Chapter 35
CHAPTER 35 — THE TRIPLE SCAN
Before Thomas’s guards could fire, Claire leapt onto the obsidian pedestal, grabbing Victoria’s arm and slamming her own palm onto the second-tier scanner. The device let out a sharp, electric chime, glowing a brilliant neon blue.
"Alexander, now!" Claire screamed.
Alexander didn't hesitate. He didn't fire at Thomas; instead, he grabbed Lily from under the console, sprinted through the crossfire, and guided her small hand to the third and final tier of the scanner.
The machine processed the data instantly. A synthesized voice boomed through the fortress's speaker system:
GENESIS PROTOCOL ACTIVATED. INITIALIZING THREE-GENERATION VERIFICATION.
A massive, invisible electromagnetic pulse radiated from the pedestal. Instantly, every computer monitor in the room short-circuited. The tactical flashlights on the federal agents' rifles died. The satellite uplink in Thomas’s hand exploded in a shower of sparks, burning his fingers.
"What did you do?!" Thomas shrieked, clutching his bleeding hand. "What did you do to my network?!"
"I deleted you, Thomas," Victoria said, her palm still locked onto the scanner as the machine began to drain the backup power grids. "Every bank account associated with the Vanguard Group has just liquidated its funds into a blind charity trust for inner-city welfare. The shell companies are gone. The manifests are erased. We are officially worth nothing."
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Thomas stared at her, his eyes wide with a sudden, paralyzing horror. "You... you destroyed the entire fortune? Out of pride?"
"Not pride, Thomas," Claire said, stepping down and pulling Lily into her arms. "Survival. If there’s no money left to steal, you and your backers have no reason to hunt my daughter."
