Chapter 6 - Breach at Calumet
The air inside the Calumet drainage culvert smelled of stagnant water, rust, and old oil.
The three of them crouched in the dark, the rhythmic dripping of water echoing off the curved concrete walls. Above them, the heavy vibrations of the facility’s generators thrummed through the earth, signaling that Victor’s summit was already underway.
Chloe led the way, holding a waterproof tactical flashlight with a red-filtered lens. She stopped at the end of the pipe where a rusted iron grate blocked the exit into the facility’s lower utility basement.
With two swift, silent movements using a specialized pry bar, she popped the remaining rusted bolts. The grate swung inward with barely a whisper.
She slipped through first, weapon raised, scanning the dim corridors of the utility floor. Lorenzo followed closely behind, wincing slightly as his shoulder brushed the damp concrete wall. Marcus brought up the rear, clutching a suppressed submachine gun like a lifeline.
"Utility level is clear," Chloe whispered into her comms-mic as she tapped Lorenzo’s arm. "Stairs are fifty feet ahead. Two guards posted at the top landing. Standard rotation: they check the perimeter every four minutes. We have a three-minute window before the next sweep."
Lorenzo checked his watch. "Move."
They ascended the metal stairs in absolute silence. Just as Chloe predicted, the two guards were distracted, leaning against a stack of shipping crates, smoking and talking in low tones about the fallout from the downtown hit.
Before Lorenzo could signal, Chloe moved.
She cleared the top of the stairs in a blur of motion. Her left hand clamped over the first guard’s mouth while her right elbow struck the second guard’s temple with sickening precision. Both men dropped to the concrete floor without firing a single shot.
Marcus let out a low whistle of disbelief. "Remind me never to piss you off in the breakroom, Chloe."
"Focus, Marcus," Chloe hissed, dragging the bodies behind a stack of pallets. "We’re entering the main administrative sector. Victor’s office is at the end of the hall."
As they stepped out into the carpeted executive wing, the muffled sound of voices drifted through the heavy oak doors of the boardroom ahead.
May you like
"...and as for the South Side territories, they revert directly to my control effective immediately," Victor’s unmistakable voice boomed through the hallway. "Enzo was a relic of an older era. He had grown soft, complacent. Tonight proves that the Capello family needs vision, not nostalgia."
Lorenzo’s face hardened into a mask of pure ice. He didn't wait for Chloe’s signal. He walked straight up to the double oak doors, raised his good foot, and kicked them open with a deafening crash.
