Chapter 77 Execution of the plan
Marcus looked her in the eye. "You know, I've been hiding from Catherine Bell for twenty-three years. I have been running from her for decades, secretly watching her every move, waiting for someone else to fight her. I have been nothing but a coward. It's time I stood up for myself."
"Just because you are staying here doesn't mean you are not standing up for yourself. You came out of hiding. You told us everything you know. You've given us a real chance to fight Catherine." Eva touched his arm. "That matters, Marcus."
"But it's not enough."
"It has to be, for now." Eva turned back to her gear. "If we succeed tonight, there will be plenty of fighting ahead. And, I'll need you then."
Marcus was quiet for a moment.
"She wasn't always a monster," he said finally. "Catherine wanted to make the world better when I first met her. Somewhere along the way, she lost sight of what that meant."
"Are you defending her?"
"No, I'm not. I'm just trying to understand her, and maybe help you understand too." Marcus's voice grew quieter.
"Catherine believes she's the hero of this story. That everything she does is justified by the greater good she's working toward. She's not doing this because she's evil. She's doing it because she's convinced herself that she's right."
"And, does that change anything?"
"It might change everything. Just listen to me, when you confront her, if you do, remember she believes she's saving the world. People like that don't respond to threats or arguments."
"Then what do they react to?"
"They only respond to doubt in their own mind." Marcus held her gaze. "You need to make her question herself, Eva. Make her wonder if her methods really serve her goals. That's the only way to defeat her."
Eva listened and kept his words in mind for later.
"I'll keep that in mind."
At that moment, Eva only cared about getting her children back.
Everything else could wait.
At midnight, the five teams deployed.
Eva sat in an unmarked van with Team Epsilon, watching city lights fade into suburban darkness as they drove toward the Catskills estate.
Tension filled the van. Everyone looked focused, twelve people getting ready to attack a fortified place without knowing exactly what they would face.
Next to Eva, Reyes absentmindedly rolled the same silver coin over his knuckles, a habit he never seemed to lose, no matter how dangerous things got.
The soft metallic clicks as it moved from finger to finger were oddly reassuring, a quiet heartbeat cutting through the tense silence.
Daniel sat beside her, reviewing tactical data on a tablet.
"Satellite imagery shows that at least eight external guards are posted in the mansion. They are rotating patrols every fifteen minutes. The main building has three floors and a basement. Heat signatures suggest twenty to thirty people are inside."
"Where would she keep them? I mean the children?"
"Probably in the basement. It's the most secure part of the estate. It's isolated and easy to control who goes in or out." Daniel pulled up building schematics, incomplete and based on public records and Marcus's information."
Daniel scanned the tab in his hand and pointed to a specific point on the screen.
"Look here, there's a service entrance on the north side that could take us straight to the lower levels." He tapped a grimy square on the display and quietly outlined the plan.
"We'll approach through the woods to avoid being seen, take out any cameras or external guards if necessary, and breach the north door at 0100 hours."
"Roger that," Reyes said, still playing with the coin.
"If we run into resistance or find that the route is blocked, we will fall back to the eastern utility access here," He pointed to the other door on the screen, "and split the team, half will secure the exit, and the other half will push forward. In the worst case, we will request the backup and hold position until another team can assist us."
"If everything goes according to plan, we might rescue the children without any problem."
"Might?"
"Well, the blueprints I have with me are thirty years old. I think the Architect has made some changes since then."
Eva looked at the schematic, trying to imagine Lily and Ethan somewhere in that maze of rooms and corridors.
Are they scared? Had they been hurt? Did they understand why this was happening?
She pushed the thoughts aside. She couldn't let herself be distracted or paralyzed by imagining the worst.
She needed to focus and follow the plan to rescue her children. If things changed, she would have to adapt.
And bring her children home.
Her comms crackled. Adrian's voice sounded: "All teams, this is Command. Confirm status."
One by one, the teams reported in. Alpha ready. Beta ready. Gamma ready. Delta ready.
"Team Epsilon. Ready," Daniel responded. "Twenty minutes to reach the target."
"Copy that. All teams remember, everyone enters at the same time. Exactly at 0100 hours. Keep radio discipline on until the objectives are secured or until the contact is made." Adrian paused. "Good hunting. May victory be on our side."
Eva closed her eyes and prepared herself for what was ahead.
In twenty minutes, she would either be reunited with her children or walk into a trap that could cost her everything.
Either way, there was no turning back.
The estate emerged from the darkness like something from a Gothic nightmare, with sharp angles and shadowed windows. Manicured grounds surrounded it, offering no cover for anyone trying to get close.
Team Epsilon positioned itself at the north service entrance, waiting in tense silence as the seconds ticked toward 0100.
Eva's heart raced. Her hands stayed steady on her weapon, but inside, she felt like screaming.
Fear gnawed at her—what if her children were terrified, or worse, what if they thought she had abandoned them? She clung to a hope that Lily and Ethan still believed she would come, that they would hold on until she reached them.
Every second that passed was another second her children spent under Catherine's control.
"Thirty seconds," Daniel murmured.
The team moved into its final positions. Two operators prepared breaching charges. Others aimed the external cameras they'd identified.
"Twenty seconds."
Eva remembered her daughter's smile, her son's serious eyes, and how they built that castle together while playing houses, arguing about moats and towers.
"Ten seconds."
She thought of Adrian, back at the command center, probably going out of his mind with worry.
"Five. Four. Three. Two. One."
"Charge."
The charges exploded. The door collapsed inward. The team moved through the opening in a coordinated rush.
Eva moved with the team, relying solely on her training. She was completely focused on the goal.
The team went down a corridor and passed a security station. A guard was ready to press the alarm to notify the rest of the mansion, but before he could, a soldier from the team stopped him.
Once the stationed guard was taken care of, they all entered a door marked "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY."