She pointed upward. “Those connect to the ventilation platform. Should take us toward the control center.”
“Will it hold us?”
She was already climbing. “I’ll let you know if I fall.”
I snorted and climbed after her, grabbing the metal rungs. She moved quietly and gracefully, even though fatigued. When she reached the upper ledge, she crouched, peering down the length of the platform.
“Clear,” she whispered.
Voices echoed below us. A group passed, heading toward the meeting room we’d escaped from. One mentioned ‘ushering them into phase one.’ Another said something about ‘timelines.’ The third wished Bashir would ‘just start the purge already.’
Katya’s eyes narrowed. She looked at me, and I saw the determination written all over her face.
We crawled along the catwalk until the platform ended, dropping into another room behind a row of server racks. More maps hung on the walls, more grids, more targeting plans. Thiscompound wasn’t planning a single strike. They had a whole campaign mapped out.
Then an alarm started blaring, too loud in the confined space.
Bashir knew we were gone.
Red lights flashed. A voice blasted from speakers overhead. “Level two lockdown initiated. Seal all exits. Secure the upper floors.”
Katya cursed softly. “They’re coming.”
“We keep moving.”
We sprinted down the hall, weaving between junctions. A guard appeared around the corner. Katya didn’t hesitate. She put two shots into his chest before he could raise the alarm. Another guard rounded the opposite corner, and I slammed him into the wall, wrenching his weapon free and knocking him unconscious.
The stairwell to the upper level was ahead. We pushed through the door just as footsteps pounded behind us.
“Go,” I hissed.
Katya climbed. I followed close behind. Halfway up, two guards burst into the stairwell below. Bullets ricocheted off metal steps. Katya ducked. I turned and fired down the stairwell, forcing them to take cover.
She reached the next landing. “Up here!”
We bolted through the door. This floor was quieter, with no foot traffic and no chatter. Just a long hallway that curved toward the northern wing. We moved quickly, weapons raised. An open door appeared ahead. The glow of monitors spilled out. Bashir’svoice drifted through the doorway. He sounded calm, controlled, and way too excited.
“…Revenant thinks they can control the terms,” he said. “They send their errand boy and their little analyst and expect us to sit patiently until they decide to honor their promises.”
Katya shifted beside me, jaw tightening. I squeezed her hand once before letting go.
Bashir continued. “We don’t have the drones yet, but that’s irrelevant. We take the Dragunov representative and the woman, and Revenant will give us whatever we want.”
His lieutenants murmured something in response that sounded uncertain, as if even they weren’t fully confident this was a good idea. “They’re valuable to Revenant. Valuable to each other. Especially her. We secure them, and Revenant’s leash becomes very easy to yank.”
Katya breathed in through her nose. I could tell that she was growing increasingly agitated and I didn’t blame her.
He wasn’t done. “Once we have them, we dictate the new timeline. They either deliver the upgraded drones to us, or we take what we learn tonight and offer it to their enemies. Or we simply execute Dragunov and the girl and send Revenant the footage.”
That was enough.
I kicked open the door, and we burst into the room.
The two lieutenants spun first, startled by the sound. I grabbed the closest by the collar and slammed his head into the console edge. He folded. Katya took the second. She swept his legs, thencracked the butt of her stolen pistol into his jaw before he could lift a weapon.
Bashir whirled, eyes widening, hands twitching toward a radio on the desk.
Katya pressed her gun to his sternum. “Don’t.”
