The Assault
Jake crouched behind a rusted dumpster, the cold metal biting into his palms. Through his binoculars, he counted six armed men patrolling the perimeter of Dirty Joy's travel agency. The morning fog clung to the streets, muffling sound but offering little cover. Jeremiah knelt beside him, shotgun resting on his knee, breath visible in the chill.
"Two at the east gate," Jake whispered, gesturing. "The rest are rotating every three minutes. We hit the east first -silent take downs. Then breach the main door."
Jeremiah nodded, racking his shotgun. "Silent until we're inside. Then we go loud."
Lila adjusted her earpiece, her voice crackling over the comms. "Samuel's in position. 90 seconds. Go."
Jake and Jeremiah moved like shadows. The two guards at the east gate never saw them coming. Jeremiah's combat knife slid across the first man's throat as Jake snapped the second's neck with a brutal twist. They dragged the bodies into the alley, stripping them of radios and ammo.
"Clear," Jake muttered into his comm. "Moving to the front."
The main entrance was reinforced steel, but Samuel's earlier reconnaissance had revealed a weak spot..... a side window barred by rusted iron. Jeremiah wedged a breaching charge against the frame.
Three. Two. One.
The explosion shattered the window. Jake vaulted through first, rolling into a crouch, pistol sweeping the room. Three guards scrambled for their rifles.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Two dropped instantly. The third ducked behind a desk, firing wildly. Bullets tore into the wall above Jake's head. Jeremiah flanked left, shotgun roaring. The guard's torso disintegrated in a spray of blood and splintered wood.
"Front room clear!" Jeremiah barked, reloading.
Lila and Samuel burst through the door, guns raised. "Hallway's heating up!" Lila shouted. "They're mobilizing!"
Hallway Firefight
Jake's heart pounded as they advanced down the narrow corridor. Left door. Right door. Stay focused. His training took over.... check corners, watch for ambush points. A guard lunged from a side office, knife glinting. Jake sidestepped, driving his elbow into the man's temple. The crack of bone was drowned by gunfire farther ahead.
Where's Joy? Jeremiah's mind raced. He's here. He's always here. Memories of the alley massacre flashed....Paco's throat torn open, Ruiz's dead eyes. His finger tightened on the trigger. Not this time.
Lila's hands trembled as she reloaded. She'd never killed before today. The weight of the gun felt alien, wrong. But they took Miya. They took everyone. She steadied her aim. No more.
Samuel counted rounds under his breath. Seven left. Make them count. His arm burned where a bullet had grazed him, but the pain sharpened his focus. Evidence. We need proof. Even if we die here.
The Office Showdown
They reached the steel door at the end of the hall. Dirty Joy's lair. Jake nodded to Jeremiah, who planted a breaching charge. The blast blew the door off its hinges.
Dirty Joy stood behind his desk, twin pistols aimed. "Persistent bastards, aren't you?" He fired, forcing Jake behind a filing cabinet. Bullets shredded the air.
"You're done, Joy!" Jeremiah roared, returning fire. A bullet ricocheted off Joy's desk, spraying splinters. "This ends now!"
Joy laughed, cold and unhinged. "You think this is my end? I'm the damn conductor!" He tossed a grenade. The team dove for cover as the explosion tore through the room.
Lila scrambled to her knees, firing blindly. "Where's your government pals now, huh? Or are they just another lie?!"
Joy's grin widened. "Oh, they're real. And they're pissed you messed with their project."
Reinforcements or a Tactical Betrayal
Sirens wailed outside. For a heartbeat, hope flickered..... until the doors exploded inward. Men in black tactical gear flooded the room, rifles trained.
"Drop your weapons!" the squad leader barked. "Now!"
Jake froze, eyes narrowing. No badges. No identifiers. Mercenaries. He lowered his pistol, rage boiling. "You're working with him?!"
The squad leader ignored him, saluting Dirty Joy. "Sir. Orders?"
Joy holstered his guns, straightening his blood-spattered suit. "Take them to the facility. The watchers will want to study their… resilience."
Jeremiah lunged, but a rifle butt to the skull dropped him. "Traitor!" he spat, blood trickling from his lip. "You sold us out!"
"Sold?" Joy smirked. "I'm promoted. The canyon's just Phase One. You're looking at Phase Two."
As the squad zip-tied the group, smoke began billowing from the front room. Flames licked up the walls- a stray bullet must have hit the electrical panel.
"Fire in the hole!" a mercenary shouted, dragging Samuel toward the exit.
Dirty Joy strode through the chaos, barking orders. "Save the servers! Let the rest burn!" He turned to Jake, eyes gleaming in the inferno. "Don't worry, hero. You'll see the bigger picture soon."
******
The group was thrown into an armored van. Through the rear window, Jake watched the travel agency collapse in a roar of flames, Dirty Joy silhouetted against the blaze, directing mercenaries with calm authority.
The van sped toward the canyon, its interior reeking of sweat and blood. Jeremiah tested his restraints, the plastic cutting into his wrists. Should've shot Joy when I had the chance. Guilt gnawed at him. Too slow. Again.
Lila leaned close to Jake, her whisper barely audible over the engine. "The canyon… they're taking us into the loop."
Jake's mind raced. The watchers. The facility. Phase Two. He met her gaze. "We play along. Wait for an opening."
Samuel's voice was calm, analytical. "They'll try to erase us. Use the loop. We need anchors,names, dates, anything."
Outside, the canyon loomed, its shadows deeper than before. The van crossed the threshold, and the world shifted.