Chapter 7
Part 8 — The Man Behind the Shadow
The echo of the gunshot still reverberated through the enormous workshop when no one dared to move.
Daniel Carter remained motionless.
Her eyes were fixed on the man who had just entered.
The billionaire walked slowly between the five golden prototypes, clapping his hands with a cold smile.
Behind him, six armed men spread out across the workshop. They wore dark clothing, discreet earpieces, and moved like a trained team.
Ethan took a step forward.
Stay away from my father.
The billionaire smiled.
— I've waited for this moment for years.
Daniel answered calmly.
No. For years you waited for someone to find this place for you.
The smile disappeared for a moment.
The manager watched the scene in silence. For the first time, he realized that Daniel didn't seem surprised.
As if he had been expecting that visit.
The billionaire took a few more steps closer.
— You've always been intelligent, Daniel.
— Not enough to realize who he was trusting either.
You also made mistakes.
Daniel looked directly at Ethan.
The biggest mistake was thinking that simply hiding the technology was enough.
The billionaire laughed.
— You finally admit it.
Because I realized too late that the real goal was never the car.
Ethan frowned.
So what was it?
Daniel pointed to a huge metal wall at the back of the workshop.
- That one.
Everyone followed the direction of his gaze.
The wall was almost twenty meters wide.
At the center was the same golden symbol engraved on the hypercar.
The billionaire took a deep breath.
It's still closed...
Daniel smiled discreetly.
— Of course it is.
Where is the key?
Daniel turned to his son.
— He was always with him.
Everyone looked at Ethan.
Instinctively, the boy put his hand in the pocket where he had kept the small golden key he had taken from the black box.
The armed men immediately raised their weapons.
Their leader stepped forward.
— Hand over the key.
Ethan remained motionless.
- No.
The billionaire lost his temper.
Do you know how many years I've been looking for this?
Daniel answered before his son.
You weren't looking for the key.
— I was looking for what's behind that door.
Silence fell.
Then Daniel said slowly:
You know very well that if you go in there, everything you've worked for will disappear.
The billionaire smiled.
— On the contrary.
It will finally make me the most powerful man in the industry.
Daniel shook his head.
— You still don't understand.
The manager approached Ethan and spoke in a low voice.
What's behind the door?
The boy didn't know either.
She looked at her father.
Daniel took a deep breath.
— Nine years ago, we developed a power cell that was completely different from anything that existed before.
It did not use fossil fuels.
It didn't need conventional charging.
It produced clean energy for decades.
The experts who had followed the group to the workshop were incredulous.
One of them murmured:
That's impossible...
Daniel looked at him.
— They said that too when I presented the first prototype.
Another expert asked:
Why was it never made public?
The billionaire answered before Daniel.
Because it was worth billions.
Daniel corrected:
Because it could destroy an entire market.
Silence fell again.
Oil companies.
Battery manufacturers.
Energy companies.
Everyone would lose fortunes.
The billionaire slowly opened his arms.
And I could control the transition.
Daniel laughed for the first time.
— You never wanted to save the world.
You wanted to charge for it.
Suddenly, a small beeping sound echoed in the workshop.
The golden hypercar lit up on its own.
Then another one.
And another.
In just a few seconds...
The five prototypes were illuminated.
The lights slowly moved across each car.
The central nervous system had awakened.
A metallic voice echoed throughout the workshop.
— Carter Network launched.
Everyone looked around.
Even Daniel didn't seem to expect that.
A message appeared on the huge screen on the wall.
SIX UNITS DETECTED.
The manager glanced quickly at the cars.
— Six?
He stopped talking.
He counted again.
Five prototypes.
Plus Ethan's car.
Six.
The message continued.
SYNCHRONIZATION IN PROGRESS.
The ground began to vibrate.
The workshop lights went out for a few seconds.
Then they returned.
Much stronger.
The enormous metal door slowly began to open.
The billionaire smiled.
Finally...
But, when the door finished opening...
No one found any safes.
Not even documents.
Not even secret laboratories.
Behind her, there was only a completely white room.
Empty.
In the center was a single object.
A computer.
Very old.
Connected.
The billionaire frowned.
Is that all?
Daniel smiled discreetly.
Come closer.
The man walked over to the computer.
A question appeared on the monitor.
Confirm Identity?
He pressed "Yes".
The system analyzed your face for a few seconds.
Then a phrase came up that made Daniel close his eyes.
IDENTITY CONFIRMED.
The manager stood motionless.
How is that possible?
The computer started typing again.
WELCOME, RICHARD VALE.
For the first time, Ethan heard the billionaire's real name.
But the system was not yet finished.
A new line slowly appeared.
Co-founder of the Carter Project.
Daniel lowered his head.
Ethan looked alternately at his father and at Richard.
— Co-founder?
The workshop fell into absolute silence.
Richard smiled.
— The time has finally come to tell you the truth.
Daniel slowly raised his eyes.
And he said only one sentence:
May you like
Don't believe anything he says.
Continued in Part 9...
