h4Chapter 383: Another Extraction II/h4

Not much has changed, Ewan thought, aware of his past rising to meet him. He couldn’t believe that he was returning into one of the dungeons he had sworn never to return to.

Life can be so messy, he mused, tapping the table where a rough map flickered on his tablet.

"Spider marked an old drainage path. If things go bad, that’s our exit. Tight fit, but manageable."

Hopefully that still was the same. And hopefully nothing would deter him from his mission tonight. Not the cries of helpless victims, and surely not the sight of Kael. Was thetter even at the location?

The five gathered closer, huddling around the makeshift table, to note the map, while the agents with them stayed ahead in seats, cocking and uncocking guns.

Athena leaned in, studying the map, ignoring Ewan’s contemtive eyes on her. Her brows furrowed. "And Lucas? You know he is injured... how do we get him out without him contracting infections... is the drainage system... where exactly..."

She paused, looked at Ewan, waiting for an answer, knowing they all understood her concerns.

"We’ll find a way, I will make sure of it. But it’s better we finish well, and follow through with the first n... so everyone be alert and sensitive. Kendara and Lucas are at the Central block," Ewan pointed at a squareplex on the map. "That’s where they’ll be held. Spider says he’s seen it, has gone in even to maintain a surveince system, although he promises to destabilize that when we get there. But there are steel doors, and guards which are rotated every hour. We’ll need speed more than stealth. We need to be in and out in less than forty-five minutes. Thirty at most. So, we won’t sh with a stream of guards."

Sandro shifted uneasily, his voice soft. "And if it’s a trap? What if they know we areing tonight? What if this is all a premeditated n to get us all captive, a sure way to get the research, or rather stop the production of vines?"

Silence. Then Ewan’s gaze darkened. He looked at his friend, then at all of them.

"Then we fight. But we don’t leave anyone behind. None of us is dying here tonight, neither are we leaving without Lucas and Kendra, so let’s all strap in, let’s buckle down and do this quickly."

The wordsnded heavy, sinking into them like steel. Nods validated his words, even as everyone went around, sinking buds into their ears, connecting to each other, connected to Spider.

"Hello everyone..." He greeted listlessly. "Can you hear me?"

Echoes of yes, more bags being opened, guns being cocked, masks getting suited on faces.

"I’m not sure what Ewan has told you, but we have to be done with this extraction in fifteen minutes, give or take."

Silence. Static except for the jet humming around them, steady and constant. The air inside the jet was cool, almost too clean, but in it also lingered the weight of anticipation and fear and questions.

A mission to be done in fifteen minutes?

Everyone reflected the consequence of Spider’s statement in different ways—Athena’s sharp focus, Zane’s clenched fists, Sandro’s resolve, Aiden’s grim lips. And Ewan’s stiff demeanor.

The agents with them, seeing their leader’s firm resolve, pushed their fear away, clung to their guns, and exhaled fear through soft breaths.

This night won’t be their time to die, they each thought, borrowing a leaf from Athena. Walking in fear wasn’t going to be needed if they needed to be in their A-game.

"So, strap in for a long but short haul." And then Spider was gone, like he hadn’t detonated a bomb within their midst.

"You heard our inside man." Ewan’s voice grew loud,manding. "Let’s get to work. Brian, get started with the tattoos..."

Together with thebat gear, the ck and red—reding from a scarf they tied to their arms, a color known to the gang—there were also tattoos needed to be drawn on certain areas of their body, including Ewan and his friends. They’d be wearing masks for the mission, but should things go south, they were counting on being new faces in the gang, believable enough to get away unscathed.

Brian, one of the agents with them, got to work with a charcoal pencil and handkerchief for precision, starting with his fellow agents, while they all heard the pilot’s deration on the inte.

"We have reached our exit point."

To keep themselves out of detection, Ewan had decided that they stop some meters away from the warehouse, and drop down with parachutes. On their exit, the ne could find a better ce tond, and wait for their return.

This they did, after the tattoos had been drawn, Athena bearing hers on her wrist. Picking parachutes off the tail of the jet, and jumping down, without hesitation, to the thick ck vegetation underneath.

"Remember the ns. Everyone get into position. Fifteen minutes is what we have. Let’s go!" Ewanmanded, already moving after getting rid of the parachute.

The others followed suit, dragging and dropping the parachutes on his own—they were not leaving any traceable object behind. The parachutes had the Thorne’s logo.

Fan out! His hand gestures spoke when they got close to the fence surrounding the warehouse. The agents immediately went into position.

Two stayed back in the vegetation to guard their tools, and control surveince with Spider. So the remaining three entered position, the one with a silent sniper immediately taking out the four guards pacing around the gate region.

They waited for a second for an rm bell, and hearing nothing, they knew that Spider had done his part of the bargain, that he had disarmed the rms at the gates sensitive to any little sound, and that he had, somehow, gotten rid of the watchman at the tower.

"Ten minutes left." Ewan muttered to the four with him, inhaling softly. "Godspeed everyone. Stay alive."

And they stealthily headed toward the gates.