Page 44 of Legacy's Destiny

“If you can do it without getting us killed, yes,” Deacon replied.

Rip chuckled softly. “Haven’t killed you yet, have I?”

Quiet laughter rippled through the comms, breaking the tension for a heartbeat.

Deacon never stopped scanning the brush, his finger hovering near the trigger. The jungle seemed to press in tighter.The recent rains amplified the thick undergrowth. Every sound—every shift in the foliage—felt magnified. The usual chorus of insects and birds had fallen silent, a sure sign of nearby danger.

A leaf moved, lifting slightly against the breeze. Deacon’s sharp eyes locked onto it, his body coiled like a spring. Raising his rifle, he rested his cheek against the stock, his sights trained on the spot. Seconds later, a man emerged, his rifle slung loosely and pointed skyward as he struggled through the muddy terrain.

“Cap,” Ace’s voice came through, tense and clipped.

“Hold,” Deacon commanded. The man stumbled forward, oblivious to the team lying in wait. One by one, more figures emerged from the undergrowth, their weapons glinting dully in the filtered light.

“Rip, let it go,” Deacon ordered, his voice a deadly whisper.

The explosion ripped through the jungle, the blast tearing apart the forest floor and sending dirt and debris skyward. Cries of confusion and pain erupted as the team sprang into action. Deacon’s rifle snapped up, his finger squeezing the trigger as he fired on a hostile directly in his path.

“Cap! There’s more incoming!” Ace called out. “Shit—they’ve scattered!”

The firefight erupted in earnest, the sharp cracks of gunfire echoing through the jungle. Deacon moved with precision, his team’s movements seamless as they eliminated targets one by one. Then, beneath the chaos, he felt it—a low rumble beneath his boots.

“Echo,” he barked, turning toward her. Her wide eyes met his. She dropped to her knees and put her hand flat against the trembling ground. The noise grew, a deep, rolling thunder that wasn’t from the sky.

“Holy shit!” Deacon shouted. “It’s a fucking landslide! Move—north, now!”

Grabbing Echo’s hand, he hauled her to her feet, dragging her through the jungle as the ground behind them gave way. Trees snapped like matchsticks, the roar of the landslide deafening as it tore down the mountainside and obliterated everything in its path.

They ran until Echo couldn’t anymore. Deacon let go of her hand and turned to look back. The earth continued to shift, the mudflow carving a brutal, destructive path down the mountain.

Deacon crouched low in the undergrowth, signaling his team to do the same. The thick foliage provided minimal cover, but they used what they had. The tension was palpable, the sounds of destruction still echoing through the jungle.

“Damn it, Rip, you blew up the fucking mountain,” Ace groaned, his weapon up and his eyes scanning the direction they’d come from.

“How was I supposed to know the son of a bitch would slide down on our landing zone?” Rip shot back, his voice a sharp whisper.

“Quiet.” Deacon’s tone cut through their bickering like a blade. He tapped his comm device. “Click, alternate landing zone.”

“I’ve got two options. I can’t see you under the canopy. Where are you?” Click’s South Boston accent boomed through the comms.

Deacon pulled out his GPS and gave Click their exact coordinates.

“Okay, yeah, to your south, you—” Click started, but Deacon cut him off.

“No. There’s been a landslide to the south. North and east are clear of hostiles.”

“Okay, okay, hold on,” Click replied, the sound of furious typing in the background. The jungle around them was eerilysilent, the usual cacophony of birds and insects replaced by the oppressive weight of their situation.

“Got it,” Click finally said, spitting out new coordinates. Deacon entered them into his GPS, the glow from the screen illuminating his hardened features as he oriented himself to the new landing zone.

“Let’s go,” he ordered. “I’ve got point. Ranger, you take care of Echo.”

“Echo can take care of herself,” she said from beside him, her voice steady but quiet. “But I’ll listen to what he says.”

Deacon’s gaze lingered on hers for a moment longer than it should have. She nodded, her expression firm. “I know,” she said softly.

Deacon blinked, surprised by her words. Did she know how much she’d come to mean to him? He hoped so.

“Let’s move,” he said, shaking off the thought.

---