They Buried Me in the Desert. I Built Weapons for the Crown Chapter 04

They Buried Me in the Desert. I Built Weapons for the Crown Chapter 04

He slowly wiped his fingers with a wet wipe, as if what he had just done were nothing worth mentioning.

He looked up at me.

“Iona, you just never do as you’re told.”

“I told you, there’s nothing Ashborne can’t make happen.”

I leaned back against the seat, forcing my breathing to steady as I stared coldly at him.

“Gideon, you’re holding me here against my will. Have you lost your mind?”

“Lost my mind?” He flicked the edge of the form in his hand. “Iona, you’re a traitor now.”

“The Crown is too busy investigating you to come looking for you.”

“Sign the stem-cell donation consent form like you’re told, and I can get you out of here and make all your problems disappear.”

“Otherwise, prison is where you’re headed.”

My chest heaved, and a metallic taste rose in my throat as I coughed several times.

Gideon tossed the form and a pen in front of me.

“Sign it or die. Your choice.”

I stared at the form as my hand slowly tightened inside my pocket.

My fingertips brushed the black chip hidden inside the lining.

“You think this is enough to keep me trapped?”

My voice came out hoarse, edged with mockery.

Gideon narrowed his eyes.

“Who are you still counting on? Harlan Pierce? The investigators have probably called him in for questioning by now.”

The helicopter began to rise, the roar of the engine pounding against my eardrums.

I stared at his smug face and said nothing more.

Instead, I pressed hard on the emergency call button embedded in the chip inside my pocket.

Three long presses and one short triggered the highest-level alert, routed directly to the classified division of Crown Security Directorate.

The helicopter lifted off.

The sudden climb sent a sharp pain through my chest, and I broke into another violent coughing fit.

Gideon grimaced in disgust.

He motioned for his beta to pour me some water, as if he had just granted me some extraordinary mercy.

Suddenly, the helicopter lurched violently.

A panicked shout came from the cockpit.

“Alpha Gideon! Something’s wrong! Unidentified aircraft are closing on us fast!”

Gideon’s expression shifted, and he lunged toward the window.

Through the thick clouds, three sleek military fighters closed in around the helicopter in a triangular formation.

An ear-splitting alarm blared through the cabin.

Then a cold male voice came over the helicopter’s open radio channel.

“This is Royal Lycan Air Defense Command.”

“Helicopter ahead, you are suspected of abducting a core Crown researcher with classified access. Land at the designated military airfield immediately.”

“If you refuse to comply, we are authorized to shoot you down!”

…

The pilot’s hands were shaking uncontrollably.

“Alpha Gideon! They have a weapons lock on us. Their missiles are live. If we don’t land now, they really will open fire!”

A vein throbbed at Gideon’s temple as he forced out one word through clenched teeth.

“Land.”

The helicopter made an emergency landing at the nearest military auxiliary airfield.

Before the rotors had fully stopped, the cabin door was ripped open from the outside.

Several heavily armed warriors poured into the cabin, moving fast as they pinned Gideon’s pack warriors down and cuffed them.