Chapter 2 - The Steel Trap
Panic instantly swept through the outdoor deck as hundreds of guests realized they were trapped.
Women in designer stilettos screamed and pounded their fists against the reinforced smart-glass walls.
Derrick dropped his champagne glass, his arrogant face draining of all color.
"Security, break the glass right now!" Derrick ordered his massive bodyguards, pointing toward the living room doors.
One of the guards pulled a heavy tactical baton and swung it with all his might against the sliding glass door.
The metal baton bounced off with a dull thud, not leaving a single scratch on the pristine surface.
"It is military-grade polycarbonate, Derrick," Ethan said, his voice cutting through the hysterical screaming.
"You can hit it with a truck and it won't shatter."
The robotic voice returned, echoing ominously off the canyon walls.
"Derrick Vance built this empire on stolen code and ruined lives."
"In exactly sixty minutes, the internal oxygen filtration system will reverse, pumping carbon monoxide into the enclosed estate."
"The only way to stop it is to transfer one hundred million dollars into my offshore account."
The crowd turned on Derrick like a pack of starving wolves, screaming at him to pay the ransom immediately.
Derrick pulled out his phone with trembling hands, trying frantically to access his crypto wallet.
"I don't have a signal, the house is jamming all cellular frequencies," Derrick panicked, staring at his useless screen.
He looked at his security team, who were equally helpless and terrified.
Finally, Derrick's desperate eyes landed on the man in the faded gray t-shirt.
"You built this system, Ethan," Derrick pleaded, his ego completely shattered.
"You have to get us out of here before we all die."
Ethan slowly took the worn leather backpack off his shoulder and set it gently on the wooden deck.
"I can get us out of here," Ethan replied coldly.
"But the hacker didn't just lock the doors, he engaged the lethal perimeter defense protocols."
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A low, mechanical hum vibrated beneath their feet, signaling the activation of the hidden defense drones.
"And those drones are programmed to shoot anything that moves," Ethan finished, pointing to the roof.
