Chapter 57 - The Impossible Choice
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The moment the crystal drive snapped into the port, the entire server room bathed in a blinding, crimson light.
"DNA verification initiated," a digitized female voice echoed from the mainframe. "Scanning quantum lattice."
"Excellent choice, Ms. Hayes," the Architect purred over the intercom. "You have saved your daughter. I am ordering my men to stand down immediately."
On the monitor, the sparks from the thermal torch ceased. The glowing red ring on the bunker door slowly cooled. Marcus lowered his revolver, looking confused, before collapsing to his knees and pulling Chloe into a desperate hug.
They were safe. For now.
"Now," the Architect continued, "the Aegis protocol requires sixty seconds to unpack the virus and deploy it through the oceanic cables. It is truly a beautiful thing to witness the birth of a new era."
"You promised to let them go," I demanded, gripping the edge of the console.
"I promised they wouldn't die in that bunker," the Architect corrected smoothly. "But as your father so astutely pointed out... I cannot leave loose ends. My men are simply waiting for the upload to complete before they execute them cleanly."
Rage, pure and blinding, flooded my veins. "You son of a bitch."
"Welcome to the new world, Audrey. A world where I hold all the keys."
"Not all of them," I whispered, a dark, manic smile spreading across my face.
I didn't just bring the crystal drive. I brought Jax's thumb drive. While the Architect was monologuing, I reached under the console and shoved the small metallic scrambler into the secondary diagnostic port.
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"What are you doing?" the Architect's voice suddenly spiked with panic.
"You wanted my daughter's DNA to unlock the world," I yelled, hitting the execute command on the keyboard. "But you forgot that I have my father's blood in my veins! And Marcus Hayes leaves a backdoor in everything he builds!"
