Chapter 6 - The Ally in the Dark
The rain was coming down harder now, driving sideways across the muddy parade grounds. Emergency sirens began to wail across the base—Sterling’s loyalists were initiating the lockdown protocol. Spotlights from the four corner guard towers swept across the open field, blinding light slicing through the darkness.
I ducked behind the mess hall supply shed, my heart pounding against my ribs. I needed to reach the base communications relay tower on the north ridge to override the signal jamming and contact JBLM.
A hand reached out from the darkness of the shed and pulled me into the shadows.
I brought the pistol up instantly, pinning the figure against the wooden wall.
“Colonel! Don't shoot! It’s me!”
It was Private Leo Miller. The nineteen-year-old kid was soaking wet, holding a heavy iron wrench in his hand, his face pale with fear.
“Miller?” I lowered the gun slightly. “What are you doing out here? You were ordered to the barracks.”
“I saw what happened,” Miller said, his voice quivering with a mix of terror and adrenaline. “I saw him slam you into the tray. And then I saw you walk into HQ without backing down. The guys in Barracks 4 know something is happening. Sterling’s lieutenants just locked the barracks doors from the outside. They’re locking us in!”
“Sterling is trying to cover up a multi-million-dollar corruption ring,” I told him quickly. “He’s jammed the comms. I need to reach the north tower to send an emergency broadcast to the Pentagon.”
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Miller’s eyes went wide, but then his jaw set into a firm line. The trembling stopped. “The north tower is guarded by Sergeant Vance—Sterling’s right-hand man. But I know the underground utility tunnels under the mess hall. They lead straight to the transformer station behind the tower.”
I looked at the kid, seeing the courage rising beneath his fearful exterior. “Show me the way, Private.”
