Chapter 7 - The Bullet Meant for Damian Hit the Ring in Martha’s Hand, and the Final Enemy Revealed HimselfThe bullet struck the ring.
Metal shattered.
Martha screamed.
Damian grabbed her.
“Are you hurt?”
She stared at her bleeding finger.
“No.”
The ring lay broken on the floor.
A second bullet struck the wall.
Victor shouted:
“Everyone down!”
Security rushed inside.
Damian dragged Martha behind a marble column.
“Stay here.”
She shook her head.
“No.”
“Martha.”
“I am not hiding anymore.”
He stared at her.
She looked terrified.
But she stayed.
The shooter vanished before police arrived.
The bullet casing was recovered.
Same caliber.
Same weapon used against Damian months earlier.
But the engraving on the casing was new.
A small crown.
Damian stared.
“Gabriel?”
“No,” Paul said.
“Then who?”
Paul showed him a file.
“Someone calling himself the Regent.”
Damian frowned.
“What's that?”
“The person who claims to have inherited the Crown.”
Martha looked at the broken ring.
“Could be Celeste.”
“She was arrested.”
“Then someone helped her.”
They searched.
The trail led to a private island.
A man named Adrian Ross.
Former banker.
Former intelligence officer.
And the person who had secretly financed Gabriel.
Damian flew there with Martha.
They found an underground compound.
Inside were dozens of servers.
Photographs.
Files.
Everything.
Adrian greeted them.
“You came.”
Damian raised his weapon.
“What do you want?”
“The same thing your father wanted.”
“Power.”
“No.”
Adrian smiled.
“Control without responsibility.”
Martha stepped forward.
“You tried to kill me.”
“I tried to scare you.”
“Why?”
“You were making Damian human.”
Adrian looked at Damian.
“That was never part of the plan.”
Damian stared.
“What plan?”
“To transfer the network.”
Adrian pointed toward the servers.
“The Crown had been waiting for you.”
“You destroyed it.”
“The original.”
He smiled.
“The digital network survives.”
Damian felt cold.
All those names.
All those secrets.
Someone had copied everything.
Martha understood.
“So the empire never died.”
“No.”
Adrian looked at her.
“Not until now.”
He activated a screen.
Every name appeared.
Judges.
Police.
Politicians.
Businessmen.
He held the city hostage.
Damian could have ruled it.
Instead, he looked at Martha.
“Can you shut it down?”
She smiled.
“Maybe.”
Adrian laughed.
“She isn't a hacker.”
“No.”
Martha pulled out Andrew's old memory card.
“But my brother was.”
She inserted it.
The system changed.
Files began downloading.
Adrian's smile vanished.
“What did you do?”
“Your system forgot one thing.”
“What?”
“People leave backups.”
Martha had been studying the evidence for months.
She had learned enough.
Every file had a mirror location.
She triggered them.
Thousands of encrypted packets went to federal investigators.
Adrian screamed.
“No!”
Damian stepped forward.
“You wanted control.”
Adrian reached for a weapon.
Damian disarmed him.
Police stormed the compound.
Adrian was arrested.
The network was destroyed.
The last remnants of the empire finally died.
Outside, Martha stood beside Damian.
“You did it.”
“No.”
She smiled.
“We did.”
Damian looked at her.
“Your brother would be proud.”
She wiped away a tear.
“I hope so.”
He kissed her forehead.
Then he said:
“I want to go home.”
Martha smiled.
“Where is home?”
May you like
He looked at her.
“With you.”
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