Page 44 of A Ballad of Blackbirds and Betrayal

“Cypher,” Atticus spoke softly, as if afraid his voice might disturb Sabrina’s concentration.“Status on the jamming?”

“Almost there,” Cal replied.“I’ve isolated the frequency, but the encryption is giving me trouble.Three more minutes, maybe four.”

The vial slid upward, fraction by agonizing fraction, until it cleared the top of the explosive cradle.Sabrina exhaled slowly, not realizing she’d been holding her breath.

“Got it,” she said, carefully transferring the vial to a secure container from her medical pack.“Bioweapon secured.”

“Good work,” Atticus said, his relief evident despite his controlled tone.“Now let’s get off this aircraft and let the explosive disposal team handle the rest.”

The timer continued its countdown:5:23…5:22…5:21…

They moved toward the exit, Sabrina cradling the secured bioweapon against her chest like the lethal treasure it was.The containment team had established a perimeter around the aircraft, emergency vehicles positioned at strategic intervals around the airfield.

Just as they reached the boarding stairs, Cal’s voice came through the comms, tense with alarm.“Reaper, we’ve got a problem.Mitchell’s security team is converging on your position.We’re picking up increased encrypted communications between Mitchell’s DC office and the airfield.He knows you’re there.”

“The jamming?”Atticus demanded, his hand automatically going to Sabrina’s back, urging her down the stairs faster.

“Ninety seconds from completion,” Cal replied.“But we’ve intercepted a remote detonation command in the encrypted stream.He’s going to blow it now!”

“Everyone clear the area!”Atticus ordered through the comms.“Remote detonation imminent.Fall back to secondary containment positions.Viper, Frost—get your teams to minimum safe distance.Extraction teams, accelerate timeline for the rest of Alpha.”

Atticus grabbed Sabrina’s arm, pulling her into a sprint away from the aircraft.“We need at least two hundred yards of distance!”

They raced across the tarmac, the bioweapon container clutched tightly against Sabrina’s chest.Nate and Eden ran parallel to them, dragging Jacobs with them.They’d barely made it behind the solid concrete wall of a maintenance hangar when the sky was torn apart by a blinding flash and a deafening concussion.

The Gulfstream disintegrated in a massive fireball, the explosion so powerful it shook the ground beneath their feet.A mushroom cloud of flame and black smoke rose into the night sky as burning debris rained down across the airfield.The heat wave rolled over the hangar wall, hot enough to singe hair and eyebrows even from their protected position.

“Down!”Atticus shouted, pulling Sabrina to the ground as a secondary explosion sent a piece of the aircraft’s wing cartwheeling through the air over their heads, crashing into a fuel truck fifty yards beyond them.

For several heartbeats, they lay huddled against the hangar wall, ears ringing from the explosion, the acrid smell of jet fuel and burning metal filling their nostrils.Atticus had thrown himself partially over Sabrina, shielding her from falling debris, his body tense and alert for further danger.

For several heartbeats, they lay still, ears ringing from the explosion, the weight of Atticus’s body both protective and intimate against hers.Then he was moving, rolling off her to assess the situation while maintaining physical contact, his hand on her shoulder.

“Are you hurt?”he asked, his voice slightly muffled through the lingering effects of the blast.

“I don’t think so,” she replied, though her entire body felt bruised from the impact.She immediately checked the secure container, relief flooding through her when she confirmed it remained intact.“The bioweapon is contained.”

Atticus helped her to her feet, steadying her when she swayed slightly.The airfield had transformed into a scene from hell—flames leaping skyward from the remnants of the aircraft, black smoke billowing into the night.Emergency crews were already moving in with fire suppression equipment, their voices carrying over the chaos.

“Mitchell,” Atticus said, his expression darkening as he scanned the perimeter.“He knew we’d intercepted the bioweapon.He triggered the detonation remotely rather than risk us securing it.”

“But we did secure it,” Sabrina said, holding up the container.“He failed.”

A grim smile touched Atticus’s lips.“Not completely.He just destroyed millions of dollars’ worth of evidence.And he’s still out there, presumably with more of this weapon at the demonstration site.”

Nate and Eden were approaching through the smoke, tactical masks in place, weapons ready.

“That was too close,” Eden said, eyeing the burning wreckage.“You two okay?”

“We got the bioweapon out just in time,” Atticus confirmed.“How’s Jenkins?”

“Stable, en route to Dynamis medical,” Nate replied.“Santiago’s with him.”

“Cypher,” Atticus spoke into his comm once they’d confirmed everyone was accounted for, “tell me you got something from that detonation signal.”

“Better than that,” Cal replied, satisfaction evident in his voice despite the circumstances.“The remote detonation was routed through Mitchell’s encrypted network, but the receiving station is at a privately owned property fifty miles northwest of Dallas.That’s where they’re setting up the demonstration.And guess what we found when we pulled the ownership records?”

“A shell company linked to Mitchell,” Atticus guessed.

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