Chapter 17 - The Steam TrapThe blizzard raged outside as the front iron gates of the estate were blown off their hinges with a deafening roar of C4 explosives.
Through the blowing snow, twenty heavily armed mercenaries rushed across the pristine white lawn, weapons raised, moving with military precision toward the main glass entrance.
Inside the sub-level utility room, Emma’s hands flew across the digital and manual override valves of the estate's massive geothermal heating grid.
"Pressure at eighty percent!" Emma shouted over the roaring wind.
"Hold it!" Luca yelled, watching the thermal monitors as the mercenaries approached the marble steps of the front terrace.
"Now?!" Elena yelled from the valve control wheel.
"NOW!" Emma screamed.
Elena wrenched the massive red wheel three full rotations.
Beneath the frozen cobblestones of the front courtyard, high-pressure steam valves blasted open simultaneously. Instantly, thousands of gallons of superheated water flashed into thick, scalding vapor, erupting upward through the decorative grates and landscaping vents.
A wall of blinding, searing white steam engulfed the courtyard.
Shries of shock and agony echoed through the blizzard as the mercenaries dropped their weapons, clutching their gear, blinded and overwhelmed by the sudden tropical heatwave in sub-zero weather.
May you like
"Now we move!" Luca ordered.
He kicked open the side service door leading directly into the courtyard, stepping into the swirling white fog with his weapon drawn.
