Chapter 216
No.1
The sky over New York was the color of bruised iron. A heavy, freezing rain lashed against the tarmac of JFK Airport.
Elisa and Alastair stepped off the private jet and directly into the back of a waiting armored SUV.They didn't speak during the drive into Manhattan.The tension inside the vehicle was thick enough to cut with a knife.
The SUV descended into the subterranean parking garage of Aethel Intelligence Headquarters. They took the secure express elevator straight to the top floor, bypassing the main offices. Elisa walked directly into the encrypted server room, her movements stiff and agonizingly careful, relying heavily on the carbon-fiber armor strapped beneath her clothes to keep her from collapsing.
The room was freezing, illuminated only by the cold blue LED lights of the massive server racks.
Jewel was hunched over the central control console. She had dark, heavy bags under her eyes,and empty coffee cups littered the desk around her. She was typing furiously on a mechanical
keyboard.
Hearing the door open, Jewel spun around in her chair. When she saw Elisa, she let out a loud gasp,jumped up, and threw her arms around Elisa's neck.
"You're alive," Jewel breathed, her voice shaking with relief.
Elisa hugged her back tightly, but her eyes immediately shifted to the massive, high-definition monitor dominating the wall.
No.2
"Did your guy get the file?" Elisa asked, her voice sharp and focused.
Jewel pulled back. A fierce, predatory grin spread across her exhausted face.
"He spent eighteen hours bypassing the production company's encrypted raw-footage archive," Jewel said, turning back to the console. "He extracted the raw, unedited B-Roll footage from the hospital corridor. It's completely uncompressed."
Jewel slammed her finger down on the enter key.
The massive screen flickered to life. It showed a wide-angle, high-definition view of the VIP pediatric corridor at Mather Medical Center. The timestamp in the corner proved it was exactly five
minutes before Tate went into anaphylactic shock.
Elisa stepped closer to the screen. The blue light reflected in her dark eyes.
On the screen, a young woman wearing a white lab coat with the Johns Hopkins University logo embroidered on the pocket walked nervously into the frame. She was standing in a supply alcove just down the hall from Tate's room.
"Pause," Elisa commanded.
No.3
Jewel hit the spacebar. The image froze.
Elisa stared at the woman's face. She recognized her instantly. It was Leona Calloway, a junior researcher on the JHU project and Allena's most obedient, desperate follower.
"Play it forward, half speed," Elisa ordered.
The video crept forward. Leona looked left and right, her body language screaming guilt. She did not enter the room.
"Watch the reflection," Jewel whispered, pointing to the top right corner of the screen.
A decorative convex mirror hung at the end ofthe hallway. The high-definition camera captured the reflection perfectly. In the mirror, Leona was clearly
visible hiding in the alcove. She had a single, white wireless earbud in her right ear, her lips moving silently as if responding to instructions. She then pulled a small glass ampoule from her pocket, drew a clear liquid into a syringe, and waited.
Seconds later, Allena stepped into the frame.Leona nervously handed the pre-filled syringe to Allena,who hid it in her designer bag before walking toward Tate's room.
The evidence was absolute. It was undeniable.Allena's proxy had provided the physical weapon to her,and Allena carried it into the room.
No.4
Alastair slammed his massive fist down on the metal desk. The sound echoed like a gunshot in the quiet room.
"That psychotic bitch," Alastair snarled,his chest heaving with rage. "She actually tried to kill her own seven-year-old brother just to frame you."
Elisa's face was a mask of terrifying,absolute calm.The final piece of the puzzle had cljcked into place.
"Jewel," Elisa said, her voice dropping to a freezing,authoritative register. "Generate a blockchain timestamp for this video file. Make it legally immutable. Then, send a secure copy to the Board of Directors at Vanguard Medical."
Elisa turned to Alastair. "Call the lawyers. It's time to drop the hammer."
Meanwhile, across the city, inside the luxurious,mahogany-paneled CEO's Office at Vanguard Medical.
Allena sat gracefully on a plush leather sofa. She was wearing a pristine white designer suit. She held a crystal flute of expensive champagne,celebrating. She had just finished an interview with a major medical journal, painting herself as the tragic hero who saved her brother from the "deranged" nurse, Elisa.
CEO Orville satacross from her, smiling greedily.
"As soon as August Chambers wires the grant money," Orville promised, "I will officially appoint you as the Chief Clinical Advisor for the new Al diagnostic wing."
No.5
Allena took a sip of champagne. A smug,victorious thrill warmed her chest. She had won. She had finally crushed Elisa into the dirt and stolen her crown.
Suddenly, the heavy oak doors of the office burst open.
The CEO's secretary stood in the doorway, her face
completely drained of blood. She was shaking so hard she couldn't speak.
Two large men in cheap, dark suits pushed past the secretary. They walked with heavy, purposeful steps directly toward the leather sofa.
Allena frowned, lowering her champagne glass."Excuse me? This is a private meeting. Who are you?"
The taller man looked down at a clipboard.
"Allena Mills?" he asked,his voice flat and bored.
"Yes," Allena snapped, irritated by the intrusion.
No.6
The man reached into his worn leather briefcase.He pulled out a thick stack of legal documents bound by a heavy blue cover. The front page bore the bright red, embossed seal of the New York State Supreme Court.
Smack.
The man slammed the heavy documents down onto the glass coffee table right in front of Allena. The impact rattled thecrystal champagne flutes.
"You have been served," the man stated coldly."This is a class-action lawsuit filed jointly by Aethel Intelligence and the Board of Directors of Vanguard
Medical."
Allena's smug smile froze. Her heart skipped a beat.
She reached out with trembling fingers and flipped open the cover. Her eyes scanned the bold, black ink of the charges.
Attempted Murder in the Second Degree. Medical Fraud.Massive Commercial Defamation.
Orville heard the words 'Vanguard Board of Directors'. He leaped out of his chair,his face pale with terror. He realized instantly that the board had seen something catastrophic and was legally severing all ties with Allena to save themselves.
No.7
Allena flipped to the last page of the document.
Attached was a high-resolution, full-color printed screenshot. It showed Leona Calloway, clearly visible in the mirror's reflection, handing the pre-filled syringe of poison directly to Allena.
Allena's brain short-circuited. A loud, ringing static filled her ears.
The crystal flute slipped from her numb fingers. It hit the floor and shattered into a hundred pieces,the expensive champagne soaking into the expensive rug. Her perfect, stolen world was
collapsing around her.