Chapter 19 - THE FINAL HEIR
Roman attacked the nearest guard.
He broke the man’s wrist.
A second guard struck Roman from behind.
Roman fell to one knee.
Valentina pressed the detonator.
The dark rooms began sealing.
Maya ran toward the chair.
“No!”
Roman shouted.
She sat down.
The restraints locked around her wrists.
A scanner lowered above her head.
Valentina smiled.
“The system requires a living heir.”
“It reads her blood, heart and neural response.”
Maya stared at the screens.
“What happens to me?”
Valentina said nothing.
Roman understood.
“It will kill her.”
“Not immediately.”
Valentina approached the archive console.
“The Crown built its network around inherited authorization.”
“Maya carries both founding bloodlines.”
“She can unlock every hidden account.”
Roman struggled against the guards.
“You touch her and I will—”
“You will do nothing.”
Valentina inserted the charter pages.
The archive began opening.
Names appeared.
Presidents.
Military commanders.
Intelligence officers.
Royal families.
The Black Ledger had been only one small part.
Maya felt a sharp needle enter her arm.
She winced.
Roman’s face changed.
“Maya, look at me.”
She did.
“Stay awake.”
The system scanned her heartbeat.
PRIMARY HEIR ACCEPTED.
The purge countdown paused at eight minutes.
The six dark rooms unlocked.
Federal agents rushed the children out.
Maya smiled weakly.
“It worked.”
Valentina looked at the archive.
“So did mine.”
She started copying the files.
Roman looked at the ceiling camera.
“Konstantin.”
His father’s voice answered.
“What?”
“She has the archive.”
Konstantin went silent.
Valentina’s smile vanished.
Roman continued.
“She never planned to save you.”
“She has your cure formula.”
“She has your money.”
“And now she has every Crown identity.”
Konstantin’s breathing grew heavy through the speaker.
“Valentina.”
She looked up.
“You were always too emotional.”
Konstantin entered a command remotely.
The archive screens turned red.
SELF-DESTRUCT ACTIVE.
Valentina screamed.
“You fool!”
“You will destroy everything.”
“Better ashes than your hands.”
Roman smiled coldly.
“You finally agree on something.”
The guards looked toward the countdown.
Three minutes.
They ran.
Valentina tried to stop the transfer.
Roman tackled her.
They crashed against the console.
Maya pulled against the restraints.
The needle continued draining blood.
Her vision blurred.
Sarah entered the chamber with Daniel.
Daniel shot the restraint controls.
Sparks exploded.
One cuff opened.
The other remained locked.
Sarah pulled at it.
“Maya, stay with me.”
Daniel examined the chair.
“The lock is tied to the archive.”
Roman held Valentina against the floor.
“Where is the release?”
She laughed.
“There isn’t one.”
The self-destruct reached ninety seconds.
Julian ran inside.
He carried the metal case from the boathouse.
“The vial compartment.”
He opened the hidden bottom.
A second vial rested inside.
Konstantin’s cure.
Julian poured it over the scanner.
The system identified Sokolov blood proteins.
The final restraint opened.
Sarah lifted Maya from the chair.
Roman dragged Valentina toward the exit.
She fought him.
“My life is in that archive.”
Roman looked at her.
“No.”
“Your crimes are.”
They ran down the corridor.
Federal agents carried the children toward the surface.
Thirty seconds.
A blast door began closing.
Daniel pushed Irina through.
Sarah carried Maya.
Julian slid beneath.
Roman remained behind with Valentina.
“Roman!”
Sarah screamed.
Valentina clawed at his face.
He threw her beneath the closing door.
Then he rolled through the gap.
The steel door trapped the hem of Valentina’s silver gown.
She screamed and pulled.
Roman reached for her hand.
For one second, she stared at him.
Her son was still trying to save her.
Then she reached for the gun beneath her dress.
Roman let go.
The blast door sealed.
May you like
The underground archive exploded.
And Roman heard his mother’s final scream disappear beneath the city.
