Chapter 7 - Turning the Tide
"They're moving her toward the north courtyard," Naomi said, her eyes glued to the multi-angle security cameras. "Look — the transport van is waiting by the garden gate."
Julian's hands flew across the bunker's central control console. He bypassed the main system locks, tapping into a secondary, unmapped tactical network that Thorne’s mercenaries hadn't accounted for.
"They think they won," Julian muttered, a cold, calculating light returning to his eyes. "They forgot who built this house. Every wall, every sensor, every reinforced glass pane in this estate is tied to Vance Robotics' defense matrix."
"What are you doing?" Naomi asked, watching him input a rapid sequence of override codes.
"Lockdown phase two," Julian said grimly. "The moment Chloe crosses the threshold of the north pavilion, the courtyard blast shields drop. It seals them inside a Faraday cage — no communications, no vehicle ignition, no escape."
"And Chloe?" Naomi asked, her voice tight with anxiety. "Won't she be inside the cage too?"
"Not if we time it right," Julian said, hitting a master execution key. "Look at camera four."
On the screen, the mercenaries pushed Chloe out into the courtyard, shoving her toward the sliding door of their black van. Just as the lead mercenary reached for the door handle, Julian slammed his palm down on a red override switch.
CRASH.
Heavy, reinforced steel shutters dropped from the courtyard roof with blinding speed, slamming into the concrete and trapping the three mercenaries and the vehicle in an impenetrable enclosure. At the same time, an electromagnetic pulse wave rippled through the courtyard, short-circuiting the van's engine and frying the mercenaries' communication gear instantly.
The mercenaries scrambled in panic, dropping their weapons as they realized they were caged like animals.
"Now!" Julian shouted, grabbing a heavy tactical riot shield from the bunker wall and sliding the heavy steel door open. "Naomi, stay inside the panic room. Lock it behind me."
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"No way!" Naomi grabbed a heavy metal flashlight from the emergency kit, her jaw set. "I'm not staying behind. I kept her safe in the warehouse, and I'm seeing this through to the end."
Julian didn't argue. He gave a sharp nod, and together, they sprinted out of the bunker and up through the side corridors toward the north courtyard.
