She wasn’t supposed to know about any of this.

“She has a man with her,” the guard said.

“He says he’s the doctor who performed the DNA test.”

The screen flashed again, the timer dropping to four minutes.

The red warning light on the table began to pulse faster.

Nathan looked at the door, then at me.

“Is she telling the truth, Emily?” he asked.

“Does she have the code?”

I didn’t know.

I hadn’t spoken to my sister in three months.

Not since the night I ran away from the clinic.

“We have to let them up,” I said.

“Nathan, please.”

He nodded to the guard.

“Bring them up,” Nathan ordered.

“Use the express elevator.”

“We don’t have time,” Mr. Hayes said, pointing to the screen.

The countdown was at three minutes and fifteen seconds.

The numbers were turning from white to red.

The sound of the server fans in the walls seemed to grow louder.

The entire building was shutting down, floor by floor.

The lights in the boardroom dimmed to half-power.

The phone on the table began to ring again.