Chapter 9 - The Final Stand
Marcus looked at the red cylinder in utter confusion.
"What is that?" Marcus yelled, tightening his grip on the crying child.
"This is me making a calculation," Nathaniel said calmly.
He pulled the safety pin from the extinguisher.
"I calculate that a coward like you relies entirely on vision to aim a weapon."
Nathaniel squeezed the trigger, spraying a massive, blinding white cloud of chemical foam directly at Marcus.
The thick powder engulfed the villain, completely obscuring his vision.
Marcus coughed violently, blindly waving his gun and releasing his grip on Lucy.
"Run, Lucy!" Grace screamed, sprinting forward into the chemical cloud.
Lucy scrambled away from the coughing man and ran straight into Grace's open arms.
Marcus rubbed his burning eyes and aimed his weapon frantically in their direction.
Before he could pull the trigger, Nathaniel charged through the smoke.
He slammed the heavy metal cylinder directly into Marcus's chest with the force of a freight train.
Marcus flew backward, the gun flying out of his hand and splashing into the dark harbor.
He hit the wooden pier hard, gasping for breath as his ribs cracked.
Nathaniel stood over him, breathing heavily, his fists clenched tight.
"You are finished, Marcus," Nathaniel growled, pinning the man down.
Sirens wailed in the distance as Eleanor's FBI escort finally arrived at the shipyard.
Dozens of agents swarmed the pier, dragging a defeated Marcus to his feet and reading him his rights.
Grace sat on the wooden docks, holding Lucy tightly against her chest, rocking her back and forth.
Nathaniel walked over and knelt beside them, gently touching the little girl's shoulder.
"You are safe now, sweetheart," Nathaniel promised softly.
Lucy looked up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes and threw her small arms around his neck.
Grace looked at Nathaniel, a profound and genuine love shining in her eyes.
The nightmare was finally over, and the corruption in his company had been completely rooted out.
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But as they walked back to the cars, Nathaniel noticed a strange tattoo on the back of Marcus's neck.
It was a symbol he recognized from his father's old, locked journals.
