BXBX NOVEL Chapter 111: The Chessboard in Motion
Chapter 111: The Chessboard in Motion
Alyssa, already securing the hard drive in a reinforced case, nodded. "I\'ll take it to the secondary extraction point. But you\'re going to need backup here."
"I\'ll hold them off," Dominic said firmly. "You and Laura take the drive. Marcus and I will buy you time."
Marcus had already positioned himself near the windows, surveying the perimeter. "We\'ve got about a dozen approaching from the east, heavily armed. They\'re not coming to negotiate."
Eleanor, who had been working furiously on her terminal, finally looked up, her face pale. "I\'ve rerouted all the external signals, but they\'re too close. If we don\'t move now, we\'re dead."
Dominic\'s mind raced as he assessed the situation. They were pinned down with limited resources, but they had one advantage: they knew the terrain. "We\'ll split into two teams. Alyssa, you take Laura and go through the underground passage. It leads out to the woods, where Ivan\'s set up a fallback point. Marcus and I will stay here and delay them."
Alyssa hesitated for a moment, her eyes locking with Dominic\'s. "You better come out of this alive, Dom."
"I will," Dominic promised, his voice steady. "Now go."
With one last glance, Alyssa and Laura slipped out of the back door, disappearing into the underground passage. Dominic turned his attention back to Marcus, who was busy setting up a defensive position by the windows.
"They\'ll be here any second," Marcus muttered, sliding a fresh magazine into his rifle.
Dominic nodded, moving to the opposite side of the room, his own weapon ready. "We make every shot count."
The moments stretched into tense silence, the distant gunfire growing closer by the second. Finally, the first wave of attackers appeared, moving swiftly through the dense cover of the trees. Dominic and Marcus opened fire, their shots precise, taking down several of the advancing soldiers.
But the enemy kept coming, relentless and well-coordinated. Dominic\'s pulse pounded in his ears as he ducked behind cover, exchanging fire with a group of mercenaries pushing toward the front entrance.
"They\'re flanking!" Marcus shouted, firing off a burst of shots to hold them back.
"We need to slow them down," Dominic yelled, tossing a smoke grenade toward the side of the building. The dense cloud of smoke bought them a few precious seconds, but they both knew it wouldn\'t be enough.
As the battle raged on, Dominic\'s thoughts turned to Alyssa. He could only hope she and Laura had made it out safely. But there was no time to dwell on that now. They were outnumbered and running out of ammunition.
Suddenly, the door behind them burst open, and more mercenaries stormed in. Dominic spun around, taking out two of them with quick, controlled shots, but the situation was rapidly spiraling out of control.
"Fall back to the hallway!" Marcus shouted.
They moved quickly, retreating deeper into the building as the enemy closed in. Dominic\'s mind raced, searching for any advantage they could use.
Then, like a beacon in the chaos, Eleanor\'s voice crackled through his earpiece. "Dominic, I\'ve found something. There\'s a hidden exit near the west wing. It\'s old, but it should still be usable."
Dominic glanced at Marcus, nodding. "We\'re not out of this yet."
They fought their way through the hallway, every step a battle as they took down the remaining mercenaries. When they finally reached the west wing, Dominic spotted the concealed door Eleanor had mentioned. It was covered in dust and almost invisible to the untrained eye.
"Here!" Marcus said, pulling the door open just as more enemy reinforcements poured into the building.
They slipped through the narrow passage, the walls closing in around them as they moved quickly through the darkness. The sound of the battle above grew fainter, but Dominic knew they weren\'t safe yet.
"This passage leads to the other side of the property," Marcus said, his voice low. "But once we\'re out, we\'ll still have to deal with whoever\'s waiting outside."
"We\'ll figure that out when we get there," Dominic said, his voice grim. "Right now, we just need to survive."
Meanwhile, Alyssa and Laura moved swiftly through the underground tunnel, the weight of the hard drive pressing down on them both. Every step they took felt heavier, the knowledge of what they carried making them prime targets.
"We\'re almost there," Laura said, checking her watch. "Ivan\'s waiting for us just outside the woods."
Alyssa nodded, but her mind was still on Dominic. She forced herself to focus, knowing that every second counted. They couldn\'t afford to lose this opportunity.
Suddenly, a low rumble echoed through the tunnel, and Alyssa\'s heart skipped a beat. It wasn\'t the sound of footsteps it was an explosion.
"They\'re coming after us," she said, her voice tight. "We need to move faster."
Laura quickened her pace, her eyes darting around as the tunnel shook slightly. "We\'re almost at the exit. Just a little further."
As they reached the end of the tunnel, a faint light appeared ahead, and Alyssa felt a surge of relief. They were so close. But as they emerged into the open air, their relief was short-lived.
Standing in the clearing, blocking their path, was the Chessmaster.
His dark suit was immaculate, his expression cold and calculating. He stood there, unarmed, but Alyssa knew better than to underestimate him.
"Well," he said calmly, his voice carrying a chilling edge. "It seems the game isn\'t over yet."
Alyssa\'s grip tightened on the hard drive. "It\'s over when we say it\'s over."
The Chessmaster smiled faintly, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Let\'s see about that."
The final move was about to begin.