FADE WAVES

Chapter 2

  "Cipher!" Andrew shouted, his voice barely louder than a whisper, though his heart was racing like a drum. The guard on the floor groaned, struggling to rise, one hand reaching for the radio on his belt. Andrew didn’t give him the chance. He swung the pipe again, connecting with the guard’s arm, knocking the radio out of reach.
  Cipher kept typing, his fingers flying across the keyboard as if the world outside didn’t exist. "Almost there!" he muttered under his breath, eyes locked on the screen.

  Andrew didn’t have time to wait. He quickly grabbed the guard's gun from its holster and pressed it against the guard's temple, locking eyes with him. The guard froze, his breathing ragged.

  "Don't move," Andrew growled, pressing the barrel harder to make his point clear. "Stay down, and this doesn't have to get worse."

  The guard's eyes flickered with a mix of fear and anger, but he didn’t make a move. Andrew took a deep breath, his heart pounding, his hands steady on the gun. He wasn’t a killer unless it was necessary, but if this guard made the wrong move, he wouldn’t hesitate.
  "Got it!" Cipher exclaimed suddenly, a grin spreading across his face as he tapped the final key. "I’ve cracked their system. We’ve got intel on Commander Harris and his entire operation."

  Andrew’s pulse surged with a mix of relief and adrenaline. They were one step closer to his goal. "Let’s go, then," he said, keeping his voice low. "We’re running out of time."

  Just as they were about to leave, the guard made a sudden move, reaching for his fallen radio again. Andrew reacted instantly, kicking the radio across the floor before pressing the gun harder against the guard's head.

  "I told you not to move!" Andrew hissed, his frustration growing. But the situation was growing more dangerous by the second. Any wrong move could blow their cover.
  Cipher grabbed his laptop and looked over at Andrew. "We need to move. Now."

  Andrew’s mind raced. He could feel the tension thickening in the air, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. He couldn’t afford to leave loose ends, but he also couldn’t risk wasting more time. He glanced at the guard, whose eyes were wide, beads of sweat trickling down his face.

  "Knock him out," Cipher suggested. "He won’t remember a thing for a while."

  Andrew hesitated for a second, then quickly swung the butt of the gun, hitting the guard hard enough to knock him unconscious. The guard slumped to the floor, breathing shallow but steady. No time for second thoughts.

  "Let's go," Andrew said, leading the way to the exit.

  They slipped out of the building and into the rain-soaked night. The docks were still bustling with activity, workers unaware that two intruders had just hacked into their system. The dark sky overhead crackled with distant thunder, and the wind whipped around them, cold and biting. Andrew’s senses were on high alert as they moved through the shadows, avoiding the eyes of the guards patrolling the area.

  Cipher stuck close behind, his laptop safely tucked under his arm. "We’ve got everything we need," he said quietly. "Harris’s location, his plans, everything."

  Andrew nodded but kept his focus on getting them out of the docks safely. "Good. Now we just need to stay alive long enough to use it."

  They reached the fence where they had entered, slipping through the hole they had cut earlier. The city lights flickered in the distance, beckoning them back to the chaos of New Haven. Andrew could feel the weight of their mission settling in his chest. This was just the beginning, but it was a crucial first step.