Chapter 16 - The Countdown in the Vault
The massive steel blast door slammed shut with a deafening thud, sealing the chamber.
Red emergency sirens blared as a harsh mechanical voice echoed through the room.
"ORBITAL OVERRIDE SEQUENCE INITIATED. TIME TO FINAL TRANSMISSION: 04 MINUTES 59 SECONDS."
Victoria rushed over to Leo, cutting his bindings with her knife.
"Can you stand?" she asked urgently, pulling him to his feet.
Leo nodded through the pain, clutching his bruised ribs.
"Vic... the lieutenant... what was Vance talking about?" Leo stammered.
"He said they used my medical records from the military clinic..."
Victoria’s eyes narrowed as the truth snapped into focus.
Her family hadn't been targeted by chance; Leo's genetic code was the missing cipher for the defense grid.
She looked toward the dead lieutenant and the fallen duplicate.
"The lieutenant's comms pad," Victoria realized aloud, diving toward the body.
She grabbed the device from his belt—it was still connected to the spire's central server.
"04 MINUTES 12 SECONDS."
She tapped frantically into the command line, trying to abort the broadcast sequence.
Suddenly, the screen flashed a grim warning: ACCESS DENIED. MANUAL BIOMETRIC OVERRIDE REQUIRED AT TOWER CROWN.
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Vance wasn't broadcasting from this bunker.
He was sitting at the top of the spire, waiting to launch the orbital strikes.
