Page 81 of Echos and Empires
He turned to the small group. “We have maybe twenty minutes. We’ve taken down a good number of guards, and who knows how many are out searching the island for my unit after the last forty-eight hours. We make this quick. The tower comes down either literally or figuratively. Then we all go our separate ways until the next leg of the assault we discussed.
Five heads nodded, all wearing grim expressions. If he paused to check in with them like he would have done his unit, he’d dismiss them, and he needed them. “Fall out.”
Chris led them through with a careful eye, each step calculated to avoid detection. The air was thick with the risk of discovery, a tangible thing that pressed against them like a second skin.
His thoughts ran in a loop of anxiety and resolve, Emma’s voice a constant echo in his mind. We go in with everything. He knew the stakes, knew how quickly luck could turn, how swiftly a plan could unravel. The first hit had gone too well, the kind of well that didn’t last.
They reached the building that housed the main radio server room, a squat structure at the compound’s edge, and Chris felt the familiar knot of tension tighten. The final objective. The last piece of their strategy, and the one most likely to get them killed if anything went wrong.
Liam gave him a sharp nod, a silent question, and Chris answered it with a gesture, a flick of his hand that sent them into motion. They moved like a military drill, every action smooth and coordinated. Alex and Liam took the lead, slippinginside with practiced ease, while Chris and Bash hung back, eyes scanning for any sign of trouble.
Chris felt the weight of responsibility settle over him, a lead blanket that pushed the air from his lungs. The others worked quickly, efficiently, tearing through wires and circuits with the skill of men who’d done this a hundred times. He watched them, a silent guardian, his senses tuned to the slightest hint of danger.
Alex stood at his side, a solid presence, eyes sharp and vigilant. “Almost too easy,” he muttered, a trace of suspicion in his voice.
Chris nodded, the worry a constant undercurrent in his thoughts. “Don’t jinx it.”
The team moved like they were born to this, a symphony of destruction that left no trace behind. Alex dismantled the radio equipment with swift hands, his focus absolute, his cocky smirk replaced by a look of fierce concentration. Liam was right beside him, every movement a study in efficiency, a dance of chaos controlled.
“Time?” Alex asked, not looking up from his work.
“Four minutes,” Chris replied, the tension in his voice betraying how long those minutes felt. “Finish it.”
Liam gave a tight grin, the challenge sparking in his eyes. “Already done.”
Chris watched them wrap it up, saw the precision in every detail, the care they took to leave nothing salvageable. The radio room was a husk, gutted and empty, a ghost of what it had been. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, the relief like a rush of cold air in the stifling heat.
“Move out,” he ordered, the command cutting through the moment like a knife. They flowed from the building, silent and efficient, retracing their steps through the compound with the same ruthless precision that had brought them there.
The jungle was a welcome sight, a dark embrace that closed around them as they left the compound behind. Chris felt the night settle over them, a promise of safety, of distance, of another day lived through. He knew better than to trust it, but he took the moment for what it was: a victory.
Once they’d put enough ground between them and the compound, Chris called a halt, gathering the team in a small clearing. The sweat and grime of the mission clung to them like a second skin, but their expressions were triumphant, charged with the adrenaline of what they’d accomplished.
“Nice work,” Chris said, the praise gruff but sincere. “They’ll be scrambling without that comm.”
Alex gave a crooked grin, the confidence back in full force. “And the depot hit? Bet they’re wondering what the hell’s happening.”
Liam leaned against a tree, arms crossed over his chest, satisfaction written in every line of his body. “Tomorrow, they’ll know.” He snickered. “I sound like Bash.”
Chris met each of the community members’ eyes, saw the readiness there, the willingness to keep going, to push forward with everything they had. “Go back to your homes,” he said, voice carrying the weight of both command and promise. “Next phase meets at the coast tomorrow night. Victor’s own doorstep.”
Liam let out a low whistle, his grin contagious. “And here I thought you’d forgotten how to be reckless.”
Chris felt the hint of a smile, a fleeting thing that disappeared into the serious set of his jaw. “We go in with everything,” he said, Emma’s words an oath, a vow, a battle cry.
They broke apart, melting into the night like shadows, each step taking them closer to the final confrontation, to the risk that would either save them or end them. Chris watched them go, a sense of purpose thrumming in his veins. They didn’t get secondchances, but with Emma and the others, he knew they didn’t need them.
TWENTY-SEVEN
The dim pre-dawnlight cast a pallid glow over the rather impressive group they’d assembled as Bash double-checked his gear, movements precise yet mechanical. His mind was elsewhere, lingering on the memory of Emma in his arms just after letting her know he was going out to try make sure no one had found them. He wasn’t ashamed that he’d kissed her harder before leaving than he usually did, he was only upset he hadn’t been able to give her more than that kiss.
“Come back to me,” she murmured, voice husky, as she pulled him down for a kiss. He had savored the warmth of her, the sweet give of her lips, drinking in the moment like a man dying of thirst.
But the demands of the day could not be ignored, no matter how much he longed to lose himself in her embrace. With a sigh, he’d drawn back, tucking an errant curl behind her ear. “I always do,” he had promised, the words tasting of ash even as he spoke them. The truth was, this was just as much a hunt as it was a scouting mission, but after the things they’d survived, he had no problem making that promise.
He had a duty to their ragtag community, to the survivors who looked to him for protection and leadership. He couldn’t afford the luxury of his own desires, not when so many depended on him. They’d given him the gift of loyalty, and he would make certain they all survived.
“All right then, simple as last time. We’re looking for meat. We can only slaughter so many of the farm animals brought here, but we have to be careful not to kill everything native.” Bash was yet to partake in eating most of the animals they’d caught here, but it didn’t change the need for them. “Fan out!”
