Chapter 14 - The Valley Exit
The iron drainage grate at the end of the culvert rattled harshly as Thomas and Maya dragged the injured technician into the blinding afternoon sunlight. They spilled out onto the muddy banks of the valley river, gasping for fresh air as the cold mountain wind whipped across the open terrain. But relief was short-lived. Parked fifty yards away on the gravel access road were three unmarked tactical vehicles, their headlights cutting through the daylight and their armed personnel standing in a loose semicircle around the culvert exit.
Captain Vance Jr. stepped forward from the lead vehicle, resting his hand casually on the holster of his sidearm. He didn't look angry; instead, a calm, chillingly polite smile stretched across his face, mirroring the false confidence Thomas had worn back on the red martial arts mats.
"End of the line, soldiers," Vance Jr. called out, his voice carrying clearly across the open riverbank. "You put up an impressive chase, I'll give you that. But nobody outruns the chain of command."
Thomas slowly lowered the technician onto the muddy bank, standing up to face the captain with his hands held deliberately away from his weapon. He felt no fear—only a quiet, resolute calm that had eluded him for months. The transmission had reached the Pentagon inspector general. Even if Vance killed them here, the truth was already out, echoing through the highest levels of the military establishment.
"You're too late, Vance," Thomas called back, his voice steady and echoing across the valley. "The Berlin logs are sitting on the inspector general's secure server right now. Your career ended the moment that file uploaded."
Vance Jr.'s smile didn't waver, though a flicker of genuine irritation crossed his eyes before he raised his hand to signal his men. "The inspector general answers to the Joint Chiefs, Rheinhardt. And the Joint Chiefs answer to the oversight committee. A committee that was dissolved under emergency martial law five minutes ago."
May you like
Before Vance Jr. could give the order to open fire, a deep, resonant roar shattered the mountain quiet from above. The heavy thud of twin turbine engines filled the air, and three dark green utility helicopters bearing the distinct white star of federal law enforcement crested the ridge line, descending rapidly onto the valley floor with their door-mounted miniguns locked onto Vance's tactical vehicles.
---
