Chapter 5 - The Gate 4 Breach
The black sedan had plowed through the secondary chain-link fence of Gate 4, its front bumper crumpled against a concrete security barrier. The hazard lights blinked an erratic, rhythmic pulse against the damp asphalt.
Base security Humvees formed a semi-circle around the vehicle, their high-beams cutting blinding white cones through the mist rolling off the Elizabeth River. Armed master-at-arms personnel stood with rifles raised, their voices barking crisp commands into the cold night air.
"Hold your fire!" I shouted, sprinting past the security line with Hayes right behind me.
"Director Carter, get back behind the line!" the lead security chief yelled, his weapon still leveled at the sedan.
"I said hold your fire, Chief! That’s my family in that car."
I reached the passenger side of the sedan. The window was rolled down halfway. Inside, the cabin light was on.
My father was sitting in the passenger seat, his hands resting palms-up on the dashboard, staring blankly out through the cracked windshield. His breathing was shallow, his tie loosened, sweat glistening on his forehead.
In the driver’s seat wasn't Ryan.
It was Marcus Vance.
And in the back seat, staring out the window with pale, terrified eyes, was my brother Ryan, his pristine white dress uniform stained with mud on the shoulder, holding a civilian laptop against his chest like a shield.
"Emily," Dad whispered, his voice trembling as I pulled open the passenger door. "I tried to stop them. I swear to God, I tried to stop them before they used your name."
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Marcus Vance didn't look panicked. He turned his head slowly from the steering wheel, a thin, polite smile playing on his lips as he rested his right hand casually on the center console, right beside an armed tactical detonator connected to a small black box wired beneath the dashboard.
"End of the line, Emily," Vance said smoothly, his voice carrying easily over the hum of the idling engine. "You wanted the truth about your team in Pristina? Your father has it right here on his flash drive. But if you want to pull him and your precious little SEAL brother out of this base alive, you're going to hand over the entire cyber-audit on Meridian Global—and sign your own resignation effective immediately."
