Chapter 7 - The Mastermind
The doors of the express elevator exploded open on the 90th floor.
Harrison rolled into the sprawling, white-tiled synthesis laboratory. Glass vats containing glowing blue compound liquids lined the walls, illuminated by the flashing crimson emergency lights.
Standing at the center of the room, surrounded by four heavily armed mercenaries, was Dr. Evelyn Thorne. She held a metallic syringe filled with a pitch-black liquid—the concentrated neural toxin.
"Harrison," Thorne said smoothly, her silver hair reflecting the red strobes. "I must admit, I am impressed. I thought Julian was the ambitious one, but you... coming back here in a chair, carrying a dying street rat."
"It's over, Evelyn," Harrison declared, resting one hand on the EMP rifle mounted to his chair and holding Kael securely with the other. "Federal marshals have already been notified. Your off-shore accounts are frozen."
Thorne laughed softly, a cold, mocking sound. "Federal marshals? Harrison, do you really think I report to the government? Aether Dynamics and Vance Bio-Tech are merely subsidiaries of a much larger vision. We don't sell cures, Harrison. We sell life extension to the elite, paid for by the nerve-energy of the poor!"
She pointed the black syringe toward Kael. "That boy isn't just an anomaly. His body naturally produces the ultimate biological conductor. His blood can cure spinal paralysis, cellular decay, even aging! He is worth fifty billion dollars on the private market!"
"He is a child!" Harrison roared.
"He is a product!" Thorne snapped. She signaled her mercenaries. "Kill Harrison. Bring me the boy."
Before the guards could raise their weapons, Marcus stepped out from the elevator, firing a tactical smoke grenade into the center of the lab. Thick, white smoke instantly engulfed the room.
Coughing and shouting erupted in the fog. Muzzle flashes illuminated the haze as Marcus engaged the mercenaries in close-quarters combat.
Harrison used the cover of the smoke to drive his treaded chair straight toward Thorne’s central control console, where the master synthesis key was docked.
"You won't take it!" Thorne screamed, lunging through the smoke with a scalpels-sharp surgical blade aimed straight at Harrison’s neck.
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Harrison caught her wrist mid-air, utilizing his massive upper-body strength. He twisted her arm back, slamming her against the console, knocking the blade from her hand.
"This company was built to heal people, Evelyn," Harrison growled in her ear. "And today, it starts doing its job."
