Chapter 48 - The Genesis Code
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We ran through the labyrinth of the Parisian catacombs, our flashlights cutting through the oppressive darkness. The walls were lined with thousands of ancient skulls, their hollow eyes watching us as we navigated the treacherous, muddy paths.
Behind us, the echoing shouts of Victoria's mercenaries grew louder.
"They have night vision," Elias grunted, checking his spare magazines as we jogged. "If we hit a long straightaway, we’re target practice."
"Then we don't give them a straightaway," I said, my lungs burning from the damp, stagnant air.
We reached a junction where the tunnel split in three directions. I pulled a frag grenade from Elias's tactical vest, pulled the pin, and wedged it between two loose stones on the tunnel ceiling behind us. I used a thin piece of tripwire from my pocket, tying it across the muddy path.
"Move," I whispered, pulling Elias down the center tunnel.
Ten seconds later, a massive explosion rocked the catacombs. A shockwave of dust and debris washed over us as the tunnel behind us completely collapsed, burying Victoria’s men under tons of ancient stone and earth.
We didn't stop running until we reached the rusted iron gates of the abandoned subway line.
An hour later, we were sitting in a heavily secured safehouse on the outskirts of Paris. I tossed the titanium hard drive onto the table. Jax was on the encrypted video feed, already working his magic remotely.
"I'm in, Boss," Jax announced, lines of decrypted data reflecting in his glasses. "Luc wasn't lying. This is the holy grail. The Genesis Code contains detailed ledgers of Victoria Sterling embezzling billions from the European Council to fund her own private army."
"And my mother?" I asked softly, stepping closer to the screen.
Jax paused, his expression turning somber. "It's here, Emily. Wire transfers. Audio logs. Victoria ordered the car crash that killed your parents. She paid off the local police to rule it an accident. She murdered the Sovereign to steal the throne."
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A cold, terrifying calm washed over my entire body. The anger was gone, replaced by absolute, surgical clarity.
"Download it all, Jax," I ordered, my voice dead and hollow. "Send a copy to the encrypted phones of every High Chair on the European Council. We are going to Geneva. I’m going to look Victoria in the eye when I take everything from her."
