The brute- force attack raged on, the computer working tirelessly to break the complex encryption. Anya watched the screen, her eyes glued to the progress bar willing it to move faster. Dimitri stood behind her, his senses on high alert scanning the surveillance monitors for any sign of intrusion.
Suddenly a piercing alarm blared through the safehouse, shattering the silence. Red lights flashed illuminating the room in an ominous glow.
"They've detected us!" Dimitri shouted, his voice urgent. "We have to move, now!"
Anya didn't hesitate. She shut down the computer, grabbed her go-bag and followed Dimitri as he raced through the safe house heading for the emergency exit.
As they reached the door a squad of armed men burst into the warehouse, their weapons drawn. Dimitri reacted instantly firing his pistol with deadly accuracy, taking down two of the attackers before they could react.
"Go!" he yelled at Anya, providing cover as she slipped out the door.
She sprinted across the deserted industrial area, her heart pounding in her chest. She could hear the sounds of gunfire behind her, the deadly ballet of bullets and screams. She didn't dare look back knowing that every second counted.
She reached the pre-arranged rendezvous point, a beat up sedan parked a block away from the warehouse. She jumped into the driver's seat, started the engine and waited for Dimitri.
Seconds stretched into an eternity and Anya began to fear the worst. Had Dimitri been captured? Or worse? She couldn't leave him behind but she knew that staying any longer would be suicide.
Just as she was about to give up hope Dimitri emerged from the shadows, his clothes torn and bloodied but still very much alive. He leaped into the passenger seat slamming the door shut.
"Drive!" he ordered, his voice strained. "Get us out of here!"
Anya didn't need to be told twice. She slammed her foot on the accelerator and the sedan roared to life speeding away from the warehouse as the sounds of gunfire faded into the distance.
They drove in silence, the tension in the car thick and suffocating. Anya glanced at Dimitri, his face grim and determined. He was injured, she could see that but he refused to show any sign of weakness.
"Where are we going?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"To ground zero" Dimitri replied, his gaze fixed on the road. "Where this whole thing started."
Anya didn't understand what he meant but she knew that whatever lay ahead, it would be dangerous. They were on the run, hunted by a powerful and ruthless organisation and their only hope was to fight back, to expose the truth and bring The Syndicate down. But first they had to survive.