Chapter 7 - The Subterranean War
The ruptured cylinder screamed across the concrete floor like an unguided rocket, trailing a blinding cloud of white vapor.
Julian flinched, firing the shotgun on pure instinct.
The blast pulverized the concrete pillar two feet to our left, raining gray dust over our heads.
Adrian dropped to one knee, gently sliding Ethan behind the safety of a heavy cast-iron boiler.
In the same fluid motion, Adrian drew a compact Glock from his ankle holster.
He fired three rapid shots through the swirling cloud of oxygen mist.
Julian cried out in pain as two rounds found their mark, one shattering his right knee and the other tearing through his shoulder.
The shotgun clattered to the floor.
Julian collapsed against the vault door, clutching his bleeding leg, his face twisted into a mask of pure shock.
"Adrian, wait!" Julian screamed, holding up a bloody hand.
"We share the same blood!"
Adrian rose from the shadows like a demon forged from smoke and steel.
He crossed the distance between them in four long strides, kicking Julian's weapon fifty feet away into the darkness.
Adrian grabbed his brother by the throat, lifting him off the ground and slamming his skull against the titanium vault panel.
"You gave up our blood the second you poisoned my son," Adrian said, his voice vibrating with absolute, unholy fury.
"Where is the secondary retinal override for the vault?"
Julian gasped for air, his fingers clawing uselessly at Adrian's iron grip.
"You're... you're too late," Julian choked out, blood bubbling on his lips.
"Moretti's main assault team... they aren't coming for the hospital."
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
"What did you do?"
"The hospital was just the anvil, brother," Julian rasped with a dying wheeze.
"Dante Moretti took his personal strike team to your home compound in Malibu thirty minutes ago."
"Your entire inner circle... wiped out."
"And if you don't use this override in the next three minutes, the boy’s brain will starve of oxygen."
Julian reached into his pocket and pulled out a small electronic keycard, tossing it onto the floor before losing consciousness from blood loss.
I rushed forward, scooping the keycard off the ground, and slammed it into the digital terminal beside the vault door.
The terminal flashed green.
HYDRAULIC SEAL RELEASED.
The massive circular door swung open with a heavy pneumatic hiss, revealing shelves of temperature-controlled pharmaceutical vials.
I sprinted inside, scanning the chilled glass racks until my eyes found the black label:
VIPER-NINE SPECIFIC INHIBITOR.
There was only one single vial left in the storage drawer.
I pulled it out, clutching the cold glass against my chest as if it were a diamond.
Behind me, the freight elevator doors suddenly opened again with a cheerful chime.
Standing inside the elevator was Victor Vance.
His rifle was lowered, his face was streaked with soot, and he was smiling warmly.
"You found it, Clara," Victor said, stepping out into the room.
May you like
"Good."
"Now hand the vial to me before someone gets hurt."
