Chapter 10: The Power Outage
The sudden plunge into darkness sent a sharp chill through the room. Marcus immediately reached for his tactical flashlight, clicking it on to sweep the perimeter of the expansive living room. The beam cut through the shadows, illuminating the floor-to-ceiling windows where the rain had begun to pelt against the glass in heavy, rhythmic sheets.
“Security system has been remotely overridden,” one of Marcus’s operatives reported, his voice tense as he unholstered his sidearm. “We’re locked down. The smart-home network has been hacked.”
Eleanor set her tea down on the glass table, her instincts kicking into high gear. She didn't panic; she calculated. If the system was hacked, it meant someone had physical access to the server room located on the sub-level of the building.
“They aren't here to hurt us,” Eleanor said calmly, her voice cutting through the hum of the emergency generators. “They’re here to erase the physical backups.”
Marcus turned to her, his flashlight beam reflecting off his sharp features. “What physical backups? You gave everything to the feds.”
“Not everything,” Eleanor replied, walking steadily toward the grand piano in the corner of the room. She pressed a hidden release mechanism beneath the wooden keyboard, sliding out a secret compartment lined with black velvet. Inside lay a micro-SD card containing encrypted communication logs between Julian and an unknown foreign entity—logs that proved Vance Global had been selling classified defense technology to overseas competitors.
Before Marcus could reach her, the French doors leading to the balcony shattered inward with a deafening crash. Heavy rain blew into the room, accompanied by a dark figure dressed head-to-toe in tactical gear, moving with lethal efficiency.
Marcus’s security operative fired his weapon, but the intruder ducked behind a pillar, returning fire with a silenced pistol that shattered a crystal vase inches from Martha’s head. Martha screamed, dropping to her knees and covering her ears.
The intruder vaulted over the sofa, closing the distance between himself and Eleanor in seconds. He lunged forward, his gloved hand grabbing the edge of the velvet compartment inside the piano. Eleanor didn't hesitate; she slammed the heavy wooden fallboard down onto his fingers with all her might.
The intruder cursed in pain, releasing his grip, but not before he managed to sweep his knife across the velvet lining, slicing the secret compartment open. The micro-SD card was gone.
The sudden plunge into darkness sent a sharp chill through the room. Marcus immediately reached for his tactical flashlight, clicking it on to sweep the perimeter of the expansive living room. The beam cut through the shadows, illuminating the floor-to-ceiling windows where the rain had begun to pelt against the glass in heavy, rhythmic sheets.
“Security system has been remotely overridden,” one of Marcus’s operatives reported, his voice tense as he unholstered his sidearm. “We’re locked down. The smart-home network has been hacked.”
Eleanor set her tea down on the glass table, her instincts kicking into high gear. She didn't panic; she calculated. If the system was hacked, it meant someone had physical access to the server room located on the sub-level of the building.
“They aren't here to hurt us,” Eleanor said calmly, her voice cutting through the hum of the emergency generators. “They’re here to erase the physical backups.”
Marcus turned to her, his flashlight beam reflecting off his sharp features. “What physical backups? You gave everything to the feds.”
“Not everything,” Eleanor replied, walking steadily toward the grand piano in the corner of the room. She pressed a hidden release mechanism beneath the wooden keyboard, sliding out a secret compartment lined with black velvet. Inside lay a micro-SD card containing encrypted communication logs between Julian and an unknown foreign entity—logs that proved Vance Global had been selling classified defense technology to overseas competitors.
Before Marcus could reach her, the French doors leading to the balcony shattered inward with a deafening crash. Heavy rain blew into the room, accompanied by a dark figure dressed head-to-toe in tactical gear, moving with lethal efficiency.
Marcus’s security operative fired his weapon, but the intruder ducked behind a pillar, returning fire with a silenced pistol that shattered a crystal vase inches from Martha’s head. Martha screamed, dropping to her knees and covering her ears.
The intruder vaulted over the sofa, closing the distance between himself and Eleanor in seconds. He lunged forward, his gloved hand grabbing the edge of the velvet compartment inside the piano. Eleanor didn't hesitate; she slammed the heavy wooden fallboard down onto his fingers with all her might.
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The intruder cursed in pain, releasing his grip, but not before he managed to sweep his knife across the velvet lining, slicing the secret compartment open. The micro-SD card was gone.
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