Chapter 4 - The Breach at the Gate
Chaos erupted across the Oberland compound.
Alarms sounded—not bright, shrill sirens, but low, pulsing acoustic tones that vibrated through the stone walls. Heavy steel blast shutters automatically began descending over the massive glass windows, blocking out the sunlight and sealing the interior of the fortress.
Jyn was instantly on his feet, pulling a assault rifle from a concealed cabinet behind his bookshelf.
"Nia, stay here!" Jyn commanded, his voice sharp and commanding. "The study doors are reinforced titanium. Lin, seal the room from the inside!"
"No!" Nia shouted, standing up. "Leo is upstairs in the nursery!"
Jyn froze for a fraction of a second, his eyes locking with hers. "I'll get him."
"I'm coming with you!"
"Nia, it's too dangerous—"
"He's my son!" she screamed over the rising sound of distant gunfire echoing from the lower valley. "I am not sitting in a room while people shoot at my baby!"
Jyn saw the fierce, unyielding motherly rage in her eyes and realized there was no point in arguing. He tossed a lightweight Kevlar vest to her. "Put it on. Stay behind me."
They sprinted out of the study and up the grand stone staircase toward the third-floor nursery. The sounds of battle were growing louder—explosions thundered at the lower gates, and small-arms fire rattled against the outer estate walls.
When they reached the nursery hallway, the heavy oak door was wide open.
Nia’s blood ran cold. "LEO!" she shrieked.
They burst into the room.
A mercenary dressed in grey urban camouflage had cut through the balcony glass door and was standing beside Leo's crib, reaching in with zip-ties in his hands.
Before the mercenary's fingers could touch the blanket, a roaring shadow launched from the corner of the room.
It was Thor.
The giant dog didn't waste time barking. He clamped his jaw with bone-crushing force directly onto the mercenary’s forearm. The man let out a blood-curdling scream as Thor hit the floor, dragging the 200-pound mercenary down with him like a ragdoll.
Thor flipped the man onto his back, his massive paws pinning the mercenary’s chest to the floorboards. The dog’s dark lips pulled back, revealing gleaming, terrifying teeth inches from the man's face. He didn't bite again—he just held the man pinned, a deadly, low roar rumbling in his throat that shook the floorboards.
Leo was sitting up in his crib, wide awake, clutching his yellow squeaky duck in his small hands, watching the scene with wide, curious eyes. He wasn't crying. He looked at Thor, then looked at his mother, and let out a small, happy babble.
Jyn raised his weapon and cold-bloodedly struck the pinned mercenary across the temple with the butt of his rifle, knocking the man unconscious.
Thor instantly released his hold, stepped back, and trotted over to Nia, his tail giving a single, calm wag.
Nia dropped to her knees, scooping Leo out of the crib and pulling him into a tight, desperate embrace. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she buried her face in her baby’s hair. "I've got you... Mommy's got you..."
Jyn knelt beside them, his hand cupping the back of Leo's head, his eyes scanning the baby for any sign of injury. Finding none, he looked up at Thor.
The dog reached out his snout and gently nudged Leo’s knee, letting out a soft whimper of relief.
"Good boy, Thor," Jyn whispered, his voice cracking with emotion for the first time. "Good boy."
Elena ran into the nursery, her weapon raised, covered in soot and sweat. "Boss! The lower gate team has been neutralized! General Vane's squad flanked them from the east ridge! The perimeter is secure!"
Jyn stood up, his face transforming into a mask of pure, murderous fury. The cold, calculating businessman was gone. In his place stood the true leader of a century-old syndicate—a patriarch whose home had been violated.
"How did they get through the lower gate so fast?" Jyn demanded.
"They had the master security codes," Elena said grimly, looking down at the floor. "Someone inside gave them the frequency overrides."
A traitor.
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Nia looked up from the floor, holding Leo tightly. The reality of Jyn's world hit her with full force. It wasn't just armed men at the gates; it was poison inside the walls.
Jyn turned to Elena. "Lock down every exit. No one leaves this compound. Gather every staff member, guard, and advisor in the Great Hall now. I am going to find the mole myself."
