Bulletproof [Sneak Peek]

1

ONE JOB. ONE BOMB. One hundred points.

OV took a deep breath and strapped the explosive to her back. Her mission was simple—infiltrate the base, find a weak spot, blow it up, and don't get caught. Piece of cake.

She surveyed the landscape. The building was two stories, with little surrounding cover. Around the perimeter stood a tall, chain link fence. Cameras dotted the side of the building.

OV watched as a handful of armed guards marched by the entrance. She'd have to find another way in.

Her headset crackled in her ear. "Ventilation system opening; west side roof. Sending coordinates. Over."

She pressed a button on her earpiece and watched the coordinated area light up on a thin screen strapped to her arm. "Copy," she whispered. "Received. Over."

"Cameras down in T-60 seconds. Over."

"Copy. Over and Out." OV tied back her hair. "Alright, OV," she whispered to herself. "It's now or never; show 'em what you've got." This was the moment she'd been training for, her chance to show the Academy that she was the best of the best. Her future depended on it.

OV jumped down from her perch into an alleyway and sank into the shadows. The fence was well lit, except for one corner where it was blocked by a large van. She quickly made her way over to it and knelt, looking around to make sure she hadn't been seen.

Taking a pair of heavy-duty wire cutters from her belt, she cut away at the bottom of the fence until she was able to crawl underneath. She crept under the van and took in the terrain.

The west wall was about twenty feet from her hiding place. Every minute, the area was passed by a guard.

She squinted at the ladder that led to the top of the building. If she timed it right, she could get up without anyone noticing. She waited for the signal.

"Cameras down. Offline for three minutes. Make it quick. Over."

"Copy. Over." OV waited for the guards to pass before scurrying over to the wall and thrusting herself up the ladder.

Two guards wandered the far side of the roof. OV waited until they were both facing away from her before quickly making her way over to the air duct. The end was uncovered and stood two feet off the ground.

She took a quick look around before sliding feet first into the passage.

The walls of the air duct were cold and metallic. Dust covered the floor, drifting up through the air with her movement. She suppressed a sneeze and pushed on.

She could hear the guards talking from the roof. They'd been alerted that the cameras had gone down. Goosebumps speckled her arms. If they didn't know she was here yet, it wouldn't be much longer before they did. She didn't have much time.

Dark text on the wall ahead caught her eye, and she made her way over to inspect it. The number ninety-five had been stenciled onto the metal, followed by a percentage sign. She found it strange something like that was written here, but she didn't make much of it. The less she allowed herself to be distracted, the better.

She came to the end of the duct and reached a crossroad. If she was aiming to demolish the entire building, the best place to plant the bomb would be as close to its center as she could get. She continued straight.

"Which one?"

OV froze as bits of a conversation floated up through a grate on the floor of the duct. Hearing an exchange as casual as this in a simulation was odd. She inched closer to see who was talking.