Chapter 9 - THE EXTRACTION PROTOCOL
Unit Seven lifted the device closer to his mouth, his demeanor rigidly professional.
"Asset Harrison has confessed to Tier-1 financial breach and asset diversion," Unit Seven reported into the glowing emitter. "Local law enforcement element is currently contained within the perimeter. Requesting immediate extraction via secondary subterranean conduit. Over."
“Acknowledged, Seven. Secure the local officer. Do not allow civilian interference.”
"Wait—hold on!" I stepped forward, my posture tensing as I prepared to close the distance between us. "You're not taking Harrison anywhere, and you're certainly not walking out of here like a ghost. This is a criminal matter handled by regular law enforcement!"
Unit Seven didn't flinch. Instead, with a flick of his thumb, a narrow laser beam of red light shot from the base of his device, sweeping across the floor directly between my boots.
"Step back, Detective Miller," the boy warned, his voice dropping an octave, carrying an absolute, terrifying certainty. "Interference with a Westbridge asset recovery operation constitutes a direct breach of federal emergency continuity directives. I am authorized to use neutralizing countermeasures."
For a split second, I looked down at the red dot glowing against my shoes. I knew my service weapon was locked in my car three blocks away. I knew the steel shutters were impenetrable from the inside. But more than that, I looked into the boy's eyes and saw something far more dangerous than a criminal with a shotgun: I saw a child who had never known a childhood, molded entirely into a weapon of cold logic.
"You're just a kid," I said quietly, the anger draining away, replaced by a sudden, piercing wave of sorrow. "They took your childhood, didn't they? They raised you in a box."
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For the first time since the lockdown began, Unit Seven’s expression flickered. A micro-expression of hesitation—barely a fraction of a millisecond—crossed his pale features before his professional mask slammed back down into place.
"I am Westbridge," the boy whispered. "I have no other designation."
