"Do you have the flash drive?" Will asked, his voice crackling Annabeth's earpiece.
"Yes," Annabeth grinned, looking at the small, plastic stick in her palm. It was hard to believe that some of the most dangerous missile technology was sitting in her hand, taking up no more than two square inches, but it was true. "How am I getting out of here?"
Annabeth was standing on top of a skyscraper in Chicago, strong gusts of wind threatening to push her over the edge. Hanging out on the edge of a five-hundred foot tall building during a windstorm was not ideal, but the alternative was the three armed men currently stuck behind a locked door directly below her. She knew the door wouldn't hold for long, but her hope was that her tech support, Will Solace, would have something figured out.
"We've got a helicopter coming for you in approximately two minutes," Will informed her. Annabeth sighed with relief, because even though there was a gun strapped to her leg, it was only for emergencies. "Wasn't this supposed to be a simple intelligence collection mission? You weren't supposed to get involved with a group of terrorists with machine guns"
"Yes, the operative word being supposed," Annabeth retorted. "I'm doing my best, okay? It wasn't my fault that the terrorists wanted the drive!"
"Whatever," Will conceded. "Do you see the copter? It should be near you by now."
Annabeth looked in all directions, but didn't see anything except buildings.
"Nothing," Annabeth replied. As she spoke, she could hear gunfire, and bullets hitting metal, as the men below her attempted to blow open the locked door. "Will, I only have about twenty-three seconds before I get attacked. Where is the copter?"
Will began to answer, but then Annabeth got her answer. She heard it first, the deafening roar of the helicopter blades spinning through the air, but then she saw the chopper heading straight for her. But it was too far away, and unfortunately, Annabeth knew she was going to have to fight. Sighing discontentedly, she pulled the handgun from the holster on her leg.
When the three men burst through the door, Annabeth was ready. Before they had even crossed through the doorway, two of the men had bullets buried in their shoulders. Of course, she could have hit them straight between the eyes, but Annabeth tried to avoid killing people as much as possible. The third man had his gun trained on Annabeth, but he seemed to be having a problem loading it. While the man was fumbling, Annabeth shot his right hand, causing him to drop the gun. All three of the men being hampered down by bullet wounds, Annabeth held them at gunpoint while she collected their discarded guns. By this point in time, the helicopter was hovering directly above her. She was safe. But more importantly, she completed her mission.