Page 71 of Rescued By Four Alphas
"Team Alpha will breach the main entrance here," Rivera points to the front gate. "And create maximum distraction. Team Bravo will access the service tunnel on the east side and aim for the elevator that leads directly to the 4th level."
"And Reid?" I ask.
"No visual yet," Jensen admits. "But we're tracking movement in his office on level five."
"Lock down his office. I want him alive," I say. "He's mine."
Rivera gives me a knowing look. "Focus on your mate, Mr. Blackthorn. Revenge is a luxury for after the extraction."
The assault begins precisely according to plan. Team Alpha launches an explosive attack at the main entrance, breaching the outer security gate. Alarms immediately blare across the facility, and automated defense systems activate, including gun turrets mounted on the perimeter wall.
I'm with Team Bravo, and we're moving low and fast toward the service tunnel entrance. Axl's voice comes through my earpiece.
"Two tangos on the east parapet. Taking the shot." Two muted cracks follow. "Clear."
We reach the service tunnel entrance as gunfire erupts at the main gate. Rivera's men are engaging the facility's security forces, drawing attention away from our approach. The diversionary tactic is working, but we can already hear the distant thump of helicopter rotors. His reinforcements are coming.
"Jensen, status," I demand as we breach the outer door.
"Security forces are converging on the main entrance. Seventy percent of the personnel have been diverted from internal positions. You have a clear path to the elevator."
We move through the tunnel in formation, our weapons ready. The air is thick, and the tunnel smells of damp concrete and staleair. My heart pounds in my chest and sweat trickles down my spine despite the cool temperature.
"Contact," our point man whispers, signaling us to halt. Ahead, two guards block the entrance to the facility.
Rivera signals with his fingers, and two of his men move forward and snap their necks before they can raise an alarm. We continue forward, entering the lower levels of the facility.
"Team Alpha reporting heavy resistance," comes the update through comms. "Automated defenses are active. Multiple casualties."
"Hold position," Rivera orders. "And keep drawing their attention."
We reach the elevator, and one of the men, Bas, attaches a device to the control panel. "Bypassing security lockdown," he mutters. "This will take…"
The doors slide open unexpectedly. Inside stand three armed guards, surprised to see us, as we are to see them. For a split second, no one moves.
Then all hell breaks loose.
Gunfire erupts in the confined space. I dive to the side, returning fire as Rivera and his men engage. One guard goes down immediately, but the other two find cover behind the elevator doors.
"Throw the grenade," Rivera calls, and one of his men tosses a flashbang into the elevator. The explosion is blinding, and we surge forward through the smoke.
The guards are down, disoriented by the blast. We secure the elevator, and Vega immediately begins working on the control panel.
"Manual override required," he says, connecting a device to the exposed wiring. "Their security lockdown is more sophisticated than we expected."
"How long?" I demand.
"Three minutes."
"That's too long," I growl, moving to the emergency access hatch in the ceiling. "We climb."
Rivera grabs my arm. "That shaft is at least fifty meters deep. If you slip…"
"I won't." I shake off his hand and pull myself up through the hatch. The elevator shaft stretches above us, disappearing into darkness, and below us to the lower levels where Dahlia is being held.
I climb down, gripping the ladder bolted to the wall. The others follow reluctantly, and soon we're all climbing down into the depths of the facility.
"Update," I demand through my comms.
