the ledger. I know you killed my father. And I know you tried to kill Emma."
Victoria chuckled softly, a chilling sound in the sterile room. "Your father was weak, Marcus. He wanted to give away everything we built for a foolish notion of corporate ethics. I protected this family. I protected you."
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"You didn't protect anyone. You destroyed us," Marcus said, his finger tightening slightly on the trigger. "Step away from her."
Victoria’s eyes darted toward the control panel beside the gurney. Her hand hovered over a heavy red master switch. "If I go down, Marcus... everything goes down with me."
