Chapter 3 - The Oxygen Trap“The air filtration system!” Marco shouted, realization dawning in his eyes as he sprinted toward the master control panel by the nursery door.
He punched in his override code. The screen flashed a bright, mocking yellow: ACCESS DENIED: OVERRIDE INITIATED BY SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR (VANCE, A.).
“He’s venting the oxygen, boss!” Marco slammed his fist against the glass panel, cracking it. “The smart-home network controls the HVAC dampers. He’s sealing the nursery and the lower levels, pumping in nitrogen displacement gas. We have less than ten minutes before the air turns toxic!”
Panic threatened to claw its way up my throat, but I forced it down. In my world, panic was a luxury that cost lives.
“Stop hitting the panel,” I commanded, grabbing Marco by the shoulder and pulling him back. I scanned the room, my mind racing through the architectural blueprints I had memorized the day I bought the estate. “Vance always had a God complex. He never automated anything completely without a mechanical manual backup. Where is the physical sub-floor access for the nursery?”
Elena’s eyes widened. She set Sophie down gently behind a heavy oak armchair. “Mr. Moretti... when I was cleaning the baseboards last month... behind the rocking chair in the corner... there’s a loose brass floor plate.”
“Show me.”
We rushed to the corner of the room. I dropped to my knees, using the heavy metal buckle of my belt to pry up the brass plate. Beneath it lay a rusted iron wheel connected to a thick copper cable that disappeared straight down into the foundation.
“It’s a manual cable release,” I grunted, wrapping my hands around the cold iron wheel. “If I turn this counter-clockwise, it should manually force open the mechanical air-intake valves from the exterior courtyard.”
“I’ll help you, boss!” Marco grabbed the opposite side of the wheel.
“On three,” I said, muscles straining. “One. Two. Three!”
We heaved together. With a shriek of protesting metal and a shower of rusted dust, the wheel gave way, spinning furiously as fresh, cool night air rushed up from the floorboards, filling our lungs.
Outside in the hallway, the nannies and the triplets gasped as the heavy atmosphere cleared.
“Get the children outside through the courtyard window!” I ordered, looking back at Elena. “Take Sophie and run to the perimeter fence. Do not look back!”
Elena grabbed her daughter’s hand, terror etched into every line of her face. But before they could take a single step toward the hallway, the door frames shuddered.
A heavy, corrugated steel security gate slammed down from the ceiling of the doorway, sealing the nursery off from the rest of the upper floor entirely.
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We were trapped inside the nursery. Just me, Marco, Dr. Gable, Elena, and little Sophie.
And the red lights behind the ventilation grille weren't blinking anymore. They were glowing a steady, hypnotic crimson.
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