Chapter 6 - The Siege
The next three hours were a blur of adrenaline. They sat in the control center, a room buried deep beneath the mansion, filled with screens. They watched as the "visitors"—a group of highly trained mercenaries—tried to breach the gates.
"They’re looking for a hard drive," Julian explained, his fingers dancing across the keyboard. "I stole it from a man who used it to manipulate international markets. I thought I could destroy it, but I’m still decrypting it."
"Why didn't you just destroy it?"
"Because it contains names, Nia. Names of people who are being blackmailed. Innocent people. If I destroy it, they stay trapped forever."
Nia looked at him, realizing the truth. He wasn't a criminal. He was a whistle-blower who had had to become a monster to survive. "We’re going to get it done," she said.
The mercenaries tried everything. They used explosives on the main gate, they hacked the external cameras, and they even tried to scale the walls with grappling hooks. But Julian had prepared for this. He had hidden assets that even his own security team didn't know about. He fired automated cannons that released non-lethal, high-pressure foam, and he activated sonic pulses that neutralized the mercenaries' communication devices.
But they were persistent. They kept coming, wave after wave, their movements becoming more desperate.
"They’re not going to stop until they get it," Julian muttered, his eyes glued to the screens. "They know we’re vulnerable."
"How do we end it?" Nia asked.
"I need to upload the data to a secure server," Julian said. "But the bandwidth is being blocked by their jamming devices. I need to get to the satellite dish on the roof."
"The roof?" Nia asked. "That’s suicide."
"It’s our only chance," Julian replied. "You stay here. Lock the door and don't let anyone in. I’ll go."
"No," Nia said, picking up a spare handgun from the security cabinet. "I’m going with you."
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Julian looked at her, his eyes blazing. "Nia, you don't know how to handle this."
"I know how to protect my neighbor," she said, her voice steady. "And I know how to help."
