Chapter 6 - Mobilizing the Hail Empire
The private express elevator rocketed downward through forty-two stories of reinforced steel and glass,
descending into the subterranean bowels of the Hail Tower.
The descent took less than thirty seconds,
but to Julian,
every second felt like an eternity.
When the heavy steel doors slid open,
the chilling draft of the underground garage hit him instantly.
Three matte-black tactical SUVs sat idling in formation,
their engines purring with suppressed mechanical power.
Marcus stood beside the lead vehicle,
clad in heavy black tactical armor,
checking the magazine of an encrypted communication device.
Surrounding him were eight operatives from Hail Group’s elite corporate security division—battle-tested professionals recruited from the world's finest special operations units.
“All units are green and standing by,
Mr.
Hail,” Marcus reported sharply,
snapping a crisp salute as Julian approached.
“Satellite surveillance shows zero local police patrols near Delancey Street right now.
”
“However,
we’ve intercepted encrypted radio chatter originating from Vance’s private security detail.
”
“They are dispatching an extraction team to Saint Anne’s ahead of schedule.
”
“They plan to move the boy to a private airfield in New Jersey before dawn.
”
Julian climbed into the back seat of the lead vehicle,
slamming the heavy armored door shut behind him.
“Then we intercept them on their own turf,” Julian ordered,
leaning forward into the front cabin.
“Move out.
”
The convoy surged forward,
tires screeching against the polished concrete floor as they rocketed up the spiral exit ramp into the freezing,
snow-swept streets of Manhattan.
The city was a ghost town at 2:00 AM.
The towering skyscrapers of midtown stood like silent monoliths against a bruised,
ink-black sky.
The SUVs tore through empty intersections,
running red lights with impunity under the authority of emergency municipal waivers held by the Hail conglomerate.
Julian sat in the back seat,
staring out the bulletproof window at the blurred lights of the city.
His mind raced through a thousand tactical scenarios.
If Vance had anticipated their move,
Saint Anne's would be a fortress.
If Vance had already extracted Toby,
tracking him down across international borders would take weeks of diplomatic warfare.
And time was the one commodity they did not possess.
“Marcus,” Julian called out over the encrypted comms channel.
“Sir?”
“Status on the facility blueprints?”
“Downloaded and synced to your tactical tablet,
boss,” Marcus replied.
“We have three entry points: the main front gates on Delancey,
the loading dock in the rear alley,
and the underground steam tunnels.
”
“We take the rear alley and the steam tunnels,” Julian commanded without hesitation.
“We go in silent,
secure the boy,
May you like
and leave before Vance’s men even realize they’ve been breached.
”
