Chapter 6 - THE IRON FOUNDRY
The rain softened into a thick, choking fog by midnight.
Marcus, Sarah, and Leo stood outside the rusted gates of the abandoned iron foundry.
"You should have stayed behind with the baby," Marcus told Leo sternly.
"I’m not letting you go in there without me," Leo insisted, clutching the key tight.
"It was my mother's secret."
Marcus sighed, knowing he couldn't break the boy's stubborn resolve.
They cut through the chain-link fence and slipped inside the looming black structure.
The air inside smelled of rust, old oil, and damp decay.
They navigated through rows of giant, dead machinery until they reached a steel door in the floor.
Leo knelt down and inserted the silver key into the heavy padlock.
It turned with a loud, mechanical click.
Marcus heaved the heavy iron hatch open, revealing a dark staircase leading downward.
They descended into the damp subterranean vault using a single flashlight.
At the bottom stood a massive iron safe embedded into the concrete wall.
Marcus used the key on the safe’s master keyhole and pulled the door open.
Inside were stacks of black mail drives, cash, and a thick ledger labeled PROJECT SEED.
Sarah grabbed the ledger and flipped through the pages rapidly.
"Oh my God," Sarah gasped, her voice trembling.
"Vance isn't just a corrupt mayor."
"He's running an illegal human trafficking network using fake adoption agencies."
"This baby... she wasn't meant to be born."
"She is the biological proof of his crimes."
Suddenly, the steel hatch above slammed shut with a deafening bang.
The sound of heavy locks engaging echoed through the narrow vault.
"Did you really think it would be this easy, Marcus?" a loudspeaker blared from the ceiling.
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It was Richard Vance’s cold, mocking voice.
"Welcome to your tomb."
