Chapter 10 - The Second Vault

Mateo stood behind the police tape outside the perimeter fence, watching the excavation through a pair of binoculars. Even miles away from the estate, the pull of the house remained like a phantom weight on his chest. Beside him, Rosa sat in the passenger seat of their rental car, her eyes narrowing as she watched the live drone feed broadcasted by a local news station.
"What are they drilling into?" Rosa murmured, leaning closer to the screen. "There wasn't anything else on the architectural blueprints I stole."
On the monitor, the heavy steel door of the newly discovered underground vault slowly swung open on silent, greased hinges. A team of federal agents, wearing full hazmat gear and carrying tactical lights, descended into the dark stairwell.
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Minutes passed in dead silence. Then, the lead agent emerged, pulling off his respirator mask. He didn't look at the cameras; he grabbed his radio, his face pale with horror.
"Call headquarters," the agent's voice crackled through the live news broadcast. "Tell them to halt the demolition immediately. We found a secondary holding cell... and it wasn't built for storage."