Chapter 8 - The Uneasy Truce
Evelyn dropped Arthur roughly onto the cool grass outside the burning building.
She immediately raised her hands in surrender as Leo pointed his trembling gun at her chest.
"I just saved his life again, kid," Evelyn coughed, her face covered entirely in black soot.
"You just tried to sell us out to a brutal murderer!" Leo shouted, his finger tight on the trigger.
"I had to make Silas think I was on his side to get close enough to grab Arthur," she explained quickly.
Sarah kneeled beside her father, frantically pressing her jacket against a deep bullet wound in his shoulder.
"He is losing way too much blood, Leo, we need a hospital right now," Sarah panicked.
"We cannot go to a hospital, Silas has corrupt federal agents monitoring the entire grid," Evelyn warned.
Arthur groaned softly, his eyes fluttering open as the intense pain finally woke him up.
"Evelyn is right, we have to finish this tonight," Arthur whispered weakly.
"Finish what? You are dying, Dad!" Sarah pleaded with tears streaming down her face.
"Leo, give me the silver watch I gave you last year," Arthur commanded with his remaining strength.
Leo reached into his pocket and handed the heavy, ticking pocket watch to his grandfather.
Arthur used his bloody thumb to press a hidden latch, popping the back casing entirely off.
Inside, resting safely next to the ticking gears, was a microscopic black data chip.
"This is the real ledger, holding every single dirty secret Silas has ever tried to hide," Arthur revealed.
Evelyn stared at the tiny chip with a mixture of absolute awe and sheer terror.
"If we upload that to the global intelligence server, Silas becomes the most wanted man on earth," Evelyn said.
"Where is the nearest secure uplink terminal?" Leo asked, fully committed to ending the nightmare.
"The federal building downtown, but it is a literal fortress," Evelyn replied grimly.
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Suddenly, three black armored SUVs rounded the street corner, their headlights blinding the group.
Silas stepped out of the lead vehicle, holding a massive military-grade assault rifle.
