The guard jerks, clutching his shoulder, spinning around. I fire again. He goes down.
"Sniper!" someone yells. "Up high!"
Bullets ping against the metal catwalk near my head. sparks fly.
I duck, pressing myself flat against the rusted grate. My heart is hammering a drum solo against the metal.
"Silas!" I yell into the comms. "I’m pinned!"
"Move!" Silas’s voice comes back, strained, breathless. "Change position! Don't stay static!"
I scramble on my hands and knees, crawling along the catwalk toward the ladder on the far side.
Below me, the shipyard has turned into a war zone.
Silas is a blur of motion. He uses the cover of the fallen container, popping out to fire, then disappearing again. He is outnumbered, but he is faster. He knows the terrain.
But Nikolai...
I scan the chaos for the white coat.
There.
Nikolai is retreating. He is using his remaining men as human shields, backing toward the Escalades. He is holding a heavy pistol, firing wildly in Silas’s direction.
"Silas!" I call out. "He’s running! He’s going for the car!"
"Cut him off!" Silas roars.
I reach the ladder. I don't climb down. It’s too slow.
I look at the top of the shipping containers below me. It’s a ten-foot drop.
Do it.
I holster my gun. I swing over the railing and drop.
I land hard on the corrugated metal roof of the container. The impact jars my ankles, sending a shockwave of pain up my shins, but the adrenaline masks it.
I run along the top of the containers. I am above them. I have the high ground.
I reach the end of the line. The Escalades are right below me.
Nikolai is there. He is yanked the driver’s door open, shoving the driver out of the way. He is trying to flee.
I can't let him leave. If he leaves, the war never ends. If he leaves, we spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders.
I see the second explosive charge. I placed it earlier, right on the support beam of the old crane tower next to the exit.
I pull out the remote again.
"Silas, clear the exit!" I scream. "I’m dropping the hammer!"
"Clear!" Silas yells back.
I press the second button.
BOOM.
