The black Cadillac glided to a halt twenty minutes later at a helicopter strip, and Athena exited the vehicle alongside two n clad in black combat gear.
"Is everything ready?" She inquired as she marched purposefully toward the waiting helicopter, exuding an air of military precision.
"Yes, ma’am," The n responded in unison, flanking her with an air of camaraderie. As the Cadillac rolled away to a solitary bunker that resembled a car wash, Athena felt a surge of determination flush through her.
Inside the helicopter, the n handed her a file.
"All strands have been pulled, and the subject is safely in position. The boss says you owe him one though," One of the n remarked.
Athena noticed the signs of a smile tugging at their lips and offered a knowing grin in return.
"That’s a deal then. Please extend my thanks to him—especially since he’s throwing a tantrum and ignoring my calls," She replied, a playful edge in her voice.
Deep sonorous laughters suddenly filled the air, a sense of familiarity rippling through their ranks borne from years of teamwork.
"Well, you can’t bla him. You are easily the best we’ve ever had, and you turned down his offer to work for the nation, even after he dangled an outrageous sum of money in front of you." The taller man, Eric, said, a note of admiration in his tone. "And I can safely say, I miss working with you."
"No ’ma’am’ this ti, Eric?" Athena teased, causing another round of laughter to ripple through the cabin.
"You hated us calling you that. How about the old man?" He asked, a smirk present in his lips.
Athena shrugged, her deanor softening. "Aiden is fine. He’s just spending Christmas with his daughter."
"Lucky man," The second man muttered, glancing out the window toward the vast sky.
"And you ask , Eric, why I don’t join you guys? Just look at Shawn’s face. I couldn’t sacrifice my ti with my twins for sothing like this. I don’t think I’m that patriotic," Athena remarked, pointing at Shawn, who chuckled but didn’t disagree.
"Still the sa, Athena. I’m glad to see that," Shawn replied, his voice warm with comradeship.
"Oh, it’s a pleasure, as always, Shawn. Nice to see you again."
Forty minutes later, the helicopter hovered over a desolate stretch of land, where nothing but withering grass was visible—a deserted landscape that felt almost cursed, devoid of life.
Shawn retrieved a long rope from the side of his seat, securing it and tossing it down to the barren ground below.
"We’ll finish up in the next fifteen to twenty minutes. So co and get us when it’s ti," He instructed the pilot, the rope descending rapidly into the bleak expanse.
The pilot nodded, maintaining the holding pattern of the helicopter carefully, so that his guests could jump safely.
Without wasting a mont, Shawn clipped a harness to the rope and slid down. Eric followed suit, and then Athena. She felt a rush of adrenaline when her feet touched the ground again.
As the helicopter flew away into the distance, she couldn’t help but reminisce about the last ti she had broken into a facility for a rescue operation.
"Do you still rember how to navigate to the back door?" Eric queried.
Athena nodded confidently. "That’s why I asked the pilot to drop us here; this is the back door, the best way in."
She paused at a section of the field, biting her lip in concentration as she scanned the ground, while moving her hand strategically through the thin cold air.
Eric and Shawn looked around, visibly alert, as if expecting sothing to happen.
To any outsider, Athena appeared to be waving her hands at empty air, but her fingers were actually brushing against a rocky texture.
A smile finally crept onto her face as she located a button-like surface. With a swift motion, she pressed it, and to her delight, a hidden passageway began to open, revealing a dark staircase that descended into the earth.
"Well, you still have the skills," Eric remarked, pulling out a small flashlight and stepping forward into the darkness. Athena followed closely behind him, with Shawn bringing up the rear.
She pressed another button on the wall, sealing off the entrance, keeping the illusion of an empty barren land intact, ensuring that any signs of their presence would be undetectable.
"Rember what the boss said: we only have fifteen minutes to do what we need to do before the system cos back online, and the guards resu their posts. So, let’s move," Eric reminded them, casting glances between both Athena and Shawn.
Athena nodded, pulling out the file they had prepared. After a few minutes of rushing through the pages of the file, she exclaid, "He’s at Cell 76, Block D. Let’s go!" She led the way, studying the map carefully while her heart raced with anticipation.
True to the boss’ words , they encountered no guards during their journey. Athena silently thanked the boss for the impeccable intel; she wasn’t in the mood to subdue anyone tonight.
After five tense minutes, they reached their destination: a dismal and damp cell block muffled in silence, the air thick with the sll of loneliness and despair—a place reserved for the worst criminals, a damp grave for those whom the governnt wished to keep hidden, perhaps indefinitely.
As they prepared to move in, they turned off their flashlights, tensing up at the sound of footsteps echoing down the corridor.
"Where are you going, Ron?" A voice called out.
"I thought I saw a flashlight," Another voice replied.
Athena’s heart raced as she realized they were dangerously close to being discovered.
Thankfully, the first man didn’t seem convinced. "It’s not possible. Let’s get to the control center before the chief deals with us," he urged.
Once the footsteps had faded away, Athena and her partners released their breaths in relief. Quickly, she signaled for Shawn to pick the lock. When the door creaked open, she stepped inside alone.
A haggard man sat on the rough bed—a re shadow of his forr self. His hair hung in unkempt tangles, his clothes torn, and chains bound his wrists and ankles.
"Who are you?" His voice was low and hoarse, a stark contrast to what she rembered.
"It’s Athena," She stated blandly, her heart almost aching at the sight of him.
The man’s eyes widened in shock, his muffled gasp barely audible beneath the veil of hair obscuring his face. "Athena?"
"Hello, Lucas."
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