Chapter 8 - The Rig in the Storm
The ruthless mercenary's finger tightened deliberately on the trigger, a cruel smile forming visibly beneath his tactical mask.
Elias did not hesitate for even a fraction of a second to protect the innocent life he had just helped bring into the world.
He threw his own massive body entirely over Kiora and the crying newborn baby.
A single, incredibly deafening gunshot echoed sharply through the dusty, smoke-filled garage.
But Elias surprisingly did not flinch, and the lethal bullet never actually struck his back.
The towering mercenary collapsed backward limply, a clean bullet hole passing straight through the center of his chest.
Standing quietly in the dark shadows behind the fallen man was a figure holding a highly modified, smoking sniper rifle.
It was Vanessa, her once-immaculate black blazer now heavily stained with dark soot and fresh blood.
She slowly lowered the heavy weapon, looking at Elias with a remarkably strange mix of hatred and desperate respect.
"Marcus actually betrayed me too," Vanessa confessed bitterly, her voice echoing softly in the sudden quiet.
"He maliciously sent a hit squad to my private apartment the exact moment Kiora successfully drained the accounts."
Elias stood up very slowly, keeping his broad frame securely between the dangerous woman and the exhausted new mother.
"Where exactly is Julian?" Elias demanded firmly for the second time tonight.
"He is definitely on the rig, but Marcus secretly wired the entire industrial platform with C4 explosives," Vanessa revealed breathlessly.
"If the digital timer reaches zero, the entire rig will sink straight to the bottom of the ocean with Julian locked inside."
Kiora clutched her tiny baby tightly to her chest, her immense exhaustion completely overridden by pure, maternal adrenaline.
"We absolutely have to go get him right now," Kiora stated firmly, absolutely refusing to take no for an answer.
Vanessa reluctantly led them to a private, highly secure helipad hidden three blocks away from the damaged garage.
They quickly boarded a sleek black helicopter, flying directly into a raging, terrifying offshore thunderstorm.
Brilliant flashes of lightning illuminated the massive, rusting steel structure of the oil rig rising ominously from the dark ocean.
The helicopter landed violently and abruptly on the rain-slicked helipad amidst howling, hurricane-force winds.
Elias aggressively kicked the cabin doors open, bravely leading the charge down into the dark industrial belly of the rig.
They finally found Julian tightly bound to a heavy steel pipe inside the flooded central control room.
Julian looked up weakly, his bruised face breaking into a look of absolute, joyful astonishment when he saw Kiora actually holding a baby.
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Before Julian could even speak a word, the heavy steel door slammed shut violently behind them, locking them all securely inside.
A bright digital timer on the wall glowed an ominous red, displaying exactly sixty seconds left until total, fiery detonation.
