Chapter 9 - The Fall of the Empire
Madame Aris stared at Dr. Vance with absolute, murderous fury in her eyes.
"You used your own flesh and blood for this experiment without telling the board?" Aris hissed viciously.
Dr. Vance took a nervous step backward, his arrogant composure completely shattering.
"I had to keep it a secret, Aris, or the ethics committee would have shut down the entire operation!" Vance pleaded.
The stunning revelation sent a shockwave of hesitation through the armed guards.
They were hired mercenaries, and they suddenly realized their two wealthy bosses were turning on each other.
"You arrogant fool," Aris spat, pulling a small, pearl-handled pistol from her evening gown.
Without a single moment of hesitation, Madame Aris shot Dr. Vance squarely in the chest.
The brilliant scientist collapsed onto the cold wet tarmac, gasping for his final breaths as his empire crumbled around him.
"Kill the rest of them!" Aris screamed to the stunned guards.
But the distraction was exactly the opening Mark had been waiting for.
Mark lunged forward and grabbed the assault rifle from the fallen Dr. Vance's hands.
He opened fire on the closest guards, laying down a massive wall of suppressing fire.
"Get in the chopper, now!" Mark roared over the deafening sound of the gunfire.
I pushed Evelyn, Clara, and my three screaming daughters into the back cabin of the helicopter.
Mark dove into the pilot's seat, his hands flying expertly across the complex control panels.
The heavy rotor blades began to spin wildly, generating a massive downdraft that knocked several guards off their feet.
Madame Aris aimed her pearl-handled pistol directly at the cockpit window, aiming straight for Mark's head.
Before she could pull the trigger, Clara leaned completely out of the open cabin door.
Clara hurled the heavy metal fire extinguisher she had grabbed from the wall directly at the agency director.
The red cylinder struck Aris violently in the shoulder, knocking her aggressively to the concrete ground.
Mark pulled back on the flight stick, and the massive helicopter lifted off the helipad with a terrifying lurch.
Bullets pinged harmlessly against the reinforced armored underbelly of the aircraft as we soared into the dark sky.
I pulled Clara back into the cabin and slammed the heavy door shut, locking us safely inside.
We flew completely silent over the dark, rolling waves of the international ocean.
Two hours later, the bright, beautiful lights of the European mainland appeared on the horizon.
Mark completely bypassed the corrupt local authorities and flew straight toward an international military base.
He landed the stolen helicopter right in the middle of the secure runway, immediately surrendering to the armed soldiers.
When we explained the horrors of the island facility and showed them the genetic documents, the military commanders did not hesitate.
They launched a massive, coordinated raid on the island before Madame Aris could destroy the evidence.
Aris was captured alive, screaming curses as she was dragged away in heavy iron chains.
The dark, twisted surrogacy agency was completely dismantled and exposed to the entire world by the morning news.
We sat together in a warm, safe debriefing room, wrapped in thick military blankets.
I looked at Clara, who was holding my youngest daughter tenderly in her lap.
The nightmare was finally over, but our complicated, beautiful reality was just beginning.
May you like
I reached out and gently took Clara's fragile hand in mine.
"You are coming home to America with us," I told her, tears of pure joy filling my eyes.
