Chapter 5 - Shadows in the Hangar
Lucas’s SEAL instincts took over before his conscious mind could process the attack.
He ducked beneath the whistling metal pipe, letting the heavy iron crush the concrete wall above his shoulder. In one fluid motion, Lucas stepped inside the attacker’s guard, driving a brutal elbow into Vance’s sternum.
Vance gasped, staggering back, but he wasn't alone.
Two men in dark tactical jumpsuits stepped out from behind a parked jet engine, drawing silenced pistols.
"Drop the gun, old man!" one of the mercenaries ordered, pointing his weapon at Lucas.
Shadow didn't give them the chance.
The Malinois launched himself off a stack of wooden pallets like a missile. He caught the first gunman’s forearm in mid-air, his powerful jaws locking down with crushing force. The mercenary screamed as his weapon clattered onto the concrete floor.
The second gunman swung his firearm toward Shadow, but Lucas was already moving.
Lucas swept the man’s leg with a crushing kick, disarming him in a fraction of a second, then delivered a sharp palm-heel strike to the operative's chin, knocking him unconscious before he hit the ground.
Vance, coughing blood, tried to crawl toward a metal security door that led directly onto the tarmac where a sleek, unmarked Gulfstream jet sat idling.
Lucas walked over, stepping heavily onto Vance’s outstretched wrist.
"Who is she?" Lucas demanded, leaning down, his voice dangerously low. "And why do you have three passports for an eleven-year-old child?"
Vance spat blood onto the floor, laughing weakly. "You have no idea what you've stepped into, hunter... She’s not just some kid. She’s Lily Mercer. Her father was the chief bio-tech officer at Aethelgard Systems... before he died in a 'car crash'."
Lucas’s eyes narrowed. Aethelgard Systems was a massive defense contractor infamous for illegal human research and dark-budget operations.
"She has the master encryption key embedded in her medical brace," Vance gasped, his eyes wide with fear. "Her father hid the entire research database on her before they killed him. If she gets out... half the board of directors goes to prison for life!"
"Including you," Lucas said.
Before Vance could answer, the loud wail of airport police sirens echoed down the utility corridor. Heavy footsteps approached.
Lucas retrieved the leather portfolio from Vance’s suit jacket, secured the fallen weapons, and gave Shadow a silent signal. The dog released the crying mercenary and returned to Lucas’s side, tail wagging slightly as if they had just completed a standard training exercise.
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"You won't survive this, SEAL," Vance hissed as Lucas pulled him up by his collar. "Aethelgard owns the courts, the federal agents, and the police."
"They don't own me," Lucas replied.
