Chapter 43 - The Unfinished War
Dylan and Mia sprinted to the vehicle, sliding into the rear seats as the Humvee accelerated hard toward the flight line.
"What happened, General?" Dylan demanded, gripping the back of the front seat.
General Hayes pulled a secure satellite tablet from his briefcase, unlocking the encrypted video feed. "Ten minutes ago, a heavily armed tactical strike team breached the maximum-security transport convoy transferring Marcus from the naval brig to the federal airstrip."
Dylan’s jaw tightened. "Did they kill him?"
"No," Hayes said, turning to look Dylan dead in the eye. "They extracted him. A four-man sniper team using railgun-assisted antimateriel rifles took out the escort vehicles in six seconds. They loaded Marcus into an unmarked tilt-rotor and headed offshore toward international waters."
Dylan stared at the burning wreckage on the tablet screen. The smoke, the shattered armor plating—it was the work of ruthless, multi-billion-dollar mercenaries.
"Why would they rescue him?" Mia asked, her voice tight with disbelief. "He failed them. He’s a liability!"
"Because Marcus memorized the biometric master key to the hidden deep-water armory in the South China Sea," General Hayes replied grimly. "An armory containing fifty dirty thermonuclear warheads Marcus stole before the war in the Persian Gulf ended. If Aegis Vanguard gets those warheads online, they won't just control the black market. They’ll hold the entire free world hostage."
The Humvee screeched to a halt at the edge of the tarmac. In front of them, an unmarked stealth transport sat with its jet engines already whining to life, surrounded by Dylan’s new elite reconnaissance strike unit—the fiercest, most loyal Marines Dylan had ever seen, fully geared in dark combat kits, waiting for their squad leader.
General Hayes placed a hand on Dylan’s shoulder.
"Sergeant Vance, your brother didn't learn his lesson on the *Caspian Tide*. He thinks he escaped. He thinks he can hide behind a private army and finish what he started."
Dylan grabbed his combat helmet from the rack, locking the chin strap with a sharp, decisive click. He checked the chamber of his custom rifle, his eyes blazing with unbreakable fire.
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"He can run across the entire world, General," Dylan said, his voice ringing with cold, absolute conviction. "I hunted him down once. This time, I’m putting him down for good."
Dylan stepped out of the vehicle and walked toward the roaring aircraft into the gathering storm, knowing that the ultimate reckoning for his family's bloodline was only just beginning.
