Chapter 29 #2
He doesn’t hesitate to reach out—and I grip his shoulder, pressing the syringe against his neck.
The click of the needle’s release is confirmation, along with his deepening breath.
He staggers back, gripping the point of impact before losing his footing and deflating to the ground like a rag doll.
I pat down his body as his breathing deepens to a snore.
He has the key card attached to his belt, which I slip into my pocket.
I move to his feet, hooking beneath his boots, only to be knocked aside by Atlas.
“Roscoe and Kris took the other ranger out.”
He grabs the sleeping ranger by his boots and drags him into the thicket with ease. I assist in zip-tying his hands together, removing all his weapons, and most importantly, taking his alarm. Like my own alarm back in the city, they only need to pull the pin to alert the other rangers.
We jog back to Leon, and I present the key card as Ren is twisting and pushing the cables back into place. The communications box doors are forced shut, and he replaces the padlock, leaving no trace of tampering, so our interceptor can lie undiscovered indefinitely.
“Second key card obtained,” Leon says into his comms. “Ready to go.”
We wait patiently as the tech team confirms that the interceptor is live, and from there, they can disable the compound’s communications and loop surveillance footage.
With the all-clear, we meet at the front of the compound, before the red iron gates embedded into the wall, large enough for vehicles to enter.
We dump our helmets and take a breath as we wait for the stroke of midnight, so our infiltration happens simultaneously with the other mission.
The dampness of my brow turns cool in the night air, but we don’t have long before we pull on our balaclavas.
The helmets reduce visibility, so now we’ll have an advantage over the rangers inside.
Adrenaline surges through my limbs, sending my fingers dancing as we prepare to enter.
Roscoe turns to us. “We’re doing great, guys. Keep it stealthy, and this will be short and sweet.”
Leon and Roscoe stand before the electronic pads on either side of the gate, simultaneously running the cards across.
A beep and flashing green light confirm our access.
The gates slide open with a slow cranking noise, like the raising of a drawbridge.
I take another liquid tranquilliser from my belt and fumble it between my fingers as Roscoe peers around and signals for us to move in.
We step into the small parking area for trucks, where Kris and Ren work through the vehicles, severing their starter cables, while we move beyond the parking area to the indoor portion of the compound.
Beyond the double doors lies a narrow corridor with five doors on either side.
From the data we have, we knew of this space, but there were no details on what lies behind each door.
I slink to Zeke’s side as we pair up for phase two, and he leads me before our door.
Malcolm and Roscoe filter into a side room, with Leon and Atlas entering another.
My heart flutters like a trapped sparrow as Zeke’s touch hovers above the steel handle.
He turns it slowly, softening the click of the latch before pushing it open.
A harsh fluorescent tube light buzzes above the counter.
The monotonous hum of a fridge confirms that we are in a small cafeteria area, and we do a sweep, checking all corners, establishing that the area is clear before slinking back into the hallway, but no one else has yet left their first room.
The light squeak of rubber soles against tiled floors seeps from another room as if someone is wrestling, and my nostrils flare when edging towards our next door.
Again, Zeke delicately moves the handle while I hold my breath.
He steps into the dark room, relying on the hallway’s luminosity to reach within, while his blue eyes scan the area before he enters, and he motions to indicate three.
I lean into the doorway, seeing for myself the iron-framed beds lining the room. The unoccupied beds are tidily made, while the occupied mattresses have lumps of men within.
“You get the guy on the left,” Zeke whispers while he heads towards the man in the centre.
I creep towards the body, readjusting my grip on the sedative shot as sweat gathers in my palm.
With widened eyes, my vision adjusts to the darkness.
The helmet and boots of the ranger sit at the bottom of the bed.
His matted hair sticks across his forehead with his mouth flopping open.
It’s easier when they don’t seem human. He looks like a normal guy, just like one of our Cornerstone soldiers.
Zeke plunges his shot, and I urge myself to be done with it, hovering mine above the stranger’s neck.
His eyes shoot open. I gasp, slamming the syringe harder than expected.
He immediately grows drowsy, fighting the sedation before flopping his head and returning to slumber.
I slip the alarm from his belt and tuck it with his weapons atop a wardrobe before moving to zip-tie the ranger’s hands to the bedframe.
Zeke makes his way to the third ranger, and I come to assist. He raises his arm, ready to plunge.
The ranger beneath him leaps up, like a bear emerging from a cave, sweeping his mammoth arms into Zeke’s chest. As if in slow motion, Zeke is airborne. His head smashes into a bedframe with a blood-curdling blow before he collapses into a heap on the floor.