They were late to the party.
Sam sprinted toward the estate’s dismantled southern gate. A guard on top of the outer wall spotted him and took aim. Two bullets ricocheted against the icy cobblestone street beneath Sam’s feet before Jessica rolled out from behind a parked car and put an energy blast into the guard’s chest. He collapsed. In the northern section of the compound, bright orange chaingun fire spat out from atop the wall like dragon’s breath. Machineguns rattled in return. Rustam’s men were putting up a good fight, but the mercenaries were gaining ground. Jessica met Sam at the southern gate. He ground his teeth together. His expression was grim.
“What’s wrong, Sam?”
He still hadn’t told her. Their situation was much worse than she knew. He hadn’t been able to find her datapad’s teleportation drive. The KGB soldiers had likely pulled it out of her datapad when they were searching through her gear. Sam had been forced to “wipe the area” by setting off a massive explosion that had obliterated the entire caravan before he’d been able to recover her drive. He had no doubt that her teleportation drive had been blown to pieces along with the rest of the KGB convoy. They only had one teleportation drive, his, which meant only one of them would be able to transfer back to the Subdivision.
“Keep moving,” he said.
Charging through the gate, he fired several rounds into the guards who had gathered on the front porch. They dove for cover. Sam dropped to the ground and shot one of them in the shoulder. Jessica’s grenade arched over his head. Two soft clinks could be heard just before the explosion incapacitated the remaining guards. Sam charged up onto the porch and into the mansion. The interior was as dark as a subterranean cave, but Sam could still make out the guard standing at the edge of the elevator shaft. Sam approached, unseen. A swift kick sent the guard over the edge. His scream faded as he toppled into the dark chasm of the shaft.
The house lights came on. Power had been restored. At that moment, another explosion rocked the outer wall and flames engulfed the perimeter. Sam hit the elevator’s call button.
“The mercs broke through,” Sam muttered. “We might have company soon.”
Jessica grabbed Sam’s forearm. “Sam, what is it? You can’t hide it from me. I know you too well.”
Bing! The elevator arrived. Sam pulled Jessica inside and hit the button that would take them to Rustam’s underground bunker. He exhaled slowly. The muscles in his jaw spasmed as he tried to control his emotions.
“Your teleportation drive. It’s gone. Destroyed with the transport tank. I gave you mine.” His voice faltered. “You’re the only one going home, baby girl.”
