Chapter 9 - The Extraction Point
At the edge of the cul-de-sac, where the asphalt met the gravel mountain road, a matte-black, unmarked tactical utility vehicle sat idling with its lights completely off. The engine emitted a low, muffled hum that blended seamlessly with the ambient sound of the wind through the pines.
As I approached, the passenger-side door swung open silently.
The major was inside in the front passenger seat, while a silent operator sat behind the wheel, night-vision goggles resting on his helmet.
I climbed in, pulling the heavy door shut behind me. The interior smelled of coffee, gun oil, and sterile electronics.
“Gear check?” the major asked without turning around.
“Standard kit,” I replied, settling my tactical rig into place. “Secured and functional.”
The vehicle lurched forward smoothly, accelerating down the winding mountain pass without a single headlight breaking the darkness. We were driving entirely on infrared and thermal optics, navigating the jagged terrain of the Rockies with the practiced speed of a ghost unit.
“What’s our intelligence picture on the blacksite?” I asked, leaning forward between the front seats.
The major tapped a ruggedized tactical tablet mounted to the dashboard. The screen flickered to life, illuminating his scarred jaw in a pale, eerie green glow.
“Facility designation: Project Chimera,” he said, his voice dropping into briefing mode. “Officially, it doesn't exist on any Department of Energy or Defense roster. Unofficially, it’s a subterranean research and tactical testing hub built deep into the limestone canyons three hours west of here. Forty-eight hours ago, internal sensors detected an unauthorized override of the main blast doors from Sector Four—the classified ordnance storage wing.”
“Who had the clearance codes?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at the schematics glowing on the tablet.
“That’s the complication,” the major replied grimly. “The override wasn't hacked from the outside. It was executed using Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Vance’s active biometric thumbprint and primary command cipher.”
I stared at the screen. Marcus wouldn't sell out his own base. I would bet my life on that. Which meant only one thing: they hadn't just breached the blacksite—they had taken him alive, and they were using him to crack the remaining vaults.
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“If Marcus is still inside,” I said coldly, “then whoever took this facility is about to find out why the 75th doesn't leave people behind.”
The vehicle accelerated hard, plunging deeper into the winding shadows of the canyon road as the first faint gray light of dawn began to bleed over the jagged mountain peaks.
