Wound if you have to, but no killing unless there's no choice. Daniel nodded, sweat beading on his bruised face. Evelyn's people are 7 minutes out. Federal response maybe 15. They split up.
Daniel moving through tall grass toward the maintenance shed while Nia circled wide around the perimeter. The morning heat pressed down as she crossed open ground between cover spots, timing her movements to match guard rotations. Through breaks in the buildings, she glimpsed Larkin pacing near the main entrance, barking into a phone. Three private contractors in unmarked tactical gear moved equipment into a van, burning the evidence just as they'd feared. Nia reached the first berm and pressed against sunwarmed concrete.
20 yards ahead, the equipment garage stood dark and silent. She raised her small signal mirror, catching light through a narrow window. After 3 seconds, an answering flash came from inside. Tessa was alert and watching. Good girl.
A burst of static from the facility's external speakers made everyone freeze. The emergency broadcast system was activating across the county. Then Larkin's own voice filled the air. The damning body cam audio from the siege now playing on every police and emergency channel in the state. No warrant.
Find the drive before state arrives. Bryce wants this contained. Chaos erupted. One deputy immediately threw down his weapon, hands raised. Others looked to Larkin in confusion.
The private contractors shifted uneasily, realizing their employer's name was now radioactive. Nia used the distraction to close the final distance to the garage. Through the window, she saw Tessa working at the electrical panel despite her bound hands. Smart girl had found a way to reach the gate controls. The main gate's motor winded and died.
Vehicle after vehicle died as Tessa killed power to the entire facility. Larkens escape route was sealed. Federal agents incoming. Someone shouted from the perimeter. Multiple units, lights and sirens.
Councilman Bryce emerged from the main building, his polished facade cracking. Everyone stay calm. This can still be managed. A shot cracked across the yard. Daniel providing cover fire from the maintenance shed.
The private contractors scattered for defensive positions. Return fire hammered the shed's metal walls. Nia burst through the garage's side door as two deputies rushed to stop her. She dropped the first with a shot to the leg, disarmed the second with a precise strike to the wrist. No killing, just control.
Mom, Tessa called from behind a tool cabinet. Stay down. Nia moved to cover her daughter as bullets punched through windows. More sirens wailed in the distance. The body cam audio kept playing, drowning out Bryce's attempts to restore order.
Two more deputies surrendered, placing their weapons on the ground. Nia cut Tessa's restraints. Can you move? Yeah. I memorized their radio codes, got the gate frequencies, figured you'd come.