by Mia Hoddell
“That’s enough, Cora! We’re not going over this anymore,” he said, raising his voice, his face set in an angry scowl before turning to face Nick.
“Good. Make sure everyone stays alert; I don’t want anyone slipping in because they can’t stay awake. I’ll personally shoot anyone who isn’t focused on the job.” With his orders given Rogan gave Nick a dismissive nod and watched him leave.
As soon as the door was shut, Cora went to argue but Rogan held up his hand, silencing her with look.
“You’re staying here Cora, end of discussion.”
“Since when did you decide to start acting like a father?” she screamed indignantly, furious that he was suddenly trying to control her after nineteen years of nothing. The ship that gave him the right to order her around with parental authority sailed a long time ago if that was the angle he was going for.
“Since you started acting like a child. You are inheriting all of this Cora, it’s already settled and organised.”
Frustrated, Cora stomped towards the door, all too aware of how childish she looked. She didn’t know where she was heading but wasn’t left in confusion long. She had just taken a step through the doorway when a gunshot halted her movement.
* * *
Unaware of Rogan’s forewarning about her attack, Mayana was continuing with her plan and so far it had gone without a hitch. Of course she was none the wiser.
When she had given the orders to arm themselves, the men had done so with practised speed. Everyone was suited and armed within minutes, ready for the impossible feat they were about to take on. They had taken the tube tunnels as far as they could, coming up as close to Rogan’s fortress as possible. From there the groups had split up, blending into the night and moving with precision and stealth as they headed to their designated areas. Mayana’s informant had provided them with all of the blind spots where they would be safe from Rogan’s cameras and using that, Mayana’s teams would all enter from one of those points before raising hell inside the walls at her command.
Mayana, Jed, and Red Team—who were five of her best men—were already at the northern wall. Stood in its shadows, they kept themselves planted flat against the thick concrete and invisible to the sensors. They had managed to avoid everything so far and standing in the only spot the camera couldn’t detect had caused them all to become close. They couldn’t make a move until they were certain their presence wouldn’t have alerted the guards.
“Green in position,” the earpiece Mayana was wearing crackled to life confirming that another team was ready. They were only waiting on Blue who had the furthest to go and at that thought, Mayana smiled inwardly.
The moment she had been planning years for had almost arrived.
As they waited all they could hear was each other’s breathing coming in short, sharp rasps from the adrenaline surging through each of them.
“Blue in position.” The words Mayana had been longing to hear came through the earpiece. Looking at each member of her squad, they nodded, signalling they were ready and reaching to her collar to engage her microphone she gave the order. “Take them out.”
Instantly the crackle of gunfire ripped through the night. Mayana blocked it all out, going over the information she had received inside her head. Forty-two cameras, each with sensors. Only nine blind spots. Countless floodlights, each triggered by movement. At least eighty guards patrol the area. They stay at their posts but more will come if attacked. The northern wall is closest to the tunnels, find the shed, descend the ladder and follow the passageway. The furthest passageway on the right is the one we want.
The plan was to draw all attention to the southern side of the grounds. Mayana’s teams were strategically placed in blind spots and at her order they would climb the walls, and cause as much chaos as possible. It didn’t take long for the sound of return fire to be heard, shouts of orders being given and for the area to be lit up brighter than daylight itself.
“Time to move,” Jed said. He had been keeping watch over the lip of the wall and seeing the guards retreating in the opposite direction, he knew their moment had arrived. They were only going to have a small amount of time to get over the wall and out of sight once more. Not being able to take out the cameras meant that there was always the risk someone could see them but hopefully they would be too distracted by what was happening elsewhere.
Turning like they had practised, they jumped the wall one at a time. Grabbing the top, they hauled themselves up and dropped instantly to the ground inside. Mayana was the last over the wall, falling into a roll to deaden the landing. When she came up she was ecstatic to see the chaos her men had brought. Sprinting to the cover of the shrubs and trees where the others were waiting for her, her black clothes melted in with the night once more rendering her invisible.
All of a sudden a huge explosion rang out, quickly followed by another. Mayana saw the dust kick up from the corner of her eye, dirt and men flying as they threw themselves to the floor, covering their heads. Brown clouds were illuminated in the floodlights, every particle swirling in the beams. She could see bodies lying around the grass, unmoving. They were from both sides but Mayana wasn’t the sympathetic type; they knew what they were getting themselves in to.
Forgetting about all of the noise, and disruption around her, Mayana pushed her way to the front of her small group. Keeping in the shadows of the plants, they crawled their way along, following the plant line. Just like Kirby had said, a rickety, old shed that looked like something from a murder mystery appeared out of the darkness as they approached. The wood was rotting, crumbling at the edges of each panel making it look disused and insignificant.
Between the group and the shed was about a fifty metre gap where they would be unprotected and out in the open. Mayana, looked around, but there was no one. Just like she had planned, all attention had been diverted, leaving her free to do as she pleased. She met Jed’s gaze and then all of her men. Their faces held the same steely determination, eyes narrowed and focused.
Mayana signalled and immediately they broke out into a run. Breaking from the cover of the bushes, they reached the shed in a matter of seconds. Mayana pulled open the door as quickly as she could and when everyone had crowded inside and the door was shut, she pulled out her torch. Lighting up the floor she easily located the rusty manhole cover. Jed reached down to pull it open. It gave a creak of protest but soon, Mayana’s beam disappeared into an endless blackness, revealing the metal rungs of the ladder descending down.
“You all go first. Wait at the bottom,” Mayana ordered, gesturing to her team. As practised, the men holstered their guns and one by one disappeared down into the hole. Jed followed behind them leaving Mayana to pick up the rear and close the cover back over them, sealing them in. The tunnel was just as she had expected: damp, cold, musty, and empty, the bare walls lit up in the small amount of light from the torches.
As Mayana’s feet hit the floor, instantly the group began moving. Picking up a light jog they made their way through the tunnel system until they came across what looked like three fireplaces. Heading for the farthest one on the right, Mayana took the lead, knowing what was going to be on the other side of it.
The climb was quick and the light that was shining out at the top was growing bigger and brighter as she pulled herself up the last few rungs. Her head appeared over the lip of the entrance and Mayana was met by a familiar chubby man who had been pacing furiously as he tried to work out his nerves.
“Well, talk about taking your time...” Kirby said sarcastically as he held out a hand to steady Mayana as she climbed out into his bedroom.
“Where is everyone?” Mayana snapped, ignoring what she considered to be his brattish tone.
“I sent them to go protect another part of the house that’s under attack.” Kirby shrugged indifferently not expecting thanks for any of it. He hadn’t been given one for any of the other information or weapons he delivered so he hadn’t expected Mayana to start now she was leading the assau
lt.
“How many are through that door?” Jed asked, pointing in front of them all with his gun to the exit of Kirby’s room.
“None. The family quarters have been sealed off. However, there will be a small army at the bottom of the stairs and in between Rogan’s office. You’ll need this.” Kirby pulled out a key card and handed it to Mayana; his last act of betrayal. “It won’t trigger any of the alarms and will open all doors.”
Mayana took the card, smiling sinisterly at how everything was falling into place.
Jed pulled a grenade from his belt as he moved towards the door and pulled it open slowly. Entering the hallway, it was empty like Kirby had said. Her team filed out ahead of her, making their way to the big, metal door that would take them into the heart of Rogan’s fortress. Kirby backed up with no desire to participate but Mayana’s grip on his shoulder stopped him, her fingers stabbing at a pressure point.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed.
“I’ve held up my end of the bargain, I’m staying here until everything is over,” Kirby said confused.
“I don’t think so.” With a sharp tug, Mayana pulled Kirby in front of them. She couldn’t see his eyes widen with fear or feel his heart pounding in his chest as they drew nearer.
Reaching the door, Mayana swiped the card through the reader as she heard the lock retract and click into place. Jed unpinned the grenade, keeping his thumb pressed firmly on the spoon so it wouldn’t go off as she placed her hand on the handle. He glanced back at her as she pushed Kirby to one side and readied her gun in front of her. When he nodded, she reached slowly for the door handle pulling it open swiftly.
Releasing the grenade he threw it into the hallway, making sure it was well away from him and had shut the door before it even hit the floor. Shouts came from behind the reinforced metal and seconds later an ear shattering bang ran out. Without hesitating, Jed flung the door wide. Red Team charged down the stairs, avoiding the fallen men who had been too close to the blast. The rest of the men at the bottom were dazed and disorientated in the smoke-filled corridor giving Mayana’s group the upper hand as their guns opened fire. Following on their heels, Jed and Mayana watched as men fell to the floor, screaming in agony before the life left them.
The smoke was starting to clear and with it brought a new group of men charging at them. Over the covering fire from Red Team, Jed and Mayana dropped back into the stairwell. Pulling two more grenades from their belts, they unpinned them rapidly and threw them down the corridor towards the large group of men.
The blast crashed through the hall, taking out the front line of men as they fell to the floor…dead. Red Team kept firing at the next line of men coming at them, instinctive two round bursts, swinging their barrels from target to target, swiftly picking off the men easily in their confused state. Jed watched through the thin layer of smoke as they fell, one after the other.
Mayana moved forward without fear. One of Rogan’s men swung his weapon at her aiming. Before he could fire, she pulled the trigger and her assailant dropped down, shot in the head. Instantly, she pulled her weapon sideways and filled her sights with another advancing on her. Firing twice in quick succession, the man twitched backwards as the bullets lodged in his chest and the life left his eyes.
The gunfire stopped.
Pausing for a second, they caught their breath, waiting for more men to appear but no one else came down the hallway.
Stepping back to the stairwell where they had been hiding, Mayana grabbed Kirby by the neck, forcing him in front of her. Stepping over two of her men, blood oozing from their lifeless bodies, she only gave them a cursory glance. They were some of her best men. It was inevitable there would be losses—a necessary sacrifice—they wouldn’t have made it without them. Moving on with their assault rifles aimed ahead, Mayana and Jed rounded the final corner and walked the short distance to Rogan’s office door.
Chapter 30
“Cora, get out of here!” Rogan ordered sternly when they heard the first shot fired. Before that moment Cora had every intention of leaving. Her hand was paused above the door handle but as he gave the order it suddenly made her want to disobey him.
It was stupid. It was petty, and it was not one of her best ideas but despite Rogan’s protest for her to hide upstairs until everything was over she had ignored him. Instead she had refused to move and walked back into the centre of the office.
“No, I’d rather die than inherit the empire,” she admitted stubbornly, even though it was a lie. Cora had put too much effort into surviving to blow it all now. She knew if given the chance she could get Mayana to spare her by agreeing to sign everything over. She was sure she could work some kind of deal out to ensure her safety.
“You’re bluffing,” Rogan called her on it. They were arguing more because they had nothing else to do. If Mayana’s forces managed to get through to Rogan’s office then there was nowhere safe for them.
“This is the safest room in the house, I’m not leaving it. You have hundreds of guards to get through before anyone gets here.”
“Cora, leave.”
“Make me,” she countered defiantly knowing he wouldn’t and couldn’t. She hadn’t actually expected him to grip her around the arms, pick her up off the floor and carry her towards the door.
Cora swung her legs, wriggling in his grip but it was too tight to free herself. It was tight enough to leave marks on her arms, she was sure.
“Put me down you jackass,” Cora hollered and Rogan’s grip suddenly released her. It wasn’t her screaming that had caught her attention, it was the explosion from somewhere out behind his boarded up windows. God he hated not being able to see what was going on.
Rogan was about to open his mouth to say something when another explosion went off, moving him over to the window where he tried to see if there was even a tiny gap he could look through—there was none.
Returning to Cora he placed a hand on her shoulder, roughly guiding her towards the door. Cora was having none of it. Ducking out from under his grasp she spun, landing a kick to his shin as she ran around the room to the other side of his desk.
“Cora, you have to leave now,” Rogan said through a hiss as he tried to keep the look of pain off his face. He wanted to reach down to grasp his shin but so far managed to restrain himself, not wanting to show any weakness.
“If you die, I die. There is no way in hell I’m being left this business. Nick would be better at leading this organisation anyway,” Cora argued.
However, the next noise caught her off guard and she bolted up right in shock as a bang came from within the hallway. She could hear men shouting through the door, gun fire and the dull thuds of bodies hitting the ground.
Suddenly she wished she had listened to Rogan.
Mayana had clearly done her homework, Cora thought as a second explosion shattered Cora’s ears, even closer than the first.
Cora drew her gun as the firing outside stopped and Rogan did the same. She would have been lying if she had said she wasn’t nervous. Of course she was. Who wouldn’t be? The only thought on Cora’s mind was surviving. It had been the main thought in her mind since she was twelve and she had done a good job. What she didn’t know was whether all that effort had just been wasted.
Cora stepped out of the direct line in front of the doorway, moving off to the side as she kept her gun trained on the entrance and watched the handle turn.
Holding her breath, the door opened slowly. All sounds of gunfire outside ceased to exist in her mind. All that remained was her pounding heart that rang through her ears. She could feel the pulse at the base of her neck and finally exhaling she waited for the door to move and reveal Mayana.
That was not who stood in the doorway.
As the wooden panel hit the wall lightly, she held her weapon steady, the barrel pointing a Kirby’s heart. Not even Rogan’s hand faltered as he pointed a gun at his own son.
Kirby’s face was bleached white. Drained of all colour,
even his lips and the bruises covering his face were pale. His eyes were wide with fear and uncertainty. There was no doubt he knew Rogan would kill him given the chance. If it meant his life or Kirby’s, he knew Rogan would choose his own. The fact that he had ordered his son to be beaten half to death only confirmed that fact to Kirby—not that it was anything new.
Cora’s eyes never left the doorway as two figures stepped out from either side. She expected Rogan to fire on all three but from the corner of her eye she saw his finger falter on the trigger.
He wasn’t going to do it, she thought. Instinctively she knew she should take over, that she should finish the job to protect herself but even her hand faltered. She had no remorse if she killed Mayana and Kirby but she couldn’t shoot Jed. By the time she had figured out what she should do, Mayana interrupted her decision.
“Hello, Rogan.” Her voice sounded cruel but smug. It was like she was pleased with the reaction she had received.
Rogan’s eyes were wide, his breath coming in short, sharp rasps and he blinked rapidly as if it was going to clear the scene before him.
“Mayana? Shit, I should have known when Cora said the leader was a female called Anna, it was you,” Rogan managed to get out. His voice exuding anger, his mind still not able to process what he was seeing.
“Wait, you two know each other?” Cora shouted from her corner and instantly wished she hadn’t. She had gone relatively unnoticed up until that point but as she spoke every head in the room snapped in her direction. Everyone except Rogan that was. His eyes never left Mayana.
“Of course I know him. I’m his sister. Did I forget to mention that part when I briefed you? I’m sorry.” She laughed heartlessly, her mouth twisted in a sinister smile.
Cora didn’t need her ability to know she was lying about the apology. However, everything else she tested rang crystal clear inside her mind and she let out a gasp. Now it was pointed out to her she could see the resemblance between the two. The eyes, hair and face shape all looked similar. They held their bodies the same way and Cora could even see some resemblance held in the expressions as they stood off against each other.