31. The Ambush

The docks pulsed with tension, the weight of the attack still hanging thick in the air.

Leah had stayed put—as ordered—but every second without an update from Voss made her nerves coil tighter.

Ross stood at her side, calm, steady, his sharp blue gaze constantly scanning the shadows.

The supply crates were still intact, dock personnel holding their positions, but something felt wrong.

And Leah had learned to trust that feeling.

She tapped into her comms.

"Ava, status?"

Ava's voice crackled through—still sharp, still focused.

"Still tracking enemy movements. Most of them are blinking out—which means Voss is butchering them."

Leah's jaw tightened.

"And the docks?"

Ava paused.

Then, her voice dropped.

"Hold up. You've got—"

The shot came before the warning finished.

A sharp, high-pitched whine—

Laser sniper fire.

Ross moved first.

A hard shove sent Leah to the ground as the energy bolt slammed into his shoulder, burning straight through flesh and bone.

Leah's heart stopped.

"ROSS!"

He stumbled back, gritting his teeth, one hand clutching the wound, the faint glow of cauterized muscle still searing through his jacket.

But Leah's focus had already snapped to the shooter.

Her eyes flicked up—

The shadows of a high-stack container, just barely visible.

Another shot coming.

Leah rolled, grabbed Ross's sidearm, and fired back without hesitation.

The sniper ducked, but she caught movement—three more figures slipping into position.

This wasn't random fire.

This was an ambush.

Ross's breath was rough, but his voice still held.

"Sniper's relocating. We need cover."

Leah gritted her teeth, scanning the crates, calculating fast.

They had seconds before the next shot.

She grabbed Ross by the collar, dragging him behind the nearest cargo container as another energy round ripped through the air, just missing them.

Too precise.

They weren't just shooting to wound.

They were aiming for her.

Ava's voice broke through the comms, urgent and furious.

"Leah—what the hell just happened?"

Leah pressed against the crate, her voice cold and steady:

"Sniper. Ross is hit."

Ava swore, keys clacking in the background.

"I've got them on thermal—four hostiles, coordinated. Leah, these aren't just mercs. They're military."

Leah didn't hesitate.

She reloaded the sidearm, fingers moving on pure instinct, her mind already calculating—four hostiles, military precision, sniper in play.

Ross pressed his back against the crate, breathing hard but still alert, his gun steady in his good hand. His shoulder smoked from the cauterized hit, but he wasn't out of the fight yet.

"They're repositioning," he muttered, gritting through the pain.

Leah's jaw tightened.

"I know."

Ava's voice cut in through the comms, sharp and urgent.

"Leah, they're not backing off—they're trying to flush you out."

Leah's pulse spiked, eyes scanning the high stacks of cargo containers, tracking movement.

They were closing in, using sniper suppression to push her into an open kill zone.

A tactical maneuver.

Not just mercenaries.

Military-trained hunters.

Leah's grip tightened on the weapon, mind racing.

"Ross—can you move?"

He exhaled sharply, shifting his weight. Pain flickered across his features, but he nodded.

"I'll manage."

Another shot cracked through the air, slamming into the metal just above Leah's head, sending sparks flying.

Too close.

She needed to break their sightlines—fast.

Leah clicked into the comms, voice low and lethal:

"Ava, I need an exit—now."

Ava's fingers clacked rapidly over her console.

"There's a supply truck three rows down, still active. If you can reach it—"

"On it." Leah grabbed Ross's wrist, pulling him forward.

Ross didn't argue—just moved, his steps steady despite the injury.

They ducked behind another row of crates, the sniper's angle narrowing, but the footsteps of the advancing team grew closer.

"Two moving left, one sweeping from the right," Ross muttered, reading the approach.

Leah's mind sharpened.

"I'll take the right."

"I'll cover you."

And then—

She moved.

Fast. Unforgiving.

The first soldier turned the corner just as Leah did—

She didn't hesitate.

Her gun kicked once—a clean shot straight to the head.

The body dropped before the sound of the shot even faded.

Leah didn't stop.

She ripped the rifle from his grip, switching to full auto, pivoting toward the left—

Ross had already taken his shot, clipping the lead attacker in the leg.

The man stumbled—

Leah finished it.

A single bullet through the throat.

The last man standing faltered, his gun wavering.

Leah's eyes locked onto him, cold, deadly.

"Drop it."

The man hesitated.

A flicker of fear.

Then—he moved.

Leah fired first.

The body hit the ground, the docks falling into sudden silence.

The sniper was still out there.

Leah's breathing slowed, her gaze snapping back to Ross.

"Truck. Now."

Leah and Ross moved fast, the scent of burning metal and blood thick in the air.

The sniper was still out there.

Waiting.

Ross's breath was rough, but his movements were sharp, controlled, even with the burnt hole in his shoulder.

"Keep moving," Leah ordered, scanning the stacks of shipping crates, tracking every flicker of movement in the dark.

Ava's voice cut through the comms, sharp and urgent.

"The sniper's repositioning—two rows down, above you. He's got elevation and—oh, shit—Leah, MOVE!"

Leah reacted instantly, grabbing Ross and yanking him sideways just as a laser shot ripped through the space they had just occupied.

The metal crate behind them exploded, heat searing across Leah's cheek.

She hit the ground hard, rolling with the impact, her gun already up—but the sniper was gone.

Ross gritted his teeth, pressing a hand to his wound.

"We're sitting targets."

Leah's mind raced.

The truck was close, but if they ran now, the sniper would cut them down before they reached it.

They needed a distraction.

Ava's voice flickered back in, breathless and rapid.

"I can give you fifteen seconds of cover—but it's gonna be loud."

Leah's lips curled into something cold and dangerous.

"Do it."

Ava's laugh was sharp, wicked.

"Oh, I like this side of you."

The comm cut out—and then, a detonation ripped through the docks.

A security terminal erupted into flames, sending sparks and smoke curling into the sky.

The sniper's advantage was gone.

Leah grabbed Ross's arm, hauling him forward.

"Now. MOVE."

They sprinted, boots slamming against the metal grating, weaving between crates and wreckage as alarms blared through the docks.

The truck came into view—engine running, doors unlocked.

Ross ripped the handle open, shoving Leah into the driver's seat before hauling himself in after her.

Leah hit the accelerator hard, the vehicle lurching forward, tires screeching against the concrete as she swung them toward the exit ramp.

Ava's voice snapped back onto the line.

"Sniper's moving—he's pissed."

Leah's jaw clenched.

"Let him be."

Because they were getting the hell out.

The truck roared forward, tires screeching against the dock's industrial pavement as Leah took the turn hard, her grip white-knuckled on the wheel.

Ross gritted his teeth, pressing his good hand against his wound, his breath coming in short, controlled bursts.

"Ava, tell me that sniper isn't still breathing."

Ava's voice crackled through the comms, sharp and focused.

"Oh, he's breathing. And pursuing."

Leah's stomach twisted.

"You're telling me he's chasing us?"

"Correction: they're chasing you."

Leah's eyes snapped to the side mirror.

A military-grade hover bike cut through the smoke—low, fast, and closing in.

The sniper wasn't alone.

Two more riders followed behind, tactical visors glowing in the dark, rifles locked to their backs.

They were coming to finish the job.

Ross let out a rough exhale, adjusting his grip on his pistol.

"They're gonna try and box us in before the exit."

Leah's mind raced, calculating fast.

They had a minute—maybe less—before they were caught.

No time. No backup. Just her, Ross, and a truck that wasn't built for combat.

Fine.

They'd make it work.

Leah pushed the accelerator harder, eyes scanning the dock's layout—searching for anything she could use.

Ava's voice cut in, fast and urgent:

"Left lane—there's a loading crane above you. If you time it—"

Leah's jaw locked.

"I see it."

The crane hung heavy, stacked with suspended cargo—tonnage of steel waiting to drop.

It was a death trap.

It was perfect.

Leah yanked the wheel left, sending the truck barreling under the structure, just as the sniper's bike surged forward.

Ava's voice flickered with dark amusement.

"Tell me when."

Leah waited.

The bike closed in—

Thirty feet.

Twenty.

Fifteen.

Leah's eyes burned.

"Now."

Ava hit the override.

The crane's release clamps disengaged—

And a wall of steel dropped from the sky.

The sniper tried to swerve.

Too late.

The impact was violent, the hover bike crushed instantly beneath the weight of the cargo.

The second rider veered too hard, lost control—

And went slamming into the dock railing.

The third?

He didn't stop.

He was still coming.

Leah's teeth bared.

"Ross."

Ross lifted his pistol, breathing ragged.

"On it."

The third rider raised his rifle—

Ross fired first.

The bullet slammed into the man's chest, sending him crashing off his bike, rolling across the pavement in a mess of broken armor and blood.

Leah's heart pounded.

But the road was clear.

Ava's voice came through, slightly breathless.

"Well, that was violent."

Leah didn't respond.

She just drove.

The truck screeched into the private loading bay 1. Tires skidding against the pavement as Leah cut the engine.

Ross grunted, pressing a hand harder against his blood-soaked shoulder, but his breathing stayed even.

The moment Leah stepped out, she felt it.

The shift in the air.

A storm brewing.

Then—

The distant sound of boots hitting the ground—hard. Fast.

Voss.

Leah barely had time to turn before he was there, his silver eyes burning, circuits still pulsing hot beneath his skin.

He looked like he had walked out of a warzone.

Because he had.

His coat was dust-streaked and blood-spattered, his sleeves rolled up to the elbows, revealing the faint glow of combat-worn circuitry.

And he was pissed.

"What. The hell. Happened?" His voice was low, rough, carrying the kind of anger that promised violence.

Leah's pulse spiked, but she met his gaze head-on.

"Ambush. Ross took a hit. Sniper. Three more hostiles."

Voss's jaw flexed, his silver gaze cutting to Ross, scanning the injury in a second.

Ross waved him off, deadpan. "I'll live."

Voss didn't acknowledge that.

He was already assessing the damage, processing the angles.

Ava's voice cut through the tension, sharp and fast.

"Yeah, so while you were out having fun ripping people apart, some very expensive military assets were sent to wipe out Leah."

Voss's head snapped up.

"Confirmed?"

James's voice joined in, calm but edged with something colder.

"No insignia, but Hale's fingerprints are all over this."

Leah's stomach twisted.

"You're sure?"

James's tone didn't shift.

"They used his formations. His protocols."

Voss's entire body tensed, his silver eyes darkening to steel.

Ava exhaled through the comms, her usual amusement long gone.

"So. We've got a Brigadier putting military-grade assassins on Leah. That's cute."

Voss's hand flexed at his side, the tension radiating off him like a live wire.

Then—his voice dropped.

Low. Absolute. Unforgiving.

"Then Hale just made his last mistake."

The air was thick with tension, the weight of the ambush still coiling around them like a live wire.

Voss looked one second away from ordering a strike team, his silver eyes dark with lethal intent.

But Leah—she wasn't having it.

"No."

Voss's gaze snapped to her, sharp as a blade.

Leah held firm, her voice calm but absolute.

"We are not fighting them before the auction."

Ava blinked, surprised.

"Okay, I was not expecting you to be the voice of reason here."

Leah ignored her, eyes locked on Voss.

"The priority is Ark 0. The supplies. Winning the auction. Hale wants us distracted, burning resources on a war before we get off this rock."

Her jaw tightened, and she took a step closer, forcing him to listen.

"I am not letting him force our hand."

Voss's expression was unreadable, but his body was coiled with restrained fury, his circuits glowing faintly beneath his skin.

James exhaled slowly, his voice measured.

"She's not wrong, Voss."

Voss's gaze flicked to him, sharp.

James shrugged, rolling his shoulder, ever the strategist.

"We retaliate now, we expose our game. They'll know what we're holding before the auction even starts."

Ava made a low sound of reluctant agreement.

"Much as I'd love to light these bastards up, Leah's right. We hold. We secure our assets. And once we win—" she grinned, sharp and wicked, "—then we burn them to the ground."

Leah crossed her arms, meeting Voss's gaze head-on.

"We get on Ark 0 first. Then we settle the score."

Voss was silent, his silver eyes locked onto her like he was trying to read something deeper beneath the words.

Then—

The tension in his shoulders shifted.

Not relaxed.

But calculating.

A decision being made.

"Fine." His voice was low, edged with steel. "We hold."

Leah exhaled slowly, but she wasn't done yet.

"But that means we need to move fast—faster than we planned. Hale made his move, which means he knows we're in the lead."

She turned to James.

"How soon can you finalize the Ark 0 manifest?"

James rubbed his jaw, thinking.

"If I push the system hard? Twelve hours."

Leah nodded once.

"Then do it."

Voss's silver eyes flickered, scanning her one last time.

Then he turned to James.

"Accelerate all supply transfers. I want every critical shipment locked in by tomorrow. No delays."

James nodded, already moving.

Ava's grin widened.

"Ooooh, I love when we shift into overdrive."

Leah watched Voss carefully.

His rage hadn't faded—not even close. But he was redirecting it. Controlling it.

Because now?

Now they had a deadline.

Seven days until launch.

And Hale wouldn't see them coming.