Chapter 23 - Shadows in the Corridor
The second-floor hallway was pitch black save for the crimson wash of the emergency emergency lighting. A masked operative clad in matte-black stealth gear crept toward the master suite, moving with the lethal grace of a professional mercenary. In his gloved hand, he carried a high-frequency acoustic breaching charge designed to pop reinforced hinges in a fraction of a second.
He raised the device toward the heavy mahogany door of the nursery, pressing the magnetic base against the wood.
Before he could thumb the activation sequence, the floorboard beneath his left boot creaked with a microscopic shift in weight.
Click.
The operative spun around, his weapon leveling instantly toward the shadows. But he was half a second too late.
From the darkened alcove beside the linen closet, Arthur Vance materialized like an apparition. He hadn't been caught off guard; he and Natalie had anticipated the Vanguard strike and had anticipated the breach point.
Before the operative could squeeze the trigger, Arthur closed the distance with explosive speed. He thrust his titanium walking cane forward, catching the intruder squarely in the sternum with bone-crushing force. The mercenary wheezed violently, stumbling backward against the corridor wall.
Arthur followed up instantly, sweeping his cane in a brutal arc that shattered the operative’s night-vision goggles and sent him crashing hard to the carpeted floor.
"Who sent you?" Arthur demanded, pressing the steel tip of the cane directly against the mercenary's throat, his voice dropping into an icy register.
The masked man let out a strained, bloodied laugh, his hand twitching toward a concealed cyanide capsule in his collar. "You're... too late, old man," he choked out. "The package... is already in motion."
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Before Arthur could intercept the movement, the operative bit down hard. Within two seconds, his body went entirely limp, a fatal casualty of corporate fanaticism.
Arthur stood up slowly, his expression grim. He tapped his comms earpiece. "Natalie, we've got confirmation. They aren't after the hard drive anymore. They're executing a simultaneous strike against the New York data center."
