Chapter 73
CHAPTER 73 — THE DUPLICITY OF BLOOD
"Mommy," Lily whispered, her voice sounding small, fragile, and utterly terrified against the hum of the server towers. She tried to pull away from the clone’s grip, but Iteration Four’s hand was a seamless, hydraulic vice wrapped around her wrist.
"Let her go," Claire hissed, taking three steps forward, the barrel of her gun inches from the clone’s forehead. "I don't care if you have my face. I will blow it off right now."
Iteration Four didn't flinch. She looked at Claire with eyes that were a perfect, empty green—devoid of any human history or emotion. "The maternal defect remains high in the primary template," the clone said, her voice a precise, digitized duplication of Claire’s own vocal cords. "The attachment to the individual asset compromises the efficiency of the network."
"She isn't an asset, you dynamic freak," Alexander growled, his hand resting on the manual override switch of the server core nearest to him. "She's my niece."
Charles Whitmore let out a low, disappointed sigh.
"You both think like citizens, not architects," Charles said, tapping his fingers against the black marble console. "Look at the monitors, Alexander. The global markets are currently crashing in a synchronized spiral. The blackout in Bangkok was just the opening bell. The Vance family’s liquidation event in Switzerland triggered a domino effect across every central bank in the Western hemisphere. By tomorrow morning, paper currency will be worthless. The only thing that will hold value is the access codes to the automated logistics networks. The codes inside Lily’s blood."
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He pointed to the glass dome behind him. Inside the golden oil of the reservoir, a massive, white-gold terminal was slowly rising, its interface designed to accept a dual-palm input.
"The alignment requires the primary template and the synthesis," Charles said, looking directly at Claire. "You and your daughter. If you refuse, the system will execute a blind liquidation. The infrastructure of thirty nations will turn off permanently. No electricity. No water. No supply chains. Millions will die within a week, Claire. Choose your moral high ground now."
