Chapter 7 - The Broken Soldier
Jackson lowered his smoking sniper rifle and limped slowly toward me under the flickering garage lights.
His tactical gear was covered in dried blood, but his sharp eyes remained as focused as ever.
He explained that the woman impersonating me had shot him, but his Kevlar vest had stopped the fatal blow.
He had tracked the Vanguard helicopter’s flight path and followed the signal to this industrial complex.
I helped him bandage his wounds while interrogating the bleeding detective on the concrete floor.
Carter confessed that Vanguard Dynamics was operating out of an abandoned nuclear silo in the Nevada desert.
He revealed that the CEO of the company was personally overseeing Eli's genetic extraction process.
We tied Carter to a concrete pillar and confiscated his weapons, ammunition, and secure keycards.
Jackson and I loaded our gear into the sleek black SUV and sped out of the underground garage.
We drove in absolute silence for three hours, mentally preparing for the most difficult mission of our lives.
The sun was setting as we approached the heavily fortified perimeter of the Vanguard facility.
The base was surrounded by high-voltage electric fences, automated machine-gun turrets, and armed patrols.
Jackson set up a sniper position on a nearby ridge to provide me with critical covering fire.
I used Carter’s stolen keycard to bypass the outer security gate and slip into the main compound.
I moved like a ghost through the shadows, neutralizing guards before they could even sound the alarm.
I located the central laboratory where Vanguard conducted their illegal biological experiments.
I peered through the reinforced glass window and saw Eli strapped to a cold metal examination table.
He was crying out for me, entirely terrified by the bright surgical lights and the scientists surrounding him.
I raised my rifle, prepared to breach the room and eliminate anyone who stood in my way.
Suddenly, the heavy steel door behind me locked with a loud, terrifying metallic click.
The lights in the hallway turned bright red, and a thick, sweet-smelling gas began pouring from the ceiling vents.
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I desperately tried to hold my breath, but the powerful neurotoxin instantly paralyzed my nervous system.
As I collapsed onto the floor, the laboratory door opened, and my father walked out wearing a white lab coat.
