Chapter 5 - The Ambush
The world spun violently as the heavy transport truck rolled across the dark, empty highway.
Shattered safety glass rained down on my face, and the deafening screech of crushing steel filled my ears.
When the vehicle finally ground to a violent halt, I was hanging upside down from my tactical harness.
I quickly unbuckled myself, dropping painfully onto the ceiling of the overturned cabin.
"Status check!" I coughed, waving away the thick black smoke filling the enclosed space.
"I am alive, but the driver is completely unresponsive," Whitmore groaned, pulling himself out of the crushed front seat.
I crawled desperately toward the medical stretcher in the back of the cabin.
By some absolute miracle, the heavy crash restraints had kept my grandfather securely locked in place.
Outside the overturned truck, the terrifying sound of heavy boots marching across the asphalt grew louder.
"They are moving in to finish the job," I whispered, drawing my sidearm and checking the ammunition magazine.
Whitmore handed me a compact assault rifle from the emergency weapons locker.
We kicked out the shattered rear doors and crawled into the freezing, pouring rain.
Dozens of heavily armed operatives were slowly advancing toward our wrecked convoy, their laser sights cutting through the thick smoke.
"On my mark, we lay down suppressing fire and push toward the tree line," I instructed Whitmore.
"Three, two, one, execute!" I yelled, pulling the trigger and sending a hail of bullets toward the advancing enemies.
Two of the attackers dropped instantly, but the rest immediately returned fire with overwhelming force.
We grabbed my grandfather by his tactical harness and dragged him desperately into the muddy forest.
Bullets ripped through the tree trunks around us, showering us with sharp splinters and wet leaves.
We finally found temporary cover in a deep drainage ditch, panting heavily in the absolute darkness.
I pulled out my encrypted communication device to call for emergency federal backup.
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The screen illuminated my face with a harsh red light, displaying a single, chilling message on the interface.
It read: "Access Denied. You have been officially disavowed by the United States Government."
