Chapter 80 Damian
Damian
The stairwell reeked of oil and rust. My boots hit the steps fast, controlled, Gage close behind me, Oliver covering the rear. Cyclone huffed in the middle, laptop clutched like it was worth more than his life—because tonight, it was.
Gunfire rattled from above, bullets sparking off the railings. We dropped low, returning fire, the sharp tang of metal filling the air. One body hit the landing hard, rolling down past us. Another darted back into the shadows.
“Two left up top,” Gage barked.
“I’ll take point,” I said.
Oliver growled, “Like hell, you will—”
I didn’t give him a chance to argue. I surged forward, clearing the final steps with a burst of fire. The first man went down; the second raised his weapon too slow. Gage’s shot cracked past my shoulder, dropping him clean.
The corridor beyond was narrow, lined with cheap fluorescent lights that buzzed overhead. Doors on either side, most locked, one hanging open. The hum of servers bled from deeper in, a steady electronic heartbeat.
Cyclone pushed forward, eyes gleaming. “That’s it. That’s where they’re keeping the hub.”
“Move,” I snapped, sweeping ahead of him.
The closer we got, the heavier the resistance. Men poured from side rooms, shouting in clipped orders, their gunfire deafening in the tight space. We pressed forward inch by inch, every step bought in brass casings and sweat.
Oliver dropped another man, then shot me a look. “They’re fighting hard to protect whatever’s in there.”
“Means we’re close.”
My chest burned, not just from the fight, but from the gnawing thought at the back of my mind. Morgan. Ruby. Alone in that safehouse, waiting, while I kicked down doors two counties away.
Focus, Robinson. One thing at a time.
We hit the server room door—steel, reinforced. Cyclone slapped a charge onto the lock, hands moving so fast his fingers blurred. “Thirty seconds,” he panted.
We stacked against the wall, weapons ready. Sweat trickled down my spine, my pulse a steady drum. I thought of Morgan’s last words before I left, her eyes fierce and desperate. Come back to me.
I would. But not until I had the data that would tear Luthor’s empire apart.
The charge beeped. Cyclone shouted, “Clear!”
The door blew inward.
And all hell broke loose.