Chapter 6 - The Ticking Clock
The heavily armed police officers pounded furiously against the impenetrable steel shutters from the outside.
Inside the grand foyer, Julian dropped his teacup, his arrogant smirk entirely replaced by genuine panic.
He screamed at Elara to reverse the lockdown command immediately before they all died.
Elara completely ignored him and looked directly into Daniel's frantic eyes.
She calmly promised Daniel that she had not actually armed any explosives in the building.
She explained that her hack had simply uncovered a hidden, pre-existing demolition protocol already programmed into the house.
Julian had secretly wired the family estate with explosives, intending to destroy all the financial evidence and blame it on a tragic gas leak.
Elara's bypass had accidentally triggered the hidden countdown timer, which was currently displayed on the wall monitor at exactly ten minutes.
Daniel grabbed Julian by the collar of his expensive suit and slammed him violently against the marble wall.
He demanded the deactivation code, but Julian laughed hysterically, claiming the timer was designed to be completely irreversible.
Elara dropped her backpack onto the floor and pulled out her notebook, rapidly writing down the sequence of flashing lights on the security panel.
She recognized the complex algorithm controlling the explosive network running through the walls.
She told Daniel that the central detonator was not located in the basement or the utility room.
Her mathematical triangulation proved the primary explosive device was currently transmitting from the second floor.
Daniel's blood ran absolutely cold as he realized exactly which room was directly above them.
He left Julian on the floor and sprinted desperately up the grand spiral staircase.
Elara followed closely behind him, carrying the sleeping baby tightly against her chest.
They burst through the heavy wooden doors of the lavish nursery and tore the room apart.
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Hidden directly beneath the expensive mattress of Sophie's customized wooden crib was a massive block of military-grade explosives.
The glowing red digital timer on the device mercilessly ticked down to exactly ninety seconds.
