Chapter 25

The city streets were alive with flickering neon signs and the hum of passing vehicles. Clinton and Athena moved through the back alleys, avoiding the main roads where SynerTech patrols could be lurking. The docks were always busy, even at night, with cargo ships offloading their shipments under the watchful eyes of security teams.

Pier 17 loomed ahead, a collection of rusted shipping containers stacked high like a metal labyrinth. Shadows moved near a dimly lit warehouse—SynerTech’s men keeping watch.

Athena whispered, "Jace has to be inside. We need a way past them."

Clinton scanned the area. "A distraction. Give me two minutes."

He slipped into the darkness, circling around to a stack of empty barrels. With a flick of his lighter, he ignited a rag, stuffing it into one of the containers marked "flammable." A few seconds later, an explosion rocked the pier, sending guards scrambling.

Athena used the moment of chaos to move. She slipped through the side entrance of the warehouse, Clinton right behind her.

Inside, Jace was already halfway to the exit, a bag slung over his shoulder. He froze when he spotted them.

"Damn it," Jace muttered. "I knew this night was gonna be trouble."

Athena blocked his path. "We need information."

Jace held up his hands. "Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Clinton stepped forward. "You work the docks. You know where SynerTech is moving those people."

Jace shifted uncomfortably. "Even if I did, talking gets people killed."

Athena's gaze hardened. "And staying silent lets people die. You don’t strike me as the kind of guy who’s okay with that."

Jace hesitated. Then, with a sigh, he glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "There’s a transport leaving tomorrow night. Big one. Word is, they’re moving their ‘cargo’ to a facility outside the city. Some underground lab."

Clinton frowned. "Where exactly?"

Jace shook his head. "I don’t know. But there's a convoy scheduled to depart at midnight. That’s your best shot."

Athena exchanged a look with Clinton. "Then we intercept it."

Jace exhaled. "You’re both crazy."

Clinton smirked. "So we’ve been told."

Outside, the sounds of shouting and approaching footsteps signaled the guards were regaining control.

Athena grabbed Jace’s collar. "If you tipped them off—"

"I didn’t!" Jace hissed. "But you need to go. Now."

Clinton nodded. "Let’s move."

They slipped out through the back just as the warehouse erupted into chaos. Guards swarmed the area, searching for intruders, but Clinton and Athena were already gone—disappearing into the night, ready for their next move.

As Clinton and Athena ducked into the shadows beyond the warehouse, the sounds of shouting and scattered gunfire filled the air behind them. SynerTech’s guards were on high alert now, sweeping the area for intruders.

“We need to split up,” Clinton murmured, scanning their surroundings. “They’ll be expecting us to run together.”

Athena hesitated but nodded. “Meet back at the safe house in an hour.”

Clinton gave a sharp nod before veering left into a maze of stacked shipping containers. Athena darted in the opposite direction, slipping between a row of abandoned forklifts.

The distant wail of sirens confirmed that SynerTech had escalated their response. Athena kept her head down, her breathing steady, her mind already on the next step. If Jace’s intel was solid, they had less than twenty-four hours to intercept the convoy. That wasn’t a lot of time to prepare.

She reached the chain-link fence surrounding the docks and vaulted over it just as a pair of guards rounded the corner. One of them shouted, but she was already gone, disappearing into the city’s underbelly.

Back at the safe house, Mira was waiting, arms crossed. “Took you long enough,” she muttered as Athena slipped inside.

Athena ignored the jab and grabbed a water bottle from the counter. “Where’s Clinton?”

Mira shrugged. “Not here yet.”

Cloud stirred from the cot, wincing as he tried to sit up. “That bad?” he asked.

Athena exhaled. “SynerTech’s on high alert. We barely got out. But we have a lead—convoy leaves tomorrow at midnight.”

Mira ran a hand through her hair. “That’s not much time to plan.”

Athena nodded. “Then we don’t plan. We act.”

Just then, the door swung open. Clinton stepped in, breathing hard, his jacket torn and smeared with dirt. “Had to take the long way back,” he said. “SynerTech’s got the docks locked down tight.”

Athena tossed him a bottle of water. “Good. That means they won’t expect us to strike outside the city.”

Mira shook her head. “You’re really going through with this, huh?”

Clinton smirked. “You know us.”

Cloud chuckled weakly. “Reckless and stupid.”

Athena strapped her weapons back in place. “Let’s get ready. We have a convoy to intercept.”

The night air was thick with anticipation. Clinton adjusted the strap of his rifle as he crouched beside the rusted fence overlooking the convoy’s designated route. Athena was beside him, her eyes scanning the dimly lit road ahead. Mira had stayed behind to watch over Cloud, but her parting words still echoed in Clinton’s mind: “Don’t get yourselves killed. And if you do, don’t make it messy.”

Athena exhaled sharply. “Jace better not have fed us false intel.”

Clinton smirked. “If he did, I’ll personally make sure he regrets it.”

Down the road, headlights pierced the darkness. The convoy was coming.

Three armored trucks, flanked by two black SUVs, rumbled along the cracked pavement. Clinton could make out the silhouettes of SynerTech’s men inside, their weapons at the ready. They weren’t taking any chances.

Athena tightened her grip on her handgun. “How do you want to do this?”

Clinton’s mind raced through the possibilities. A frontal assault was suicide. They needed to isolate one of the trucks, cut it off from the others.

“Second truck,” he decided. “We blow the road behind it, force it to a stop while the others push forward.”

Athena nodded. “I'll set the charge.”

She slipped away into the shadows, moving with practiced ease. Clinton took position near an abandoned outpost, rifle trained on the lead SUV. Timing was everything.

The vehicles drew closer. Athena’s voice crackled softly in his earpiece. “Charge is set. Thirty seconds.”

Clinton steadied his breath. The lead SUV rolled past, followed by the first truck. As the second truck crossed the designated spot, Athena detonated the charge.

The explosion sent a fireball into the sky, shaking the earth beneath them. The rear SUV screeched to a halt, its occupants scrambling for cover. The first truck and lead SUV, caught off guard, sped forward, unaware of what was happening behind them.

The second truck swerved violently, its tires skidding across the pavement. Before the driver could react, Clinton was already moving.

He sprinted toward the cab, firing a precise shot that shattered the driver’s window. The man inside barely had time to register what was happening before a second shot silenced him.

Athena was right behind him, climbing onto the truck’s side and yanking the passenger door open. A guard inside lunged at her, but she was faster. One well-placed shot and he slumped forward, lifeless.

Clinton swung open the back doors. Inside, a dozen frightened faces stared back at him—men, women, even children, all shackled together like cargo.

“Stay quiet,” he whispered. “We’re getting you out of here.”

Athena hopped inside, working quickly to unfasten the restraints. One of the captives, a young woman with hollow eyes, gripped her wrist. “They’re taking us to a lab,” she said, her voice hoarse. “Experiments. No one comes back.”

Athena’s jaw tightened. “Not tonight.”

Outside, the remaining SynerTech guards were regrouping. Clinton saw movement through the haze of smoke and fire. They weren’t retreating—they were preparing to fight.

Athena dropped down from the truck. “We need to move.”

Clinton nodded. “Cover me.”

He crouched behind the truck, reloading his rifle. The first shots rang out, ricocheting off metal. Athena returned fire, her bullets finding their marks with deadly precision.

A guard attempted to flank them. Clinton caught the movement in his periphery and turned, pulling the trigger in one fluid motion. The man collapsed instantly.

The rescued captives huddled inside the truck, eyes wide with terror. Clinton glanced at Athena. “We need an exit plan. Fast.”

Athena gestured toward a nearby alleyway. “That way. We split up, regroup at the rendezvous point.”

Clinton hesitated. “And them?”

“I’ll take them,” Athena said. “You cover our retreat.”

More gunfire erupted. Clinton clenched his jaw. “Go. Now.”

Athena ushered the captives forward, disappearing into the alley. Clinton remained behind, laying down suppressive fire. The remaining SynerTech guards were closing in, but he had bought enough time.

With one final shot, he turned and sprinted after Athena, disappearing into the night.

By the time Clinton reached the rendezvous point, Athena was already there, the captives huddled behind her. Mira and Cloud stood nearby, their expressions tense.

Mira’s gaze flicked over him. “You look like hell.”

Clinton smirked. “Nice to see you too.”

Cloud stepped forward, his usual sarcasm replaced with quiet admiration. “You actually pulled it off.”

Athena nodded. “They’re safe. But SynerTech will come looking.”

Mira crossed her arms. “Then we make sure they don’t find us.”

Clinton exhaled, exhaustion settling into his bones. The fight wasn’t over. Not even close.

But tonight, they had won.

And that was enough—for now.