CHAPTER 7: THE VIPER'S SHADOW
CHAPTER 7: THE VIPER'S SHADOW
"Who is the handler, Eleanor?" The question cut through the crying. Eleanor wiped her face. The vulnerability vanished, replaced by an ancient, cold terror. "His name is Director Vance." Julian re-entered the room, his phone in his hand. "Vance is at the gala right now," Julian said. "He didn't leave when the scandal broke. He’s in the VIP lounge upstairs. Waiting." Clara stood up. The puzzle was finally whole. Richard Harrington had the execution codes. Eleanor Sterling had the technical authorization. But Director Vance held the leash. "He’s cleaning up," Clara realized. "The ballroom exposure tonight... it didn't defeat Vance. It gave him an excuse to eliminate the remaining witnesses." "We need to go public with the Project Horizon files," Julian said. "No," Clara said. "The media won't touch a shadow director without a live admission. Vance will bury the story by morning." She looked at Eleanor. "Can you get me back into that building?" Eleanor stood up. Her spine straightened. The old armor slid back into place. "I built the security protocols for that entire block, Clara." She reached into her small clutch and pulled out an encrypted master keycard. "I can get you directly to his throat."
