Chapter 9 - KINGS AND PAWNS
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Mateo slowly backed away from the terminal, holding his hands up. "It’s over, Cross. The data is downloading. The police are going to know everything."
Cross let out a dark, humorless chuckle. He stepped into the room, locking the heavy door behind him. "You think the police matter? You think justice works like it does in the movies, kid? By the time anyone decodes that drive, Vance will have bought the judges, the prosecutors, and the media. You’re dying for nothing."
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"Maybe," Mateo said, his eyes darting around the confined space, looking for any weapon, any advantage. "But I'd rather die fighting than let a traitor like you win."
Cross’s eyes narrowed. He raised his pistol, aiming squarely at Mateo’s forehead. "Brave words. Goodbye, kid."
Just as Cross's finger tightened on the trigger, a deafening explosion rocked the mansion.
The floor shook violently, knocking servers off their racks. Thorne hadn't just cut the power; he had rigged the estate's massive underground propane tanks. The shockwave threw Cross off balance, his shot going wide, the bullet shattering a server rack next to Mateo's head in a shower of sparks.
Mateo lunged. He didn't go for the gun; he tackled Cross around the waist, driving his shoulder into the man's armored chest. They crashed to the floor, rolling among the shattered electronics and tangled wires.
Cross was a trained killer, but Mateo was fighting with the desperate, feral energy of a man with nothing left to lose. He scrambled on top of Cross, delivering a brutal, wild punch to the agent's jaw.
Cross snarled, easily reversing the grapple, throwing Mateo off him and pinning him to the floor. He wrapped his heavy hands around Mateo’s throat, squeezing with terrifying strength.
"You're out of your league, boy," Cross hissed, leaning his weight down.
Mateo gagged, frantically clawing at Cross’s thick wrists, but it was like trying to pry off steel bands. His vision began to blur, black spots dancing at the edges of his sight. The hum of the servers sounded like a roaring waterfall. He was losing consciousness.
Ding.
The soft chime of the terminal console echoed in the room.
100%. Transfer Complete.
Suddenly, the server room door blew off its hinges, crashing into the racks with the force of a freight train.
Governor Thorne stood in the doorway, bleeding from a shoulder wound, his suit torn to shreds, holding a heavy tactical shotgun he had evidently taken from one of the guards.
"Get off him," Thorne roared, racking a shell into the chamber.
Cross let go of Mateo, spinning around and reaching for his dropped pistol.
Thorne didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger. The blast took Cross squarely in the chest, the kinetic force lifting the rogue agent off his feet and slamming him into the far wall. Cross slid to the floor, motionless, a pool of blood rapidly expanding across the white tiles.
Mateo lay on the floor, gasping hungrily for air, coughing violently as Thorne rushed to his side.
"Did you get it?" Thorne demanded, helping Mateo to his feet.
Mateo stumbled to the console, yanked the USB drive free, and held it up. "I got it."
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"Then let's burn this empire to the ground," Thorne said, a grim smile of triumph cutting through the blood and dirt on his face.
Sirens wailed in the distance. The real authorities were finally arriving. This time, they had the evidence to ensure the right men went in cuffs.
