Chapter 4 - The Shadow Market
Arthur’s blood ran cold. The car accident four years ago that had taken his wife's life and left Clara paralyzed had always been written off as a tragic mechanical failure. But hearing Clara’s words, pieces of a sinister puzzle began clicking into place.
He rushed downstairs, arriving on the terrace just as Dr. Thorne signaled two of her operatives to grab Eli by the arms.
"Keep your hands off him!" Arthur shouted, rushing down the marble steps.
Dr. Thorne turned, offering a smooth, clinical smile. "Mr. Vance. Forgive the intrusion, but when Marcus informed us that a wild youth had breached your security and demonstrated 'unexplained bio-electric interference' with Clara, we felt it was our duty to assist."
"Assist?" Arthur demanded, pulling Eli behind his back. "You're trespassing on my property, Dr. Thorne."
"We are partners, Arthur," Marcus’s voice rang out as he emerged from the side entrance, accompanied by two Vance security guards who now seemed remarkably loyal to Marcus rather than their employer. "Or at least, we will be after the board vote today. Aether Dynamics has been developing neural-link prosthetics. If this boy possesses a rare biological mutation—an organic conductor—he belongs in a lab, not playing games with your crippled daughter."
"She is not crippled!" Arthur yelled, his voice echoing across the courtyard.
Eli leaned closer to Arthur, whispering rapidly. "The silver-haired woman... she has the same device under her collar that they put in the water at the Lower District. It makes people sick. It makes their nerves go dark."
Arthur’s breath hitched. The Lower District flood wasn't an accident. It was a field test.
"Marcus," Arthur said, his voice dropping into a deadly calm. "What did you do to the water supply three years ago?"
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Marcus’s smile faded, replaced by a cold, calculative stare. "You always were too sentimental for this business, Arthur. You build hospitals; I build the future. Aether Dynamics doesn't just treat nerve damage—we control it. We created the market, and now we sell the cure."
Before Arthur could react, Marcus nodded to the guards. "Secure the boy. And place Mr. Vance under house arrest until the board vote is finalized. We can't have him making emotionally unstable decisions."
