Chapter 17 - The Blinding Light In The Cavern Shadows
The flashbang detonated with a blinding flash of ten million candlepower light and a deafening 170-decibel roar.
The shockwave tore through the enclosed cavern space, shattering glass lenses and throwing everyone to the damp stone ground.
The private security guards screamed in agony, clutching their ears as total spatial disorientation set in.
Richard Vance was thrown backward over the rock ledge, his satellite uplink terminal smashing into pieces on the rocks.
John didn't hesitate; despite the ringing in his ears, he lunged across the cavern floor toward the disoriented guards.
He tackled the first guard into the freezing subterranean pool, disarming him with a swift, practiced military strike.
Chloe covered baby Liam with her body, crouching behind a massive lithium crystal outcrop as sparks flew.
Martha was on her knees, groaning and clutching her eyes, completely blinded by the sudden tactical detonation.
John picked up the fallen rifle, racking the bolt and turning toward Richard Vance, who was crawling toward his briefcase.
"Move an inch, Vance, and I'll put a bullet through your spine," John warned, his voice cutting through the ringing noise.
Vance froze on the wet rocks, his face covered in mud and bloody scratches from the sharp mineral edges.
"John... please... don't do this!" Vance begged hysterically, holding his hands up in complete surrender.
"I can give you everything! The trust money, the offshore accounts, the evidence against your mother!" Vance babbled.
"I have recordings of her giving the orders! I kept backups on a secure cloud server!"
"Get up," John barked, grabbing the lawyer by his collar and hauling him to his feet like a ragdoll.
"You're going to testify in front of a federal grand jury, or I’ll leave you down here in the dark forever."
Martha slowly pulled herself up using the edge of the rock wall, her hair disheveled and her eyes bloodshot red.
She looked at her son holding the rifle, realizing for the very first time in her life that she had completely lost control.
"John... my son..." Martha whimpered, her voice suddenly shifting into a desperate, fake motherly tone.
"Don't do this to your own mother... I did everything for you... for your future..."
"Shut up, Martha," John said, his voice colder than the ice-water pool running through the cavern floor.
"You aren't my mother anymore. You're just a criminal waiting for a cell."
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Suddenly, the sound of heavy tactical boots echoing from the upper tunnel reached the cavern floor.
Dozens of red searchlights lit up the entrance as federal agents poured into the subterranean chamber with rifles drawn.
