Marcus Graves's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Marcus pressed his palm against the frozen window, watching his breath fog the glass. Twelve hours until he moved on the Syndicate stronghold where they held her. The woman who kissed him after waking from six weeks in a medical bed. The woman who wanted chickens on their colony farm—the one they'd already paid for. His tactical vest hung on the chair behind him, every pocket checked three times. Rodriguez and Chen would lead the diversions. He'd burned their old IDs last week and bought new ones for thirty grand. Now he just had to get her out alive. The Frostguard Airfield sat three clicks from the Syndicate compound. Marcus studied the photos spread across the table. The hangar's metal walls gleamed under security lights. That's where they kept high-value prisoners before transport. Doc Kimura confirmed the intel yesterday—she was inside, third holding cell from the east entrance. Marcus traced his finger along the hangar's roofline. Two entry points. Three guard rotations. He'd memorized every detail. His hand shook as he rolled up the photos. Six months ago, he'd burned their facility. Now they had her because of him. He strapped on his vest and grabbed his weapons. Twelve hours was too long to wait. Marcus hiked to the rocky outcropping an hour before dawn. The wind bit at his face as he climbed. His boots found purchase on the frozen stone. At the top, he pulled out his scope and scanned the area below. The hangar sat dark against the horizon. Three patrols crossed the open ground between guard towers. He counted the seconds between rotations. Forty-eight seconds of blind coverage on the north side. More than enough time if he moved fast. He watched a transport vehicle pull up to the hangar's main entrance. His chest tightened. They were moving her sooner than expected. Marcus checked his watch and started climbing down. No more waiting. No more planning. He had one shot to get her back, and every second mattered now. Marcus loaded his gear onto the saddled donkey waiting at the base of the outcropping. The animal shifted under the weight but held steady. He'd borrowed it from a contact who didn't ask questions. Moving through checkpoints with a pack full of weapons would get him killed. But a man with a donkey hauling supplies? That was just another worker trying to survive. He gripped the lead rope and started toward the airfield. The donkey's hooves crunched through the snow beside him. This was it. Get inside the hangar, reach the third cell, and bring her home. After that, they'd disappear to their farm with the new IDs. She'd get her chickens. He'd get to stop carrying the weight of everyone he'd lost. Marcus pulled his collar up against the cold and kept moving forward.