Chapter 3 - The Descent
The mechanical hum grew louder as three sleek, black drones rose menacingly above the roofline.
Red laser sights swept rapidly across the terrified crowd on the pool deck.
"Nobody move a muscle," Ethan commanded, his voice projecting unquestionable authority.
A young social media influencer panicked and bolted toward the edge of the infinity pool, hoping to jump to the hillside below.
A drone instantly tracked his rapid movement and fired a non-lethal, high-voltage shock dart.
The influencer collapsed into the shallow water, convulsing violently before floating unconscious.
Screams erupted again, but Ethan raised his hands, demanding absolute silence from the crowd.
"They track rapid movement and elevated heart rates, so everyone needs to stay completely still," Ethan explained quickly.
"I need to get to the main server room in the basement to manually override the defense grid."
Derrick shook his head, sweat pouring down his face, ruining his expensive collar.
"The elevator is disabled, and the basement stairs are sealed behind a biometric blast door."
"I have my retinal scan, but it requires a secondary voice print from my chief security officer," Derrick added in despair.
"Your security officer is locked outside the main gate," Ethan noted, unzipping his weathered backpack.
He pulled out a heavy, customized tablet wired to a mess of exposed circuit boards and processors.
"We are going to have to go through the ventilation shafts," Ethan said, looking toward the outdoor kitchen.
He walked slowly to a massive air intake grate built into the stone wall of the barbecue area.
Using a multi-tool from his pocket, he unscrewed the metal cover and pulled it aside to reveal a dark, narrow tunnel.
"You want me to crawl in there?" Derrick asked, looking horrified at the dust and cobwebs.
"You can stay here and wait for the carbon monoxide," Ethan replied casually, climbing into the dark shaft.
Derrick swallowed hard, abandoning his pride, and followed the man he had mocked just ten minutes prior.
They crawled in absolute darkness for what felt like hours, breathing in stale, dusty air.
Suddenly, the thin metal duct beneath Ethan gave way, dropping him violently into a pitch-black room.
Derrick fell right behind him, groaning loudly as his shoulder hit the solid concrete floor.
Ethan turned on his tablet screen to provide a dim, bluish glow in the darkness.
They were not in the main server room as Ethan had planned.
They were in the mansion's subterranean armory, and the electronic locking mechanism on the weapon vaults was glowing an angry red.
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"Ethan," Derrick whispered in terror, pointing a shaking finger at a digital display mounted on the wall.
The display read: "Incendiary charge armed, detonation in three minutes."
