Chapter 4

Shawn's POV

"We've got an emergency! Two bombs have been found at Magorit Mall downtown! Everyone, get to the assembly point immediately!"

Without sparing Claire another glance, I sprinted for the equipment room. As I suited up, I caught Andy in my peripheral vision, pulling on that brand-new top-of-the-line suit.

Not only was it lightweight, but it was also lined with the best shock-absorbing material money could buy.

The old model I was wearing was heavy, suffocating, and the comms in the helmet crackled with static every now and then.

I looked away, picked up my toolkit in silence, and was the first one in the bomb disposal truck. The floor plan sent over by the command center showed two bombs in total.

One was highly complex and strapped to a load-bearing pillar in the main atrium. The other bomb was a simple device, located in the open area of the underground parking lot.

Claire studied the plan and issued her orders without the slightest hesitation. "Andy, I'll go with you to the parking lot. Pull this off, and I'll personally push for an early promotion for you.

"Shawn, you take the atrium. The civilians have already been evacuated."

The special operations team leader beside her couldn't help frowning when he heard that. "Captain Weber, the bomb in the atrium is extremely complicated. Shouldn't we send both of them to work on it together?"

"No," Claire said firmly. "Shawn is experienced. I trust him to handle the atrium. Andy needs to get some practical experience, and the one in the parking lot should be manageable for him."

As I listened to her self-righteous explanation, I put my helmet on without showing a hint of emotion.

The bomb was strapped to a load-bearing pillar in the middle of the atrium, with a tangled web of wires crisscrossing everywhere. One wrong move and it would detonate instantly.

I held my breath and carefully began inspecting it.

Sweat trickled into my eyes, but I couldn't spare a hand to wipe it away. Finally, I figured out the order in which the wires had to be cut.

Just as I was about to make the first cut, Andy's scream tore through the comms. "Captain Weber, I-I think I cut the wrong wire!"

At that exact moment, the bomb in front of me let out a piercing beep. The two devices were linked by an anti-tamper trigger, and the countdown suddenly dropped to the final three minutes.

Three minutes was nowhere near enough to defuse something this complex.

"Andy, what did you do?" the special operations team leader snarled at him.

"I don't know. My hand just slipped. Captain, I'm scared. My legs gave out, and I can't stand. Please help me…"

Claire said in a low, steady voice, "Andy, don't panic. Keep your suit sealed. I'm getting you out of there!"

At that moment, my entire world went silent. All I could hear was the ticking of the bomb.

I desperately tried to get out, but a falling steel beam knocked me to the ground.

I said through clenched teeth, "Claire, I'm down. This old bomb suit is too heavy, and with my injured wrist, I can't get myself back up…"

Claire's impatient voice came through the comms. "Shawn, now is not the time for jealousy. Andy is genuinely too terrified to even walk. You're a hardened veteran. Why are you acting so helpless now?"

She then switched to a private comms channel and spoke softly, trying to reassure me. "Once I get him out, I'll come straight back for you! We promised we'd face life and death together. Just hang on until I get back!"

Face life and death together?

Hearing those words come from her mouth was almost laughable.

"Don't bother coming back, Claire."

I spoke those final words with an unsettling calm before shutting off the comms and tracking system on my helmet.

When the countdown hit zero, a deafening explosion rang out through the mall.

Outside the cordon, Claire was doing everything she could to drag Andy to safety. The instant the blast reached her ears, she whipped around, all the color draining from her face. "Shawn!"