Chapter 6 - The Fall of the Bastion
""Julian Thorne,"" Alexander breathed into the comms, his blood turning to ice.
""Always a pleasure, brother-in-law,"" Julian's voice came through the speaker with mocking amusement. ""You have five minutes. Don't make me destroy the artwork in the foyer. It's dreadfully expensive.""
The line cut out with a click of static.
In the darkness of the vault, Clara pulled out a small tactical penlight, casting a sharp beam across the steel reinforced walls. ""There’s no other door. How do we get out?""
""There's an emergency escape tunnel beneath the backup generator,"" Alexander said, moving toward the far corner where a heavy steel plate was bolted to the floor. ""It leads to the old wine cellars, then out into the sea caves beneath the cliff. But the generator must be cut manually to open the pressure hatch.""
""I'll do it,"" Clara said instantly.
""No,"" Alexander caught her wrist. His touch lingered, his fingers rough against her skin. ""You take Lily. If anything happens to me, you take the boat docked in the sea cave. Head for international waters.""
""I spent my life hiding from the Thornes, Alexander,"" Clara said, her eyes blazing in the faint light. ""I didn't come here to run again. Eleanor died because she ran. We fight, or we die together.""
Before Alexander could protest, the hiss of gas seeped through the ceiling vents. A faint, odorless warmth began to fill the vault. Carbon monoxide.
""We have three minutes,"" Clara said, scooping Lily into the sling and securing her tight against her chest. ""Move!""
Alexander grabbed the pneumatic wrench from the tool locker, dropping to his knees and unscrewing the floor bolts with violent desperation. Clara held the flashlight steady, her other hand ready on her sidearm. As the last bolt gave way, Alexander yanked the heavy iron grate open. A rush of damp, salty ocean air blew up from the darkness below.
""Jump!"" Alexander ordered.
May you like
Clara slid through the narrow shaft without hesitation. Alexander followed, pulling the heavy grate back over the opening just as footsteps echoed across the vault floor above.
A burst of automatic gunfire tore through the grate, the sparks illuminating the jagged rock walls of the subterranean abyss.
