Chapter 8 - The Confrontation at the Docks
The warehouse erupted into chaos.
Roman’s men opened fire, the deafening roar of gunshots shattering the night. Roman grabbed Emma, pulling her behind a heavy steel shipping crate as bullets sparked against the metal.
“Go to the control panel!” Roman ordered, firing over the crate to pin down two mercenaries on the catwalk. “I’ll cover you!”
Emma scrambled across the wet concrete floor, her heart hammering against her ribs. Every instinct screamed at her to curl into a ball and hide, but the image of Eleanor’s sweet face and Roman’s protective gaze kept her moving.
She reached the electrical box, her hands shaking as she jammed the master override key into the diagnostic port.
A mercenary spotted her, raising his rifle. “Hey! Step away from there!”
Before he could pull the trigger, Roman charged forward, tackling the man over the railing and onto the concrete below. Roman stood up, wiping blood from his lip, his eyes locked on Emma.
“Do it!” he shouted.
Emma pressed the central button.
A massive, deep hum vibrated through the warehouse as the main power grid failed. The lights slammed off, plunging the entire harbor into absolute, suffocating darkness. The automated steel shutters of the warehouse crashed shut, locking everyone inside.
Screams of confusion echoed through the dark.
But Roman’s men were prepared. They slipped on their tactical infrared goggles, moving through the darkness like ghosts. One by one, Caleb’s mercenaries were neutralized.
Up in the control room, Caleb panicked. He grabbed a flashlight, aiming it wildy through the glass. “Sterling! Where are you?”
But Senator Sterling had already fled toward the rear exit, only to find the electronic doors sealed tight by Emma’s override.
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Roman walked up the metal stairs, his boots clanging heavily in the dark. The beam of Caleb’s flashlight caught him, painting Roman’s face in stark, terrifying shadows.
“It’s over, Caleb,” Roman said, his voice coming from the darkness like the judgment of a deity.
