Chapter 15 - The Gala Showdown
With a surge of adrenaline-fueled strength, I grabbed the heavy brass lever of the fire-suppression system and slammed it down as hard as I could.
*HIIISSSSSSSS!*
A deafening roar filled the underground archive as compressed high-pressure gas erupted from overhead ceiling vents, instantly filling the room with a thick, blinding white fog of Halon vapor.
Daniel shouted in sudden fury, stumbling backward as the dense chemical cloud blinded his vision and burned his lungs. A shot rang out wildly, the bullet shattering a glass display case behind my head, showering me with razor-sharp shards.
I didn't hesitate. I dropped flat to the concrete floor, crawling blindly through the freezing white fog toward the heavy emergency exit door at the rear of the archives.
My lungs burned as I inhaled trace amounts of the chemical vapor, but I kept moving, my hands feeling along the cold concrete wall until my fingers struck the heavy metal push-bar of the exit door.
I slammed my weight against the bar. The door popped open with a loud *clack*, spilling me out into the subterranean parking garage of Vance Tower.
The cool night air rushed into my lungs, reviving me instantly. I scrambled to my feet and sprinted across the concrete parking deck toward the primary security elevator bank, praying that the master override codes I had programmed into my executive badge still functioned.
I pressed my badge against the scanner. The red light flashed green. The elevator doors slid open instantly.
I dived inside, hammering the button for the penthouse level where the master security control room and emergency police dispatch terminals were located.
As the elevator doors closed, I caught a terrifying glimpse through the glass: Daniel emerged from the archive stairwell, coughing violently, his pistol raised, staring right at me as the steel doors sealed shut between us.
I had minutes—maybe seconds—before he reached the upper floors.
When the elevator chimed and opened on the fortieth floor, I sprinted down the hallway toward the master security control suite. I threw open the heavy glass door, rushed to the main console, and slammed my palm onto the emergency red master lockdown button.
*“SECURITY LOCKDOWN INITIATED. ALL ELEVATORS, DOORS, AND PERIMETER GATES SECURED,”* the automated robotic voice echoed across the entire tower.
Right behind me, the sound of heavy footsteps pounded down the glass corridor.
The reinforced glass door of the control suite shuddered as Daniel slammed his shoulder against it, shouting my name in a voice distorted by rage and oxygen deprivation.
“Ellie! Open this door right now!”
I didn’t answer. I picked up the master dispatch microphone, locked my eyes onto the security monitors showing Daniel trapped in the hallway, and dialed the direct emergency override line to the federal field office.
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“This is Ellie Vance, CEO of Vance Enterprises,” I spoke clearly into the mic, my voice ringing with absolute, unyielding authority. “I am reporting an armed corporate espionage and assassination attempt at Vance Tower. Send tactical units immediately.”
The game of deception was officially over.
