Chapter 7 - The Mountain Compound
The storm over the Pacific Northwest raged with relentless fury. Thick torrents of freezing rain lashed through the dense pine forests of the Cascade Range, turning the unpaved mountain roads into slick, treacherous mud.
A mile above the valley floor, tucked inside a natural granite basin, sat the Aegis Dynamics primary research and logistics hub—a fortified compound surrounded by twelve-foot chain-link fencing, razor wire, thermal cameras, and armed perimeter patrols.
On a ridge overlooking the north gate, hidden beneath a rain-soaked sniper veil, lay Liam Beckett.
Beside him, completely motionless despite the freezing rain, was Odin. The dog wore a matte-black tactical vest with thermal-dampening panels, his chin resting flat against the mud, his ears tracking the sound of diesel engines idling on the tarmac below.
Through his night-vision optics, Liam scanned the airfield.
A sleek, unmarked Gulfstream cargo transport sat on the tarmac, its rear ramp lowered. Three technicians in hazmat suits were carefully wheeling two heavy, lead-lined containment crates toward the bay. Standing at the foot of the ramp, holding a satellite phone and wearing a heavy goose-down parka, was Director Vance Sterling.
"There he is," Liam whispered into his tactical headset.
Through the earpiece, Agent Chen’s voice crackled faintly over an encrypted channel: "Beckett, my tactical team is ten minutes away. Do not engage until we have the perimeter established."
"Ten minutes is too late," Liam replied softly. "They're closing the cargo doors now."
He clicked off the radio.
Liam reached out, running his gloved hand over Odin’s wet head. "This is for Sarah and Maya, buddy. Tactical strike. Silent entry."
May you like
Odin let out a single, breathy huff of agreement.
Liam pulled a suppressed weapon from his tactical pack, checked the chamber, and slid down the muddy embankment into the shadows of the compound perimeter.
