Margo Holland's Arc

Chapter 9 of 13

Chen folded the map and slid it across the desk. "The supply routes I mapped show where they've been moving equipment in and out. That information isn't free." Margo studied the woman's expression, looking for the angle. Chen had driven hours to bring proof, offered detailed intel on Lab Three's layout, and now wanted payment. "What's your price?" Margo asked. Chen reached into her jacket and pulled out a small glass cabinet with a keyed lock, setting it on the desk between them. "The Lab Three key. You hand it over now, I keep it locked until we're both inside the depot. Then you get it back." Margo looked at the cabinet, then at the map. The supply routes were marked in detail—container yards, checkpoints, guard rotations. Chen had traced every movement for months. Without it, Margo would be navigating blind through active military territory. But surrendering the key meant trusting Chen wouldn't disappear with the only access to Lab Three. Margo pulled the keyring from her medical kit and isolated the Lab Three key. She held it up so Chen could see the military insignia, then set it on the desk. "Show me the route first." Chen unfolded a larger map and pointed to a wooden kiosk structure marked fifteen miles east of the depot. "Supply trucks stop here twice a week. The containers are stacked in a pattern—blue, red, blue. The red one in the middle has a false panel that leads to the underground access tunnel. I've watched them use it for six months." She traced a path from the kiosk to the mining entrance Margo had already planned to use. "Your route connects to theirs at junction seven. From there, the pneumatic system takes you straight to Lab Three." Margo picked up the key and dropped it into Chen's cabinet. The lock clicked as Chen turned it, then pocketed the small brass key. "We leave at dawn," Margo said. "You follow my lead until we reach the junction, then your route takes over." Chen nodded and tucked the cabinet under her arm. Margo watched her walk to the door, the cabinet containing her only access to Lab Three now in someone else's hands. She'd planned this mission as a controlled extraction, but Chen had just shifted the terms. Now Margo would enter the depot with a partner who held leverage, and the only way forward was through.