Chapter 7 - The Betrayal
Leah pressed herself flat against the wall, her heart stopping at the sight of the weapon.
Silas did not flinch, though his eyes darkened with a terrifying, silent realization.
"How much did they pay you, Marcus?" Silas asked calmly.
"Enough to buy an island where your enemies cannot ever find me," the giant guard replied.
"You planted the first device on my son," Silas deduced, stepping slightly in front of his baby.
"It was a failsafe," Marcus explained, keeping the gun perfectly steady in his grip.
"If I could not take the cockpit, the bomb would do the job for me."
"But thanks to the little girl, I did not even have to get my hands dirty up front."
Leah realized with horror that Marcus had never actually tried to stop the baby from screaming.
He had wanted the distraction all along.
"What happens when we land?" Silas asked, clearly stalling for time.
"You get off the plane, and the syndicate handles the rest," Marcus said.
"And the innocent passengers?" Leah asked, her voice shaking violently.
Marcus finally looked at her, his eyes entirely devoid of any human empathy.
"No witnesses," Marcus said simply.
Silas locked eyes with Leah for a fraction of a second.
He subtly tapped two fingers against the side of his right leg.
Leah remembered the heavy police taser Silas had thrown into her bag when they were searching for the device.
She slowly reached her hand behind her back, unzipping the pocket of her borrowed jacket.
"Drop the weapon, Marcus," Silas warned, shifting his weight forward.
"Or what?" Marcus laughed, stepping aggressively closer.
Leah's fingers wrapped tightly around the hard plastic grip of the taser.
She pulled it out and lunged forward, jamming the metal prongs directly into the back of Marcus's knee.
Fifty thousand volts of electricity ripped through the massive guard.
Marcus roared in sheer pain, his right leg collapsing instantly under his weight.
The gun fired wildly into the ceiling, blowing a massive hole in the decorative paneling.
Silas tackled the enormous man, violently pinning his thick arms to the floor.
"Tie his hands!" Silas shouted, tossing a bundle of heavy-duty zip ties to Leah.
Leah scrambled over and tightly secured the guard's wrists behind his back.
Marcus groaned, completely immobilized by the lingering shock and the tight plastic restraints.
They had won the fight, but a sickening realization suddenly washed over Leah.
She looked down at the gun that had fallen from Marcus's limp hand.
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It was a plastic, 3D-printed replica that could not fire real bullets.
The terrifying gunshot sound had actually come from the cockpit speakers.
