Chapter 6 - The Alpine Fortress
The Swiss Alps rose like massive, jagged teeth against the gray dawn sky. A bitter wind swept across the landing strip at a remote airfield forty miles outside of Zurich.
Grant, dressed in a tactical winter coat, stepped out of the SUV parked near the edge of a pine forest. Beside him, Marcus monitored regional police frequencies on a handheld scanner. Emma sat in the back of the vehicle with Lily, adjusting the little girl’s insulated parka.
"St. Jude is three miles up that mountain road," Marcus said, pointing toward a sheer cliff face topped by a concrete and glass structure that looked more like a fortress than a medical center. "It’s heavily guarded by private military contractors from the Vane Group. Thermal cameras, motion sensors, automated perimeter defenses."
"How do we get in?" Grant asked.
Emma stepped out of the vehicle, holding a physical map printout. "There’s a utility drainage tunnel that runs beneath the lower medical wing. Clara used that exact route to smuggle encrypted files out before she was captured. But the access hatch requires a manual override from the inside."
"Which means someone has to breach the perimeter security first," Marcus noted grimly.
"I'll do it," Grant said without hesitation.
"No, Mr. Callahan," Marcus countered. "You're the target. If Julian's men spot you, they won't capture you—they'll execute you on sight."
Before Grant could respond, the radio on Marcus’s vest crackled to life. A high-pitched squeal burst from the speaker, followed by a voice that made Grant’s blood run cold.
"Welcome to Switzerland, Grant," Julian Vane’s voice rang through the receiver. "Did you really think a non-descript charter flight would hide you from me? Look up."
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Grant looked up into the overcast sky. A high-altitude surveillance drone hovered silently above the tree line.
"You brought my niece, and you brought little Lily," Julian continued, his voice dripping with sinister satisfaction. "How convenient. You saved me the trouble of hunting you down in America. Welcome to the end of the Callahan line."
