Chapter 17 - Escaping The Sudden Fire Trap In East Wing
Marcus stared at the elderly woman in absolute disbelief, his finger resting lightly on the trigger of his tactical sidearm.
"You brought me the warning parcel last night... you helped federal agents secure the gates... why are you doing this, Martha?" Marcus asked.
"Because the Vance family empire belongs to my branch of the bloodline, Marcus... not to an outsider who stumbled into wealth," Martha replied coldly.
She reached into her coat pocket, pressing a small wireless remote control attached to a red emergency detonation button.
A loud mechanical beep echoed through the subterranean archives as a series of heavy fire doors slammed shut across the hallways.
Sparks showered down from the overhead ventilation ducts as automated thermal ignition charges ignited along the baseboards.
Thick gray smoke began to billow upward from the floor grates, filling the ancient archive room with acrid, suffocating fumes.
"You're going to burn this entire history to the ground just to steal a corporate board seat?" Marcus shouted over the roaring flames.
"I'm going to finish what my brother Marcus started, and ensure no trace of your family remains in this house," Martha declared viciously.
She turned and sprinted toward a hidden service exit behind the bookshelves, slamming the heavy iron escape hatch shut behind her.
Marcus rushed forward, kicking the iron hatch repeatedly until the rusted hinges finally gave way under the force of his boots.
He coughed heavily against the thick smoke, pulling his shirt collar over his mouth as he scrambled through the opening toward fresh air.
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He emerged into the mansion's east courtyard just as the local fire department units arrived with sirens wailing across the lawn.
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