Chapter 13 - BREACH AT SUB-LEVEL THREE
The sound of silenced automatic gunfire rattled through the ventilation shafts above us. The syndicate hadn't waited for the legal system to process their men; they had launched a direct assault on federal soil to silence Rachel permanently.
"Get behind the server racks!" Hayes ordered, pushing Rachel and me down into the narrow alleyway between the humming blue towers. He keyed his tactical radio, but only harsh white noise came through the speaker. "Comms are jammed. They've cut our lines."
The heavy steel door of the safe room shuddered under a concentrated explosive charge. Sparks burst from the frame, followed by a deafening CRACK as the lock gave way. Smoke poured into the room, thick with the chemical stench of thermite.
From the adjacent chamber, Oliver’s terrified scream echoed over the gunfire: "NORA! MOM!"
"Oliver!" Rachel cried out, attempting to sprint toward the adjoining door, but I caught her by the waist, dragging her behind the metal cover of the primary power junction.
"Stay here!" I ordered her, looking into her panic-stricken eyes. "Look at me, Rachel! I got him out of the canyon, and I am getting him out of this room. Trust me!"
Without waiting for her answer, I grabbed a heavy iron fire extinguisher from the wall mount. As two armed operatives in tactical gear stepped through the smoked-filled doorway, I swept the extinguisher’s nozzle toward the main high-voltage junction box beside them and discharged the entire chemical cylinder directly into the exposed wiring.
A blinding flash of blue electrical arc-light erupted with the force of a thunderclap. The sudden surge shattered the overhead lights, throwing the room into complete darkness and sending a wave of electric sparks cascading over the intruders.
The men stumbled back, temporarily blinded by the flash. Hayes capitalized on the distraction, firing three precise shots that dropped both operatives to the floor.
I sprinted through the smoke into the sleeping quarters, snatching Oliver from under his cot just as a third gunman appeared in the far doorway. I hauled the boy into my arms, using my own body as a shield as we scrambled back into the server room.
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"We can't stay here!" Hayes yelled, reloading his weapon. "They have the upper floors pinned down. Our only way out is the abandoned utility tunnel beneath the boiler room!"
Holding Oliver tightly against my chest, with Rachel right beside me, we ducked beneath the smoke and plunged deeper into the dark underbelly of the city.
