Chapter 30
The glittering, neon skyline of Dubai rose from the desert like a monument to unimaginable wealth and unchecked ambition.
Cole Bennett stood on the rooftop of a towering skyscraper, the hot desert wind whipping his dark tactical gear. He overlooked the massive, heavily fortified luxury hotel where the cartel auction was taking place.
He was fully armed, his suppressed MP7 resting against his chest, his night-vision optics pulled down over his eyes. He was a ghost returning to the shadows.
"Ghost-Actual, I have eyes on the target building," Sarah’s voice crackled crisply through his earpiece, transmitted securely from the Montana safehouse. "Thermal imaging confirms heavy hostile presence on the upper penthouses. The localized security grid is highly sophisticated, but I am patching a backdoor routing algorithm now."
"Copy that, Overwatch," Cole murmured, his heart rate steady at a calm fifty beats per minute. "Status on the EMP devices?"
"The auction is scheduled to begin in ten minutes," Sarah reported. "The devices are housed in a reinforced vault in the center of the penthouse. You have a very narrow window before the buyers disperse."
"Understood. Moving to insertion point," Cole said.
He didn't use a helicopter or a ground assault. He deployed a specialized, silent para-glider from the rooftop, launching himself into the dark abyss between the skyscrapers.
He soared silently through the neon-lit canyon, navigating the treacherous urban winds with flawless precision. He aimed for the darkened balcony of the target penthouse, descending like an avenging angel.
He landed softly on the marble tiles, detaching the glider instantly.
"I'm on the balcony," Cole whispered, drawing his weapon.
"The balcony doors are magnetically sealed," Sarah warned. "Bypassing the lock now."
A faint click echoed from the glass doors.
Cole pushed them open, stepping into the opulent, dimly lit interior of the penthouse.
"Hostiles approaching from the main corridor," Sarah alerted him.
Cole melted into the shadows of the luxurious living room. Two heavily armed cartel mercenaries, wearing expensive suits and carrying suppressed submachine guns, walked past his position.
Cole struck with terrifying, lethal speed. He grabbed the trailing mercenary, driving his combat knife upward into the base of the skull, neutralizing him instantly. The lead guard spun around, but Cole was already there, delivering a devastating palm strike to the throat, crushing the windpipe, and lowering the body silently to the plush carpet.
"Perimeter clear," Cole breathed. "Moving to the vault."
He navigated the penthouse with clinical efficiency, systematically eliminating the cartel guards without raising an alarm.
He reached the heavy steel doors of the vault.
"Sarah, I need the doors open," Cole commanded.
"It's a biometric lock, Cole," Sarah said frantically. "I can't spoof it remotely."
"I don't need you to spoof it," Cole smiled coldly.
He didn't reach for his explosives. He simply raised his suppressed weapon, aiming at the heavy glass window overlooking the opulent auction room below, where the cartel leader and the global buyers were gathered around the EMP devices.
"I'm going to make a withdrawal," Cole whispered.
May you like
He kicked the glass, shattering it completely, and leapt down into the center of the auction room, landing amidst the stunned, terrified billionaires and cartel bosses.
The ghost of Task Force 9 had arrived, and the hunt for the new world order had officially begun.
