Chapter 3 - The Federal Shelter
The elevator didn't stop at the radiology floor; it descended straight into the sub-basement parking garage.
The doors opened to reveal a fleet of three black, armored government SUVs with their engines running.
Agent Vance quickly helped the orderlies transfer my gurney into the back of the center vehicle.
"Doctor Monroe, you need to come with us to monitor her medical condition," Vance ordered, sliding into the front seat.
The doctor didn't hesitate, climbing into the back beside me as the heavy doors slammed shut and locked.
The SUVs accelerated out of the garage, their sirens silent but their speed indicating an extreme emergency.
"Agent Vance, what did my father find?" I demanded, my voice strained from the movement.
Vance turned around, handing me a secure laptop that was already displaying the decrypted core files from the pendant.
"Your father didn't just audit Eleanor's bank accounts, Clara," the agent explained as the city blurred past.
"He discovered that Raymond was working as a middleman for an international corporate espionage ring."
"They were using St. Catherine’s Hospital trust funds to launder money from stolen pharmaceutical patents."
I looked at the screen, my eyes scanning the endless lines of code and financial transactions.
Raymond had married my mother specifically to gain access to the hospital board seat my father had left behind.
The abuse I suffered wasn't just about my inheritance; it was to keep me too terrified to look at the servers.
"Where are Raymond and Eleanor now?" Dr. Monroe asked, checking my pulse with a worried frown.
"They are currently being held at the federal courthouse downtown," Vance replied, looking out the rear window.
"But the corporate entity they were selling to—a shell company called Vector Global—has private assets in the city."
"They know the pendant has the decryption keys to their entire network, and they will try to destroy it."
Suddenly, a loud, thunderous impact rocked the rear of our armored SUV.
A heavy, unmarked gray delivery van had rammed our vehicle from behind, trying to force us off the highway.
The driver of our SUV swore loudly, spinning the wheel to maintain control as the tires shrieked against the asphalt.
"Hold on!" Vance shouted, drawing his weapon as the side windows of the gray van slid open.
Two men dressed in tactical gear opened fire, their high-caliber rounds cracking against the reinforced glass.
Dr. Monroe instantly threw his body over mine, protecting my broken frame from any potential glass shards.
The pain in my ribs was blinding, but the sheer adrenaline kept me from losing consciousness.
"Clara, give me the pendant!" Vance yelled over the deafening roar of the gunfire.
"No!" I shouted back, holding the silver teardrop tightly against my chest.
"It only works with my biometric signature! If you take it, the files will permanently lock themselves!"
Our driver slammed the brakes, causing the gray van to shoot past us into the guardrail with a spectacular crash.
The SUV accelerated again, taking a sharp exit ramp that led into the secure compound of the local FBI headquarters.
The heavy steel gates slammed shut behind us, and twenty armed agents rushed out to surround our vehicles.
We were finally inside a fortress, but I knew the battle for my life had only just begun.
Agent Vance opened the door, his face covered in soot but his expression completely resolute.
"We have the evidence we need to lock Raymond away forever," Vance said, helping me out.
"But you have to stand up in front of a federal judge tomorrow morning and authorize the final data release."
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"I'll be there," I whispered, tasting copper in my mouth.
"Even if I have to be carried into the courtroom on a stretcher."
