Chapter 6 - The Stolen Wings
Hadrian instantly tackles Viper to the concrete, narrowly dodging the incoming sniper round.
The high-caliber bullet shatters the pavement exactly where Viper’s head had been a second ago.
"Sniper on the air traffic control tower!" Viper yells, scrambling behind a concrete barrier.
Hadrian blind-fires his assault rifle toward the dark tower, hoping to buy them a few precious seconds.
"Cover me while I start the chopper!" Hadrian shouts over the deafening gunfire.
He sprints across the open tarmac in a desperate zig-zag pattern.
Bullets chew up the asphalt around his boots, kicking sharp gravel into his face.
He dives through the open side door of the transport helicopter and scrambles into the pilot's seat.
His hands fly across the complicated dashboard, flipping ignition switches and priming the engine.
The old rotors groan in protest before slowly beginning to spin into life.
Viper lays down heavy suppressing fire, forcing the sniper to duck out of sight.
He sprints toward the helicopter, diving into the cabin just as the skids lift off the ground.
Hadrian pulls the flight stick hard, sending the chopper banking aggressively over the industrial park.
They fly low to avoid radar detection, skimming dangerously close to the tops of the pine trees.
The storm clouds swallow them completely, plunging the cockpit into total darkness.
Lightning flashes violently around them, threatening to fry the ancient electrical systems.
Viper bandages his bleeding shoulder, staring nervously at the fuel gauge.
"We are burning too much gas flying against these hurricane-force winds."
Hadrian tightens his grip on the controls, his eyes fixed on the digital compass.
"We only need enough fuel to crash on the rig, we are not coming back."
They fly in agonizing silence for two hours, battling the fierce turbulence over the black ocean.
Suddenly, the radar system begins to beep frantically with an incoming threat warning.
A massive, rusted structure emerges from the fog like a steel monster rising from the sea.
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It is the offshore oil rig, lit up with hundreds of floodlights.
Before Hadrian can maneuver, a surface-to-air missile streaks out of the darkness, locking directly onto their heat signature.
