Chapter 17 - THE SIEGE OF THE MANSIONDownstairs, the smart-home lights flickered once, twice, and then plunged the entire estate into total darkness.
Only the faint emergency red glow of the backup architectural lighting cast long, eerie shadows across the marble floors of the foyer.
Clank. Squeak.
The heavy steel door of the southern utility tunnel—hidden behind the basement wine cellar—slowly creaked open.
Footsteps. Heavy, tactical boots stepping onto the polished stone floor of the lower level. One, two, three figures clad in full tactical gear, their faces hidden behind dark Kevlar balaclavas and night-vision goggles, slipped silently into the mansion.
They moved with professional, military-grade precision, clearing the lower hallways room by room, expecting an abandoned fortress.
They didn't know Nathan Cole was waiting at the top of the grand staircase.
Standing on the dark upper landing, clad in dark tactical clothing that blended seamlessly with the shadows, Nathan held a specialized EMP disruptor in one hand and his sidearm in the other. Beside him, Marcus aimed a heavy suppression rifle downward.
"Let them get to the center of the foyer," Nathan whispered into his comm-link.
The three intruders swept into the center of the grand entryway, their rifle barrels sweeping back and forth across the dark room.
"Area clear," the lead operative muttered through his radio vocoder. "Target structure is wide open. Proceed to the master suite and secure—"
CLIC-CLACK.
The massive iron chandelier high above the foyer suddenly dropped six inches before locking in place with a deafening mechanical snap. At the same time, every exit door on the ground floor slammed shut and bolted automatically via the override system Nathan had secretly restored.
"What the—?" the lead operative whipped his rifle upward.
"You’re trespassing," Nathan’s voice boomed down from the darkness of the upper landing like the voice of an avenging god.
Before the intruders could raise their weapons, Marcus triggered the overhead floodlights.
FLASH.
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Blinding white halogen light flooded the grand foyer, instantly burning out the intruders' night-vision goggles and throwing them into total disorientation.
"Drop your weapons on the ground, or you die right where you stand!" Nathan shouted, stepping out onto the upper balcony, his sidearm leveled directly at the lead operative's chest.
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