ON THE RUN

Chapter 5: Shadows of Betrayal

The storage unit was really small. It felt even smaller because of all the tension in the air. Ethan Carter was looking at the satellite feed on Mason Walkers laptop. His fists were clenched tight that his knuckles were white. The signal from Emilys phone was coming from a warehouse on the outskirts of the industrial district. This warehouse was owned by Alexander Reeds company. It had guard towers and razor wire and private security teams. It looked like a secret prison than a storage place.

"We are going in tonight " Ethan said in a voice. "Emily is in there. We need to get her out. Then we need to hurt them where it hurts."

Olivia Brooks was checking her gear. She had a gun and extra bullets and a camera to take pictures of the evidence. "The people who work for Reed are ex-military " she said. "This is not going to be like the time. We need to be precise."

Jack Donovan had joined them after they helped Lucas. He nodded seriously. "I found some maps of the warehouse. There is a spot in the fence near the drain pipe.. There are cameras everywhere."

Lucas Hayes was sitting in the corner. He was tied up. He was being cooperative after he broke down. "Lawson has a team at the warehouse " he said. "They use it to question people. Emily is probably in the basement."

Mason adjusted his arm sling. His shoulder was still hurt. "I can turn off the cameras for fifteen minutes. After that we will be in trouble."

Ryan Foster was loading his gun. He was a photographer. He was handling the gun really well. "I will take pictures of everything " he said. "We will use them as proof when we tell everyone what is going on."

The team moved at night. They took two cars. Drove on the back roads to avoid the police. It was. The ground was muddy. They parked their cars a mile away. Walked the rest of the way. They stayed close to the trees and the drainage ditches.

When they got to the fence Donovan cut the wire. Mason used his tablet to turn off the camera. They went through the fence one by one. Ethan was the one to go. He had his gun ready. He was really alert. He had learned to be patient when he was in prison. Now it was helping him.

They walked between the containers and the military cars. They could hear the guards talking. Ethan signaled them to stop. Two guards were walking by. They were laughing about getting paid extra.

The big warehouse was in front of them. It was made of concrete. It did not have many windows. They went to the side door that Donovan had marked. Lucas gave them the code. Mason checked it. Then he opened the door.

Inside the air was cool and clean. The lights were very bright. They moved quietly. They took down two guards without making any noise. Ethans heart was beating fast. They went down the stairs to the basement.

The basement was like a prison. There were cells with doors and windows to look inside. Emily was in the cell. She looked hurt. She was not giving up. She stood up when she saw Ethan.

"Brother " she whispered when he opened the door. "It took you enough."

He hugged her quickly. "We are getting out of here " he said. "Can you walk?"

"I can run if I have to " she said.

They were getting her out when the alarms started ringing. The lights were flashing red. Mason cursed. "They had another system " he said. "We have been caught."

They could hear the guards running. The team was shooting back. Bullets were hitting the walls. Ethan was covering them from behind. He shot two guards who were chasing them.

They ran into a tunnel. It was a passage under the warehouse. Water was dripping from the pipes. They were. Behind them they could hear the guards shouting.

The tunnel ended at a ladder. They climbed up one by one. Ethan was the one to come out. A group of guards was waiting for them. They started shooting. Crates were everywhere. They were using them as cover. Olivia and Donovan were shooting back. Mason and Foster were helping Emily to safety.

Ethan saw a face. It was Benjamin Hayes, Lucass brother. He was working for the guys. Lucas was shocked.

"Ben how could you?" he asked.

Benjamin just sneered. "You were always weak Lucas. This is the future."

Ethan shot at Benjamin. He had to duck. The team used the distraction to run. They reached the fence. They got into their cars. They were driving away when the guards started chasing them.

The chase was over the industrial area. The rain was making it hard to see. Ethan was driving one car. Olivia was with him. Emily was in the back. Mason, Donovan, Lucas and Foster were in the car.

They had to avoid the roadblocks. Ethan drove on the side streets. They crashed into a gate. Went into another warehouse area. The cars were driving close to the loading docks and the forklifts. One of the guard cars crashed into a trailer. Flipped over.

More guards were coming. Logan Pierce was back. He was coordinating the chase. His voice was on the police radio that Mason was listening to. "Ethans group is going east " he said. "We need to catch them and kill them."

They left their cars near a train crossing. They kept running on foot. They were jumping over the train tracks as the trains were passing by. They were getting really tired. They did not stop.

They reached a house in a quiet neighborhood. It was a house owned by one of Olivias friends. They locked the doors. They took care of their wounds. Emily hugged Ethan again. She was. She was relieved.

"They wanted me to lie in my reports " she said. "I said no. That's when they took me."

"You are safe now " Ethan said.. He knew it was not going to last.

Mason was setting up his equipment. He was getting the news feeds. "The news about the conspiracy is spreading " he said. "People are putting pressure on the politicians. Some of them are asking for investigations."

The bad guys were fighting back. They were saying that Ethan was a terrorist and that he was working with agents. They were offering a reward for his capture. The gangs were looking for him in the neighborhoods.

Nathan Cole called them again. "I am going to tell everything I know " he said. ". They are coming for me. Please protect my family."

Donovan said he would help Coles family. He left to make a plan.

The team was looking at all the evidence they had. Lucas was telling them more about the conspiracy. He was saying that Judge Morgan had hidden evidence and that Sophia Bennett had been paid to slow down the process. He was saying that a nurse named Grace Mitchell had helped the guys by hiding their medical records.

As the sun was coming up Ethan went outside for some air. The city lights were shining in the distance. Olivia joined him.

"We are close " she said. ". We need to get to the skyscraper. That's where Reeds office is. That's where Lawson is."

Ethan nodded. "We will go in soon. We will show everything on TV. We will end this."

Then Mason called them back inside. Benjamin Hayes had been seen on a traffic camera. He was coming to their location with a team of guards.

"They found us " Mason said. "They will be here in minutes."

The team was getting ready to defend themselves. They were locking the doors and the windows. They were turning the house into a fortress. When the guards arrived the fight was intense. The windows were. The doors were shaking. Ethan and the others were fighting room by room.

Emily was helping. She was using supplies to distract the guards and to treat the wounds. Lucas was fighting too. He was trying to make up for his brothers betrayal. He got. He survived.

Pierce was leading the attack. He was shooting at Ethan. Ethan tackled him. They were fighting in the kitchen. Ethan. He tied Pierce up.

The guards were retreating. The police were coming. Maybe Donovan had called them. The team was escaping through the door. They were taking the wounded and the evidence. They were taking a neighbors van.

They drove to another house. It was a school on the outskirts of the city. They were regrouping. Lucas was getting better. Emily was taking care of everyone. The evidence was piling up. Mason was setting up the broadcast equipment.

Then they got a message from Sophia Bennett. She wanted to defect. She had recordings of meetings with Morgan and Cross.

The team was getting closer to the truth. The bad guys were getting desperate. Another businessman linked to Cross was found dead.

Ethan was talking to the team. "Tomorrow night we will go to the skyscraper " he said. "We will infiltrate it we will reach the floors and we will broadcast the truth. Lawson, Reed and Cross will all be there."

The plan was crazy. Mason would handle the technology. Olivia and Foster would take pictures. Donovan would coordinate the attack, from outside. Emily would stay safe with Lucas.

Ethan stood watch while the team rested in shifts. The weight of being in charge was really getting to him. He used to be a detective. Now he is a leader on the run. His life is totally different. But one thing has not changed. Ethan is still a man who will not do bad things.

The city was sleeping,. It was not a peaceful sleep. The people did not know that something big was about to happen. In a school building people were working together and getting stronger. They were fighting against the people in power and things were getting serious.

People were talking about the end of the conspiracy in secret. The politicians were getting nervous. More and more people were getting angry because they were finding out what was really going on.

Ethan looked out at the horizon. Saw the lights of the skyscrapers shining in the dark. He knew that the final fight was coming. He was determined to win, not for himself but for all the people who were hurt by Blackridge.

Ethan was ready to do what he had to do. He used to be running but now he was the one, in charge. The conspiracy did not have time left. Ethan, the man who did not want to be a hero was ready to take action. The people who were doing things were going to be stopped and Ethan was going to make sure of it.