Chapter 3 - THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE BREACHThe heavy iron loading bay door groaned as Zara wedged a hydraulic pry bar into the seam. With a sharp, muffled pop, the industrial latch gave way, sliding open just enough for a man—or a very large dog—to slip through.
Ghost slid under the gap first like a white shadow, vanishing into the pitch-black interior of the processing floor. Zara followed instantly, her pistol raised, sweeping the corners as the heavy scent of rusted iron, old blood, and chemical disinfectant hit the back of her throat.
Footsteps. Heavy boots on metal grating overhead.
Zara froze, pressing her back against a towering stack of wooden pallets. Two of Vance’s mercenaries walked past the upper catwalk, their assault rifles slung casually over their shoulders as they muttered about a football game. They didn't look down. They never expected anyone to be crazy enough to attack a fortified stronghold with a dog and a laptop.
Now.
Zara moved with silent speed, slipping toward the central maintenance stairwell. Suddenly, a sharp burst of gunfire echoed from the opposite side of the facility—a rhythmic, deafening rattle.
Ghost had sprung his trap.
"Intruders in sector four! East corridor!" a frantic voice screamed over the facility's intercom system.
The upper catwalk erupted into chaos. Guards scrambled, shouting orders, boots slamming against the steel steps as they rushed toward the decoy distraction. The path to the sub-basement elevators was completely clear.
Zara sprinted across the open floor, her boots barely making a sound against the concrete. She reached the elevator shaft, but the digital call buttons were dead—Vance had locked the manual override from the central control room.
"Damn it," she hissed.
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She dropped to her knees, pried open the service hatch to the vertical cable shaft, and shone her tactical flashlight down into the abyss. The rusted steel ladder dropped straight down into darkness, thirty feet into the subterranean levels.
Without a second thought, she holstered her weapon, gripped the freezing iron rungs, and began to descend into the belly of the beast.
