Chapter 27 - The Underground Way
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The subterranean tunnel beneath the chalet was cold, damp, and smelled of wet stone and old gunpowder. It had been carved out during World War II as an escape route into the dense forest surrounding Saint-Cergue.
Madison knelt beside Director Vance, wrapping a tight tactical tourniquet around his upper thigh to stem the heavy bleeding.
"You're going to live, Vance," Madison said, cinching the strap down until the Director gasped in pain.
"I'm... I'm out of the tactical field, Commander," Vance wheezed, resting his head back against the damp stone wall. "The bleed is deep. I'll only slow you down."
"We aren't leaving you," Ethan said, looking down at the wounded director with wide eyes.
"Yes, you are, kid," Vance said, reaching into his inner jacket pocket and pulling out a silver USB drive stamped with the seal of the United States Department of Defense. "This contains the satellite override protocols for the Geneva municipal grid. Once you get inside the old city, you'll need this to blind their closed-circuit cameras."
Arthur loaded a fresh magazine into his sidearm, his eyes fixed on the dark tunnel ahead.
"The tunnel exits into an abandoned limestone quarry two miles down the ridge," Arthur said. "I have a secondary vehicle hidden in a storage barn there. We leave Vance here with a emergency radio. The local Swiss paramedics will reach him in twenty minutes once the fire department responds to the chalet explosion."
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Madison looked at Vance, giving him a firm nod. "Thank you, Director."
"Finish it, Commander," Vance whispered, his hand sliding off his leg. "Tear down The Architect."
