14 - Jaws Of Blackridge

14 - Jaws Of Blackridge

The command center was dimly lit, the glow from the monitors casting sharp shadows across the table where Thompson and Hera sat. The mission plans were spread out between them, but Thompson’s focus was on Hera’s expression, the way her fingers curled against the table when he told her about the kill order.

She inhaled sharply, her face unreadable. "Jacob gave the order himself?"

Thompson nodded. "It’s real."

She didn’t explode. She didn’t shout. Instead, her voice came out cold, clipped. "And you’re actually considering it?"

"I’m considering getting him out alive," Thompson said. "No matter what."

Silence stretched between them. Then, Hera let out a slow breath and nodded once. "Then we’re both going against Jacob on this."

The air shifted. Thompson knew what that meant. Hera wasn’t just agreeing—she was committing. And once she committed to something, she didn’t back out.

The sound of boots scuffing against the floor made them both look up. Elijah leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, gaze sharp.

"So that’s it, then?" His voice carried a bite. "You’re both ignoring a direct order?"

Thompson straightened. "You got a problem with that?"

Elijah stepped forward, slow and deliberate. "I have a problem with you pretending this is a rescue mission when it’s really just personal."

Thompson’s jaw locked. "He’s family."

Elijah smirked, but his eyes stayed cold. "He’s a liability. And if saving him puts the rest of us at risk, that’s on you."

The room felt tight. Like a coil wound too tight, ready to snap. The rest of the team didn’t look over, but they were listening.

"If you had the chance to save someone who’d die for you, wouldn’t you take it?" Thompson’s voice was low, steady.

Elijah held his gaze, unreadable as ever. "Not if it meant compromising the mission."

The tension lingered, heavy and unspoken, as the final preparations were made.

\---

The night was thick with fog as the team moved toward Black Ridge Prison. It loomed ahead, an imposing fortress of concrete and steel, its guard towers stretching into the darkness.

"Comms are jammed," Aaron’s voice crackled through their earpieces. "Lucas, power grid’s on you."

"Yeah, yeah," Lucas muttered. "Give me a second."

Hera and Shane broke off toward the far side of the prison, moving in through an access point with less security. As they crept through the shadows, Shane glanced at her.

"Alright," he murmured. "What do you really think of Trinity and Lucas?"

Hera scoffed. "You seriously wanna gossip right now?"

"We might die in an hour," Shane pointed out. "Come on. Just say it."

She rolled her eyes. "Lucas is annoying. Trinity’s reckless. Happy?"

Shane smirked. "And Elijah?"

Hera hesitated a beat too long.

Shane grinned. "You paused."

"I didn’t pause."

"You did. You so did."

Hera clenched her jaw, eyes scanning ahead. "If you don’t shut up, I’m breaking your bones."

Shane laughed, but when she suddenly stopped moving, he followed her gaze. Two guards patrolled up ahead.

Hera stepped forward. Shane stayed back, watching.

One guard barely had time to blink before she struck. A precise twist of the wrist, a sharp snap of the elbow—he crumpled to the ground, unconscious before he could make a sound. The second tried to grab his radio. Hera swept his legs out from under him and dropped an elbow into his throat. He hit the ground with a thud.

She turned back to Shane. "Still wanna ask dumb questions?"

Shane raised his hands. "Nope. I’m good."

They reported in.

"Back route’s clear," Aaron confirmed. "Lucas, how’s that power grid?"

A curse crackled over the line. "Gimme a minute."

Thompson and Elijah were still moving toward the entrance, still at odds over the best way in.

"We should be taking the north side," Elijah muttered.

"We’re not walking straight into a firefight," Thompson snapped. "This is an extraction, not a massacre."

Elijah didn’t look convinced. "You’re not thinking straight."

Thompson turned to him sharply. "You got a problem following orders?"

A long pause.

Lucas’s voice broke through. "Hate to interrupt the lover’s quarrel, but you’ve got four guards headed your way."

There was no time for more arguing.

They moved fast. The first guard barely had time to register them before Thompson had a knife at his throat. Elijah took the second with a swift blow to the head. The other two turned, reaching for their weapons, but they never got the chance.

Thompson and Elijah stood over the bodies, breathing hard.

Elijah glanced at him. "You good?"

"Let’s move."

\---

Inside, Aaron was working on disabling the cameras.

Or trying to.

The system was locked up tight. "Damn it," he muttered. "I can’t—"

"Move," Lucas said, nudging him aside.

Aaron watched as Lucas’s fingers flew over the keyboard. His necklace caught the dim glow of the screen, his hands flexing as he worked.

Aaron tried not to be impressed. He failed.

The screen flickered. Then, one by one, the cameras went dark.

"There," Lucas said, leaning back.

Aaron exhaled. "You scare me sometimes."

Lucas grinned. "That’s the goal."

\---

Thompson and Elijah reached Elias’s cell.

He was on the floor, hands bound, bruised but grinning as he lifted his head.

"Been a long time, Holbrook," he said.

Thompson exhaled. "You look like hell."

Elias grinned wider. "You should see the other guy."

Thompson frowned. "What other guy?"

Elias nodded. "You still haven't found your sense of humor, have you, Tom?"

Elijah turned to Thompson. "Did he just call you—"

"Don't even." Thompson responded.

They cut him loose, pulling him up. Elias looked more frail than normal. It didn't help that the last time Thompson saw him, he was neck deep in the middle of the way, cutting away at skins and limbs to save lives. Now he looked empty and hollow. Like he had seen so many things that had exyinguhed the life out of him.

As they turned to leave, Elias hesitated.

"There’s something else," he said, his voice suddenly serious. "A lab. They’re working on something."

Thompson frowned. "What?"

Elias looked at him. "Something worse than anything you’ve seen."

Thompson turned to Elijah, another frown covering his face.

Elijah shook his head. "Don't look at me, I know just as much as you do. This is news to me as well."

Thompson turned back to Elias. "What are you talking about?"

A brief pause ensued between them before Elias moved forward.

"I'm talking about America's day of reckoning, Tom. It's closer than anything and God help us all."