Chapter 59 - The Ambush in the Pines
The dense canopy of the Vermont pine forest offered little protection as a freezing drizzle began to sift down through the branches, turning the steep mountain tracks into slick mud.
Dominic led the group at a punishing pace through the dark woods, moving silently along an old logging trail that wound upward toward the jagged ridgeline. Behind him, Alistair moved with surprising agility for his age, supported by Casey, who carried the titanium storage case containing the master drives.
"Stop," Dominic hissed, raising a gloved hand and dropping to one knee behind a massive moss-covered boulder.
Through the gloom ahead, two distinct beams of high-intensity tactical flashlights cut through the falling mist, sweeping methodically back and forth across the trail. Private corporate security operatives—heavily armed and wearing digital night-vision gear—were advancing in a classic pincer sweep.
"They anticipated our escape route," Julianna whispered, her breath frosting in the damp air. "The radar station isn't just an observation post. It's a regional command hub."
"We go off-trail," Dominic decided instantly, gesturing toward a steep, boulder-strewn ravine that dropped away sharply to the left. "Down into the creek bed. Move fast, and watch your footing."
They scrambled down the precipitous slope, sliding through wet leaf mold and jagged shale. But as they hit the bottom of the ravine, a sharp voice echoed from the ridge above them through a tactical megaphone.
"Russo! You're completely surrounded. Drop the hardware and step into the open. Resistance is entirely academic."
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A burst of suppressed automatic gunfire snapped through the pine boughs overhead, chewing up the bark and showering them with splinters.
"Keep moving!" Dominic shouted, drawing his Browning and firing two calculated rounds into the ridge above to pin down their attackers' advance, buying precious seconds for Casey and Julianna to reach the cover of an overhanging rock shelf.
