Explosions lit up the night sky above her—missiles from the expeditionary strike group, being intercepted by a missile defense system on the island. It was breathtaking, some of the world’s most advanced weapons of war fighting a duel over this placid island in the South Pacific. The strike group was winning. Their missiles began reaching the ground, which shook with every impact.

Avery hoped the soldiers would desist in the face of the air power, but they kept coming, closing in. She slid behind a tree and caught her breath. She was cornered. There was only one thing left to do.

“Overwatch, Medusa. Request tactical strike against hostiles near my location.”

The CIC responded immediately. “Medusa, Overwatch. Negative. Hostiles are too close—”

“Do it or I’m dead, Overwatch.”

A barrage of bullets ripped into the tree trunk beside her. Splinters sprayed across her left side as she dove to the ground. In the air, she saw a flash—a missile launch from a drone. A second later it landed at the feet of the soldiers, annihilating them. The ground below Avery erupted. She could feel the heat. For a split second, it felt as if she were in the grasp of a hurricane. The blast tossed her through the forest. A tree trunk broke her fall. But she didn’t get up this time. Her limp body lay there as burned debris fell on her, burying her.

Chapter 126

Chapter 126

In the office above, Desmond rushed the troops who had fired at Avery. He leaped, colliding with Conner and one of the men. A fist connected with his face. He nearly blacked out from the impact. They pulled him to the ground and kicked him in his already injured ribs. He gasped for breath, but a knee landed on his chest, crushed him, suffocated him. The last thing he saw was the butt of a rifle coming down and connecting with his forehead.

Yuri eyed William. “Who did you bring with you, William?”

William stood silently, his hands still bound.

“Surely you didn’t bring your daughter here. That would be very dangerous.” Yuri studied him. “Then again, you were never afraid to push all-in, especially when the stakes were high.” He paused. “You did, didn’t you? Where is she?”

William didn’t answer.

“She’s not in the building,” Yuri said. “We would have seen her on the cameras.” Realization dawned on him. “But we don’t have cameras in the labs. The risk of espionage is too great. She’s there, isn’t she?”

When William still said nothing, Yuri snatched the handheld radio off the desk. “Major Reeves, Pachenko. Send a unit to the labs—right now. Secure Rapture access control. You’re also to apprehend Pey—”