Chapter 88: Silence
Xavier gripped the edge of the iron bed frame. His knuckles turned white. Cold sweat poured from his temples. He ignored the stinging pain in his chest every time he took a breath. Frans stood beside him, ready to support Xavier's shaky body.
"Xav, are you really sure you can walk right now?" Frans asked with a worried tone.
"Don't talk much. Take me to the room next door," Xavier answered with a raspy voice.
"Take it slow, Xav," Frans said.
They walked slowly out of Xavier’s medical room. Each step felt like a heavy weight to Xavier. He held back a groan in his throat. Once they reached the door to Agatha's room, Xavier paused. He caught his ragged breath. Pierre opened the door without a sound.
Xavier walked inside. The room was only lit by the green blinking monitor lights. Agatha lay there with a very pale face. An oxygen mask still covered her nose and mouth. Melynda sat in the chair beside the bed, holding Agatha’s hand. As soon as she saw her son enter, Melynda stood up in a hurry.
"Xavier, why did you come here?" Melynda whispered while approaching.
"I had to see her, Mom," Xavier said softly.
Xavier approached Agatha’s bed. He looked at his wife’s face with a deep gaze. His trembling hand reached out to touch Agatha’s hair scattered on the pillow. He leaned his body down bit by bit.
"Ugh," Xavier groaned softly when the wound on his stomach pulled.
He kept moving his face closer until his forehead touched Agatha’s. Xavier closed his eyes. He kissed Agatha’s forehead very gently for a long time. A long silence filled the room.
"I will be back. I will finish anyone who touches you," Xavier whispered right into Agatha’s ear.
Xavier straightened his body again. He looked at Melynda with a very serious stare.
"Watch her and our child, Mother. Just kill anyone who gets close," Xavier said.
"I will watch her with my own life, Xavier. Please, come back safe," Melynda said with a shaking voice.
Xavier gave a small nod. He turned and walked out of the room with a steadier step than before. In the hallway, Don Cardios was already waiting with ten elite soldiers in black uniforms without insignia.
"Is my grandson-in-law ready?" Don Cardios asked with a heavy voice.
"We are leaving now. I want Marco D'Angelo to know he made a huge mistake," Xavier answered.
"Marco, give him the bulletproof vest," Don Cardios ordered his aide.
"Yes, Don," the aide named Marco replied.
They moved toward the elevator leading to the basement. Inside the elevator, the atmosphere felt very tense. Only the sound of the elevator motor moving down was heard.
"How many of them are on the outer perimeter?" Xavier asked Frans.
"There are about fifty, Xav. They are split into three small groups. They are using drones to monitor the main gate," Frans explained.
"We aren't going through the main gate. We will use the rat tunnel on the east side," Xavier said.
"That tunnel hasn't been used in a long time, Xav," Frans noted.
"That is the reason they won't be guarding it," Xavier shot back coldly.
The elevator doors opened. They walked out into a large underground parking area. Three black SUVs were already waiting with their engines running. Xavier got into the first car with Don Cardios and Frans.
"Use weapons with silencers. We take them out one by one without making a scene and take their weapons too," Don Cardios ordered through the comms.
The cars moved out through a hidden path covered by thick bushes. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the edge of the woods bordering the outer perimeter of the Valois estate. Xavier got out of the car with an assault rifle in his hand.
"Frans, you take the left side. Don Cardios’s men take the right. I will move through the middle," Xavier ordered.
"Xav, let me be in front," Frans tried to stop him.
"This is an order, Frans. Move out now," Xavier said sharply.
They started sneaking into the dark woods. The sound of boots stepping on dry leaves was very minimal. Xavier moved very carefully. He saw two of Marco D'Angelo’s guards standing near a large tree while smoking.
"Target in sight," Xavier whispered into the microphone on his collar.
"Do it," Don Cardios replied.
"Phuutt! Phuutt!"
Two muffled gunshots rang out. Both guards slumped down instantly with holes in their heads. Xavier moved forward and dragged their bodies behind the bushes. He also took their weapons.
"Clear. Moving to the next point," Xavier said.
Back at the house, Melynda was still sitting beside Agatha. Her mouth did not stop moving as she recited prayers.
"God, please protect Xavier. Please wake Agatha up. Do not take anyone else from my life," Melynda whispered.
"Mmhh," a soft moan came from behind Agatha’s oxygen mask.
Melynda immediately stood up and leaned in close. "Agatha? Can you hear me? Mother is here," she said.
Agatha did not answer. Her eyelids only flickered slightly before falling still again. Melynda let out a long sigh. She wiped a tear that fell down her cheek.
Back in the woods, Xavier’s team had successfully approached a temporary camp belonging to Marco D'Angelo’s forces. There were three large tents and several armored vehicles parked there.
"They are setting up rocket launchers," Frans whispered over the radio.
"Destroy the fuel tanks of their vehicles first. It will create a distraction," Xavier ordered.
Xavier aimed at the gas tank on the furthest truck. He waited for the signal from the other team.
"Position ready," the Cardios team reported.
"Fire," Xavier said.
"Phuutt! Pyarr!"
The bullet pierced the gas tank. Fuel began to spill onto the ground. A guard noticed it and shouted.
"Hey! We have a leak over here!" the guard yelled.
"Now," Xavier ordered.
The Cardios team threw smoke grenades into the center of the camp. Thick white smoke immediately covered everyone’s view. Muffled gunshots started echoing through the smoke.
"Akh! Help!" one of Marco’s mercenaries screamed.
"Don't let them return fire!" Frans shouted.
Xavier moved forward into the smoke. He saw an enemy trying to reload his weapon. Xavier immediately slammed the butt of his rifle into the man’s jaw.
"Brak!"
The man fell face down. Xavier fired one shot into his chest to make sure he didn't get back up. In less than ten minutes, the camp area was filled with bodies. Not a single alarm managed to go off.
"Check the documents inside the tent. Find out where Marco D'Angelo is right now," Xavier ordered.
Frans went into the main tent and came out with a military tablet. "Sir, they have a plan for a major attack in the next two hours. Marco is in the old building across this hill."
"Good. We have reduced their strength significantly," Don Cardios said as he appeared from the darkness.
"We are going back to the estate now. We have to strengthen the defense inside before they realize this camp is destroyed," Xavier said.
"Take all the weapons we have collected," Frans added.
They moved quickly to leave the location before enemy reinforcements arrived. Their SUVs sped back to the Valois estate with the lights turned off. As soon as they were inside the gate, Xavier got out with his breathing becoming heavy again.
"Ugh," Xavier held his stomach which was leaking fresh blood behind the bandages again.
"Xav! You are bleeding again!" Frans shouted while catching Xavier’s body.
"Take me to the monitor room. Don't worry about the wound," Xavier ordered with a loud tone.
Don Cardios looked at Xavier with hidden respect. "You truly are a Valois."
Frans helped Xavier sit in the chair of the control room. Xavier looked at the monitors showing various angles of the estate.
"Frans, set up that device now," Xavier ordered.
Frans nodded. He took a small black box out of his tactical bag. The box had several short antennas and red indicator lights.
"This signal jammer will kill all electronic devices within a five hundred meter radius, Xav. Including ours," Frans explained.
"Just do it. Without electronics, their drones and automatic rocket launchers are useless. We will fight manually," Xavier said.
Frans placed the box on the main table. He pressed a large button in the middle.
"Klik."
The indicator lights began to blink fast. A low humming sound started filling the room.
"Three, two, one," Frans counted.
Suddenly, all the lights in the room went out. The monitor screens that were bright just a moment ago went totally dead. The sound of the air conditioning also stopped instantly. Total silence immediately wrapped around the entire Valois estate.
"It is active, Sir," Frans whispered in the dark.
"Now they are blind," Xavier said softly.
Xavier tried to regulate his breathing in the thick darkness. He could feel his own heart beating fast. In the distance, faint sounds of frustrated screams came from the woods, indicating the enemy’s devices were also dying.
"Frans, have you prepared the manual backup lights?" Xavier asked.
"Yes, Xav. But we have to wait a few moments so they are really confused," Frans answered.
Xavier went silent. He turned toward the darkness leading to Agatha’s room. He knew that from this moment on, technology could no longer help them. Only courage and physical strength would decide who survived until sunrise.
"Give me my pistol back," Xavier said.
Frans handed the cold pistol into Xavier’s hand. Xavier felt its surface with fingers that were still shaking from the pain.
"What is our next move, Xav?" Frans asked quietly.
Xavier did not answer right away. He listened to the sound of the wind blowing outside the window. The atmosphere inside the house felt very cold and tense.
"We wait for them to walk into the trap," Xavier muttered.
Suddenly, the sound of running footsteps was heard from the emergency stairs. Someone was running toward the monitor room in a panic.
"Who is that?" Frans shouted while pointing his weapon at the door.
The door burst open with a loud noise.
"Brak!"
A shadow stood in the doorway with ragged breathing.
"Mr. Xavier! Mrs. Agatha!" the person screamed.
"What happened to Agatha?" Xavier asked while trying to stand up in a panic.
"Her heart stopped, Sir!"