Chapter 48 - The Ghost of Vanguard
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The extraction drive beeped green. I ripped it out of the port just as the quantum server initiated a self-destruct sequence, the blue lights turning a violent, strobing red.
"Move!" Ben shouted, grabbing my arm.
We sprinted back down the dark subway tunnel as the internal thermite charges of the processor detonated behind us, instantly melting the machine into a pool of glowing, useless slag. The Spheres had ensured no physical evidence was left behind.
We emerged from a hidden grate in a quiet alleyway in the 11th arrondissement, the cold rain washing the smell of smoke and ozone from our gear.
"We got the blueprints," I said, slipping the drive into a waterproof pouch. "But we still don't know who is actually sitting on the Council of the Seven Spheres. We are fighting ghosts."
As we walked toward our concealed extraction vehicle, a sleek, black umbrella suddenly opened at the end of the alleyway, blocking our path.
Ben instantly raised his rifle, aiming directly at the figure standing in the shadows.
"Put the gun down, Benjamin," a smooth, chillingly familiar voice echoed off the brick walls. "If I wanted to kill you, you would have died in the tunnels."
The figure stepped out from the shadows and lowered the umbrella.
My heart completely stopped. The streetlights illuminated the sharp, aristocratic features and silver hair of Julian Ross.
"Julian," I breathed, my hands trembling as I raised my pistol. "You're supposed to be rotting in a Swiss maximum-security prison."
"I was," Julian smiled, a cold, empty expression. "Until the Seven Spheres decided they needed me. They orchestrated a rather dramatic extraction last week. It seems my expertise in managing the Vanguard Apex made me a valuable asset to their new world order."
"You came all this way just to gloat?" Ben asked, his finger tightening on the trigger.
"I came to warn you," Julian replied, his smile fading into genuine grimness. "You think you are playing a game of chess, Lydia. But the Spheres own the board, the pieces, and the table. They don't want to kill your daughter. They want to adopt her."
"What?" I snarled, taking a threatening step forward.
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"Clara's bloodline is the key to an ancient trust," Julian revealed softly. "They will take her at midnight. And there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. Goodbye, Lydia."
Julian stepped back into the shadows, and before Ben could fire, a heavy smoke grenade deployed, swallowing Julian completely. When the smoke cleared, he was gone.
