Page 47 of A Ballad of Blackbirds and Betrayal

“And the hostages?”Sabrina asked, though she already knew his answer.

“Above all else,” he confirmed, his gaze meeting hers with an intensity that spoke of shared values despite their different paths to this moment.“No acceptable losses.”

He outlined the infiltration plan with the directness of someone who’d orchestrated hundreds of tactical operations.Nate and Eden would approach from the east, using the blind spot Max had identified to gain access to the main building.Max and Jade would take western positions, providing sniper coverage and creating a diversion when needed.Griffin’s aerial team would maintain holding patterns just beyond detection range, ready to deploy the moment stealth was compromised.

“Doc and I will target the deployment platform directly,” Atticus concluded.“Her expertise with the bioweapon is our best chance of neutralizing it safely.”

The assignment surprised her—not the task itself, which made tactical sense, but Atticus’s apparent acceptance of her presence in the most dangerous role.Their eyes met, a silent communication passing between them that acknowledged both professional respect and something far more personal.

“The aerosol countermeasure?”she asked, shifting focus to the mission parameters.

“Here,” Nate said, passing her a reinforced container.“Synthesized according to your specifications.Untested, but it’s the best we’ve got.”

She nodded, accepting the weight of both the container and the responsibility it represented.“It should work in theory.The molecular structure is designed to bind with the bioweapon before it can attach to human tissue.”

“Theory is about to become practice,” Eden observed, checking her watch.“According to Reynolds’s intel, the demonstration is scheduled for 1400 hours.”

“Then we move now,” Atticus said.“All teams, final comms check and sync tactical displays.”

The Dynamis team moved with seamless coordination, each operator configuring equipment, checking weapons, and synchronizing communications.Sabrina found herself at the center of this lethal choreography, her medical background an unexpected complement to their tactical expertise.

Atticus approached as she adjusted her tactical vest, his expression softening slightly as he helped secure a strap she’d missed.The brief contact sent awareness cascading through her system despite the life-or-death circumstances awaiting them.

“Stay close to me,” he said, his voice pitched low enough that only she could hear.“These aren’t hospital corridors or research labs.”

“I know,” she replied, meeting his gaze directly.“They’re more like the combat zones where I served.I won’t slow you down.”

Something flickered in his eyes—respect, concern, and beneath it all, the banked fire of attraction neither of them had time to explore.His fingers lingered at her shoulder a moment longer than necessary before dropping away.

“I know you won’t,” he acknowledged, his voice rough with emotions he kept carefully leashed.“Just remember?—”

“Your orders aren’t suggestions,” she finished, the ghost of a smile touching her lips despite the tension thrumming through her.“I remember.”

The moment stretched between them, charged with possibilities neither could afford to consider.Then Atticus was stepping back, the commander reasserting control over the man, his expression shifting to tactical assessment.

“Let’s move,” he said, addressing the team.“Comms discipline from this point forward.Mission clock starts now.”

They separated into their assigned teams, Nate and Eden disappearing into the tree line with the silent grace of predators hunting in their natural environment.Max and Jade moved toward their sniper positions, carrying specialized equipment that would allow them to neutralize threats from extraordinary distances if necessary.

Sabrina followed Atticus toward the southern approach, where a drainage culvert offered access to the demonstration area with minimal exposure.They moved in silence, Sabrina matching his pace with the focused determination that had defined her military service and surgical career.The weight of the aerosol countermeasure against her back reminded her of exactly what was at stake—not just the lives that might be lost today, but the thousands more that would perish if Mitchell’s bioweapon reached the international market.

The drainage culvert smelled of stagnant water and rusted metal, the confined space forcing them into a crouching position that strained muscles already taxed by the night’s events.Atticus moved ahead of her, checking each junction before signaling her forward, his movements economical and precise.

“Patrols every sixty seconds,” he murmured, pausing at a junction where the culvert intersected with a larger drainage channel.“Motion sensor ahead, ten o’clock.”

Sabrina spotted the small device attached to the culvert’s ceiling—easy to miss if you weren’t trained to look for it.Atticus extracted a specialized tool from his tactical vest, extending it toward the sensor with controlled movements.

“Neutralized,” he confirmed after a moment, the tiny light on the device shifting from red to green as his countermeasure worked.“Temporary bypass.We have three minutes before the system resets and registers the anomaly.”

They emerged from the culvert into the gray light of early morning, immediately taking cover behind a stack of construction materials near the demonstration platform.The compound had come alive with activity, security personnel in tactical gear establishing a perimeter while technicians made final adjustments to the demonstration equipment.

Through her specialized optics, Sabrina could see inside the main building, where well-dressed men and women gathered near the windows, champagne flutes in hand as they observed the preparations with the casual interest of consumers evaluating a product.The disconnect between their cocktail-party demeanor and the lethal purpose of their gathering turned her stomach.

“Visual confirmation on primary targets,” Cal reported through comms, his voice pitched low despite the secure channel.“Executive from Yongsan Defense Initiatives, North Korean front.Representative from VectorScope, tied to Russian bioweapons research.CFO of Schwarztech, German arms manufacturer with known terrorist connections.Plus six other high-priority targets on international watch lists.”

“Mitchell’s Christmas list,” Max commented from his position.“All the naughty children in one place.”

“Any sign of Mitchell himself?”Atticus asked, scanning the gathered buyers.

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