Chapter 87 - 87 The Last Stand

Chapter 87: Chapter 87 The Last Stand The helicopter's spotlight swept the forest, beams of light slicing through the trees like a knife. Dominic held his breath, keeping Alyssa and Laura down behind the cover of the thick undergrowth. His mind raced with options, each one riskier than the last. But there was no turning back now they had come too far.

"Exfil in five minutes," Eleanor's voice buzzed through their earpieces. "But you'll need to reach the extraction point by the cliff. It's a quarter mile north."

"Quarter mile," Marcus muttered, his eyes locked on the chopper. "With that thing overhead? They'll spot us in seconds."

"We don't have a choice," Dominic said, glancing at Alyssa. "We stick to the trees, use the shadows, and make for the cliffs. Move fast, stay low."

Alyssa nodded, her face set with determination. "We can do this."

Dominic gave a quick hand signal, and the team began moving. The forest offered them cover, but the helicopter was relentless, its light casting eerie shadows across the ground. They weaved through the trees, the crunch of leaves and branches beneath their boots barely audible over the thrum of the helicopter's rotors.

Laura clutched the data drive close to her chest. The stakes had never felt higher. They had what they needed to expose The Unseen Hand—names, operations, accounts—but it wouldn't mean anything if they didn't make it out alive.

As they neared the cliffs, the sound of the helicopter faded slightly. It was circling back, giving them a small window of opportunity. Dominic motioned for them to speed up, and they broke into a sprint. The trees began to thin out as they approached the edge of the forest, the rocky cliffs just ahead.

"Almost there," Alyssa whispered, her eyes darting back toward the sky. "We can make it."

But before they could reach the clearing, a shot rang out, cutting through the night.

Dominic dropped to the ground instinctively, pulling Alyssa down with him. "Sniper!" he hissed. They scrambled behind a large rock, Marcus and Laura following suit.

The helicopter swung back toward them, its spotlight sweeping dangerously close. Dominic could hear the thudding footsteps of enemy soldiers closing in through the forest.

"We're pinned!" Marcus gritted his teeth, peeking over the rock to assess the situation. "They've got us boxed in." seaʀᴄh thё ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Eleanor, we're under fire," Dominic said, his voice low but urgent. "How far out is exfil?"

"Two minutes, but it's going to be tight," Eleanor replied, her tone as tense as theirs. "You're going to have to hold them off until the chopper arrives."

Dominic nodded to Alyssa. "You take the sniper. Marcus and I will handle the ground troops. Laura, keep that drive safe."

Alyssa set up her position, her breathing steady as she zeroed in on the sniper's location. The tension was palpable, every second ticking down toward their last chance at survival.

Marcus and Dominic prepared to engage the soldiers who were closing in on their position. The sound of footsteps grew louder, and the first enemy soldier came into view. Dominic fired a quick, precise shot, dropping him before he could raise his weapon. Marcus followed with a burst from his rifle, keeping the others at bay.

"On your right!" Alyssa shouted as she pulled the trigger, taking out the sniper with a single shot. "Go, go, go!"

The brief lull gave them an opening. They broke from cover, sprinting toward the cliffside just as the helicopter appeared over the horizon. Eleanor's voice came through again. "Chopper's inbound get to the extraction point!"

Dominic led the charge, adrenaline pumping through his veins as they raced across the rocky terrain. The enemy forces were right behind them, but the extraction chopper was lowering fast, its rotors kicking up dust and leaves as it hovered over the cliff's edge.

They reached the extraction point just as the rope ladder dropped from the chopper. One by one, they grabbed on, climbing up as bullets whizzed past them. Dominic was the last to go, providing cover fire as Marcus, Laura, and Alyssa made it aboard.

The helicopter pulled up, rising into the air as the soldiers below fired their last desperate shots. But it was too late the team was in the air, escaping into the night.

Breathing heavily, Dominic collapsed into a seat next to Alyssa. She was clutching her arm where the bullet had grazed her earlier, but she gave him a small, tired smile.

"We made it," she said softly, her eyes bright with relief.

Dominic nodded, his mind racing with the reality of what they had just accomplished. The data drive was secure. They had what they needed to bring down The Unseen Hand, to expose Volkov and his network for what they were.

But as he looked out over the vast expanse of forest below, he knew this wasn't the end. They had won the battle, but the war was far from over.

Volkov was still out there. And he wouldn't go down quietly.

Hours later, as they regrouped in a safe house far from the chaos of the Nexus facility, Dominic gathered the team around a dimly lit table. Laura connected the data drive to her laptop, the screen lighting up with endless files of intel bank accounts, transactions, names. Everything Volkov and his allies had tried to keep hidden.

"This is it," Laura said, her voice hushed with awe. "This is the proof we needed."

Marcus leaned forward, his expression hard. "Now what? We take this to the press? To the authorities?"

Alyssa shook her head. "We can't trust anyone. Not yet. Volkov's reach goes too far. If we make a move now, we risk losing it all."

Dominic stared at the screen, his jaw clenched. He knew Alyssa was right. They couldn't rush this. They had to be smart, calculated.

"We need to dismantle this piece by piece," he said, his voice resolute. "We take down Volkov, his allies, and anyone who stands in the way of justice. But we do it on our terms."

The team nodded in agreement, their exhaustion fading as a new sense of purpose took hold.

The fight wasn't over.

It was just beginning.