Chapter 2 Race Against Time

The air in the control room was suffused with a suffocating tension as the timer ticked down. The fate of both the estate and the city loomed heavily over Ethan and his team. The monitors flickered ominously, the countdown glowing red like a beacon of doom.

Victor's unconscious form lay slumped on the floor, a cruel smile still etched on his face. Even in defeat, he had managed to seize the upper hand.

Ethan knelt beside Elena, his voice low but urgent. "How do we stop both?"

Elena bit her lip, her fingers flying over the console. "I can disable one, maybe. But without knowing how the secondary protocol is connected, we're gambling."

Commander Hale stepped forward, his expression grim. "We have a team ready to intercept the truck, but they won't reach it in time unless we buy them some."

Reed glanced between them, his jaw tightening. "What about splitting up? One of us goes after the truck while the others stay to deal with this."

"That's a death wish," Ethan snapped, his voice sharp. "Victor planned this too carefully. We need to outthink him, not play into his hands."

---

**Elena's Breakthrough**

Elena's eyes widened as a new line of code scrolled across the screen. She leaned closer, her fingers trembling as she navigated through the system. "Wait. The detonator here is linked to the truck. If I can reroute the signal-"

"Will that disable both?" Hale asked, his tone skeptical but hopeful.

Elena shook her head. "It'll buy us time by delaying the city bomb's trigger. But the estate..."

Ethan placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Do it. Save the city first. We'll figure out the rest."

Elena hesitated, her eyes searching his for reassurance. When she found it, she nodded, determination hardening her features. Her fingers danced over the keys, lines of code shifting as she overrode the protocol.

---

**The Clock Runs Out**

The timer hit the one-minute mark, and an ear-splitting alarm filled the room. Ethan's heart pounded as Hale barked orders into his comms, directing his team to evacuate.

"Thirty seconds!" Reed shouted, his voice barely audible over the chaos.

Elena hit the final key, and the countdown on the monitor froze at twenty-three seconds. The room plunged into an eerie silence, the only sound the heavy breathing of those present.

"It worked," she whispered, relief washing over her.

But the victory was short-lived. A new alert flashed on the screen: "Manual Override Detected. Countdown Resuming."

Ethan's stomach dropped as the timer restarted, the numbers ticking down relentlessly.

---

**A Desperate Gamble**

Victor stirred, groaning as he opened his eyes. His weak laugh drew their attention. "You think you can outsmart me? You don't even know where the failsafe is."

Ethan grabbed him by the collar, his voice low and dangerous. "Then tell me. Where is it?"

Victor smirked, blood staining his teeth. "You'll never make it in time."

Reed stepped forward, his weapon raised. "We don't have time for games, Victor. Talk."

Victor's gaze flicked to Elena, then back to Ethan. "She'll have to choose. The failsafe is in the south wing-opposite the evacuation route."

Ethan released him roughly, turning to Hale. "Get your team out. We'll handle this."

"You're out of your mind," Hale said. "If you don't make it back in time-"

"We will," Ethan interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Go."

---

**The South Wing**

The south wing was a maze of corridors and locked doors, the air thick with the scent of smoke and dust. Every second felt like an eternity as Ethan, Elena, and Reed navigated their way toward the failsafe.

Elena's voice broke the silence. "There's something else he's not telling us. It can't be this simple."

"It never is," Reed muttered, his eyes scanning their surroundings. "Stay alert."

They reached the end of the corridor, a heavy steel door blocking their path. Elena examined the keypad beside it, her brow furrowing. "This isn't just a lock. It's a biometric scanner."

Ethan's jaw clenched. "Then we take Victor with us."

Reed glanced back. "We don't have time for that."

Elena's eyes lit up. "Wait. I can hack it, but I'll need a few minutes."

"Make it fast," Ethan said, his gaze flicking to his watch. The timer was dangerously close to zero.

---

**The Failsafe**

The door finally creaked open, revealing a room filled with wires and machinery. At the center was a control panel, its screen displaying a countdown identical to the one they'd stopped earlier.

Elena rushed to the console, her hands moving faster than ever. "This is it. If I can disable the core trigger-"

A deafening explosion shook the building, cutting her off. The shockwave knocked them off their feet, and dust filled the air. Ethan shielded Elena as debris rained down around them.

When the dust settled, Reed coughed, his voice hoarse. "We're running out of time!"

Elena pushed herself to her feet, her hands trembling as she continued her work. "Almost there... just a little more..."

---

**Cliffhanger:**

The timer on the failsafe froze at three seconds, and the room went silent. But before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, a new sound filled the air-a high-pitched whine growing louder by the second.

Elena's eyes widened in horror as the monitors displayed a final message: "Failsafe Disabled. Secondary Device Activated."

Ethan turned to her, his voice low but urgent. "What does that mean?"

Her voice shook as she answered, "There's another bomb. And it's already counting down."

The screen switched to a live feed of the city center, a digital timer overlay ticking down from sixty seconds. The team stared in stunned silence, the gravity of the situation crashing over them like a wave.

"Ethan," Elena whispered, her voice breaking. "We're out of time."