Chapter 7 - The Trap Springs
The red emergency strobe lights began to flash along the ceiling, casting a sinister glow across the narrow steel corridor. Water mixed with chemical solvent began to hiss through overhead pipes, slowly spraying into the sealed hallway.
"You're insane, Vance!" Nathaniel yelled at the wall speaker. "You can't cover this up! The evidence on this drive is already mirrored to an external server!"
"A clever bluff," Vance replied coolly. "But even if it were true, you won't be alive to press 'publish'. In thirty minutes, this entire floor will be declared a tragic chemical accident caused by structural failure during the storm. Apex will mourn its visionary CEO, and I will acquire your remaining shares through the market panic."
Marcus immediately pulled a breaching charge from his tactical pack, slapping it against the electronic lock mechanism of the reinforced glass door. "Stand back, boss!"
The small directional charge exploded with a dull thump, shattering the electronic lock and cracking the heavy reinforced glass. Marcus kicked the door open with a heavy boot, and Nathaniel rushed inside, pulling out a tactical knife to slice through the heavy plastic restraints binding Clara's wrists.
"Nathaniel!" Clara gasped, collapsing into his arms as soon as the bindings fell away. She clutched his jacket, her whole body shaking violently. "You shouldn't have come! He's going to kill us all!"
"I'm never leaving you again, Clara," Nathaniel said, pulling her face to his, his eyes fierce with determination. "Lily is safe. She made it to the ER. Maya is receiving care right now. They're both safe."
Clara sobbed with relief, burying her face against his chest. "Lily... my brave girl... she actually did it..."
"We need to get out of here right now," Marcus warned, pointing to the ceiling where the solvent mist was thickening, making it difficult to breathe. "The blast doors are three-inch steel. We don't have enough explosives to break through both doors."
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"There's an emergency ventilation shaft behind the primary mainframe," Clara said, coughing as she pointed toward the back room. "It leads directly to the municipal storm drains beneath 4th Street. I built the facility schematics when Vance first forced me to work here. I kept an escape route open just in case."
"Lead the way," Nathaniel said, lifting Clara to her feet and holding her securely by his side as Marcus and his team cleared the path toward the back wall.
