The same voice that had issued the ultimatum.
Adrian Voss.
"Your daughter has become quite resourceful," Voss continued. "And Mr. Brooks has exceeded every projection."
Nathan looked toward the ceiling.
"Where's my family?"
Voss ignored him.
"Christopher, I assume you've found Rebecca's little insurance policy."
Christopher's face tightened.
"You knew about the case?"
"Of course."
A quiet laugh echoed through the tunnel.
"Why do you think I allowed you to enter?"
Steel barriers slammed shut at both ends of the corridor.
James rushed toward the nearest door.
Locked.
Claire examined her receiver.
"All wireless channels are blocked."
Nathan looked toward the ceiling.
"What do you want?"
Voss answered immediately.
"You, Mr. Brooks."
"Then let my family go."
"Your family is essential to the process."
Nathan clenched his fists.
"If you've hurt them—"
"Threats are unnecessary. Your wife and daughter are alive."
A monitor emerged from the wall.
Its screen flickered.
Emily appeared.
She sat beside Sophie in a brightly lit room.
Both looked frightened.
But they were alive.
Nathan moved toward the screen.
"Emily!"
She looked up.
"Nathan?"
Sophie jumped from her chair.
"Daddy!"
Nathan felt tears sting his eyes.
"I'm here, sweetheart."
"Daddy, I want to go home."
"I know. I'm coming to get you."
Emily approached the camera.
"Nathan, don't trust—"
The image vanished.
Voss's voice returned.
"That will be enough."
Nathan slammed his fist against the wall.
"Bring them back!"
"At eight o'clock, Mr. Brooks, the final phase begins."
Christopher stepped forward.
"Adrian, listen to me. The contingency protocol is unstable."
Voss chuckled.
"You still think this is about the contingency protocol?"
Christopher went silent.
"Then what is it about?"
A pause.
Then Voss replied:
"Succession."
The monitor illuminated again.
This time, it displayed a corporate ownership chart.
Sterling Global Industries appeared at the top.
Beneath it were dozens of subsidiary companies, investment funds, research partnerships, and private contractors.
At the center was a single name.
AURORA HOLDINGS TRUST.
Nathan frowned.
Voss continued.
"Christopher built the technology. Victoria protected it. Rebecca attempted to expose it."
The screen changed.
Nathan's photograph appeared.
"But you, Mr. Brooks, were selected to inherit it."
Christopher whispered:
"No."
Voss laughed softly.
"Yes, Christopher. You spent eleven months hiding from the consequences of your own work."
Nathan stared at the screen.
"Why would I inherit anything?"
"Because the system's controlling authority was transferred into your identity six years ago."
Claire looked at the data.
Her face drained of color.
"Dad, the trust documents..."
Christopher closed his eyes.
Voss continued.
"Sterling Global's hidden assets, research licenses, and authentication systems are all tied to Subject 17."
Nathan shook his head.
"I never signed anything."
"Your consent was never required."
Nathan felt sick.
Voss's voice became almost cheerful.
"At eight o'clock, the transfer will complete. And once it does, every crime committed under the AURORA program will be legally associated with the identity of Nathan Brooks."
James stared at the monitor.
"He's setting you up as the owner."
Claire whispered:
"And the scapegoat."
Voss laughed.
"Precisely."
The steel doors remained locked.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Nathan turned toward Christopher.
"Tell me he's lying."
Christopher didn't answer.
Nathan stepped closer.
"Tell me you didn't know."
Christopher lowered his head.
"I knew about the ownership transfer."
Claire stared at him.
"Dad?"
"But I didn't know Voss intended to activate it this way."
Nathan laughed without humor.
"That's supposed to matter?"
Christopher looked up.
"Yes. Because the original transfer was designed to protect the research from people like Voss."
"By putting it in my name?"
"By placing control with someone who couldn't be bought."
Nathan shook his head.
"You didn't know me."
"I knew what you did at Bellmont."
"You knew one thing about me!"
Christopher's voice broke.
"I was desperate."
Nathan stepped back.
The confession hung in the air.
Christopher slowly sat on a concrete ledge.
"When AURORA began, we believed we were creating a revolutionary materials-processing system. A technology that could safely neutralize toxic industrial waste, dismantle unstable compounds, and reduce the environmental damage caused by hazardous manufacturing."
Claire listened silently.
"The first demonstrations were extraordinary," Christopher continued. "Materials could be broken down with remarkable precision. We thought we had created something that would change the world."
"What went wrong?" James asked.
"Funding."
Christopher gave a bitter smile.
"Research of that scale requires enormous capital. Adrian Voss offered it."
Nathan folded his arms.
"And you accepted."
"Yes."
"Without asking where the money came from?"
"I asked. I didn't investigate deeply enough."
Christopher stared at his hands.
"By the time we understood what he wanted, Voss had gained control of the contractors, security systems, and distribution network."
Claire spoke quietly.
"Mom tried to warn you."
Christopher nodded.
Nathan looked at her.
"Your mother?"
Claire's expression softened.
"Her name was Eleanor Bennett. She was an investigative journalist before she married my father."
Christopher closed his eyes.
"Eleanor discovered that AURORA equipment had been used to eliminate evidence from several illegal operations overseas."
Nathan frowned.
"What happened to her?"
Claire looked away.
"She died in a boating accident four years ago."
Silence.
Nathan understood.
"Another accident."
Christopher nodded.
"I believe Voss ordered it."
Claire's jaw tightened.
"He didn't just take my mother. He took our entire family."
Christopher continued.
"After Eleanor died, I began collecting evidence. Rebecca helped me. We created duplicate archives, encrypted records, and prepared to contact investigators."
"Then Bellmont happened," Nathan said.
"Yes."
Christopher looked at him.
"Rebecca died trying to deliver the archive. You survived. The interface attached to you contained a fragment of the encryption system."
Nathan shook his head.
"And you decided to use me."
Christopher didn't deny it.
"I authorized a temporary authentication arrangement. The intention was to prevent Voss from accessing the complete archive."
"Without telling me."
"Yes."
Nathan stared at him.
"Then you're not much different from Voss."
Christopher absorbed the accusation.
"No," he said quietly. "In that decision, I wasn't."
Claire turned toward her father.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Christopher looked at her.
"Because I thought keeping you away from the truth would keep you safe."
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
"That worked out well."
Before he could respond, the wall monitor flickered.
Voss appeared for the first time.
He was a silver-haired man in his late fifties, dressed in a dark blue suit. His face was narrow, his posture relaxed.
Behind him stood a glass wall overlooking a vast underground laboratory.
Rows of machinery surrounded a central cylindrical chamber.
Nathan recognized the design from Claire's computer.
AURORA.
Voss smiled.
"An emotional reunion. How touching."
Nathan stepped toward the screen.
"Where are Emily and Sophie?"