23:51
South exit, Liora's Compound
AURA's voice sliced across every comm channel like a siren.
Warning. Priority target identified. Liora Schmidt is escaping the compound. Vehicle detected—black armored SUV, south exit. Estimated departure: thirty seconds.
Sohel didn't hesitate. "AURA, mark the SUV's trajectory. Aphrodite, Parker—on me. Princess, drop a Defender, now!"
Annabelle's voice crackled back over comms, tension tightening her usually calm tone. "Copy, Ghost. Ramp opening—Defender coming down."
The Athena's belly split open, and one of the armored Subaru Defenders unhooked from its securing clamps. The vehicle descended on a harness cable before being released. It hit the desert ground with a metallic thud, its reinforced suspension groaning but holding firm.
Sohel, Mei, and Elina sprinted toward it, gunfire still echoing in the compound behind them. Mei slid into the driver's seat, Elina took the rear, and Sohel rode shotgun.
"Ghost to Princess—we're in. Keep air support on standby, suppress everything that moves between us and the target."
"Understood. Stay sharp down there."
The Defender roared forward, tires spitting gravel as Mei pushed it hard across the sand. The night sky glowed faintly orange behind them, lit by tracer fire and burning wreckage.
The armored SUV was already tearing away across the desert road, its red taillights swaying violently with every bump. Two escort trucks flanked it, bristling with armed men leaning out the sides.
Sohel leaned his HK416 out of the open window, his bionic arm steadying the recoil. His voice was calm, ice over fire. "Aphrodite, close the gap. Give me thirty meters."
"Copy," Mei muttered, jaw clenched as her hands gripped the wheel. Her eyes narrowed, scanning every dip in the dirt road. She swerved to avoid potholes, tires screeching as the Defender ate away the distance.
Elina popped her rifle out the rear window and fired controlled bursts. The escort truck on the left jolted as its driver slumped forward, a bullet tearing through his skull. The truck veered sideways, rolled twice, then erupted into fire.
"One down," Elina said flatly, chambering another round.
The remaining escort opened up with heavy fire. Bullets hammered against the Defender's armored plating, leaving dents and sparks. Mei cursed and jerked the wheel, weaving to minimize exposure.
Sohel braced, exhaled, and fired three single shots. One, two, three—each guard hanging out of the SUV's side windows dropped like puppets with cut strings. Their weapons clattered uselessly against the asphalt.
The last escort pulled ahead to block them, gunners spraying rounds. Mei didn't flinch. She slammed her foot down harder, closing the distance until the Defender was nearly kissing its rear bumper.
"Do it, Ghost," she said coldly.
Sohel's reticle centered. He squeezed the trigger. The escort's rear tire exploded, rubber shredding into ribbons. The truck fishtailed violently, spun across the road, and flipped end over end before bursting into flames.
That left only Liora's SUV.
Mei pulled up alongside, matching its speed. Through the tinted glass, Sohel caught a glimpse of Liora's pale face in the back seat, twisted in fury and something else—smug confidence.
"Shoot the engine block," Mei growled.
"No," Sohel said, voice steady as his rifle tracked the vehicle. "I want her alive."
His shots were surgical, precise. First the driver—two rounds punched through the windshield, and his head snapped back. Then the front-right tire—another shot, and the SUV jolted sideways, tires screaming as sparks flew from the rim grinding against asphalt.
The vehicle skidded, fishtailed, then rolled to a smoking stop in a storm of dust.
Mei slammed the brakes, the Defender drifting sideways until it screeched to a halt.
"Move!" Sohel barked, already out the door.
Liora stumbled out of the wrecked SUV, coughing against the dust, blood running down her temple. Two bodyguards crawled out behind her, weapons drawn.
Sohel's HK416 barked twice—both men crumpled before they could even level their rifles.
Liora froze, her chest heaving. Her eyes locked on Sohel as he advanced on her, rifle steady, boots crunching gravel. For the first time, her smirk faltered.
"Liora Schmidt," Sohel said coldly, "you're done."
She laughed, a broken, rasping sound. "Done? Oh, Ghost… you don't even realize you've already lost."
Sohel kicked her knees out, forcing her onto the ground. He pressed the rifle muzzle under her chin. "Don't test me."
Her lips curled upward again. That familiar, infuriating smugness. "Tell me, Sohel… did you check my base carefully? Every cell, every corridor? Did your precious medics really think rescuing those cattle would be so easy?"
Sohel's eyes narrowed. His gut twisted. He slammed her against the Defender's hood. "What did you do?"
She whispered, so low only he could hear. "Tick-tock."
His blood ran cold. He knew. A bomb.
Sohel's face hardened. He shoved her into the Defender, slammed the door, and jumped into the driver's seat. Mei's eyes widened as he floored the accelerator.
"What the hell are you—"
"She planted a bomb!" Sohel roared. He grabbed the comm, voice ironclad. "Ghost to all units—immediate evac! Repeat, evac now! Get out of that compound!"
Static and confusion answered at first, then Mitali's voice came through, panicked but controlled: "Ghost, we still have wounded—"
"Leave them!" Sohel barked. His throat was tight, heart hammering. "Get everyone out, now! That's an order!"
But he knew. Deep down, he knew it was already too late.
The Defender skidded to a stop on a ridge overlooking the compound. Athena hovered above, her spotlights sweeping across the battlefield. Annabelle's voice filled the channel, frantic. "Ghost, talk to me—what's happening?"
Sohel slammed the brakes, half-dragged Liora out of the vehicle, and threw her into the dirt. She only laughed, blood streaking her face.
"You can't stop it," she crooned. "Not even your precious Athena can stop it."
Mitali's voice cut across comms, faint and strained. "We're still inside—the prisoners—Sohel, please—"
Then the night shattered.
The explosion ripped through the compound like the wrath of God. A blinding flash seared the sky, followed by a wall of fire that devoured everything in its path. The ground heaved, the shockwave smashing into the Defender, slamming Mei and Elina against their seats. Athena rocked violently in the air, alarms blaring in the cockpit.
The prison block collapsed in an instant, swallowed by the inferno. The screams on comms cut off mid-breath, leaving only static.
Sohel stood frozen, staring at the fireball rising into the sky. His ears rang with silence. He couldn't hear Mei shouting his name. Couldn't hear Elina's ragged gasp. Couldn't hear Annabelle's voice breaking over comms.
His face was blank. Emotionless. The same as Mei's when she staggered out of the Defender, staring hollow-eyed at the burning ruin.
Behind them, Annabelle's voice cracked as she cried out in disbelief, "No… no, no, no, they were—Mitali was still—"
De Luca slammed a fist into the console, teeth bared in rage. Elina turned away, hands trembling, whispering under her breath like a prayer.
But Sohel and Mei didn't move. Didn't speak. Their eyes stayed locked on the firestorm.
The price of pursuit burned before them.