"Are you absolutely certain it's Claire?"
Silas could hear the deafening roar of automatic gunfire over the comms, but his tactical instincts screamed that this was wrong.
It was too straightforward. Too loud.
Using a highly visible helicopter to escape federal airspace? They had no intention of actually leaving Solenia this way.
"Confirmed! She's wearing the exact same clothes, her hair matches perfectly, and she's even wearing the identical bracelet!"
Hillary didn't harbor a shred of doubt. She had nearly taken a bullet to the chest just to get a visual confirmation.
"It could be a body double. You need to verify height, build, and biometric markers."
"But whether it's her or not, ground that chopper!"
Silas immediately dispatched reinforcements to the roof.
Hillary snapped back to reality. He was right-fake or real, these Syndicate bastards weren't leaving alive.
Though the engagement protocols would shift depending on whether Claire was actually onboard.
"Engage with extreme prejudice, but watch your fire until we confirm the hostage!"
Silas barked the final warning.
Hillary dodged a spray of bullets, screaming an acknowledgment before returning fire.
The firefight escalated into absolute chaos.
The Syndicate had heavily armed operatives waiting in the chopper. Hillary and her team had successfully pinned Tycho down before he could board.
Felicity, fully disguised as Claire, stayed huddled in the back of the cabin, refusing to fire a single shot to maintain her cover.
Facing a concentrated wall of federal firepower, Tycho's initial arrogance evaporated as he began taking heavy hits.
Seeing the SSD closing in, Felicity screamed at the pilot, "Get us out of here! Now!" "But Tycho is still on the roof!"
Tycho had been a second too slow and was currently trapped behind an air conditioning unit.
"He's a professional! He'll find his own way out! And if he doesn't, the Syndicate will honor his sacrifice!"
The pilot froze, completely shocked by Felicity's ruthless betrayal.
While he hesitated, Felicity drew her sidearm and pressed the barrel directly against the back of his skull. "I said fly the damn helicopter! Do it, or you're dead!"
With a gun to his head, the pilot slammed the throttle, and the chopper lurched into the air.
Down below, Tycho watched the skids leave the roof. That psychotic bitch was abandoning him!
He returned fire frantically, desperately scanning for a blind spot to jump to the lower roof and escape.
Felicity thought she had won, but Hillary had already called in federal air support.
An elite military fighter jet piloted
Jeremy Hawk tore through the clouds, instantly locking onto the slow moving helicopter and forcing it to a dead hover. fo FindNovel.net
Simultaneously, on the roof, both Hillary and Tycho took lethal hits.
Realizing he was trapped, Tycho intentionally took a bullet to the shoulder to fake a fatal drop,
throwing himself toward theel
the roof to make his escape.
But he severely underestimated Hillary. Even bleeding out, she refused to let him
go.
She wasn't going to let him escape, even if she had to drag him to hell with her.
As Tycho vaulted the ledge, Hillary tackled him at full speed. They plummeted off the edge together. Hillary managed to grab a steel
vel
cable halfway down, volent net
arresting their momentum but the sheer force shattered her grip, and they crashed into the lower terrace!
Before blacking out, Tycho's eyes rolled back in sheer, unadulterated fury. Unfortunately for him, Hillary was already unconscious.
"Captain!"
The SSD operatives screamed in horror.
The fastest among them abandoned the firefight and vaulted down the stairwell to recover her!
Ambulances were already massing at the perimeter, though no one had expected they would be needed for their own commander and a bleeding Syndicate assassin.
Deep inside the hospital, Dane and Silas were violently clearing operating rooms. Dane finally reached the last set of reinforced doors.
The hospital registry claimed this suite was currently occupied by the Chief of Surgery himself.
Julian Grant was Serenity Grand's apex plastic surgeon. Securing a session with him required millions of dollars in cash.
The sheer exclusivity of the surgery made it the perfect cover.
"Federal agents, you cannot enter! The OR is sealed, and a critical procedure is underway. If you breach those doors and disrupt Dr. Grant..."
"The hospital will hold you fully liable!"
A senior department head physically blocked Dane and his operative.