Chapter 4 - The Midnight Heist
The mansion at 2:00 AM was a living entity, filled with the low hum of the climate control system and the occasional creak of century-old timbers settling into the foundations. The rain had returned, tapping against the massive leaded windows like skeletal fingers trying to gain entry.
Lucy and Matthew moved down the grand staircase like twin shadows, their bare feet silent on the cold marble. Lucy held the master override card—a silver strip of plastic she had managed to slip from her mother’s desk drawer while Clara was organizing the catering schedules for the upcoming summit.
The door to Alexander Vale’s private study was located at the far end of the west gallery, hidden behind a pair of decorative tapestries. The lock was a sleek, modern unit that glowed with a faint, pulse-like red light—a stark contrast to the traditional architecture of the house.
Matthew stood watch at the corner of the hallway, his eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of Victoria Vance or the night security staff. He gave Lucy a sharp nod.
Lucy stepped up to the door, her heart hammering against her ribs so loudly she was certain it would wake the entire household. She swiped the silver card through the slot. The red light flickered, turned amber, and then, with a soft, mechanical thunk, the heavy oak door popped open an inch.
They slipped inside, closing the door behind them. The room was dark, smelling of expensive tobacco and leather. The massive mahogany desk sat in the center of the room like an altar to corporate power.
Matthew immediately moved behind the desk, his fingers flying across the keyboard of the primary desktop computer. Because the master card had unlocked the room, the system recognized the administrative override status, allowing him access to the local drive without triggering the remote network alerts.
"Hurry, Matthew," Lucy whispered, her eyes glued to the door’s frosted glass window.
Matthew plugged a small, high-capacity flash drive into the back of the CPU. A progress bar appeared on the screen, illuminating his face in a pale blue glow: Copying: Phase III Unedited Video Logs... 12%... 24%...
Suddenly, the light in the hallway shifted.
Through the frosted glass, Lucy saw the distinct, sharp beam of a flashlight sweeping across the gallery floor. Someone was checking the rooms. And they were coming toward the study.
Lucy lunged across the desk, grabbing Matthew’s shoulder. She signed one word: Hide.
Matthew didn't hesitate. He yanked the flash drive out—the progress bar showing 88% complete—and shoved it into the pocket of his pajamas. Together, they scrambled under the massive mahogany desk, pulling the heavy leather executive chair forward to block the view from the doorway.
The door handles jiggled. The mechanical lock engaged, and the door swung open.
The beam of the flashlight cut through the room, sweeping across the bookshelves, the leather sofa, and finally, the desk. From beneath the wood, Lucy could see a pair of polished black oxfords. It was Alexander Vale himself. He had returned early from the city.
He walked into the room, his movements heavy with fatigue. He set his briefcase on the corner of the desk, right above their heads. The wood groaned under the weight. Lucy clamped both hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with terror as she looked at Matthew. The boy was perfectly still, his eyes locked on hers, his breathing controlled, his face a mask of absolute focus. He knew that the slightest sound from Lucy, or a stray movement from himself, would end their lives as they knew them.
Alexander reached for the desk phone, dialing a number. Because the room was silent, the voice from the receiver was faintly audible to Lucy.
"Victoria," Alexander said, his voice dropping into a harsh, commanding tone. "I’m back at the house. The FDA regulators are getting skittish about the Phase III reports. Someone within the research team is leaking memos about the vestibular nerve issues. I want a full non-disclosure sweep of the entire engineering staff by tomorrow morning. Anyone who hesitates to sign the updated compliance agreement is to be terminated immediately."
A pause as Victoria spoke on the other end.
"I don't care about their concerns," Alexander snapped, slamming his hand onto the desk. The impact vibrated through the wood, causing Matthew to flinch slightly. "The Auris-2 launch happens at the summit. Matthew’s presentation is fully scripted. Dr. Aris assures me the boy can deliver the vocal lines well enough to satisfy the press. Once the stock stabilizes after the announcement, we can quietly patch the software bugs in the subsequent production runs. But right now, we push forward."
He hung up the phone, grabbed his briefcase, and walked out of the room, locking the door behind him.
For five minutes, neither Lucy nor Matthew moved. The silence in the room felt heavy, suffocating. Finally, they crawled out from beneath the desk, their limbs stiff from tension.
May you like
Matthew pulled the flash drive from his pocket, looking at the tiny piece of plastic. He looked up at Lucy, his expression no longer that of a scared child, but of a young man who had just discovered the true monstrous nature of the empire he was meant to inherit.
We have enough, he signed, his hands rock-steady now. We have the evidence to stop him.
