Chapter 8 - THE MOTHER'S SACRIFICE
Elena navigated the walls until she reached the basement level, specifically the estate’s main server room. If Marcus had hijacked the security system, the physical servers were the only way to hard-reset the network and open the gates for the police. She set Liam down behind a rack of heavy-duty backup generators. "Stay here, close your eyes, and count to one hundred," she instructed. She crawled toward the main console. Through the glass partition of the basement, she saw Vanessa stalking down the stairs, sweeping a flashlight across the dark room. Vanessa had figured out where they were heading. "Come out, little mouse," Vanessa mocked, her voice echoing in the cavernous space. Elena saw a heavy fire extinguisher mounted on the wall. She waited until Vanessa’s flashlight beam swept past her position. With a primal scream, Elena lunged from the shadows, swinging the heavy red cylinder with all her might. It connected with Vanessa’s arm, sending the gun skittering across the concrete floor. The two women crashed into the server racks. It was a vicious, desperate struggle. Vanessa was trained, but Elena was a mother fighting for her child's life. Elena managed to kick Vanessa squarely in the chest, sending her sprawling, before grabbing a heavy wrench from the maintenance bench and smashing it repeatedly into the primary security motherboard.
