Page 92 of Rescuing Sophia

The diversion has begun.

As we near the roof of the compound, I spot movement below. “Guards on the roof, nine o’clock.”

Time seems to slow as I assess our options. We’re exposed, hanging in the air with no cover. If those guards raise the alarm, the entire mission is compromised.

“I’ve got this.” I unholster my sidearm. Two quick shots, precise despite the sway of the parachute, and the guards crumple without a sound.

“Nice shooting,” Ethan approves. “But we need to move faster. More will be here soon.”

We land on the roof, quickly discarding our chutes and readying our weapons. Just as we prepare to enter the building, alarms blare across the compound.

It’s a total shitshow from there on out.

Team One gets pinned down at the main gate, unable to provide effective cover. Team Two’s climb is painfully slow, leaving them exposed to sniper fire from the walls.

Our parachute insertion goes smoothly, but without support from the other teams, we’re quickly overwhelmed.

“Reset,” Ethan calls out, his voice tight with frustration. “We need to rethink our approach.”

We run the simulation again, and again, each time tweaking our strategy. But every attempt ends in failure. By the fifth run-through, the tension in the room is palpable.

“This isn’t working.” I toss my gear aside. “We’re spread too thin. We need more manpower.”

Ethan nods, his face grim. “You’re right. It’s time to bring in Alpha and Bravo teams.”

The next day, the training room is packed with all three Guardian teams. Max, leader of Alpha, and Brady from Bravo listen intently as Ethan outlines our new strategy.

“Alpha team will take the walls,” Ethan explains. “Your firepower should be enough to punch through their defenses. Bravo, you’ll come in from the sky—HALO jump, full tactical gear. Charlie will take the cliffs. It’s a hell of a climb, but it’s our best shot at a surprise entry.”

We run the simulation again, this time with all three teams. The results are better, but still not good enough. Alpha breaches the walls but gets bogged down in close-quarters combat. Bravo’s aerial insertion is more successful, but they struggle to link up with the other teams. Charlie makes it up the cliffs, but barely half the team survives the ascent.

“Damn it,” Max curses as we regroup. “We’re still missing something.”

The room falls into a tense silence, each of us lost in thought. It’s Brady who breaks it, his voice thoughtful.

“What about a distraction? Something big enough to draw their attention away from our main assault.”

“Like what?” I ask, intrigued.

Brady grins. “How about a ‘malfunction’ in one of their automated defense systems? If we could hack it, make it start firing randomly…”

Mitzy, who’s been following our progress from the VR command suite, perks up at this. “That—might be possible. Give me a few hours with the data we’ve collected, and I might be able to create a virus that could do just that.”

As the ideas flow, the energy in the room shifts from frustration to determined problem-solving. But then Max raises a question that brings us all up short.

“This is all well and good,” he says, “but we’re overlooking a crucial detail. How the hell are we going to find Sophia once we’re inside? That compound is massive, and we can’t afford to search room by room.”

The question hangs in the air. We’ve been so focused on getting in, we haven’t considered what happens next.

It’s Mitzy who breaks the silence, her eyes lighting up with that familiar spark of innovation. “I have the perfect solution for that,” she says, “but first, I’ve got some new tech that could help with our initial assault.”

She moves to a large case in the corner of the room, opening it to reveal a high-tech exoskeleton. “This,” she announces proudly, “is our answer to the wall problem. Exosuits that’ll give you enhanced strength and agility. Should make scaling those walls a hell of a lot easier.”

“For the cliff team,” she continues, turning to another case, “I’ve been working with the RUFI. We can modify them for climbing—think mobile anchors. They’ll reduce the risk of falling and help with the ascent.”

“Help?” I look at the guys. “How?”

“They’re more nimble than you. I can get them up the cliffs in increments, then pull you up on pulleys. Think of winches hoisting you up.”

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