Chapter 13 - THE REUNION IN THE DARK
I didn't wait for Ethan's signal. I raised my short-barrel rifle, kicked open the pod room door, and fired three controlled bursts!
The two mercenaries planting the explosives dropped instantly into the water-logged floor. The third mercenary spun around, bringing his shotgun up, but Ethan burst through the doorway and tackled him through the glass partition!
The glass shattered into a thousand glittering pieces. I sprinted past the fallen guard and slammed my hand against the emergency purge valve on Arthur's pod.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!
The oxygenated gel drained rapidly. The heavy acrylic door swung open. Arthur Vance collapsed forward into my arms, coughing water and gasping for breath.
I caught him, taking his full weight against my chest. His hands were ice-cold, trembling as he reached up to wipe his eyes.
His eyes locked onto my face. Then his gaze drifted down to my exposed left forearm—where the pale, jagged steel-cable scar circled my skin.
Arthur's voice broke into a rasping whisper. "The cable scar... The Bennett girl... No... You're Arthur Vance's daughter."
"I am, Dad," I choked out, tears stinging my eyes. "I'm Major Avery Bennett... Avery Vance. I came to bring you home."
Arthur grabbed my tactical vest, his thumb brushing against my scar. "You saved them... using my technique... The winch failure at Harbor Lantern... I read the covert reports..."
"I learned it from your legacy," I said softly.
May you like
Arthur pulled himself up, his eyes suddenly flashing with sudden, urgent panic. "Avery! The syndicate didn't just come to kill me! They came for the Trident Matrix! It's an orbital defense key Gordon helped them build! It's built inside my medical monitor!"
Before I could react, a voice echoed through the intercom system above us—a voice that made my heart freeze.
