Chapter 7 - The Choice
I stared intensely at the grainy video feed, watching tears stream rapidly down my younger sister’s terrified face.
Every single combat instinct screaming in my brain demanded that I breach the door and take the shot immediately.
But my sniper training reminded me that a heavy steel door would alter the trajectory of a bullet just enough to cause a fatal miss.
I slowly lowered the tactical shotgun, letting the heavy weapon clatter loudly against the polished wooden floor.
I unclipped the stolen tactical vest, letting the ceramic plates hit the ground with a heavy, defeated thud.
I tossed my stolen handgun, my combat knife, and every spare magazine I carried into a pile in the hallway.
I raised both of my empty hands slowly, looking directly into the glowing lens of the security camera.
"I'm unarmed, Gregory," I stated firmly, keeping my voice utterly devoid of the desperate panic he wanted to hear.
The heavy magnetic locks on the bridge doors clicked loudly, and the heavy steel panels slid slowly apart.
I stepped onto the ship's bridge, immediately taking in the chaotic, terrifying scene before me.
The ship's captain and the navigation crew were bound and gagged on the floor, guarded by three nervous mercenaries.
Gregory stood near the massive front windows, using Chloe as a human shield with the revolver pressed firmly against her head.
He looked completely unhinged, his designer clothes ruined and his eyes wide with a manic, dangerous energy.
"You actually surrendered," Gregory laughed loudly, seemingly genuinely surprised by my total capitulation.
"I knew your pathetic, emotional attachments would always be your ultimate weakness, Ashlynn."
I took a slow, calculated step forward, carefully analyzing the physical distance between us.
"Let her go, Gregory," I said softly, locking my eyes entirely on his face and ignoring the gun.
"This was always between you, me, and the men who sold me out."
He smirked, pressing the barrel of the gun harder against my sister's fragile skin.
"Oh, sweetie, you still don't completely understand the brilliant reality of this situation, do you?"
He leaned closely into Chloe’s ear, whispering something so quietly that I couldn't hear the words.
Suddenly, Chloe stopped crying completely.
Her entire physical demeanor changed in a fraction of a second, shifting from terrified victim to cold executioner.
Before I could even process the horrifying shift, she violently elbowed Gregory in the ribs, breaking his grip.
She didn't run toward me for safety.
Instead, she snatched a spare pistol from Gregory’s waistband with terrifying, practiced speed.
She leveled the weapon perfectly, aiming the sights directly at the absolute center of my chest.
May you like
"I'm so sorry, Ash," Chloe whispered, her eyes completely devoid of the sisterly love I had known my entire life.
"They offered me ten million dollars and a brand new life to bring you here."
