The metal door gave way with an ear-splitting, thunderous BOOM that shattered the darkness, throwing jagged shrapnel and white-hot fire across the concrete.
"Get down!" Marco shrieked, diving sideways into the dirt.
A hail of high-caliber gunfire ripped through the smoke, sparks flying off the steel beams in blinding flashes. The roar was deafening, the sheer concussive force shaking the dust right out of the ceiling. For one suspended heartbeat, she thought of every choice that had led her to this crumbling warehouse, every deal and betrayal stacking up behind her like debts finally come due.
"Return fire! Move, move, move!" she screamed, her voice hoarse, scraping against her raw throat as she raised her weapon, blind-firing two shots through the haze. She didn't care where the bullets went… she just needed three seconds of cover. Three seconds to think, to breathe, to remember how to survive. "The rear blast hatch! Marco, the loading bay!"
