Chapter 11 - The Turn of the Tide
Vance’s two men froze near the open pantry door.
"Check it," Vance snapped, losing his practiced composure for the first time. "Now."
Before the lead operator could step onto the trapdoor, the floorboards erupted upward in a storm of splinters.
A deafening blast tore through the kitchen as a heavy 12-gauge shotgun discharged from below, catching the operative in the chest and tossing him backward into the dining table.
Through the ruined floor emerged not Chloe—but a tall, gaunt man dressed in ragged hunting camos, a weathered face framed by an untamed beard, and eyes burning with unadulterated madness.
David.
Adam gasped, his vision swimming. "David...?"
David didn't look at Adam. His shotgun swung instantly toward Julian Vance. "Get away from my brother, Julian."
Vance didn't flinch. In fact, a slow, horrifying smile spread across the old man’s face.
"Right on schedule, David," Vance said softly, not even raising his hands. "Did you really think I didn't know you were tracking the van? I didn't just need Adam. I needed both of you in the same room. The complete genomic pair."
From the shadows behind the roaring stone fireplace, a laser designator painted a bright red dot directly between David’s eyes.
Outside, the heavy thrum of a second, larger military transport rattled the entire foundation of the farmhouse.
David cocked his head, his finger tightening on the trigger of the shotgun. "You don't walk out of here alive, Julian."
"Neither do you, David," Vance replied calmly. "Look out the window."
Through the shattered bay windows, through the swirling blizzard, two heavily armored personnel carriers had breached the estate perimeter. But they weren't Vance Global security.
Stenciled in bold white lettering across the armored doors was the insignia of an international black-budget task force: *UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE — SPECIAL ACCESS OPERATIONS.*
Adam’s breath hitched as his driver, Marcus, collapsed down the stairs, covered in blood, pointing toward the ceiling.
"Mr. Mercer..." Marcus croaked, his voice failing. "They aren't here for Vance... they're here for the child..."
Suddenly, the front door blew completely off its hinges, and a voice over a heavy megaphone tore through the gale:
*"Mercer! Step away from the assets, or the entire grid will be sanitized!"*
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David locked eyes with Adam across the smoke-filled room. In David's hand, half-concealed beneath his ragged coat, Adam saw the blinking red light of a detonator switch.
"Adam," David whispered, his voice trembling with finality. "Run."
