Chapter 56: The Omega Protocol

"A woman?" The mercenary commander laughed, stepping over the debris of the blasted door. He pointed his rifle at Margaret. "So this is the 'asset'? She looks like a zombie."

He turned to his men. "Grab her! Kill the rest!"

"No!" Jackson tried to stand up, but his legs gave out.

Margaret didn't flinch. The violet glow in her eyes pulsed brighter. She didn't look at the soldiers; she looked up at the sensor nodes on the ceiling.

"System," Margaret spoke. Her voice was calm, yet it carried an unnatural resonance. "Analyze intruders."

A robotic voice echoed from the walls: [ Hostiles Detected: 12. Threat Level: Severe. ]

"Authorization: Margaret Sterling," she continued. "Code Zero-One. Execute Omega Defense Protocol."

[ Command Accepted. ]

Before the commander could pull the trigger, red laser grids materialized from the walls, scanning the room instantly.

Whirrrr-Click.

Panels opened in the ceiling. Automated turret guns dropped down, aiming with terrifying precision.

"What the hell is..." The commander’s eyes widened.

ZZZT! ZZZT!

High-voltage taser rounds fired from the turrets before anyone could react.

The mercenaries convulsed and dropped to the floor, unconscious within seconds. It was surgical, clean, and devastatingly fast. The entire squad was neutralized in under ten seconds.

The room fell into stunned silence. Smoke rose from the turrets as they retracted back into the ceiling.

Serenity slowly lowered her pistol. Alex’s mouth was wide open, staring at his grandmother like she was a superhero.

"Whoa," Alex whispered. "That's way better than a firewall."

Margaret took a deep breath, the glow in her eyes fading back to a normal brown. She stumbled slightly, her body weak from twenty years of sleep.

"Mother!" Jackson forced himself up and caught her before she fell.

He held her thin, cold body in his arms. The smell of the cryo-fluid was strong, but underneath it, he smelled the familiar lavender scent from his childhood.

Margaret looked up at the grown man holding her. Her trembling hand reached out to touch his scarred, bloodied face.

"Jack?" she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "My little Jack... you got so big."

"It's me, Mom," Jackson choked on a sob, burying his face in her shoulder. The ruthless billionaire, the feared King of New York, broke down like a lost child. "I thought you were dead. I missed you so much."

"I know," Margaret kissed his hair, crying silently. "I heard you. In the dark... I dreamt of you every day."

She looked up and saw Serenity, Alex, and Mia standing nearby.

"And this must be my family," Margaret smiled weakly. "Grandchildren?"

"Yes," Jackson wiped his tears, helping her stand. "Alex and Mia. And my wife, Serenity. She is... she is Aurelia."

Margaret’s eyes widened with recognition. "Aurelia? The Montbert heir? Then Arthur truly has triggered the end game."

She gripped Jackson’s arm tightly. Her expression turned serious, the scientist returning.

"Jackson, we don't have much time. Those men were just the clean-up crew. Arthur knows I am awake now. The systems are linked."

"He will come for us," Jackson said, his gaze hardening.

"No," Margaret shook her head, looking at the high-tech laboratory around them. "He needs what is in my blood. The Element. It makes you younger, stronger... but it drives you insane. Arthur has been injecting himself with a diluted version for years. That's why he is still alive."

"He is coming here not just to kill me," Margaret pointed to the massive drilling machine the mercenaries had left behind.

"He is coming to open the Core. If he gets access to the raw Element source beneath us... he won't just destroy this family. He will destroy the world."

Jackson picked up a rifle from a fallen mercenary. He checked the ammo.

"Then we end it," Jackson said, helping his mother walk towards the exit. "We have the cure. We have the proof. And we have an army."

He looked at Serenity, Alex, Sebastian, and his newly returned mother.

"Let's go back to New York," Jackson commanded. "It's time for a family reunion with Uncle Arthur."

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