Chapter 6 - Infiltration at Vale Manor
By midnight, the storm had transformed into a sweeping gale. The massive iron gates of Vale Manor stood ominous against the dark sky, locked tight under high-voltage electronic surveillance. But we weren't going through the gates.
Adrian, Dr. Thorne, and I parked our unmarked vehicle half a mile away down a muddy forest trail. Milo was safely secured with Dr. Thorne’s assistant in an armored vehicle near the hospital. In my jacket pocket, I carried the paper bird and a high-powered medical frequency generator that Dr. Thorne had calibrated to 432 Hertz.
“The servants' quarters have an old coal-chute entrance near the pantry,” I whispered, pulling back the heavy ivy off the stone foundation near the manor’s east wing. “Mrs. Gable never checked the padlocks there because she assumed no maid would ever crawl through the mud.”
Adrian watched me with an expression that was rapidly changing from cold distance to deep admiration. “You’re remarkable, Nora. Most people would have taken a severance check and run the moment security threw them out.”
“I couldn’t leave him,” I said simply. “I know what it’s like to have people talk about you like you’re broken, just because you can’t tell them where it hurts.”
We slipped through the narrow hatch, stepping into the dark, silent depths of the mansion basement. The air was thick with the scent of old wood, polish, and stone. Moving like shadows, we navigated up the narrow spiral staircase that led directly behind the wall paneling of the master study.
As we reached the hidden door behind the bookshelf, voices drifted from inside the study.
“Burn every file from the 2021 Zurich project,” Richard’s voice rang out sharp and furious. “And destroy the backup drives in Maya’s old safe! If the federal inspectors execute a search warrant tomorrow morning, I want nothing left but ashes!”
“What about Mrs. Gable?” another voice—Dr. Vance’s—asked nervously. “She’s in police custody at the hospital wing!”
“My lawyers are handling her,” Richard snapped. “She’ll take a financial settlement and take the fall as a disgruntled employee who acted alone. As long as Adrian doesn't find Maya's original research logs, they have no proof that I authorized the neural implant tests.”
Through the crack in the wooden paneling, I saw Richard standing in front of a heavy iron safe built into the chimney stack—Maya’s private vault. He was entering a six-digit code, holding a stack of leather-bound journals in his hand.
Adrian reached for his jacket, preparing to step out and confront him, but I caught his arm. I pointed to the ceiling above the fireplace. There was a small maintenance hatch used for chimney sweeping—a hatch that opened directly into Milo’s bedroom upstairs.
I whispered in Adrian’s ear: “The journals aren't the key. Look at what’s on his desk.”
On the mahogany desk lay a small silver bird—an exact metal replica of the paper bird Milo had crafted. It was the master activation key for the micro-chip system.
“We get the silver key, we disable the chip in Milo tonight, and Richard loses everything,” I whispered.
Suddenly, the thunder cracked outside, shaking the massive estate. The lights flickered and went out as a power surge tripped the emergency generators. The study plunged into pitch darkness.
“What happened to the lights?!” Vance yelled in panic.
May you like
“It’s just the storm!” Richard shouted. “Get the flashlight!”
In the dark, I didn't hesitate. I slipped through the secret panel into the pitch-black study.
