Chapter 17 - The Choice
Adrian stepped in front of Claire and Noah.
The red laser moved to his chest.
Ward’s voice came from the helicopter.
“Bring the child to the clearing.”
Lucas raised his gun toward the aircraft.
Adrian slapped it down. “You’ll miss.”
“I might feel better.”
“Not enough.”
Claire’s teeth chattered violently.
Lena took off her coat and wrapped it around Claire’s wet legs.
Cross looked toward the woods.
“We can reach the old hydro station.”
Adrian nodded. “Concrete roof. No aerial line of sight.”
They moved under the trees while the helicopter circled.
At the hydro station, rusted turbines filled a cavernous room.
Adrian locked the steel door.
Claire sat on the floor and checked Noah carefully.
Warm. Breathing. Angry.
Perfect.
She kissed him.
Adrian crouched beside her.
“You saved him on the ice.”
“So did you.”
Their eyes met.
He touched Noah’s foot through the blanket.
“I missed everything.”
Claire’s anger softened around the edges.
“The kicks. The terrible heartburn. The emergency C-section. His first cry.”
Adrian closed his eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
It wasn’t forgiveness.
But it was the first bridge toward it.
Lucas stood near the turbine controls.
“There’s one way to end this.”
Adrian looked at him. “No.”
“You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”
“Yes, I do. You’re going to play tragic father and sacrifice yourself.”
Lucas shrugged. “You always were annoyingly observant.”
He held up a small black drive.
Claire stared. “The archive?”
Lucas nodded.
Adrian stood. “How?”
“I switched Shaw’s drive at Mercer.”
Cross laughed. “You magnificent criminal.”
Lucas continued. “This copy can be wiped only from the original Lantern root server.”
Adrian’s face changed. “Which is here.”
Claire looked around the hydro station.
“Of course it is.”
Lucas pointed toward a sealed steel door behind the turbines.
“Lantern’s first server farm was built under this station in 2009.”
Lena stared. “Ward is here because she knows.”
Lucas nodded. “She needs Noah only if we destroy this drive before she can access the root.”
Adrian looked at the sealed door.
“We can wipe everything.”
Cross frowned. “Including every legitimate Lantern record.”
“Better gone than used as blackmail.”
The outer steel door boomed.
Someone was cutting through it.
Ward’s people.
Lucas handed Adrian the drive.
Then he looked at Noah.
“Let me hold him once.”
Adrian froze.
Claire watched his face.
Finally, she stood and placed Noah carefully into Lucas’s arms.
Lucas looked down at the baby.
His expression collapsed.
“Hi,” he whispered. “I’m your grandfather. I’m sorry our family is insane.”
Noah yawned.
May you like
Lucas laughed through tears.
Then the outer door exploded inward.
