July 16, 2026 – Manhattan Underpass Moving Van 04:15 AM
Time slowed down as Ivy's hand plunged into the hidden compartment next to the gear shift. Natalia pressed her gun against the back of Ivy's neck, while I stood between them not as a mediator, but as a bomb ready to detonate at any second.
Ivy didn't pull out a gun; she pulled out a black remote and pressed a single button.
BOOM!
A cloud of white smoke and a ear-piercing frequency burst from the back of the van, flooding the street. Two of the "Reapers" motorcycles following us lost balance and crashed. Ivy had used a signal jammer and a smoke screen.
"Michael, I didn't betray you!" Ivy screamed, swerving the van into a narrow tunnel. "That USB Natalia is holding... it's a trap! If you plug it into any computer, our location will light up like a red dot on Thomas's screen!"
Natalia gripped the drive tighter. "She's lying, Michael! When Thomas's men kicked down my door in Toronto, she was with them! She was masked, but I'd recognize those eyes, that sick stare, anywhere!"
Who was telling the truth didn't matter anymore; both were using my weak point: Elara. I reached out and firmly took the USB drive from Natalia's hand.
"Michael, don't!" Natalia cried.
I opened the encrypted laptop on the small table in the back, which was disconnected from the outside world. "If this is a trap," I said, "I want to die looking into Thomas Hale's face."
I slid the drive into the port. The screen went black for a moment, then lines of code began to scroll rapidly. Ivy and Natalia held their breath as they watched me. Inside the folder, there was only one video file: "Lullaby.mp4"
I clicked the video.
As the image cleared, a luxurious dining table appeared. At the head of the table sat Thomas Hale (Asher). But the person next to him... was Elara. My sister Elara, in a white dress, chatting with Thomas over her favorite foods. She didn't look scared. On the contrary, she was holding Thomas's hand and smiling.
Thomas looked into the camera, smiling as if he could see me. "See, Michael? Your sister is safe now. I rescued her from that cold Toronto house, from that boring life. She is with her real family now. Now the choice is yours... you can either drown in the lies of these two women, or come take your seat at the table."
The video ended. A deathly silence filled the van. I couldn't tell if there was triumph or sadness in Ivy's eyes. Natalia had slumped where she stood.
"Michael," Ivy whispered. "I told you. Thomas doesn't want to kill her. He's using her as a weapon against you."
Just then, something hit the roof of the van. A hard, metallic clank. A magnetic bomb.