Chapter 19 - The Final Betrayal
The sudden, high-pitched alarm violently shattered the peaceful silence of the cockpit, screaming with absolute, terrifying urgency.
Lucian’s peaceful smile vanished instantly, completely replaced by an expression of pure, unadulterated horror as he frantically scanned the glowing digital instrument panels.
"We have entirely lost primary hydraulic pressure, and the starboard engine is completely seizing!" Lucian yelled aggressively over the deafening mechanical noise.
I clutched Nico incredibly tight to my chest, my heart hammering violently against my ribs as the small plane violently shuddered and aggressively dropped altitude.
"Did the FBI tactical teams shoot us when we took off?" I screamed frantically, entirely terrified of a catastrophic crash into the freezing ocean below.
Lucian aggressively fought the heavy, unyielding flight yoke, desperately trying to manually stabilize the violently pitching aircraft.
"No, the damage is entirely internal. Someone intentionally sabotaged the primary fuel lines before we ever boarded the plane," Lucian growled fiercely.
The horrifying realization hit me like a massive, physical blow to the stomach.
Julian had not simply planned to blow up the bunker; he had actively booby-trapped our sole, absolute escape vehicle as a terrifying, completely lethal fail-safe.
He wanted to ensure that if he somehow failed to kill us in the mountain, we would absolutely die a terrifying, fiery death over the open ocean.
The starboard engine violently sputtered and completely died, sending a thick, terrifying trail of dark black smoke billowing heavily across the clear morning sky.
"We are entirely too heavy to glide on a single engine, and we are absolutely losing altitude way too fast," Lucian announced grimly.
We were thousands of feet in the air, completely stranded over the freezing, desolate ocean with absolutely no safe place to land the floatplane.
"Prepare for a catastrophic water landing, Serena. It is going to be incredibly violent," Lucian ordered, his voice completely steady and deeply courageous.
I braced myself aggressively, wrapping my entire body tightly around Nico to completely shield his fragile frame from the impending, horrific impact.
Lucian expertly angled the nose of the dying plane, desperately trying to match the violent rhythm of the massive, churning ocean swells below us.
We hit the freezing water with a world-shattering, absolutely deafening impact that violently shattered the thick windshield entirely inward.
Freezing, icy seawater immediately rushed aggressively into the small cabin, violently submerging the instrument panels in seconds.
The plane violently skipped twice across the massive waves before settling heavily into the freezing, dark abyss, entirely breaking apart under the immense pressure.
I fought desperately against the freezing water, unbuckling my heavy harness and kicking fiercely toward the shattered window with Nico secured tightly in my arms.
Lucian aggressively kicked his jammed door completely open, heavily grabbing my jacket and pulling me violently out of the sinking wreckage.
We broke the freezing surface gasping desperately for sweet, life-saving oxygen, completely surrounded by a vast, terrifying expanse of dark, empty ocean.
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The ruined plane quickly slipped entirely beneath the massive waves, leaving us completely stranded, freezing, and entirely alone in the absolute middle of nowhere.
Suddenly, the massive, dark silhouette of a towering, heavily armed luxury yacht completely emerged from the morning fog, sailing directly toward our helpless position.
