Chapter 21:No Way Out

The safe house was finally decidedly unsafe. The walls were pocked by bullet impacts, the floor slick with blood most of it not their own, but that was small comfort. The city outside still throbbed with life, unaware of the war raging in the shadows. It was a city of ghosts and betrayals, and James Brown was starting to feel like both.

The tension inside was thick. Hassan cleaned his rifle, jaw set tight around frustration. With grim deliberation, Sarah ensured that her ammo was secured; her features betrayed nothing. Lina typed like a woman possessed, her eyes glued to the glowing screen of her laptop. And the Broker their interloper had posted up against a wall, an unremitting smirk on their face despite the pandemonium around them.

James rubbed his hair, running his fingers through it. He had previously led squads into enemy territory. He had survived ambushes, firefights, betrayals. But this was different. This was personal. The syndicate wasn't merely hunting them; it was obliterating them.

"We need an out," James said at last. His voice was steady, but the gravity of their predicament was evident.

"We don't have one," Lina said, not looking up. "All the major exits out of the city are sealed off by the syndicate. Airports, harbors, even the subterranean routes they're watching them all."

James clenched his jaw. "Then we make one."

Hassan scoffed. "Easier said than done. We are outnumbered, we're outgunned. You remember what they threw at us earlier. Next time, they'll bring additional."

It was only then that Sarah finally glanced up from her weapon. "We don't have time to sit and debate here. They're coming, and we have to have a plan."

Her fingers were still flying over the keyboard as Lina took a deep breath. "There's one option."

Everyone turned to her.

"The syndicate has a backup data center outside the city on the Black Sea. It's in a very secure location, but if we can breach those defenses, we might be able to find out where the Architect is."

The name sent a wave of tension through the room. The Architect the figure behind the curtain, pulling the strings of the syndicate. No former sight of the duo, no knowledge of their identity. But if they could eliminate the Architect, the entire organization would fall apart.

James nodded. "How do we get there?"

Lina hesitated. "That's the problem. They are watching the roads, and although we could go by air, we will be shot down before we leave the city."

James turned to Hassan. "We are remaining firepower, how much do we have?

Hassan sighed. "Not enough for a full out attack, but enough to defend if we have to."

"Then we take what we've got and we go," James said. "If we have to, we'll fight our way out."

The Broker laughed from their corner. "You really think you can walk away from this? The syndicate won't allow you to leave. You're already ghosts you just don't know it yet."

James took a step toward them, expression cold. "Then let's give them something to be afraid of."

The Attack Begins

They didn't have to wait long. The second wave hit just before dawn.

Sarah, still on the rooftop, was the first to catch a glimpse of the convoy. Three SUVs, speeding, darkened windows reflecting the blurred lights of the city.

"We've got movement," she said on the comms. "Three rigs, full strike team."

James snatched up his rifle and went to the window. "Everyone, positions. This is going to be rough."

Hassan took up position on the second-floor balcony, rifle at the ready. Lina stayed inside, protecting the server. James had the ground floor, weapon trained on the door.

And then it began.

The first SUV screeched to a stop, and as soon as the doors swung open, Sarah fired. The sniper's round blasted through the first operative's skull, and he crumpled to the ground.

The others reacted immediately, spreading out and firing back. The windows exploded inwards, showering the floor with glass.

Hassan opened a burst from his rifle, bringing down two more operatives before ducking down for cover. "I just shot a guy who was using suppressing fire! They're trying to box us in!"

James mumbled an expletive under his breath. "Sarah, take out their heavy gunners! "On it."

A moment later, another shot rang out, and the gunner went down, his machine gun clattering uselessly to the ground.

But the Syndicate had other plans. A second group broke through the back entrance, and James had to pivot, firing in quick succession. Bullets ripped through walls, creating splintering wood, kicking dust into the air.

Lina was hunched over, her laptop to her chest. "James, we're not going to hold them off forever!"

James reloaded. "Then we don't. We fall back."

He seized the Broker and pulled them upright. "You're coming with us."

The Broker smirked. "Charming. I do love a makeshift evacuation."

James ignored them. "Hassan, Sarah, we're moving! Now!"

The Escape

The team dashed through the back alleys, weaving as they ran to avoid gunfire. The city was starting to wake up, unaware of the war being fought in the shadows.

Lina had arranged for a getaway a speedboat moored just off the Bosphorus. If they could get there, there was a chance.

"Sarah, cover our six!" James barked.

Sarah fell back, her rifle barking while she took down the pursuers. Hassan paved the way, cutting the path ahead with short, precise bursts of gunfire.

[The Broker] kept pace surprisingly well, hands still cuffed behind him. "You don't realize the syndicate is going to find you wherever you go."

James didn't answer.

They waited at the dock as other SUVs pulled up. They could hear helicopters approaching.

"We don't have much time!" Lina shouted.

James shoved the Broker into the boat and grabbed the controls. The engine roared to life, and they sped off just as another spray of bullets ripped through the dock.

Sarah and Hassan fired back, the bullets sparking off the concrete as the syndicate's operatives sought to cut them down.

Gliding along the water, James looked over at Lina. "How far to the data center?"

Lina checked her GPS. "About 50 kilometers. But we have to be careful — they know we're coming."

James's jaw tightened. "Let them know. We're not running anymore."

The Broker looked at him with a look he could not place. "So you're really going to end this, aren't you?"

James met their gaze. "Yes."

The Broker's smirk faded.

The city of Istanbul was shrinking behind them, but James knew where the real fight was

just beginning. The syndicate wouldn't rest until they were all dead.

But he certainly wasn't planning on dying today.