Chapter 17 - THE UNDERGROUND VAULT
The FBI helicopter carried them toward downtown Chicago.
Konstantin remained handcuffed aboard the yacht.
Lena left agents to guard him.
Roman sat opposite Maya and her family.
No one spoke for several minutes.
The city glowed beneath them.
Maya stared at the countdown on the charter page.
Forty-six minutes.
Sarah held her hand.
“You should not be coming.”
Maya looked at her.
“The vault needs my blood.”
“That is why you should be far away.”
Daniel leaned forward.
“She is right.”
Roman looked at Maya.
“Valentina may have another biometric lock.”
Maya’s jaw tightened.
“So you need me.”
“No.”
Roman’s answer was immediate.
“We need another way.”
Julian examined the coordinates.
“The tunnel was built before digital locks.”
“There may be a mechanical entrance.”
Irina shook her head.
“The Crown rebuilt it.”
“They always require bloodline confirmation.”
Sarah closed her eyes.
“We are bringing an eight-year-old into a vault controlled by armed killers.”
Maya squeezed her mother’s hand.
“They already brought me into it.”
The helicopter landed on the roof of an abandoned courthouse.
Federal teams waited below.
Lena led them into the basement.
A sealed tunnel stood behind an old evidence room.
The master token opened the first door.
The tunnel descended beneath the city.
Thirty-seven minutes.
They reached a steel gate.
Two scanners glowed.
SOKOLOV.
VANCE.
Roman placed his palm on one.
Daniel placed his on the other.
Access denied.
PRIMARY HEIR REQUIRED.
Maya stepped forward.
Sarah caught her arm.
Roman looked at the gate.
“There may be pressure sensors.”
Maya placed her hand on the Vance scanner.
Roman used the Sokolov scanner.
The gate opened.
A long white corridor appeared.
Children’s drawings covered the walls.
Sunflowers.
Houses.
Families holding hands.
Sarah covered her mouth.
A little boy stood behind a glass window.
He looked about six.
He wore gray clothes.
He stared at them without expression.
Then more children appeared.
Dozens.
Some were toddlers.
Some were teenagers.
Maya pressed her hand to the glass.
A little girl mirrored the movement.
Daniel looked at the locked rooms.
“This is not a vault.”
“It is a laboratory.”
Irina’s voice trembled with rage.
The speakers activated.
Valentina spoke.
“You came faster than expected.”
Roman looked at the cameras.
“Open the doors.”
“You still believe doors are your greatest problem.”
Red lights flashed.
PURGE SEQUENCE ACTIVE.
Twenty-nine minutes.
Gas symbols appeared above each room.
Sarah ran toward the control panel.
“It’s asking for a director code.”
Julian inserted the master token.
ACCESS PARTIAL.
Valentina laughed.
“Konstantin never trusted me with the final code.”
“He trusted his heir.”
Roman looked at the screen.
A microphone activated.
VOICE AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED.
Roman stepped closer.
“Roman Sokolov.”
The computer rejected him.
HEIR UNCONFIRMED.
Valentina’s voice softened.
“He never considered you his true heir.”
Roman stared at the screen.
Then everyone looked at Maya.
She shared both bloodlines.
Maya approached the microphone.
“Maya Vance.”
The system paused.
PRIMARY HEIR CONFIRMED.
Roman’s face changed.
Valentina began laughing.
Maya looked at the screen.
A final question appeared.
CONTINUE PURGE?
YES.
NO.
Maya pressed NO.
SYSTEM OVERRIDE REJECTED.
DIRECTOR HEARTBEAT ACTIVE.
Konstantin was still controlling the vault remotely.
Lena called the yacht team.
No one answered.
Then a gunshot sounded through the phone connection.
May you like
Konstantin’s voice came through the vault speakers.
“You should have let me drown.”
