Chapter 16 - The Thermite Glow
Down in the sub-level vault, the muffled sounds of gunfire and explosions echoed through the reinforced concrete walls like distant thunder.
Emma was crying uncontrollably, burying her face in Sophia’s lap, while Oliver sat frozen, staring wide-eyed at the sealed steel door.
“Mommy, what’s happening? Is daddy okay?” Oliver whispered, his small voice trembling.
“He’s fine, sweetie. Your daddy is very strong,” Sophia lied, her own voice cracking as she pressed her hand against the cold metal of the door. Her mind raced with panic. Adrian was out there fighting an army alone. If Viktor’s men brought thermite charges down to the vault door, it wouldn't matter how thick the concrete was—the heat would eventually consume them all.
The emergency extraction button.
Adrian’s words flashed through her mind. Press the emergency extraction button behind the bookshelf, and let the automated tunnel take you to the river boat.
Sophia stood up immediately, rushing over to the towering mahogany bookshelf in the corner. She began frantically pulling aside heavy medical texts and historical novels until her fingers brushed against a cold, circular brass panel hidden behind a false backboard.
She pressed it.
With a low, mechanical whir, the entire bookshelf section slid smoothly inward, revealing a dark, descending stone tunnel lit by a faint strip of blue LED floor-lights. A small, self-contained automated transport car sat waiting on a single rail track inside.
“Kids, get up! Come with me right now!” Sophia commanded, her voice urgent but steady.
“Where are we going, Mommy?” Emma asked, wiping her tears.
“We’re going for a ride. Come on, hold my hand tightly,” Sophia urged, bundling both children into the small transport car. She climbed in behind them and punched the primary green activation button on the console.
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The glass-paneled hatch slid shut overhead, sealing them inside just as a blinding, white-hot flash of light illuminated the outer seam of the main vault door.
Thermite. They had reached the door.
