Chapter 53: The 48-Hour Siege

"Jackson," Serenity broke the heavy silence. "Now that you shot the server... how do we call for help?"

"We don't," Jackson checked the magazine of his gun. He only had six bullets left. "We are on our own."

"Arthur knows the signal was cut. He knows we are down here," Jackson’s voice was grim. "He won't stop. He has a private paramilitary unit disguised as 'Sterling Security'. They will be here in less than an hour."

"An hour?" Alex looked up from his now-offline laptop. "Dad, this vault door is strong, but it's not invincible. If they bring C4 explosives..."

"Exactly," Jackson nodded. "That's why we can't just hide in the hole. We have to defend the choke point."

He pointed to the spiraling staircase leading back up to the Royal Library.

"The Library is the only entrance. If we hold them there, they can't bring heavy equipment down."

Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the stairs.

Jackson aimed his gun instantly. Serenity grabbed a heavy metal pipe from the floor.

"Don't shoot! It's me!"

Sebastian’s raspy voice called out. The old guard limped down, carrying a large duffel bag. Behind him was Luke, looking bloody and bruised but alive.

"Sebastian! Luke!" Serenity gasped in relief.

"We saw the power fluctuate," Luke said, out of breath. "And then our comms went dead. We figured trouble was coming."

"You have no idea," Jackson lowered his gun. "Uncle Arthur is the traitor. He tried to remote-kill my mother."

Sebastian’s eyes widened as he looked at the woman in the tank. "Margaret... the Grand Duchess... she’s here?"

The old soldier fell to his knees again, tears streaming. But Jackson pulled him up.

"Grieve later, old friend. Right now, I need you to fight," Jackson opened Sebastian's duffel bag.

It was full of weapons. Assault rifles, grenades, ammo belts.

"The Resistance had a stash," Sebastian grinned toothlessly. "I thought we might need them."

"Perfect," Jackson tossed a rifle to Luke and kept one for himself. "Luke, Sebastian, take positions at the top of the stairs behind the bookcases. Serenity, you and Alex stay down here behind the blast doors. Do not open them unless I tell you."

"I can fight too!" Serenity argued.

"No," Jackson kissed her hard. "You are the last line of defense. If they get past me... you protect my mother and our son. Can you do that?"

Serenity gripped the pistol he handed her. Her hands were shaking, but her eyes were fierce.

"I won't let them touch her," she promised.

Jackson ran up the stairs.

---

One hour later.

The Royal Palace was quiet. Too quiet.

Jackson crouched behind a heavy oak desk in the library. He checked his watch. 46 hours left.

Crash.

The window on the west side of the library shattered. A tear gas canister rolled across the floor.

"Masks!" Jackson yelled, pulling his shirt over his nose.

Shadows moved in the smoke. Laser sights cut through the darkness.

"Targets acquired," a mechanical voice spoke from the smoke. These weren't ordinary thugs. They were elite mercenaries wearing tactical gear.

"Fire!" Jackson shouted.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Gunfire erupted in the sacred library. Books exploded into paper confetti. Bullets chipped away at the ancient statues.

Jackson fired with precision. One shadow fell. Then another.

But there were too many of them.

"Boss! They are flanking us!" Luke yelled, firing his machine gun to the left.

"Hold the line!" Jackson gritted his teeth, reloading. "Nobody gets to the basement!"

Down below, in the silent vault, Serenity held Alex close. They could hear the muffled sounds of war above their heads. The screams, the explosions.

She looked at the countdown clock on the pod: 45:50:23.

It felt like an eternity.

Every minute was bought with bullets and blood.

Serenity looked at the sleeping woman in the blue water.

Wake up, Margaret, Serenity prayed. Please wake up. Before it's too late.

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