Sorry for the late update. Not sure if anyone's still reading this, but in case there is, I'll finish this story at some point! We're getting close to the finale.
The first crack of gunfire shattered the stillness.
Danny's precise shot tore through the throat of an armed man and his lifeless body collapsed to the floor before comprehending the fatal shot. The remaining three sentries, caught off-guard, sought cover while hastily raising their weapons. Bullets whizzed through the air in a rhythm occasionally interrupted by Danny, Chin, and Lou coordinating their movements with practiced precision.
Amid the distant shouts that punched the gaps in the automatic gunfire, the team's shots resonated, finally leaving the last man defending himself against the trio. A moment of silence hung in the air, and for a second, Danny wondered if the man decided to surrender, but soon enough he unleashed another barrage of fire.
Danny ducked behind cover, his grip firm on his weapon. Waiting for a brief lull in the gunfire, he sprung to his feet. "Cover me!"
Lou and Chin laid out the suppressing fire, creating a protective curtain as Danny sprinted left, flanking the lone guard. The man, engrossed in the frontal assault, didn't notice him.
"Hey," Danny called out.
The guard turned, realization dawning on him as he swung his weapon towards Danny.
Too late.
Danny's finger twitched in the trigger, sending a single round into the man's forehead. He crumpled as a marionette with its strings cut.
The crackling of gunfire ceased as abruptly as it began. Chin and Lou emerged from their cover and rushed toward Danny, who kept a wary eye at the front entrance.
"All clear in the back," Junior's voice came through an earpiece.
"Good job," he said. "Front's clear too. We need to keep moving. We can't let them get away."
"Hang on," Tani's voice came through a second later. "We found something."
Danny exchanged a concerned look with his friends. "What?"
"The missing radioactive material," she said. "All of it. There's a pickup truck back here with three barrels loaded. All marked with a radioactive label."
"We can't leave it there," Lou said.
"Lou's right," Chin agreed. "Someone should drive it to safety."
"Any of those guys you took out had keys?" Danny asked.
"No," Tani said.
Danny swore. "Please tell me one of you can hotwire a car."
"I can do it in my sleep," she said.
"Good. Get that thing out of here," Danny said. "As far as possible."
"What about Junior? He shouldn't be going in alone," Tani said.
"I'll go meet him in the back," Chin offered. "The two of us will take the back entrance."
Danny nodded. "Go."
Chin wasted no time. He disappeared into the darkness with his weapon ready.
"Ok, let's finish this," Danny said.
He and Lou stepped forward, weapons prepared, and entered the unlocked door. No immediate threats were visible, but distant voices guided them through a narrow corridor past empty offices on the ground floor.
Shouts echoed. Panic was inevitable as Makoni and the sellers must have heard the gunfire from outside. Second thoughts about the team's approach flitted through Danny's mind, but he quelled them. Unobserved entry with eight armed guards outside was implausible.
He picked up the pace and Lou followed suit. Until they reached the loading hall. They came to a halt and Danny peeked from behind the corner.
Pacing quickened as they reached the loading hall, a vast space with three loading bays and towering shelves at the building's rear. Despite the enormity, no souls appeared. Only hurried steps and distant shouts.
"Moving," he said, rifle held high.
He took cover behind the nearby crates on the shelf just in time. The loud gunfire filled the industrial place. The sound was deafening.
"Can't let them get away," he screamed through the noise.
Lou nodded in agreement as they crouched behind the cover. The gunfire was chaotic, echoing through the vast hall like a thunderstorm. The acrid smell of gunpowder lingered in the air as they waited for a break in the shooting.
The first target appeared, rushing for cover behind a stack of crates. Danny's trained eye tracked him. In a split second, he aimed and fired. The man crumpled to the floor. Lou took his shot, eliminating another threat attempting to flank them. They moved from cover to cover, closing the gap between them and the unseen targets.
Danny's mind raced, calculating every move, anticipating the next step. This wasn't just about stopping a criminal transaction. This was about finding Makoni, the key to Steve's location.
As they approached the source of the gunfire, a figure emerged from behind a tall stack of crates on his left. Danny's reflexes kicked in a split second too late. Just when the man was about to pull the trigger, a spray of blood painted the wall behind him and his legs gave in under him. Danny looked at the unmoving body in a pool of blood, then he looked up.
Chin stood just on the other side of the alley. Their gazes locked and they exchanged a silent nod in acknowledgement.
The battle raged on. The shouts grew louder, mingling with the rhythm of the gunfire. Danny's focus narrowed, his entire being absorbed in the relentless pursuit.
Amidst the chaos, Danny caught a glimpse of movement close to one of the loading ramps. The figure was about five foot ten, and about a hundred and twenty pounds, and had dark skin and hair. The runner rushed outside through the small doorway next to the loading bay.
The realization hit Danny like a jolt of electricity. "Makoni! He's running!"
Lou was a few yards ahead, engaged in the heavy gunfire. "Go get him," he shouted back at him. "We've got it here."
Without hesitation, Danny sprinted after Makoni, navigating the labyrinth of shelves and crates. His heart pounded, each beat urging him to catch up, to bridge the distance between them.
They burst into an open loading area outside and there he was, Makoni's silhouette sprinting away at lightning speed. Danny thought Makoni was going for a car. Turned out he wasn't as he darted behind a corner of the building. He made it to the opposite of the lot and then kept running. He made it to the dirt road and ran past it. He went forward like an Olympic sprinter coming out of the starting blocks.
Danny had never been good at running. In fact, he hated it with passion. He wasn't in the best shape either. His lungs burned and muscles ached and he had a mother of all headaches. But knowing Steve was somewhere out there and the man holding him could escape them and with him the chance to find out Steve's whereabouts was enough of a motivation to keep running.
But he couldn't keep up. He could only hope not to fall too far behind.
He trashed his body to its limits, which it turned out were pretty far past what he thought. He picked up speed across the lot and came out on the road, pulling the gun at the same time, but changed his mind. If a stray bullet killed Makoni, their best chance of finding Steve would disappear.
Makoni was too far by now and the distance between them increased by a second.
Danny refused to give up, but deep inside he knew he'd never catch him.
And then, Makoni stopped in his tracks and made a sharp turn into the field off the road.
Danny realized why when the two headlights coming from the opposite side lit up the darkness and the loud roar of the speeding engine echoed through the night.
The car didn't continue on the road. The driver jerked the wheel and turned left, following Makoni on the uneven surface.
Makoni might be fast enough to outrun injured and exhausted Danny, but he didn't stand a chance against the vehicle.
Its front crashed into Makoni's legs, throwing the man away like a rag doll, then came to a stop. The driver got out of the car. Pulled out a gun and aimed it at Makoni who wiggled on the floor, groaning in pain.
Shit.
He needed Makoni alive, no matter how much he wanted him dead. "No!" he yelled. Picked up the speed, pushing his body beyond limits.
The driver kept the gun locked on Makoni, but didn't fire.
After a few more agonizing moments, Danny joined the party. Makoni was face down on the floor, screaming. His legs were both twisted at an unnatural angle. He wasn't going anywhere. But the driver was still armed and seemed to be ready to execute him at the slightest provocation.
Danny had his gun up before anyone could blink, but lowered it as soon as the lights lit up the driver's face.
And there she was, her face illuminated by the headlights–a pretty brunette with a deadly stare locked on her target. Their former teammate, Kono Kalakaua.
Relief washed over Danny as Kono acknowledged him with a quick side glance and a smile. "Looked like you guys could use some help."
"Yeah," he said. "Great timing."
"Better late than never," she said.
Danny caught his breath as he approached Makoni's groaning form. "Turn around, slowly."
Makoni sneered, clutching his injured legs. "F…Fuck you."
Gun aimed, Danny used his shoe to turn Makoni to face him.
His heart skipped a beat–whoever this was, it wasn't Roko Makoni.
*to be continued*
Well, I didn't say I'd make it easy on Danny and the team.
Let me know what you think.