Chapter 5 - The Deadly Exchange
I stared at the pathetic image of Mark begging for his life on the encrypted monitor.
Despite everything he had done to me, he was merely a foolish pawn in a massive global conspiracy.
"Where are they holding you?" I demanded, typing furiously on the terminal to trace his location.
"The old naval shipyard on the eastern docks," Mark sobbed, coughing up blood.
"Thomas says you have exactly one hour to bring the decryption keys, or he shoots me in the head."
Rostova slammed her fist onto the metal desk in pure frustration.
"It is a trap, Colonel," she warned intensely.
"If you walk into that shipyard, they will kill both of you and take the baby."
I looked down at my son, who was finally sleeping peacefully in a makeshift crib.
"I am not going to negotiate," I said, loading a fresh magazine into my rifle.
"I am going to war."
I accessed a hidden sub-routine in my grandfather's trust files that Thomas did not know existed.
The twenty million dollars had never been withdrawn; Chloe had only triggered a decoy simulation.
The real money was tied to an automated defense contract that granted me command of an experimental drone strike fleet.
I activated the protocol and verified my biometric signature.
"Rostova, you stay here and guard my son with your life," I ordered.
I drove a stolen motorcycle through the deserted city streets, reaching the rusted gates of the naval shipyard just before dawn.
Heavy rain began to pour, masking the sound of my approach as I slipped past the perimeter guards.
I climbed a rusted crane to get a tactical vantage point over the central warehouse.
Through the scope of my rifle, I saw Mark tied to a metal chair in the center of the loading bay.
Major General Thomas stood beside him, holding a pistol to Mark's temple.
"Time is up, Anna!" Thomas shouted into the empty shipyard.
I placed my finger on the trigger, calculating the wind resistance and the distance perfectly.
May you like
Suddenly, the cold barrel of a gun was pressed firmly against the back of my head.
"Drop the rifle, sister," Chloe whispered maliciously into my ear.
