The growl of the motorcycle cut through the silent woods as Sydney drove on a dirt path. The warehouse, or construction site, had been abandoned years ago. No workers, no lights, no cameras. Just a forgotten land swallowed by the forest, creating an eerie silence.

  I tightened my grip on Sydney’s waist as we rolled to a stop behind a thick tree, the abandoned place in sight. “This is the place?” I said, scanning the quiet surroundings.

  Sydney killed the engine, causing the silence to feel louder. “Yeah,” she said in a low voice.

  “Avery’s signal puts him somewhere in there.” She nodded toward a warehouse-shaped frame ahead, a hollow building with half its walls missing.

  I swung off the bike, my hands trembling slightly. “I don’t like this. It feels weird.”

  Sydney pulled off her helmet. “Everything about this feels weird.”

  I agreed while removing my helmet. It was my first time on a motorcycle. I didn’t even know Sydney could ride one until Ruben offered. I was skeptical at first due to the lack of protection, but the adrenaline rush felt real. Zooming down the roads with the wind hitting my clothes made me feel like a butterfly. I never felt so free.

  Sydney reached into the bike’s storage compartment and pulled out a compact case.

  Inside were tools that Sydney said were a must: two earpieces and an EMP jammer, which was barely bigger than a cookie.

  She handed me an earpiece. “Use this to communicate. We’ll all be under the same channel. Alice is currently setting up, and Fernando will enter through the other side. Also, here…” she reached within her wig, which caught me off guard since her wig was considered her ‘normal hair’, and pulled out a small, electronic clip. “Wear this on your hair.”

  I hesitated. “What does it do?”

  “It makes your facial appearance different. Just enough that their camera’s facial recognition won’t catch you.”

  This was one of the gadgets in Sydney’s briefcase. Every day, I learned something new about the marvelous technology that Ionia offered. And every time it never fails to amaze me.

  I did as she instructed and clipped it onto my hair. “Any different?”

  “You look great.”

  “Do you have a mirror? Oh, can I borrow your phone? I forgot mine.”

  “You don’t need to see how you look,” she said with a hint of humor. “They’re definitely in there,” she said. “They’re counting on us to move fast, but discreet.”

  “Then we’re not wasting time.”

  We moved forward, ducking low as we approached the construction site’s entrance.

  The trees rustled behind us. The warehouse loomed ahead, and Roger was somewhere inside.

  A soft click sounded in my ear, causing me to jump in silence.

  Alice’s voice came through, calm and steady despite the wind on her end.

  “Visual confirmed. I see you two approaching the south entrance. No movement yet.” She said, camping somewhere in the distance. She scouted everything in advance, leaving an hour before we did to set up.

  Sydney tapped her earpiece once. “Copy. Any sign of patrols?”

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  “I scanned nine SCAR units, all C-tier except one B-tier. Oh–wait, one is being dragged out by a SCAR unit.”

  Sydney responded. “That’s definitely one of our targets. Remember, this entire stunt by Ridley is kept on the down low. Backup is not to be expected.”

  “The only concern is we need to do this discreetly. Any noise will raise red flags.”

  “We can EMP a few units and cut off communication.”

  “EMP lasts for five minutes. You’ll cut off communication with me, and lose control of your gadgets.”

  Sydney nodded at no one. “They’ll lose control of theirs.”

  “Sigh, to do so, you’ll need to EMP nearby units. The EMP's radius is small. Hopefully you’ll be able to get a few with it, though. Fernando, status?”

  A low crackle, then Fernando’s whispering voice filtered in. “Howdy, I thought y’all had forgotten about me. Two SCAR agents are posted at the east entrance. They’re not moving, just waiting. Orders are probably shoot first, ask later.”

  Sydney exhaled slowly. “Can you work around them?”

  “Who knows?”

  A nonchalant answer…

  “I spot two vehicles. I’m going to shoot a tiny tracker in case things don’t go as planned.”

  I removed the earpiece and looked directly at Sydney. “We should split up.”

  Sydney looked at me, surprised. “The plan is to stick together.”

  “No. I’m going after Roger first.”

  “Listen, it’s not the time to be stubborn. Stick to the fucking plan before you fuck up.” Her tone was sharp, not messing around.

  I sighed and shook my head in silence. I didn’t want to wait any longer. I wanted to go in there and save him without jumping through hoops.

  “Alright,” Sydney said. “We’re going in.”

  We stepped forward, slipping into the dark of the unfinished warehouse.

  Alice watched from afar.

  Fernando waited at the east entrance.

  We walked straight into enemy territory.

  And somewhere inside, Roger waited for a way out.

  The air inside was colder than outside, carrying the sharp scent of rust, wet concrete, and old machine oil that made my skin crawl. Half-built walls loomed, abandoned and forgotten.

  Alice’s voice murmured in my ears. “Energy signals confirm two signatures moving along the interior. They’re between you and the central structure. Shit, I need to hop off the channel. Fernando’s in trouble.”

  I slowed. “Fernando? What happened?”

  No response.

  Sydney muttered under her breath. “Leave it. It’s fine. Fernando is more than capable of handling himself. He’s probably walking with two left feet, considering how drunk he is.”

  “He’s drunk?”

  “Who knows? Guy always drinks.”

  I pressed myself against a concrete column as two figures emerged from the shadows. SCAR agents in patrol armor with their dim visors and heavy weaponry around their waist.

  One of them spoke quietly. “Wanna get ice cream after?”

  “At this time?” the other replied. “Which place is—”

  Sydney moved and flicked her wrist, hurling a small, disk-shaped device across the floor. It detonated with a sharp, quiet pulse.

  Both SCAR agents staggered as their comms fizzed and died.

  “EMP,” Sydney said, stepping out of cover. “They can’t call it in.”

  I stood still. “Sydney—”

  “You go,” Sydney cut in. Her voice was calm. “Roger’s deeper inside. I’ll handle these two.” She removed her earpieces and slipped them into her pocket. “It’s useless now.”

  I hesitated. “What happened to sticking together?”

  She looked back at me. “I trust you.”

  “I’ll save them both.”

  Sydney smiled. “I know you will.”

  I slipped past the SCAR agents, dissolving into the shadows as I pushed forward. I focused on one thing and one thing only.

  Roger.

  Clashing noises were behind me.

  I didn’t look back. The deeper I went, the quieter the warehouse became. It was almost like the sound itself was being swallowed. I caught the faintest echo of voices ahead.

  That had to be where Roger was.

  I had no idea, just a guess.

  Regardless, the guess was worth checking. I needed to act fast before things went wrong. We only had so much time on our hands.