Chapter 9 - The Siege of the Vance EstateAn hour later, a fleet of three unmarked black helicopters cut through the rainy skies over upstate New York, heading toward the secluded Vance Estate in the Hudson Valley—Vivienne’s ancestral stronghold.
Inside the lead helicopter, Alex adjusted his tactical vest. Beside him, Marcus was loading heavy armor-piercing rounds into his rifle.
"Vivienne’s stronghold is heavily fortified," Marcus warned, pointing to a holographic map of the estate on his tablet. "She has automated turret systems, forty elite mercenaries, and an underground lab facility. If we don't breach the lower levels in five minutes, she'll purge the research data and execute her escape plan via submarine through the river access."
"I'm not letting her escape," Alex said grimly. "Margaret!"
Through his earpiece, Margaret's sharp voice came through from the Sterling Tower war room. "I'm here, Mr. Sterling. I've bypassed the Hudson Valley power grid. On your mark, I'm cutting electricity to the entire county for three minutes."
"Do it now," Alex commanded.
Below them, the sprawling, brightly lit estate suddenly plunged into pitch darkness. The automated defense turrets sputtered and died as the backup generators struggled to kick in.
"Go! Go! Go!" Marcus yelled.
The helicopters hovered low over the courtyard as tactical teams rappelled down onto the stone terrace. Alex dropped onto the wet cobblestones, drawing a sidearm, and moved with cold, military-like precision alongside Marcus’s men.
They breached the heavy oak front doors with explosives, clearing room by room through heavy smoke and flashes of gunfire. Alex fought like a man possessed, suppressing mercs with accurate shots, pushing relentlessly toward the subterranean levels.
They reached the heavy steel vault doors of the underground laboratory.
"The door is reinforced titanium!" one of the tactical operatives yelled. "It'll take twenty minutes to burn through!"
"We don't have twenty minutes!" Alex shouted. He stepped up to the digital panel beside the door. "Margaret! Upload the Genesis Strand bypass code from my phone!"
"Uploading now, sir!"
The biometric screen on the vault door flickered yellow, then blue, reading the unique genetic signature emitting from Alex's encrypted terminal. ACCESS GRANTED.
The massive steel doors hissed open.
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Inside, sitting in front of a wall of glowing servers, was Vivienne Vance. Beside her stood a man in a lab coat holding two large syringes filled with a glowing, amber fluid.
"You're too late, Nephew," Vivienne sneered, holding a remote detonator in her hand. "I've already initiated the extraction transfer. And if you take one step closer, I blow this entire facility into oblivion!"
