Chapter 11 - The Fall of the Vane
The flashbang detonated with a blinding flash of white light and a thunderous roar that shook the concrete walls.
The guards were instantly disoriented, clutching their ears and eyes. Marcus didn't hesitate. He leaned out from behind his pillar and fired three precise shots, taking down the two lead mercenaries.
Grant lunged forward, tackling Julian Vane to the floor before the man could trigger the remote detonator. The device flew from Julian’s hand, skidding across the slippery floor toward the glass wall.
Grant and Julian wrestled violently on the ground. Julian pulled a tactical knife from his belt, slashing wild blade strikes at Grant’s face. Grant caught Julian’s wrist, forcing the blade away, and slammed his elbow into Julian’s jaw with brutal force.
"That... is for my daughter!" Grant growled, punching him again.
"And this," Grant yelled, driving a knee into Julian’s ribs, "is for my wife!"
Julian groaned, his grip slacking as the knife clattered away.
Behind them, Marcus successfully bypassed the door mechanism of Clara’s cell. The heavy steel door slid open with a hiss. Clara rushed out, throwing her arms around Lily and Emma, pulling her daughter into a desperate, sobbing embrace.
"Grant! The charges!" Clara screamed, pointing at the wall panel inside her cell. "He set thermite explosives in the structural supports! This whole wing is going to collapse!"
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Grant dragged Julian up by his lapels, slamming him against the wall. "How do we stop the timer?"
Julian spat blood onto the floor, grinning sadistically through his broken teeth. "You can't. It’s a dead-man's switch. The moment my heart rate spikes above 160, the counter starts. You have three minutes to get off this mountain before the ceiling comes down."
