Chapter 5 - The Blackout
Upstairs in the grand entryway, Julian poured two glasses of vintage champagne. He handed one to his mother, a triumphant smile plastered across his handsome, treacherous face.
"To the future," Julian toasted, raising his crystal flute.
"To power," Beatrice agreed.
Before their glasses could touch, the massive crystal chandelier above them flickered, hissed, and violently died.
The amber glow of the foyer vanished, instantly replaced by the terrifying, pitch-black void of a total power failure. The classical music playing on the automated sound system ground to a halt.
"Julian!" Beatrice shrieked in the darkness. "What happened? The backup generators should have kicked in immediately!"
"Calm down, Mother. It’s just a storm blowing out a transformer," Julian said, though a flicker of genuine panic laced his voice. He pulled out his phone, intending to call the estate manager.
NO SIGNAL.
"The cell towers are jammed," Julian whispered, staring at his screen in horror.
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Suddenly, the deafening sound of a breaching charge shattered the silence of the estate. The massive, reinforced front doors—designed to withstand a military assault—were blown completely off their hinges, crashing onto the Italian marble with the force of an earthquake.
Through the billowing smoke and dust, four figures clad in black tactical gear and night-vision goggles stepped into the grand entryway. Lasers cut through the darkness, painting Julian and Beatrice with deadly red dots.
