Chapter 6
Outside, the night air hit her like ice.
The rescue team was already loading.
Twelve operators.
Two medics.
One interpreter.
No speeches.
No music.
Just boots on gravel, weapons checked, radios tested, eyes sharp.
Cross climbed into the lead vehicle.
Lieutenant Harper, the young radio officer, ran up beside her.
“Captain.”
Cross turned.
Harper held out a small headset.
“Direct feed from the drone. I’ll be with you.”
Cross took it.
Harper’s eyes were wet but steady.
“Bring him home.”
Cross looked at her.
“I will.”
The ride to the drop point took seven minutes.
No one spoke.
Cross watched the drone feed in one eye and the dark road through the windshield with the other.
Her mind was already inside the compound.
Distances.
Angles.
Doors.
Guard rotations.
Thermal shadows.
The same details Willis had called emotion.
The team dismounted below a ridge.
From there, they moved on foot.
No lights.
No wasted movement.
Cross led them down the goat trail she had seen on the map.
Every step was a gamble.
Loose rock.
Dead brush.
Cold wind.
The village lay below, quiet and dangerous.
At 4:11 a.m., Harper’s voice whispered in Cross’s ear.
“Broadcast equipment is live. They’re moving Hale into the courtyard.”
Cross lifted one fist.
The team stopped.
Through her night vision, she could see the compound wall ahead.
Low.
Cracked.
Old stone.
The western building sat behind it.
Exactly where Hale’s heat signature had vanished.
Cross whispered, “Power.”
A specialist crawled forward and placed a device near the generator cable.
May you like
Three seconds later, the compound went dark.
Read Part 7 to see what happened when Cross entered the courtyard through smoke.
