Chapter 9 - The Extraction
The explosion tore the steel shutters right off their reinforced hinges.
Thick gray smoke poured into the medical warehouse blinding everyone inside.
I threw myself over the little girl and shielded her body from the flying debris.
Brutus instantly returned to my side and stood aggressively over us.
Through the clearing smoke I saw Marcus walking through the destroyed doorway with a heavy breaching shotgun.
He nodded at me and casually said the lock was a bit stubborn.
I hauled the little girl to her feet and told her that she was finally safe.
I grabbed Elena by her lab coat and shoved her forcefully toward Marcus.
I told him to secure the prisoner while I got the child out of this hellhole.
We moved rapidly through the shipping yard avoiding the burning wreckage of the main gate.
Sirens wailed in the distance signaling that local authorities were finally responding to the explosions.
We reached Marcus's stealth vehicle hidden in the shadows of the containers.
I placed the little girl safely in the backseat and buckled her in.
Brutus jumped in right beside her and gently licked the tears off her dirty cheek.
Marcus shoved Elena into the passenger seat and zip-tied her hands to the door handle.
I climbed into the driver's seat and sped out of the compound just as police cruisers began swarming the area.
I felt a massive wave of relief wash over my exhausted body.
We had successfully secured the target and captured the mastermind of the operation.
I picked up the encrypted radio and dialed a secure frequency to the FBI regional director.
I explained the situation and requested an immediate safe house for a high-value biological asset.
The director sounded incredibly relieved and transmitted the coordinates for a secure federal drop point.
We drove in silence for thirty minutes until we reached a heavily guarded airfield on the edge of the city.
A dozen black SUVs with flashing red and blue lights were parked on the tarmac.
Federal agents in tactical gear formed a protective perimeter around a private government jet.
I parked the vehicle and stepped out with the little girl holding tightly to my hand.
The regional director walked forward with a warm and reassuring smile on his face.
He shook my hand and praised me for going above and beyond the call of duty.
He promised that Elena would face a secret military tribunal and the child would be protected forever.
I watched as female agents gently took the little girl and escorted her toward the jet.
I knelt down and rubbed Brutus's head feeling truly victorious for the first time in days.
We had survived the nightmare and exposed the corruption hidden within our own ranks.
The director patted my shoulder and told me I could finally go home and rest.
May you like
I smiled and turned around to walk back to my truck with my dog.
But as I reached for the door handle the regional director pulled a suppressed pistol and shot Marcus directly in the back of the head.
