Chapter 12 - The Perimeter Breach
The synthetic voice cut off with a sharp click, leaving only the low hum of the server power supplies. I didn't hesitate. I ripped the data cable out of the terminal, grabbed the primary cryptographic drive from the slot, and shoved it deep into my tactical pocket.
They had my coordinates. That meant time had just run out.
I sprinted down the stairs, moving with absolute silence. The cabin was pitch black. I checked the girls' bedroom door—they were still sleeping soundly under their heavy quilts. I placed a silent blessing in my heart, knowing I had to draw the threat away from them at all costs.
I grabbed my hunting rifle from the mudroom, slid three extra boxes of heavy-caliber ammunition into my coat pockets, and slipped out the side kitchen door into the freezing pre-dawn mist.
The forest was dead silent, save for the crunch of pine needles beneath my boots. I ducked behind a massive boulder fifty yards upslope from the cabin, offering a commanding view of the clearing and the main access road.
Minutes ticked by like hours.
Then, I saw them.
Two silent shadows materialized from the thick fog creeping up the mountain road. They weren't wearing corporate suits anymore; they wore matte-black tactical gear, thermal-imaging goggles strapped to their helmets, and suppressed carbines held in a low, ready position. Professional operators. Mercenaries hired to erase loose ends.
They moved with terrifying synchronization, flanking the front porch of the cabin.
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My finger rested on the trigger of the hunting rifle. I aligned the crosshairs of the scope directly on the lead operator’s chest as he raised a heavy metal-cutting charge toward the front door.
"Not my house," I whispered into the cold mountain air, and squeezed the trigger.
