Chapter 13 - The Mask Falls
Marcus threw his body over Sarah, tackling her behind the heavy mahogany dining table just as a barrage of bullets shattered the air.
Splinters of oak and broken glass rained down around them in the dark room.
Sarah gasped for air, staring in horror at the bullet holes tearing through the wall above her head.
"They were supposed to be security!" she screamed over the deafening noise.
"They're a hit squad, Sarah!" Marcus yelled back, pulling his sidearm and firing two round through the smoke.
The lead mercenary staggered back as a shot pierced his tactical vest.
Maya burst through the balcony window, launching a flashbang grenade into the middle of the foyer.
A blinding white light exploded with a disorienting bang, sending the mercenaries stumbling backward.
"Move! To the private elevator!" Maya shouted, laying down continuous cover fire.
Marcus grabbed Sarah by the hand, pulling her toward the reinforced metal doors at the end of the hallway.
As they reached the elevator panel, a figure stepped out from the shadows of the adjacent office.
It was Director Eleanor Vance, holding a sleek black laptop connected directly to the building's central server.
"Mother!" Sarah cried out, reaching toward her.
Eleanor didn't look at her daughter; her cold gaze was fixed entirely on the laptop screen.
"You're late, Marcus," Eleanor said, her voice completely devoid of panic.
"The Snail isn't coming for the drive anymore," she added, turning the laptop screen toward them.
On the screen was a live video feed of the executive boardroom on the top floor.
Sitting at the head of the conference table was Eleanor's own chief of operations, Arthur Pendelton.
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"The mastermind was never an outside syndicate," Marcus realized, his eyes narrowing in fury.
"Arthur has been running the shadow network from inside your own office for ten years," Eleanor whispered coldly.
