Chapter 7 - The Desperate Measure
The digital timer on the wall suddenly skipped forward, turning a blinding, frantic shade of red.
Camille grabbed Julian's arm, her fingers digging painfully into his strong muscles.
"Is there any way to override the ventilation system?" Camille asked, her voice tight with rising panic.
Julian stared at the heavy steel grate near the ceiling where the deadly gas would soon deploy.
"The electronic lock is completely fried from the outside," Julian muttered, inspecting the internal wiring panel.
He knew that simply cutting the wires would instantly trigger the fail-safe and release the toxin immediately.
Elsie sat perfectly still on the floor, holding her mother's leg while Rex stood guard over them both.
Julian looked at the small plastic basin Elsie had carried inside with her dog-washing supplies.
It was still half full of grey, soapy water.
Julian's mind raced as he remembered the brutal survival tactics he had learned decades ago on the streets.
"Camille, I need you to strip the rubber coating off these two main power wires," Julian ordered urgently.
He handed her his tactical knife while he grabbed the plastic basin of water.
Camille did not ask any questions; she simply worked with fast, precise movements.
"What are you going to do?" she asked, handing him the exposed copper wires.
"I am going to intentionally short-circuit the entire security mainframe by overloading the secondary power grid," Julian explained.
He carefully placed the plastic basin directly underneath the main electrical junction box.
Julian knew the resulting electrical explosion could easily blind them or start a massive fire inside the confined space.
The timer ticked down to an agonizing sixty seconds.
Julian jammed the raw copper wires directly into the main circuit breaker.
He kicked the basin of water upward, splashing it violently across the exposed, high-voltage electrical grid.
A blinding flash of blue light exploded inside the small room, accompanied by a deafening, crackling boom.
The entire mansion's power grid violently shut down, plunging the safe room into total, absolute darkness.
The heavy magnetic locks on the titanium door instantly released with a loud, metallic clank.
Julian kicked the heavy door open, stepping out into the smoke-filled office with his gun drawn.
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Before his eyes could adjust to the darkness, three tactical flashlights completely blinded him from across the room.
"Drop the gun, Julian," Bennett commanded, holding a massive assault rifle perfectly aimed at Camille's chest.
