Chapter 4 - The Raid on the Riverfront Slaughterhouse
The rain had turned into a thick,
freezing fog by the time Gideon’s convoy reached the industrial district.
Four black tactical vans glided silently down the ruined asphalt of South River Road,
their headlights completely turned off.
The abandoned meatpacking plant loomed out of the darkness like a massive,
decaying concrete monster.
Rusting iron hooks hung from overhead rails outside the loading docks,
swaying gently in the arctic wind.
Gideon sat in the front passenger seat of the lead van,
wearing a black tactical vest over his dark sweater.
In his hands,
he held a customized silenced assault rifle,
its optic sight glowing with a faint green reticle.
"Elena,
do you have visual on the target area?"
Gideon asked into his earpiece.
From her command room back at the mansion,
Elena monitored the building via thermal drone cameras.
"Thermal shows six armed sentries on the ground floor,"
Elena reported through the radio feed.
"There are four more guarding the freight elevator on the roof."
"What about the fourth floor?"
Gideon asked.
"The fourth floor is heavily shielded with lead paneling,"
Elena replied,
her voice tight with concern.
"My sensors can't penetrate the interior walls,
Gideon.
You’re going in blind."
"Good,"
Gideon muttered.
"Lucas,
take Team Two through the south loading dock."
"Team One comes with me through the main entrance,"
he added.
Gideon breached the heavy steel doors with a silent door-charge,
the muffled blast shattering the lock inside.
The strike team swept into the dark building with terrifying speed and precision.
Before the ground floor guards could even raise their weapons,
silenced gunshots cut through the air,
dropping them instantly to the blood-stained concrete floor.
Gideon led his men up the narrow concrete stairwell,
bypassing the second and third floors completely.
When they reached the heavy steel fire door labeled 'Floor 4',
Gideon signaled for his team to hold position.
He placed his gloved hand on the steel handle—it was ice cold to the touch.
Lucas’s voice came through the radio headset:
"Team Two in position at the rear staircase,
boss."
"Breach on three,"
Gideon commanded softly.
"One... two... three!"
Gideon kicked the heavy steel door open,
raising his rifle as he stepped into the fourth floor.
The sight before him was surreal and horrifying.
The dark,
rusted interior of the slaughterhouse had been converted into a sterile,
brightly lit medical research laboratory.
Fluorescent white lights flickered overhead,
illuminating glass partition walls,
advanced life-support machinery,
and rows of computer servers.
On the central wall hung a massive steel emblem of Viktor Vance’s syndicate.
Gideon walked through the center aisle,
his boots squeaking against the polished white vinyl floor.
He stopped in front of a glass medical room marked 'Subject 04'.
Inside sat a small,
rusted child’s bed surrounded by heart monitors and blood collection IV stands.
On the side table lay a faded,
dried sunflower—Ren’s sunflower.
Gideon’s eyes welled with furious tears as he touched the glass wall gently.
"Boss!"
Lucas yelled suddenly over the radio.
"We’ve got a massive power surge incoming!"
Before Gideon could react,
heavy steel blast doors slammed down from the ceiling with a deafening crash,
sealing off the stairwells.
Red emergency lights began flashing wildly throughout the room,
accompanied by a blaring alarm siren.
On the large server monitors along the back wall,
a video feed suddenly flickered to life.
The scarred face of Damian Vane appeared on the screen,
smiling maliciously at Gideon.
"Welcome to the butcher shop,
Crosswell,"
Damian laughed through the speakers.
"Did you really think you could track us down so easily?"
"Where is Viktor?"
Gideon demanded,
pointing his rifle directly at the screen.
"Viktor is far away from here,
safe and sound,"
Damian gloated.
"And he sends his regards!"
"Oh,
and Gideon,"
Damian added with a chilling grin,
May you like
"you should really be more careful about who you trust in your inner circle."
"Someone gave us your entire operational plan twenty minutes ago!"
