Chapter 6 - The Siege in the Dark
Concrete dust rained down from the ceiling as the deafening echo of the explosion reverberated through the underground bunker.
Thorne instantly cut the main power grid, plunging us into total darkness before the emergency red tactical lights flickered to life.
He grabbed a heavy assault rifle from the weapons rack and tossed a loaded sidearm directly into Richard’s waiting hands.
The mercenary syndicate had somehow tracked the encrypted signal from the satellite phone we took from the dead assassin at the medical facility.
I clutched my crying baby tightly against my chest, retreating to the safest, most reinforced corner of the subterranean room.
Heavy, militarized footsteps pounded down the concrete stairs leading to the main blast door.
We could hear the hiss of cutting torches and the mechanical whine of heavy drills attempting to breach the reinforced steel lock.
Thorne took position behind a thick concrete pillar, his weapon aimed perfectly at the center of the slowly weakening metal door.
He calmly informed us that there were at least a dozen heavily armed tactical operators on the other side of the barricade.
Richard stood firmly in front of me, his body acting as a human shield to protect his newfound daughter and grandson.
Sparks showered violently into the room as the heavy metal hinges finally gave way under the extreme heat of the thermal torches.
The massive door crashed inward, sending a cloud of thick gray smoke billowing into the red-lit bunker.
Thorne opened fire immediately, his weapon roaring in the confined space as he laid down a punishing wall of suppressive cover fire.
Three mercenaries dropped to the floor instantly, their advanced body armor no match for Thorne’s precision shots.
The remaining attackers scrambled for cover, returning heavy fire that chipped away at the concrete pillars hiding us.
Richard pulled a small, silver remote control from his tailored pocket and pressed the single red button in the center.
A massive, hidden panel in the floor suddenly slid open, revealing a dark, narrow escape tunnel leading deep into the city's ancient sewer system.
He grabbed my arm and practically threw me into the dark opening, ordering me to run as fast as I could and never look back.
I slid down the damp chute, clutching my baby fiercely to protect his fragile head from the rough stone walls.
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I waited in the cold darkness for Richard and Thorne to follow, but the heavy steel trapdoor slammed shut and automatically locked from the outside.
I screamed for my father, begging him to open the door, but the only response was the muffled sound of a massive, secondary explosion shaking the earth above.
