"How on earth is that a plan?" Jace shouts at me, but I choose to ignore him.
"Because we need Silvio to think he won." I state, looking back out the window as I visualize what I need to do next.
"Are you on crack? We can't just blow up a building! Blowing up a building won't make Silvio 'think' he won because he 'will' have won! I don't care whether the building is yours or not. The destruction to the area, not to mention the lives at stake, are far too great to risk. I will not partake in this idiotic plan of yours." Jace shouts, stomping towards the door.
"I can't say I disagree. How is blowing up your building a good plan?" Jakob asks before Jace reaches the door.
"Because we won't really be blowing it up." I state.
"O-kay... You've lost me." Jakob retorts, furrowing his brows to look in my direction. I turn around to face both of them, Jace in particular. The moment I replied to Jakob, Jace stood frozen at the door. I can tell he knows what I'm suggesting. He tilts his head to look at me as if daring to explain further. I open my mouth to respond. However, Jace interrupts me before I even have a chance to form a word.
"NO!" He shouts, sending me a look of 'don't you dare say another word.' I remain calm, knowing that this is what we need to do. Jace matches my stare until he can no longer take it. Storming towards me so he's so close that we are a mere inch away. Jace leans in and furiously whispers in my ear so Jakob can't hear.
"I know what you're thinking, but no. We won't use it." He whispers.
"We have to." I whisper back.
"No, we don't." He whispers once more, taking a step away while remaining close enough for us to continue our silent conversation without the risk of being overheard.
"Yes, we do. We don't have another way. Unless you can figure out how to stop this from happening." I state, watching him, knowing full well we are out of options.
"Decensio is not the answer." Jace whispers. My gaze shifts as I see a figure behind Jace. I pause from answering to realize that Jakob has silently approached us. Jace turns around, seeing my attention lost to see what has captured it. Without looking at him, I can tell Jace has paled, realizing that Jakob must've overheard us.
"Decensio? What's that? And how will it solve our problem?" Jakob asks, infuriating Jace further.
Before choosing to respond, I lower my gaze to Jace's to gauge his response. I notice a slight twitch at the corner of his lip, indicating that he's about to lose it. Other than that, he remains composed. I roll my eyes, knowing we're only wasting time. Decensio is our only answer.
Just as I'm about to explain, Jace turns on his heels to raise a finger at me.
"NO!" Jace shouts, stopping me from replying. I shake my head and grab his hand, pulling it away from my face. I pull him closer so only he can hear me.
"I don't care about any government contracts right now. If we don't do this, there won't 'be' any government contracts to be concerned about since we'll either all be dead or my only purpose in life will be gone. I will not sit back and watch my daughter be killed. I will do whatever, and I mean 'whatever'..." I state, looking him in the eye before continuing.
"...I need to do to ensure the safety of my family. Do. You. Understand. Me?" I state, emphasizing each word.
Jace narrows his eyes at me and pulls his hand from my grasp. He shoots both Jakob and me an annoyed look before storming to the back of the room. I watch as Jace paces in the far corner but that doesn't stop me from continuing.
"Decensio is a prototype I've developed. It's a government program designed to train the military." I begin; however, I see the confusion spread across Jakob's face. Other than the occasional annoyed sigh from Jace, he remains silent as well, allowing me to explain.
"It's a sort of simulator, so to speak, that uses advanced Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality to create lifelike scenarios." I explain.
"What do you mean?" Jakob asks. I take a chance to look over at Jace, who is staring at me in turn. The death glare he's sending me is unfathomable. But at this moment, I don't care. I meant it when I said there wasn't anything I wouldn't do to keep my family safe. So if that includes divulging secret government information, then so be it.
"Similar to when firefighters train, they use real-like scenarios to demonstrate how to overcome the problem, such as having a training house that is set on fire to show them how to put it out safely." I see recognition appear on Jakob's face as he focuses on my explanation.
"So you created a computer simulator." Jakob states as if making sure he is understanding.
"Yes, and no." Jace replies, making my eyes go wide. I look to him for an explanation, wondering why he decided to help me all of a sudden.
"I've worked with you long enough to know there's no stopping you when your mind is set. So while I don't agree, I'll work with you. But only because our time is limited." Jace points out. I nod my head in agreement but otherwise say nothing to respond, allowing Jace to continue.
"It's a simulator, yes. But it's not computer-based as you would think. Rather, the technology allows us to create scenarios in real-life. Suppose we use the burning building as an example. Decensio creates what it would actually be like to be in the burning building. From the heat, the smoke, the destruction, and the feeling. However, it's completely safe as there are no actual flames. Everything is created to look real and feel real, without the risk of injury." Jace explains, looking to me for confirmation. I nod my head, allowing him to continue. Jace takes a quick breath before finishing his response.
"We know Silvio is planning something for the meeting. We realize now that the meeting is his target. Knowing how Silvio thinks, it's not hard to guess that he wants the both of you to pay with your lives. The easiest way of doing that is with a bomb. Silvio doesn't come across as a compassionate person. So he won't care about the loss of life that will be involved should the building blow up. Our best bet is to use Decensio." Jace states.
"Decensio..." Jakob murmurs.
"It's Latin for the tenth dimension. Decem, meaning ten. And Dimensio, meaning dimension. I consider it to be the tenth dimension because, unlike other simulators, you can interact with it. So if the program designs a rock, you can touch it, feel it, and hold it. Pick it up from the ground or even throw it. What makes it unique is how the program learns from its interactions. So if we use the example of firefighter training, it will make more sense. In a fire, a firefighter is presented with many options. They can try to put it out, perhaps help it to breathe, or even rush in carelessly, trying to save someone. So if they choose to collapse a wall, the real-life implications of their choice will act out. Perhaps the building will collapse, or debris to fall down. Decensio is programmed to make each interaction as life-like as possible." I state.
Jakob nods his head in understanding before turning to look at me.
"But how will this program even work?" He asks.
"We will create a real enough appearing scenario making it appear as though Stone Enterprises has been blown up." I state.
"But how? I understand you have this fancy program. But what I don't understand is how this piece of software could solve our problems?" Jakob remarks.
I walk back to the computer and motion for Jace and Jakob to follow. I point to the screen as I explain my plan to them.
"The building schematics I just pulled out show that the best place for optimal destruction would be to target here, here, and here." I comment, pointing to three distinct areas in the blueprints.
"Is that right?" Jakob asks Jace as we all study the blueprints.
"Yes. Those would be the best places to hit to ensure a full building collapse.
"It won't be easy, and unfortunately, we won't even know if it works until it's too late. But, in order for this to work, I need to design a real enough looking simulator that will make Silvio think that Stone Enterprises did, in fact, blow up." I state, looking at my watch to see how much time we have.
"Do you even have time to prepare something like this?" Jakob questions.
Jace goes to respond. However, I interrupt him, seeing as the meeting is to be held in under six hours, giving me virtually no time to prepare.
"I would love to answer all your questions, but if this is going to work, I need to start working on it. We're running out of time as we speak. I need to have this ready to go by 3 pm when our meeting is supposed to start." I say, walking from the meeting, no longer caring about niceties.
"Jace will stay behind to answer any further questions. But I need to go now if we're going to do this." I state, heading to the door.
Jakob shares a look with Jace before Jace turns his attention to me.
"Let my team know of anything you need. I'll make sure you have all resources at your disposal." Jace comments. I smile slightly before nodding my head in gratitude.
I hope this works. I think to myself as I make my way to the elevator.
Without knowing the full details, we're putting all our eggs in this basket, so to speak. This could be the thing that saves us or dooms us. Unfortunately, we won't know which one it is until it's too late.
...Sienna POV...The ground begins to shake and beams begin to fall all around us. My dad grabs onto me, pulling me closer as sparks shoot out from all around us. I feel him hold me firmly in his grasp as the lights begin to flicker. A bright light emits, throwing everything into chaos. I feel us being ripped apart from one another as the force pushes me away from my dad."DADDY!" I scream out as everything goes black.I feel a weight on me, but it's too dark to figure out what's keeping me from moving. My hands slide around me as I attempt to gather my barrings, but nothing seems familiar. My hands slide over various sizes of rocks and concrete. I feel a slight prick as my hand protrudes into what feels like glass. My head is spinning and my eyes make it difficult to stay awake. The pain from my previous injuries finally became unbearable. The adrenaline rush wearing off, and I am no longer able to control the waves of pain that rack my body. What's going on? Am I alive? I shouldn't
...Hunter POV...I was restless. Every moment that ticked by grew increasingly worse. The only thing keeping me calm was the constant beeping of the heart monitor. I look down at Sienna's lifeless body wrapped in more bandages than I've ever seen on one person. My heart shatters, knowing I'm to blame for many of the injuries she sustained, including the ones caused by Silvio and Kevin. If I hadn't brought her into my life, none of this would've happened. She would be safe and at home, living her life as she should. Not here in a medical centre injured and on the brink of death.The doctors are optimistic that she should make a full recovery. Her last words to me echo through my mind. As much as I don't want to leave her, I know it's for the best. I need to go to Tomás. If what she's saying is true, then Tomás may be in more danger. Silvio's plan didn't go as he had hoped. It's only a matter of time until he realizes that and comes after Sienna or Tomás. Now that Sienna is back with h
A nervous doctor steps forward."Puedo ayudar." I can help. He says. I raise my chin eyeing him suspiciously."Ni siquiera pienses en engañarme de nuevo, de lo contrario me aseguraré de que tu familia y amigos sean borrados de la faz de la tierra." Don't even think about tricking me again, otherwise I'll make sure your family and friends are wiped from the face of the earth. I seethe.The doctor nervously nods his head and walks over to the machine. He turns off some of the nearby machines."¿Qué estás haciendo?" What are you doing? I ask, not expecting him to do that."Esta máquina no es lo que parece. Si bien parece una máquina cardíaca normal, en realidad administra pequeñas dosis de propofol, pentobarbital y tiopental. Mantener a Tomás sostenido en un coma inducido por drogas. Al detener las máquinas, se detendrá la administración de medicamentos." This machine isn't what it seems. While it looks like a normal heart machine, it's actually administering small doses of propofol, pen
...Sienna POV...My head begins to pound, making me groan. I raise my hand to my head, only to find I can't move my hand. It feels as though I'm tied up or something. I try to think back, but nothing comes to mind. Suddenly, images of being tied up in a cell come flashing to my mind. I feel my body slouch from the realization that I must still be in Hunter's cell. A beeping sound interrupts my thoughts, making the pounding in my head increase. I hiss out in pain, wishing for the beeping to stop. "She's awake!" I hear someone yell out, making my head scream even further. "Shh!" I hiss out, needing whoever is nearby to shut up. It feels as though I've been hit by a truck. I can't remember what happened for me to feel like this. But I quickly realize that I must be suffering from some sort of blunt-force trauma to have no recollection as to what is going on."Sienna!" I hear a woman scream out, making my eyes pop open in surprise. The entire time I had been in Hunter's dungeons, not o
It's been nearly two months since the incident. I'm thankful to be alive and with my family. For a while, I didn't think I would ever get the opportunity to ever see them again. Yet at the same time, I couldn't ignore the void I felt within me. I had hoped that once I woke up that I would see Hunter. He was the first thing I asked about once my memory of the event came back to me. I was happy to know that both he and Ash had not only survived but were ok. I thought for sure that Hunter would come to visit me. So consider myself disappointed to hear that he hadn't. I could literally feel my heart rip from my chest, knowing that Hunter hadn't even come to check on me. Though after stewing about it for a couple of days, I realized that it was probably for the best. If Hunter hadn't come, then that could only mean one thing. He took me seriously and had gone after Tomás. I was able to relax knowing that Tomás would be ok. I was worried that something would happen to him now that we were
...Ash POV...From the moment I first laid eyes on Sienna, I knew she was special. I could see the trapped princess under the strong facade. While I may not know all the details, I am probably one of the few that know the true Sienna. The strong and capable warrior behind the princess that everyone else sees. To the outside world, she is your perfect and well-mannered rich girl. But that wasn't really who she truly was. Rather, that was only a small glimmer as to who the real Stone Princess really was. To the outside world, they see an entitled rich girl that does everything her parents ask of her. The princess that spends her free time volunteering to help the homeless and who gets straight A's in every subject. But Sienna was much more complicated than that. Jace had explained to me everything that had happened to Sienna when she was a kid. And yet, it felt as though I was only touching the surface of who she really was. I thought when Jace had assigned me to be her personal guard
...Sienna POV...I could feel a rush of emotions as I continued to explain how I first met Hunter. Just talking about it made me relive it. While it wasn't your classic meet cute that most girls swoon over, it was perfect. Perfect for us. I could feel my cheeks begin to heat up with the recollection."Yes.. so anyways... I managed to get in the ring with him. He held back at first, thinking that I just wanted his attention or something. It turns out that girls don't frequent that club at all. So Hunter grew curious as to why I was there in the first place. Which was perfect for me anyways. As it meant he stopped holding back. After years of training, I was finally fighting someone that wouldn't hesitate to give me their all. Though, admittedly, I think I may have been too cocky." I admit, looking away from Ash, unable to look him in the eyes from my confession.I could sense the worry in him as he reached out and pulled my attention back to him."What happened?" Ash asks."Hunter punc
...Ash POV...As I was listening to Sienna's explanation, it felt as though everything was beginning to click into place. I never understood why Hunter would go after Sienna. It didn't seem like something he would do. Especially since he never even attempted to claim ransom. He reached out to Damian once. But it was more informative than demanding. It was as though he was letting us know that he had her, which is weird for kidnappers. Normally they let their friends and family be aware because they want something in return. Most typically, money. So, when Hunter did none of this, it left us all confused. "What happened then?" I ask.Sienna turned white. It was clear in her expression that whatever happened wasn't good. I reached my hand out and gently grabbed her hand, stroking my thumb over the back of it once more in a comforting manner."It wasn't pleasant. But it was evident that they were limiting my interactions with Hunter. It was a few days before I even got to see Hunter. By