Kline detonated the EMP. A muted sizzle. Then, a deep, forceful hum that resonated off the walls and through the streets. Lights flickered, then went black.
Muzzle flare and machinegun fire shattered the calm. Seven mercenaries, led by the Irishman, bombarded the north wall.
Emergency generators kicked in. Rustam’s guards scrambled. Orange flames spat out of their chainguns.
Kline approached the south side of the estate. A thick, shielded titanium gate flanked by two manned chaingun turrets stood in his way.
He stopped behind a parked car. Aimed his sniper rifle. The first guard took the slug in the forehead. The second dug his fingers into the chaingun’s triggers. Bullets pinged the parked car. Kline’s second shot tore through the gunner’s chest. The turret swiveled into the air as he fell. A stream of bullets launched into the night sky.
Kline shoved a grenade under the gate. BBBBBGGGGHHHHH!!!! It left a gaping hole. He hustled across the grounds to the main house. Two guards at the front door. One called for help. A bullet silenced him. The second fired one shot over Kline’s head before crumpling to the ground.
Pitch-black inside the estate. Kline found the steel elevator. He pushed the doors apart and slid down the cables. Reaching the elevator car, he pulled the top hatch open and dropped inside.
The elevator’s lights came back on. Full power had been restored. He pushed the “open door” button.
Rustam’s bunker looked like a modernized French palace. Glamorous, baroque furnishings. Steel walls. Handcrafted tapestries. Gold trim. Curved archways. Cathedral-like elegance and polished steel. Protection had never looked so good.
Kline threw open the grandiose wooden double doors leading to Rustam’s personal study.
Rustam paced. Two bodyguards on either side of the faux fireplace watched. Rustam’s eyes grew wide.
“Yoo! Keel him!”
The bodyguards opened fire. Kline engaged his energy shield. It absorbed their bullets until their clips ran out. Kline shot them. Rustam scrambled for a nearby shotgun.
“What do yoo want?”
“The spider nukes.”
