Double Thorns: The Ashford Inheritance
Adrian roared, but as he reached for Victor, the drone’s light intensified, bathing the entire ridge in a harsh, unforgiving crimson glow.
The hum of the drone’s weaponry began to rise—a high-pitched whine that vibrated in Adrian’s teeth, a sound he had heard a hundred times before, always accompanied by the smell of ozone and the taste of death. He looked at the red dot, then at his dying friend, and then at the dark, impossible path toward the village. He knew, with a terrifying clarity, that the Syndicate didn't want the data anymore. They wanted the witnesses erased.
"Sebastian," Adrian hissed into his dead comms, "you lying bastard, you gave them our exact position, didn't you?"