Chapter 7 - The Encrypted Truth
I stared at the glowing monitor completely unable to process what I was seeing.
The photograph of my dead wife Elena stared back at me with a cold and professional smile.
Her name was listed as the chief genetic engineer for Operation Chimera.
The woman I had mourned every single day for two years was not only alive.
She was the mastermind who had turned an innocent child into a biological weapon.
Marcus placed a heavy hand on my shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
He quietly explained that the car crash was a perfect cover story orchestrated by the syndicate.
They needed her off the public grid to finalize the viral mutation without government oversight.
I felt a sickening mixture of absolute rage and profound betrayal boiling in my chest.
I realized that my entire life had been meticulously manipulated by the people I trusted most.
I looked down at Brutus who was whining softly and resting his chin on my boot.
He had loved Elena too and used to sleep on her side of the bed when she was gone.
I hardened my heart and pushed the agonizing emotions deep down into my gut.
I asked Marcus what time the terrorist buyers were scheduled to arrive at the shipping yard.
Marcus checked the encrypted comms traffic and confirmed the boat was docking in two hours.
We geared up in heavy tactical armor and loaded every weapon we had available.
I secured a Kevlar vest tightly around Brutus to protect his healing shoulder.
We left the hidden bunker and drove Marcus's unmarked stealth vehicle toward the industrial coast.
The shipping yard was massive and completely covered in a thick blanket of ocean fog.
Towering stacks of metal shipping containers created a deadly maze of rusted steel.
Marcus set up his sniper position on top of an old rusted crane overlooking the central warehouse.
He gave me a radio earpiece and told me he had eyes on a dozen heavily armed guards.
I signaled for Brutus to stay close and we moved silently through the wet shadows.
We avoided the main patrol routes and slipped through a broken chain-link fence.
I could see the heavily fortified warehouse doors guarded by men holding automatic weapons.
I tapped my earpiece and told Marcus to initiate the primary distraction.
A massive explosion suddenly rocked the far side of the shipping yard.
Flames shot into the night sky drawing the attention of almost every guard in the compound.
The men guarding the warehouse doors abandoned their post and ran toward the fire.
I seized the opportunity and sprinted across the open asphalt with Brutus right beside me.
I kicked open the side door of the warehouse and entered with my rifle raised.
The interior was brightly lit and filled with high-tech medical equipment.
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Standing in the center of the room was Elena holding the little girl by the arm.
She looked at me and smiled as if she had been expecting me all along.
