22
THE MAYHEM CONTINUES
SYDNEY
Despite the speed of the truck heading straight for them, everything went into slow-mo. Muscle memory took over. Sydney pulled her rifle around, positioned it against her shoulder, and stared through the scope.
“I need confirmation,” she said as she readied her stance and steadied her breath.
Nothing from Tank.
She glanced over. He was peering through the binos.
“Tank,” she said as the vehicle barreled toward them.
“Confirmed Haqazzii terrorist. Shoot at will.”
Sydney homed in on the driver, put his chest just below the exact center of her scope. Since she had to account for his erratic driving, she had to cheat up a little more. A breath in, then a release, and hold.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The truck erupted into a violent fireball that had her and Tank spinning away from the flying debris. The heat of theflames warmed their backs as two airport workers sprinted to close the hangar doors.
Through the comms, Greystone said, “Emergency crews are rushing to contain the explosion. Iron Whisper and Fox Key, confirm your situation.”
Sydney gave Tank a thumbs-up.
“Fox Key, Iron Whisper, and crew are safe,” Tank said.
“Nice work, you two,” Greystone said into her ears.
The women were screaming and pushing toward the rear emergency door of the hangar, and Sydney feared a stampede would result in crushed bodies.
“STOP!” she yelled into the mic. “Women of TSM, stand down!”
In unison, the women stopped pushing toward the exit. Moving as a pod, they pivoted toward her. Sydney regarded Tank.
He couldn’t contain his surprise. From what they could tell, the women appeared to be brainwashed.
“Ladies, you aresafe,” Sydney said facing the crowd. “Stop fighting to escape. The explosion is being contained. The busses are ready to take you to a nearby hotel where the agents will gather info, then help get you home.”
“I was making a lot of money as a TSM consultant,” one of the women yelled. “Are those helpful agents going to subsidize my income, huh? What about that?”
“Yeah!” yelled another. “I got kids to feed and an ex who won’t pay child support.”
The scope of this situation was well outside anything they could resolve now, but she had to address their concerns. Despite her suspicions that some of these women might have had been brainwashed, they had been earning money through TSM. Money they didn’t want to give up.”
“I can’t speak to your employment with TSM,” Sydney said. “Agent Green and I—and the Special Forces we work with—were brought in to make sure you weren’t kidnapped to Karakistan and farmed out as sex workers. Please remember that if you’d left, you wouldneverhave been able to return to see your families or your friends. This life—regardless of the challenges you’re facing—would be over.”
The hangar doors opened. Led by Greystone and Caroline, the entire BLACK OPS and ALPHA teams stood at the ready. One hundred Special Forces—dressed in their SWAT gear—had come to escort these women out.
Tank took the mic from her.
“It’s time to board the busses,” he explained. “Our agents will stay with you while you’re processed at the hotel. It’s going to be a long day, so we’ll have a warm meal waiting for you. I know this is a lot. Agent Turner and I will be at the entrance if you have questions. Godspeed to you all.”
To Sydney’s surprise, a round of applause was started by a single person. She eyed Tara, still on the shoulders of another TSM consultant.
“Thank you for saving us from getting on that plane,” Tara yelled.
