Page 100 of Rescuing Sophia

RUFI-3’s sensors highlight two heat signatures ahead. I raise a fist, signaling the team to halt. Two guards moving in our direction, unaware of our presence. I lock eyes with Gabe, a silent plan forming between us.

When the guards round the corner, Gabe and I strike. RUFI-3 provides cover. My suppressed rifle coughs once, twice. The guard on the left drops without a sound. Beside me, Gabe’s target falls just as silently.

“Hostiles neutralized,” I report, my voice barely above a whisper. “Moving on.”

We progress deeper into the compound, the sounds of the battle outside growing more distant with each step. The interior is eerily quiet, most of the guards drawn to the commotion at the walls. Our footsteps and the soft whir of the RUFI’s servos echo softly off the stone walls, the only sound besides our controlled breathing.

My HUD flashes, indicating we’re nearing our target. A heavy steel door blocks our path, and an armed guard is standing watch. Before he can react, RUFI-3 launches a non-lethal stun projectile, incapacitating him instantly. I move in to secure the guard while Ethan examines the electronic lock.

It’s high-tech, well beyond anything we’ve encountered so far. “Mitzy, we need access,” he murmurs into his comm.

“Working on it,” she replies. Seconds tick by, feeling like hours. Finally, a soft click echoes in the corridor. The door swings open, revealing a dark room beyond.

Heart pounding, I step forward, RUFI-3 at my side, its sensors sweeping the room for hidden threats. A figure huddles in the corner, barely visible in the dim light. My throat tightens as I speak, barely trusting my voice.

“Sophia?”

Sophia looks up, her eyes wide with shock and fear. She’s thinner than I remember, her face gaunt, but there’s fire in her eyes. She hasn’t given up.

“Blake?” she whispers, disbelief coloring her voice.

Mission accomplished.

I’m across the room in an instant. Sophia looks up, her eyes wide with disbelief and hope. I pull her into my arms, feeling her fragile form against me. Despite her weakened state, her grip on me is fierce and desperate.

“Sophia,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion. “We’re taking you home.”

For a moment, she clings to me, her body shaking with silent sobs. Then, suddenly, she pulls back, her eyes wild with panic.

“No,” she says, shaking her head vehemently. “We can’t leave. Not without Luke.”

Luke?

I exchange confused glances with the team.

“Who’s Luke?”

THIRTY-SIX

Blake

The air crackleswith tension as Sophia’s face hardens, her jaw set with a fierce determination that sends a chill down my spine. There’s no confusion in her eyes now, only an unwavering resolve that burns with an almost feral intensity.

“Luke’s my son.” Her voice is low, raw, each word weighted with years of fear and desperation. “Malfor has him. He’s being held hostage.”

“Your son?” The revelation hits like a thunderbolt, electrifying the air around us. The comms erupt with a cacophony of surprised exclamations and sharp intakes of breath, the shock rippling through our team like a shockwave.

“Holy shit,” Gabe mutters, voicing what we’re all thinking.

“Your son?” I repeat, the words feeling foreign on my tongue. My mind reels, struggling to process this seismic shift in everything we thought we knew. “Sophia, why didn’t you tell us?”

In a blur of motion, she grabs my arms, her grip surprisingly strong, fingers digging into my flesh with an urgency that borders on pain. Her eyes, wide and wild, bore into mine with an intensity that steals my breath.

“I couldn’t. He threatened to torture and kill him if I saidanything. You have to understand. Everything I did… It was all for Luke. I can’t leave without him. I won’t.”

The weight of her words, the depth of her sacrifice, strikes me like a tidal wave. I look at Ethan, seeing my shock mirrored in his eyes. He nods grimly, understanding the gravity of the situation, but we both know questions are for later. Right now, every second counts.

“Sophia,” Ethan says, his voice calm but urgent, cutting through the tension like a knife. “Do you know where Luke is being held?”

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