She was only four years old when one broken glass turned her stepmother against her, but the hidden security camera captured what happened next… / Chapter 37 / 70

Chapter 37 - Precision under Fire

"Cole! Keep them back!" Jonathan yelled, shielding Lily with his own body as the remaining mercenary raised a weapon.

A sharp, single crack from a sniper rifle atop Cole's truck took the mercenary down before he could pull the trigger.

"Lin, where is the needle?!" Jonathan demanded, forcing the doctor down to her knees beside the dropped briefcase on the wet ground.

"Here! Here it is!" she stammered, pulling a slender titanium stylus from the bottom compartment of the case. "The failsafe is a physical bypass! If you don't depress the release valve within twelve seconds of inserting it, the internal capsule will shatter anyway!"

"Then do it!" Jonathan barked.

"My hands are shaking, I can't align the micro-pin!" she wept, tears mingling with rain on her cheeks. "If I miss the channel by a millimeter, the needle punctures the capsule!"

Jonathan grabbed the stylus from her hands. "Show me where the port is."

"On the underside... behind her left ear," Dr. Lin choked out. "The tiny notch next to the red diode. You have to push until you hear two distinct clicks, then twist forty-five degrees counter-clockwise."

Jonathan sank to his knees in the puddles. He laid Lily across his lap, using his soaking wet sleeve to wipe the rain from her neck.

The red light was no longer blinking. It was glowing solid, burning hot against her tender skin.

A faint, high-frequency whine began to build inside the capsule.

"Daddy..." Lily whispered, her tiny hand brushing against his cheek. Her skin was burning with fever. "I'm so cold..."

"Stay still, my sweet girl," Jonathan whispered, his entire body trembling with the effort to keep his hands steady. "Just look at Daddy. Look right into my eyes. Don't move a single muscle."