Chapter 7 - THE LAST ESCAPE
They ran.
The helicopter circled overhead.
Armed men moved through the trees.
Adrian carried Lily.
Marcus carried Thomas.
Emma followed.
They reached an old underground tunnel.
The tunnel led to the city.
They emerged beneath an abandoned railway station.
Adrian looked around.
“Safe for now.”
Thomas sat against the wall.
“We need a plan.”
Adrian nodded.
“We have one.”
“What?”
“The broadcast.”
Emma frowned.
“What broadcast?”
“We release the entire archive.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes.”
“And the treatment?”
“Tomorrow.”
Nathan looked at him.
“That's reckless.”
“Yes.”
“Illegal?”
“Probably.”
“Dangerous?”
“Definitely.”
Lily raised her hand.
“Can I say something?”
Everyone looked at her.
“I'm hungry.”
Adrian laughed.
The tension broke.
They found a small diner.
For thirty minutes, they were normal.
Pancakes.
Milkshakes.
French fries.
Lily complained that Thomas was stealing her fries.
Thomas denied it.
Emma smiled.
Adrian watched them.
This was what he wanted.
Not power.
This.
A table where people argued over fries instead of weapons.
Then the television changed.
Breaking news.
A series of explosions had occurred at several pharmaceutical warehouses.
Authorities were investigating possible terrorist activity.
Adrian understood.
Victor had begun destroying his own evidence.
He was eliminating witnesses.
Including Nathan.
The doctor was taken again.
Adrian stood.
“We go now.”
The warehouse was heavily guarded.
They entered through the loading bay.
Marcus disabled the cameras.
Emma found the server room.
Thomas located Nathan.
Lily stayed with Adrian.
Then Victor appeared.
“Adrian.”
“Victor.”
“You've become your father.”
Adrian's expression hardened.
“That's your fear.”
“No.”
Victor smiled.
“You're finally becoming weak.”
Adrian looked at Lily.
“Protecting people isn't weakness.”
Victor raised his gun.
“It is when they can be used against you.”
Adrian stepped forward.
“No.”
He smiled.
“You can only use people against me if I care more about winning than protecting them.”
Victor fired.
Adrian moved.
Marcus returned fire.
The warehouse erupted.
Nathan escaped.
Thomas helped Emma shut down the servers.
Lily crawled beneath a table.
Victor moved toward her.
Adrian saw him.
He ran.
Victor grabbed Lily.
“Let her go.”
Victor laughed.
“You know what she is?”
“My daughter.”
“She is a formula.”
“No.”
Adrian's voice became deadly.
“She is a child.”
Lily bit Victor's hand.
He screamed.
Adrian pulled her away.
Victor stumbled.
Police stormed the building.
He was arrested.
But Vale escaped.
Adrian knew he would come for the final component.
Him.
That night, Adrian released the files.
The world woke to the truth.
Medical journals.
News outlets.
Federal investigators.
Names.
Evidence.
Children.
Everything.
The network collapsed.
But Vale disappeared again.
And one message reached Adrian.
You still don't understand the final subject.
Adrian stared.
“What final subject?”
Then Emma's face appeared on the screen.
She was terrified.
May you like
A live video.
Vale had her.
