The immediate silence following the stabilization of the Regulator was broken by the growing intensity of police sirens filtering down through the ancient stone foundations of the Panthéon. Jules's broadcast, amplified by the city's inherent paranoia about its own history, had worked too well.
Elara, shaken but triumphant, stood over the inert Regulator cabinet. She had the two keys secured, and the imminent threat was neutralized. She quickly helped Professor Laurent to his feet, checking his injuries.
"He's stunned, but not fatally wounded," Laurent confirmed, looking at the defeated Dubois. "Elara, we have to establish the narrative immediately. We can't let them cover this up."
Jules, meanwhile, had retrieved the fallen pistol and stood guard over the conscious but dazed Monsieur Dubois and the badly bruised Agent Henri.
"We need proof that goes beyond a panicked reporter's dispatch," Jules said, his journalistic instincts overriding his fatigue. "The police will arrive here and see a famous director, a renowned professor, and a curator wrestling over a dusty cabinet. It's an internal museum dispute unless we frame the truth."
Just then, a barrage of torches illuminated the main entrance to the chamber. Several uniformed officers, led by a stern-faced Commissioner, entered cautiously, their pistols drawn. Behind them, flashbulbs began popping—the first wave of journalists, having bypassed the perimeter, were already descending.
The Commissioner, recognizing Dubois, immediately holstered his weapon.
"Monsieur Dubois! What in God's name is happening here? We received reports of a seismic event and a broadcast naming you in a historical theft!"
Dubois, recovering his composure with chilling speed, stood up, adjusting his suit jacket. "A gross misunderstanding, Commissioner. This is a private, unsanctioned geological survey. My former associates, Professor Laurent and Mademoiselle Dubois, suffered a hysterical breakdown. They attacked my security chief, Henri, over a fabricated claim about an antique safe they wished to examine."
Elara stepped forward before Dubois could continue. She planted her feet firmly on the cold nexus stone.
"No, Commissioner. Monsieur Dubois is the leader of the Argentum Society, a secret organization that abducted Professor Laurent and the journalist, Jules Reynard, and attempted to use this ancient device—the Alchemical Regulator—to exploit the geological power beneath Paris."
She held up the two antique keys. "We were not fighting over a safe, but over the stability of the entire city. Dubois was minutes away from forcing the Regulator, which would have caused a localized structural collapse beneath the Latin Quarter."
The sheer implausibility of Elara's story was its biggest obstacle, but Jules and Laurent stepped in to provide concrete evidence.
Jules's Testimony: Jules quickly pointed out Henri and the two previously sedated agents (now being dragged into the chamber by other officers). "I was kidnapped and tortured for two days by this man, Henri. Check the holding cell at 14 Rue de Valois. You will find more unconscious agents, my blood, and a coded communication center."
Laurent's Testimony: Laurent provided the academic weight. "The Regulator is a 17th-century device built by Vance the Alchemist. I can provide the blueprints and the historical context confirming its function. The intent of Monsieur Dubois to tamper with the foundation of a national monument is a matter of state security."
The Keys: Elara handed over the two keys, explaining their function as a philosophical safety device.
The tipping point came when the Commissioner ordered an inspection of the Regulator cabinet. The police engineers discovered the scorch marks left by Dubois's attempt to force the lock with electricity, the fresh damage to the nexus stone caused by the high heat, and the complex, arcing cables Dubois had used to connect his portable equipment.
The physical evidence was undeniable: a significant act of sabotage was interrupted. The combination of Jules's verifiable kidnapping story, Laurent's historical authority, and the undeniable scientific evidence of high-power tampering within a restricted foundation was too much for Dubois to smoothly dismiss.
Dubois, stripped of his power and exposed at the nexus point of his failure, was arrested. Henri and the remaining agents were quickly rounded up as the police followed Jules's leads back to the Rue de Valois.
Elara and Jules, battered but free, watched as the Regulator cabinet was surrounded and marked for removal. The city was safe, but the battle for the truth was only just beginning.