Chapter 17 - The Final Corridor
The lead operative snapped his rifle upward, but before he could acquire his target, a heavy steel security shutter slammed down over the front foyer windows, sealing the exits. Simultaneously, heavy interior bulkheads dropped into place across every hallway, fragmenting the tactical team into isolated, manageable groups.
“Trap! It’s a box!” an operative shouted into his comms.
Conrad didn't wait for them to recover. He moved down the staircase with terrifying speed, dropping into cover behind a marble pillar as the first wild bursts of suppressed gunfire chewed into the wooden paneling around him.
The tactical team tried to coordinate their advance, but they were fighting in a house designed by engineers who understood every blind spot, every acoustic echo, and every defensive angle. One by one, Conrad dismantled their formation—disarming operatives with precise, brutal efficiency, turning their own overwhelming numbers against them until the grand hallway fell completely silent, save for the groans of defeated men sprawled across the marble floor.
Only the team leader remained, backed into a corner near the library doors, his weapon jammed and his hands shaking as Conrad stepped into the light before him.
May you like
Conrad didn't strike him. He simply reached out, ripped the tactical comms unit off the man’s shoulder, and held the receiver up to his own mouth.
“Director Vance,” Conrad said, his voice deadly calm. “Your men are out of commission. If you want the ledger, you’ll have to come and get it yourself.”
