Chapter 5 - The Ransom
I stared at the terrifying video feed, completely paralyzed by the sight of my son's empty safehouse room.
The elite guards I trusted with my child's life had been slaughtered by a highly coordinated strike team.
"What do you want from me, Elias?" I whispered, my voice breaking under the crushing weight of utter despair.
Elias stood up slowly, smoothing the wrinkles in his tailored suit with an arrogant smirk.
"I know you destroyed the original Genesis Drive five years ago," Elias stated calmly.
"But I also know that you hid a physical backup server inside the impenetrable vault of the Swiss Continental Bank."
I swallowed hard, realizing he had somehow uncovered my most heavily guarded secret.
"You are the only person on earth whose biometric retinal scan can access that vault," Elias explained.
"You have exactly twenty-four hours to travel to Geneva, retrieve the server, and bring it to me."
"If you fail, or if you contact the authorities, I will send you Leo's head in a cardboard box."
I lowered my weapon, knowing that killing Elias would instantly doom my only child.
"I will get you the server, but I swear to God I will kill you after this is over," I promised coldly.
I left the mansion and drove straight to a clandestine private airfield used by smugglers.
I boarded a sleek, unmarked Gulfstream jet and flew silently through the night toward Switzerland.
I spent the entire flight memorizing the intricate, deadly security blueprints of the Swiss Continental Bank.
When I landed in Geneva, the city was draped in a thick, freezing layer of morning fog.
I walked into the grand marble lobby of the bank, wearing a flawless tailored suit and carrying a custom titanium briefcase.
I bypassed the first three layers of security using forged diplomatic credentials and sheer confidence.
I finally reached the massive, circular titanium door of the subterranean vault.
I pressed my eye against the glowing biometric scanner, waiting for the agonizingly slow verification process.
The heavy steel bolts clicked open with a deafening metallic thud, and the massive door slowly swung outward.
I stepped into the freezing, dimly lit vault, ready to retrieve the server and save my son.
But as the lights flickered on, I realized I was not alone in the room.
May you like
Sitting comfortably on a stack of gold bars was my wife, Sarah.
And she was holding a suppressed pistol aimed directly at my chest.
