Even the guards hesitated.

Charles paused, looking over his shoulder.

“What is it, Arthur?” Charles sneered.

“Want to beg for your daughter’s life?”

“It is too late for that.”

My father looked down at his hand.

The blue light on his device had stopped flashing.

It was now a solid, glowing green.

He slipped the device back into his pocket with a smooth, deliberate motion.

“I do not need to beg,” my father said.

“You are missing one very important detail, Charles.”

Charles frowned, his eyes narrowing.

“And what is that?” Charles asked.

My father took a step forward, ignoring the guard’s attempt to hold him.

The guard tried to pull him back, but my father shifted his weight and threw the man off balance with a quick, practiced nudge of his shoulder.

He did not draw a weapon.

He simply stood tall, looking directly at the corrupt patriarch.

“You think the physical servers are the only place your files exist,” my father said.

The room went completely silent, save for the hum of the cooling fans.

Outside, the sirens were getting closer.