No Signal
1425 Words
Nobody replied
The operations room stayed silent except for the constant hum of the monitors.
Mikhail sat in front of the security system, fingers moving rapidly across the keyboard while different camera feeds flickered across the screens.
Static. Hallways. Destroyed exterior walls. Dead signal after dead signal. Nothing useful.
Mark stood near the weapons table quietly, arms folded tightly across his chest.
“Anything?” He asked.
Mikhail’s jaw tightened. “No.”
Another screen flickered. Then died again.
“Most of the mansion systems were manually disabled,” Mikhail muttered grimly. “Whoever attacked knew exactly where the security cores were.”
Konstantin still stood motionless with the phone in his hand, thinking.
Replaying the call over and over again inside his head.
“I made it to the hideout safely.”
Those were Sergei Romanov’s last words to him.
Mikhail leaned back in the chair near the system controls, exhaustion written all over his face. Dried blood still stained the skin near his eyebrow.
“The bunker cameras were disabled manually too.”
Mark’s head snapped toward him immediately. “What?”
Mikhail tapped one of the screens. Static crackled briefly.
“Somebody shut them down from inside.”
Silence.
Konstantin finally lowered the phone.
“The access code,” he muttered.
Mark watched him carefully. “Who knew it?”
A pause stretched across the room.
Then— “Me.” Konstantin’s jaw tightened. “…And Ivan.”
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Mikhail cursed under his breath.
Nobody spoke after that. Nobody wanted to.
Ivan had been beside Sergei Romanov for years before any of them. After his father died, Sergei raised him himself. Trusted him. Protected him.
Mark looked away first. “No. No.. Ivan wouldn’t betray his uncle”
But even he didn’t sound convinced.
Konstantin stared at the dark monitor screens without blinking.
“If Sergei made it inside the bunker…” he said slowly, “then whatever happened came after.”
Another silence followed. Heavy this time.
And from somewhere deeper down the hallway, a faint sob echoed softly. “Daddy…”
Mark exhaled harshly and rubbed his face. “Jesus Christ.”
Mikhail glanced toward the hallway briefly before standing from the chair with a groan.
“She hasn’t stopped crying.”
Konstantin said nothing.
His eyes never left the monitors.
Mikhail grabbed his gun from the table. “We should rest while we still can.”
Mark nodded tiredly. “Wake me before sunrise.”
“I’ll take second watch.”
Neither man waited for another response.
Their footsteps disappeared slowly down the dark hallway until only silence remained again.
Only Konstantin stayed behind. Still standing there motionless.
The phone rested loosely in his hand while the screens flickered cold light across his face.
No missed calls. No messages. Nothing.
Then…from far down the hallway, another broken cry echoed softly.
“Daddy…”
Konstantin closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again—they looked colder. Unreadable.
His gaze shifted back toward the security footage.
The mansion. The destroyed hallways. The dead cameras.
An image crossed his thought
Ivan.
Something about it felt wrong.
“Big boss… Don’t be dead” Konstantin muttered to himself.
The underground room stayed dim except for the glow of the security monitors flickering against the concrete walls
Konstantin stood still for a few more seconds.
Then suddenly…he moved.
He reached for the weapons table quietly. And pick up a handgun. Extra magazines. A knife.
Metal clicked softly in the silence.
From halfway down the hallway—
Mark’s tired voice echoed. “Konstantin?”
No response.
Footsteps approached again.
Mark appeared near the doorway, clearly exhausted, rubbing one hand over his face before stopping when he saw the weapons.
His expression changed immediately. “…Where are you going?”
Konstantin checked the gun calmly before sliding it beneath his jacket. “The mansion.”
Mark stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “At this hour?”
No answer.
Konstantin grabbed his coat from the back of the chair.
Mark stepped further inside the room. “Konstantin, whoever attacked that place could still be there.”
“Alright.”
The response came instantly, cold and certain.
Mark frowned. “Then why the hell would you walk back into it alone?”
Konstantin finally looked toward the monitors again.
“The bunker cameras were disabled from inside.”
Silence.
“Ivan knew the access code,” Konstantin said quietly. “Big Boss was still on the call with me while approaching the hideout… then suddenly, the line went silent. No word from him since.”
“Mark’s jaw tightened immediately as he picked up a gun from the table
“Fine,” he muttered. “Then I’m coming with you.”
Konstantin immediately shook his head. “No.”
Mark looked up sharply. “Konstantin—”
“You’re exhausted.”
“I’m fine.”
“You can barely keep your eyes open.”
Mark scoffed tiredly. “And you think you look better?”
Konstantin ignored that completely. “You need rest.”
“And you need backup.”
“I need you here.”
The words stopped Mark briefly.
Konstantin’s voice stayed calm. Controlled.
“If something happens to me, Anya still needs someone she trusts when she wakes up.”
Mark’s expression hardened instantly.
“She needs you too.”
A small silence followed that.
Then Konstantin stepped closer and took the gun gently from Mark’s hand before placing it back onto the table.
“I’ll be fine,” he said quietly.
Mark studied him. Then sighed heavily. “You’re really going alone.”
Konstantin opened the steel exit door. Cold night air rushed into the bunker instantly.
“Yes.”
“And if it’s a trap?”
Konstantin stepped into the darkness without hesitation. “Then I’ll see who set it.”
The steel door slammed shut behind him.
Cold night air rushed across the clearing as Konstantin headed straight toward the black SUV hidden beneath the trees near the bunker entrance.
Seconds later, the engine roared to life. Headlights cut sharply through the darkness as the vehicle sped down the isolated forest road, branches flashing past on both sides.
Konstantin kept one hand on the wheel while the other rested near the gun beneath his jacket.
His eyes stayed fixed on the road ahead.
His gaze remained cold and distant as he pressed harder against the accelerator.
A massive security gate stood ahead
The SUV passed fully through it and onto the city main road
The world outside moved normally—A few vehicles moved along the distant lanes, their headlights cutting through the night
The city glow stretched faintly across the horizon, scattered lights reflecting off low clouds in the distance.
Inside the SUV, the silence felt heavier with every kilometer.
Konstantin’s jaw tightened slightly.
He checked the rearview mirror once. Nothing unusual.
Just empty road behind him fading into distance and light.
The SUV continued cutting through the night, toward the Romanov mansion in the distance.
Thirty minutes passed like that—steady, uninterrupted driving through the outer stretch of the city’s edge and into the quieter, guarded outskirts that belonged to the Romanov territory.
Then, the silhouette appeared—Massive gates ahead. Iron and reinforced.
Romanov crest embedded into the metal, barely visible under the weak glow of perimeter lights.
Konstantin’s eyes narrowed.
He slowed slightly. Waiting
The mansion grounds beyond the gate were too dark.
No patrol movement. No visible guards along the perimeter towers.
The system should have flagged his approach already.
Nothing had come through. Not a single alert.
Wrong.
Konstantin rolled the SUV forward until the headlights fully lit the gate.
His hand moved slowly toward the weapon beneath his jacket.
Konstantin exhaled once, low, then pressed the call switch on his dashboard.
Static. No response.
He tried again. Still nothing.
He killed the engine. Silence dropped instantly
Konstantin stepped out. Cold air hit his face immediately.
The faint glow of broken perimeter lights flickering across the iron gate.
He walked closer. Each step measured.
The gate stood taller up close
Konstantin reached the control panel.
The casing was cracked open. Wires pulled out. Manually disabled.
His eyes darkened slightly.
Inside job…or someone who knew exactly how Romanov security worked.
He pressed his head slightly toward the darkness beyond the gate.
The estate lay still ahead.
Konstantin raised his head. Then reached out to push the gate.
But paused.
Listening again …for anything.
Then he pushed it open.
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