Chapter 4 - Ghosts of Unit 7-Delta
I pulled into a derelict warehouse on the outskirts of Los Angeles—a deactivated safehouse for Unit 7-Delta. As the heavy steel door rolled up, three figures stepped out from the shadows.
Miller, short and wire-built with sharp eyes; Sarah, our elite sniper and counter-surveillance expert; and Knox, a hulking breach specialist who looked like he could kick down a brick wall.
"Commander," Knox said, giving a terse nod. He handed me a heavy tactical vest and my former sidearm, custom-fitted with a suppressor. "Good to have you back in the harness, even under these hellish circumstances."
"Where do we stand?" I asked, putting on the gear with practiced efficiency.
Sarah pulled up a holographic tactical map of the Long Beach container terminal. "Vance has at least fifteen heavily armed mercenaries on-site. Eleanor, Evelyn, and her sisters are currently inside a retrofitted office container at the center of the yard. They think they’re getting a twenty-million-dollar wire transfer once Vance secures your master decryption key."
"And Lily?" My voice cracked slightly at her name.
"Sensors show a single high-value hostage inside the central container," Sarah said, pointing to a thermal highlight on the screen. "She's alive, David. But Vance is preparing to move her onto a cargo vessel bound for international waters in less than ninety minutes."
"Evelyn thinks she's walking away with money," I said bitterly. "She doesn't realize Vance never leaves witnesses."
"So what's the play, Boss?" Knox asked, chambering a round into his rifle.
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I looked at my team—the ghosts of my past who had answered my call without a second thought.
"We don't negotiate," I said, my voice dropping to a icy whisper. "We dismantle them."
