Volume Two
Chapter Seven: The First Strike
INT. SAFE ROOM – PRE-DAWN
Maps, blueprints, and surveillance feeds covered every surface. The coalition—cops, cartel, Team Scorpion, and Agent Dani Delgado—huddled around the table, tension and adrenaline thick in the air.
DANI (pointing at the map):
"This is the hub. All the masked identities, trafficking routes, and digital footprints converge here—an old freight terminal by the river. They move people and data through it every night."
WALTER (analyzing satellite feeds):
"We can jam their comms and trigger a blackout. Happy and I will handle the tech. We'll need a distraction and boots on the ground."
LUCÍA (cracking her knuckles):
"My people can create chaos at the front. But we'll need backup if things go sideways."
VOIGHT:
"We'll hit them from the north entrance. McCall, take the east. Olivia, you're with me."
PAIGE (grinning, to Dani):
"Ready to see if all those roast poems translate to real-world chaos?"
DANI (smirking):
"I was born ready."
EXT. FREIGHT TERMINAL – NIGHT
The operation unfolded with military precision. Cartel vehicles blocked the main road, drawing out the guards. NYPD and Scorpion members, dressed in black, slipped through the shadows.
INT. TERMINAL – CONTROL ROOM
Happy and Walter hacked the security grid, plunging the building into darkness. The guards scrambled, radios hissing static.
HAPPY (into comms):
"Lights out, bad guys. You're welcome."
SYLVESTER (nervously monitoring feeds):
"Heat signatures moving—lots of them. This is officially terrifying."
TOBY (from the van, munching popcorn):
"Relax, Sly. Think of it as live-action Whac-A-Mole. Just with more felonies."
INT. TERMINAL – MAIN FLOOR
Dani, Voight, and Olivia swept through the maze of shipping containers, guns drawn. They found a group of masked victims—confused, frightened, but alive.
OLIVIA (softly):
"You're safe. We're here to help."
Suddenly, gunfire echoed from the far end. Lucía's crew was pinned down. Paige, crouched behind a forklift, grabbed a radio.
PAIGE (sarcastic, projecting confidence):
"Hey, cartel boys! If you're done playing hide-and-seek, maybe try aiming at the people shooting back. Just a thought!"
Lucía barked a laugh and led her team in a bold charge. The tide turned.
INT. TERMINAL – SERVER ROOM
Walter and Happy extracted hard drives, copying files to a portable rig.
WALTER:
"We've got everything. Names, routes, the whole network."
HAPPY:
"Time to blow this joint."
EXT. FREIGHT TERMINAL – DAWN
The coalition regrouped outside, battered but victorious. Survivors were loaded into ambulances. Evidence was secured. The first domino had fallen.
Dani handed the hard drives to Olivia.
DANI:
"It's not over. But tonight, we made a dent."
Paige slung an arm around Dani's shoulders.
PAIGE:
"Not bad for a bunch of misfits and roastmasters, huh?"
Walter, Happy, and the rest of Team Scorpion exchanged tired but triumphant smiles. For the first time, hope felt real.
As the sun rose over the city, the coalition looked ahead—ready for whatever the conspiracy threw at them next.
End of Chapter Seven