Chapter 55
The ventilation system of the massive Virginia estate was a claustrophobic labyrinth of sharp turns and freezing, rushing air. Michael and Claire crawled on their stomachs, navigating the tight space using the tiny flashlight on Michael’s smartwatch. The metallic clanging of their movements was somewhat masked by the heavy hum of the central air conditioning unit, but the tension was suffocating.
"Ethan, we're in the ductwork," Michael whispered, coughing softly as decades of dust filled his lungs. "Where does this lead?"
"Calculating the blueprints now," Ethan’s voice crackled, barely audible over the rush of air. "If you take the next left junction, the duct runs parallel to the west wing service corridor. It vents out near the loading docks where the catering vans are parked. You need to hurry. Thorne has locked down the entire perimeter. He’s actively searching every vehicle."
Upstairs in the ballroom, chaos had silently descended. Thorne’s security teams were discreetly sealing the exits, preventing the elite guests from leaving under the guise of a temporary "security precaution." Nathan and Sarah had retreated to a secluded balcony overlooking the gardens, assessing their extremely limited options.
"We can't just walk out the front door," Sarah stated, her hand resting near her concealed weapon. "Thorne knows we were the ones standing next to him when the ping triggered. He’s going to put two and two together very soon."
"We don't need to walk out," Nathan said calmly, looking down at the manicured lawns. "We just need to create a distraction large enough to allow Michael and Claire to drive that catering van through the front gates."
Nathan pulled out his cell phone, bypassing his usual contacts and opening a deeply encrypted application Ethan had installed years ago. It was a direct line to the foundation's emergency network.
"Ethan," Nathan said, his voice hard and uncompromising. "Access the estate's smart-home grid. I want you to overload the primary circuit breakers. Kill the lights, trigger the fire suppression sprinklers in the main ballroom, and set off every single car alarm in the driveway simultaneously."
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"That will cause an absolute, massive panic, Dad," Ethan warned.
"That’s exactly what I want," Nathan replied. "Do it now."
