Chapter 13 - The Freightyard Ambush
By dawn, the railyard was veiled in thick river mist. Massive rust-red boxcars formed a labyrinth of metal canyons. Adrian, dressed in fresh tactical gear and armed with twin suppressed carbines, took high ground atop an abandoned gantry crane.
Below, Clara walked slowly through the center of the rail tracks, pushing a rusted maintenance cart covered with a blanket that concealed Sarah’s carrier. Her chin was held high, her black coat whipping in the cold wind.
From the fog, three armored black sedans appeared, blocking the rail switches. Victor stepped out from the central vehicle, impeccably tailored, holding a golden walking stick, his scarred face wearing a triumphant smirk.
"Clara," Victor called out, stepping over the tracks. "I must commend your pragmatism. Adrian was always a rabid dog destined for a ditch. Give me the child, and your remaining family lives in peace."
Clara stopped twenty paces away. "The child stays with me. You can have the drive containing the data. It's all you really care about."
She held up a glowing military-grade storage drive between two fingers.
Victor paused, his eyes narrowing as he sensed an anomaly. "Where is Adrian?"
May you like
"Behind your hubris," Clara replied.
A sniper shot from the gantry shattered the engine block of Victor’s sedan, sparking a massive fuel explosion that threw the yard into pandemonium.
