C458 Failed Mission

I looked at the two grenades in my hands and quickly asked, “Kiddo informed the driver, right?” Chipmunk raised her rifle and looked toward the private airport. A moment later, she nodded. “Yes. The jet is ready.” “Good.” I pulled the pin from the first grenade. “Run!” I threw it toward the men advancing through the forest. BOOM! The explosion shook the ground behind us, forcing the men to stop and take cover. We immediately ran toward the jet. Gunfire followed us from behind. Halfway there, I threw the second grenade. “Keep moving!” Cipher shouted. Another explosion erupted behind us, giving us the few seconds we needed. Kiddo was already inside the jet. She had taken position near the window with her sniper rifle and was firing at anyone who came too close to us. “Come on! Come on!” she shouted. One by one, we reached the jet. I climbed aboard, followed by Bighead, Survivor, Silver Pixel, Chipmunk, and finally Cipher. The moment everyone was inside, the pilot pushed the aircraft forward. The jet began moving down the runway.

Seconds later, we were in the air. I finally released the breath I had been holding. For the first time since the chase began, we had a moment to breathe. Cipher sat beside me and looked at her arm. “Cracker, how is my arm?” I quickly examined it. “The bullet only grazed you. It didn't go through. You’re lucky.” Cipher grinned. “Then why does it hurt so much?” I laughed softly. “Because getting shot, even by a grazing bullet, still hurts.” She shook her head and looked toward the window. “I knew you were going to say that.” Behind us, Alvaro's men finally reached the airport. They rushed toward the runway, but it was already too late. The jet was disappearing into the sky. One of the men immediately called Alvaro. “Boss, they escaped. We couldn't catch them.” Alvaro's voice came through the phone, cold and irritated. “Return to the mansion.” “Yes, Boss.” The man lowered the phone. The vehicles turned around and headed back toward the city. Inside the jet, Kiddo lowered her rifle and looked at all of us. “I don't like this.” Everyone turned toward her. “What?” Survivor asked. Kiddo looked at Cipher. “I know I was shot before, but I'm still a Lion. We Lions have to fight together.” Nobody interrupted her.

She continued. “Next time, don't try to send me away while you all fight. I would rather die in battle with my team than sit somewhere safe while everyone else is risking their lives.” Cipher stared at her. “Kiddo…” Kiddo shook her head. “No. Let me finish.” She took a breath. “Cipher, you are our leader. So please promise me that next time I won't be sent away while you all fight.” Cipher was speechless for a moment. “But...” “There is no but." Kiddo's voice was firm. “We are all in this together. Our families know that. We know that. So you shouldn't be easy on me just because I was injured before.” Cipher looked at her for a long moment. She finally nodded. “Fine. I won't.” Kiddo smiled slightly. Cipher continued. “But if your family comes and asks me why I allowed you to fight, what will I tell them?” Cipher hesitated. Kiddo looked toward Pixel. “If Pixel's family comes and asks you the same question, what will you say?” Cipher immediately understood what Kiddo meant. She sighed and nodded. “Fine. I understand.” Kiddo smiled. “Good.”

She then moved closer to Survivor. “Survivor, are you injured?” Survivor shook her head. “No. Just tired.” “Then get some rest.” Survivor nodded and leaned back into her seat. The cabin became quieter. Everyone was exhausted. But we were alive. And for now, that was enough. At Alvaro's mansion, his men returned. They entered the room where Alvaro was waiting. “Boss…” Alvaro looked at them angrily. “What happened?” Nobody answered. His patience disappeared. “You had twenty vehicles. You had enough men to surround them. How did eight people escape?” One of the men swallowed hard. “Boss, they aren't ordinary people.” Alvaro stared at him. “What did you say?” “They fought back against all of us. When we followed them into the forest, they changed their tactics. They used snipers and took out many of our men before escaping.” Alvaro shook his head in disbelief. “You're all useless.” The men lowered their heads. “Get out.” “Yes, Boss.” “Get out now!” They quickly left the room. Alvaro remained standing for several seconds. Then he picked up his phone and called Hanna.

The call connected almost immediately. Hanna's voice came through the phone. “Mr. Gonzalez, you are disturbing me. I thought we already discussed our partnership.” Alvaro gave a bitter grin. “They escaped.” There was a brief silence. Then Hanna answered calmly. “Before we met, who did you report your failures to?” Alvaro's expression changed. “What?” Hanna continued. “Mr. Gonzalez, the only thing connecting us is the shipment. Call me when the shipment is ready. I don't want to hear about how you run your cartel.” Alvaro's face hardened. “But...” The call ended. Alvaro stared at his phone. For several seconds, he didn't move. Then his anger exploded. “B*tch!” He threw the phone across the room. “Who do you think you are to hang up on me?” The phone struck the wall and fell to the floor. Alvaro stood there breathing heavily. He had just realized something. Hanna wasn't afraid of him. And that made him even angrier. Meanwhile, far away at the army base, Hanna sat quietly. Emmanuel was beside her, playing with his tiny fingers. Hanna leaned back in her chair. “Alvaro failed.” She looked at Emmanuel again. “Now I don't have any other choice.” A small smile appeared on her face.

After a few hours, we finally touched down in Glasgow. Everyone was exhausted. Our clothes were dirty, some of us had injuries, and none of us looked like people who had just returned from a normal trip. We looked like we had survived a war. As soon as we left the jet, Cipher looked at all of us. “Let's go to Charlie first.” We nodded. There was no point going home yet. We needed answers. We drove straight to the Kinlore residence. When we arrived, we didn't waste any time. The last time we had been here, we managed to clone Charlie's phone and killed Willy. But now things were different. This time, we didn't even knock. We banged the door open.