Chapter 6 - The Embankment Ambush
The shattered glass of our armored SUV crunched under heavy boots as the tactical operative in the Apex Logistics vest leaned into the vehicle. The acrid scent of burning rubber and smoking airbags filled the cabin, stinging my eyes as I fought to untangle my combat harness.
"Target secured! Get the general out and bag the sergeant!" the operative barked into his shoulder radio, reaching a gloved hand straight toward my throat.
Adrenaline surged through my veins, pushing past the dull ache in my ribs from the crash. I didn't hesitate. I jammed my heel hard into the center console, using the leverage to swing my legs upward and drive both combat boots straight into the operative’s chest.
With a sharp gasp, he tumbled backward out of the shattered door, crashing onto the sloping concrete shoulder of the bridge.
"Maya! Are you hit?" General Vance demanded, coughing heavily as he struggled to free himself from the crumpled passenger seat. A streak of blood ran down his temple from a cut on his forehead, but his eyes were sharp and resolute.
"I'm fine, sir! We need to move—now!" I snapped, drawing my sidearm from its holster just as two more armed figures rushed around the hood of the wrecked truck that had rammed us.
Before they could raise their suppressed carbines, I squeezed off two rapid shots through the empty door frame, shattering their body armor's momentum and forcing them to dive behind concrete barriers.
"The vehicle's integrity is compromised, and we're hanging over the drop," I said, glancing out the rear window down toward the dark, rushing water twenty feet below. "We have less than thirty seconds before reinforcements arrive."
General Vance unbuckled his harness with a sharp metallic snap, his jaw set in a hard line. "There's a maintenance ladder fifty yards down the guardrail leading to the lower service road. On my count, we break left."
Outside, the harsh crack of gunfire chewed through the side panel of our SUV, sending showers of metal shrapnel ricocheting across the interior.
"Three... two... one... go!"
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We kicked open the driver-side doors, tumbling out onto the slick pavement of the bridge amid a fresh hail of bullets, sprinting toward the shadows of the concrete overpass.
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