Chapter 16 - THE VAULT BENEATH MERCER SYSTEMS
Police entered Mercer Systems through the main lobby.
Daniel, Evelyn, and I followed the federal team.
Robert remained under guard at the hospital.
The utility tunnel led beneath the server level.
Raymond had disabled electronic locks.
Robert’s biometric key opened everything.
We found him inside the patent vault.
He looked like an older version of my husband.
Same jaw.
Same eyes.
But there was something empty in the way he smiled.
“Eleanor.”
“You kept him alive.”
“I needed what belonged to both of us.”
“Robert said you wanted to sell private data.”
“Robert was sentimental.”
“People give away information every day.”
“I only wanted to profit from the truth.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“You recruited Marcus.”
“I educated him.”
“You introduced Vanessa.”
“She was ambitious.”
“You used her.”
“She used you.”
Raymond placed the biometric key against the final scanner.
The vault computer requested Robert’s live voice authorization.
Raymond opened a recording.
Robert’s voice spoke.
TRANSFER APPROVED.
The system accepted the first command.
Evelyn’s face changed.
“He created a full biometric copy.”
A transfer screen appeared.
The family patent trust would move to a corporation controlled by Raymond.
I approached slowly.
“You do not need to do this.”
He laughed.
“You kept your hair for Robert.”
“You kept the house.”
“You held the shares.”
“You spent your whole life guarding things he gave you.”
“What did he give me?”
“A place.”
“A name.”
“A future.”
“You believe he took those from you.”
“He did.”
Raymond’s hand hovered above the final key.
Daniel spoke.
“My father did not steal your future.”
“He stopped you from stealing everyone else’s privacy.”
Raymond looked at him.
“You sound exactly like him.”
“Good.”
Raymond pressed the key.
The transfer began.
Evelyn removed a small document from her case.
“Robert revoked your inventor status nineteen years ago.”
Raymond froze.
“The patents cannot transfer to a company you control.”
The system displayed an error.
AUTHORIZATION INVALID.
Robert had anticipated his brother’s return.
His final amendment removed Raymond from any trust benefit if he attempted unauthorized data sales.
Raymond’s face twisted.
He pulled a gun from beneath his coat.
Police raised their weapons.
He aimed at me.
“All of this survived because of her.”
Daniel moved in front of me.
Raymond fired.
The bullet struck the vault door.
Robert’s biometric key fell from Raymond’s hand.
Evelyn kicked it toward the officers.
Police tackled him before he could fire again.
As they placed him in handcuffs, Raymond looked at Daniel.
“You think the company is safe?”
“Marcus copied everything.”
Daniel remained still.
“Where?”
May you like
Raymond smiled.
“Ask Vanessa what she carried inside her body.”
