RISE OF THE SOVEREIGN SOLDIER

Chapter 6: The Golden Vault

Chapter 6: The Golden Vault

The Oakhaven Central Bank stood like a stone tomb in the dark. It was not connected to the city grid so it was lit up by its emergency lights. These lights were red and flickered, making the place look spooky.

Outside two big trucks with armor were. Running. They were making a lot of noise at night. Then two dozen men with big guns were standing guard. They were hired by Silas Sterling from his security team. They were watching the streets with their guns ready.

Inside the bank the big lobby was filled with fear. Director Evelyn Thorne was sitting on the floor. Her hands were tied behind her back with plastic ties. Her clothes were. She had a bruise on her face.. She was still looking fierce, staring at the man walking back and forth in front of the big vault doors.

Silas Sterling had taken off his military jacket. He was sweating a lot. His white shirt was all wet. He was watching his son, Julian putting digital bonds into aluminum boxes. Next to them there were boxes filled with gold. These boxes were being lifted onto machines.

"Faster!" Silas yelled, his voice shaking with anger. "The military is already asking questions about what I did with the Black Watch. If we don't get out of here before Diana Vance pulls her troops back we're in trouble!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Julian yelled back his hands shaking so much that he dropped a small computer part. "Dad, the Aegis Oblivion group froze our accounts. If we don't get these bonds out we have nothing left!"

Evelyn laughed, a mocking sound. "You never had anything, Silas. Stolen honor and a house of cards. Now the wind is. It's going to bring you down."

Silas turned around his face red with rage. He ran to Evelyn. Grabbed her hair pulling her head back. "Shut up! You think you're safe because you follow the rules? Your precious clean officials are nothing. When I leave this city I'm going to burn this building down with you inside it."

"You can try, " Evelyn whispered, spitting blood on his boot. ". You can't kill a ghost."

Before Silas could hit her the floor started shaking. It was a rhythmic sound, like the tread of boots.

Outside the leader of the mercenaries suddenly shouted into his radio. "We have a vehicle coming to the barricade! It's... What the heck is that?!"

A loud roar filled the night air. The mercenaries watched in horror as a black military vehicle smashed through the walls of the bank. It was a breaching ram thought to be out of use for five years.

The vehicle didn't stop. It drove up the steps. Crashed through the steel doors of the bank breaking them into pieces. The lobby was filled with shards of glass.

"Incoming!" the mercenary leader screamed. His voice was drowned out by the sound of grenades launching from the vehicles guns.

BANG! BANG! BANG! The lobby was filled with light and loud noise. The mercenaries were screaming, covering their eyes and ears.

Through the smoke a figure emerged from the vehicle. It was Logan Vance wearing the gray combat armor of the Vanguard Supreme Commander. He had a dragon on his chest plate and a glowing rifle in his hands.

"Vanguard!" a mercenary shouted, aiming his gun.

Logan didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger and a blue pulse of energy hit the mercenary. The man fell to the ground paralyzed.

Logan moved quickly through the smoke, his rifle firing with precision. He shot the guns out of the mercenaries hands, broke their knee guards and used the butt of his rifle to crack their helmets. Every move was a display of his skills.

In less than a minute the mercenaries were all down groaning on the floor. Logan lowered his rifle, his eyes locked onto Silas and Julian who were standing frozen against the vault doors. Silas had a gun to Evelyn's head, his arm shaking.

"Stay back!" Silas screamed. "One more step, Logan and I'll kill her! I swear I'll do it! You lost your team five years ago. Now you'll watch her die too!"

Logan stopped ten feet away. The smoke swirled around him making him look like a god of war.

"Julian " Logan said, his voice calm and low. "Look at your father. Look at how his hand shakes. He is a coward who hid behind my victories. Now he is hiding behind a bound woman."

"Shut up! Shut up!" Julian whimpered, backing away.

"Silas " Logan continued, looking at his commander. "You think that gun gives you power.. It's linked to the city's wireless network, which my tech officer just took control of."

Silas looked confused. "What? You're bluffing—"

"He's not bluffing, " a voice boomed from the bank's speakers. "Lockdown protocol initiated. Disarming weapon line."

The gun in Silas's hand clicked. It didn't fire. Logan closed the distance, his hand clamping around Silas's wrist. He twisted it. Silas screamed in agony.

Logan didn't stop. He grabbed Silas by the throat, lifting him off the ground with one hand. He slammed him against the vault door.

"Five years, " Logan whispered, his face inches from Silass. "Five years my men suffered because of your greed. Tonight Vanguard collects the debt."

Logan threw Silas to the floor, where he lay crying, his wrist broken. Logan turned, drawing a knife from his belt and cut through the ties binding Evelyn's wrists.

Evelyn stood up rubbing her skin. She looked at Logan with respect and awe. "You took your time Vance."

"Pacing is everything, Director " Logan said with a smile.

The steel doors of the bank entrance rattled again. Military humvees pulled up their headlights shining through the smoke. A squad of Black Watch soldiers poured into the room with their guns raised.

Leading them was General Diana Vance, her hair wet from the rain. She looked at the mercenaries at Silas and finally at her nephew standing in his Vanguard armor.

"The Directorate has stripped Silas Sterling of his rank and assets " Diana said, her voice firm. "The Black Watch will take custody of the traitors."

Logan stood his ground, his hand, on his rifle. "And what about the Vanguard, General?"

Diana looked at the dragon on his chest plate then saluted him.

Diana said that The Vanguard was framed and she said this softly. Loud enough for every single soldier in the room to hear her. The state owes The Vanguard an apology Diana said.. The Vanguard also deserves to be reinstated.

Logan looked at his aunt Diana then he turned his gaze back toward the window. The first rays of dawn were starting to come up over Oakhaven Metro, which was now a city.

Logan said to Diana "You can keep the reinstatement, General." His voice was cold. He sounded like he did not care about what anyone else thought. "The city of Oakhaven Metro does not belong to the Directorate anymore " Logan said. "The city of Oakhaven Metro belongs to The Sovereign now."

Then Logan walked toward the breaching ram. He was ready to plan the part of his war, a war that would affect the whole world. Logan was leaving the military and the corrupt elites to figure out that the way the world was run had just changed forever. The Vanguard and Logan were going to make sure that The Sovereign was in charge now.