Chapter 3 - The Ghost Protocol
Jack didn't kill Ryan. Killing him would be too merciful, and it would alert the Wolf Pack too early. Instead, he injected a specialized military-grade sedative into Ryan's neckâa compound that would keep him in a state of absolute paralysis and deep sleep for the next forty-eight hours, hidden safely inside the safehouse bunker.
By 2:00 AM, Jack was back in his truck, parked on a hill overlooking the massive, fortified Graves Family Estate. The mansion was a monstrosity of modern architecture, surrounded by ten-foot stone walls, laser-wire security systems, and a rotating team of private armed guards.
"Silas, talk to me," Jack said into his tactical earpiece.
"The tactical net is hot, Boss," Silas responded from his hidden server hub miles away. "Iâve bypassed the estate's central mainframe. Iâm feeding a looping video signal into their security monitors. To their guards, the perimeter looks completely clear. But be carefulâDamian just arrived at the main villa. He brought four extra musclemen from the docks."
"Damian is mine," Jack said simply. "Keep the local police frequencies jammed within a five-mile radius. If Detective Collins tries to send any patrols to check on his employers, divert them with a fake active-shooter report on the opposite side of town."
"Copy that, Captain. Ghost protocol is active. Go to work."
Jack slipped out of his truck, dressed in a lightweight, black tactical assault uniform. He didn't carry an assault rifle; this wasn't an open battlefield. He carried a customized combat blade, a non-lethal stun weapon, and a heart-rate monitor synced to his teamâs network.
He moved through the dark woods surrounding the estate like a phantom, his boots leaving no tracks. He reached the stone wall, deployed a motorized high-tensile grappling line, and scaled the ten-foot barrier in less than four seconds.
Two guards were patrolling the northern garden, their assault weapons slung carelessly over their shoulders. They were talking about a football game, completely relaxed.
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Suddenly, a shadow dropped from the branches of an oak tree behind them. Jack caught the first guard in a tight chokehold, snapping his consciousness away within seconds, while simultaneously launching a localized kinetic strike to the second guardâs solar plexus, dropping him to the grass before he could even reach for his radio.
Jack dragged their unconscious bodies into the bushes, stripped them of their communications earpieces, and stepped toward the side entrance of Damian's private guesthouse. The hunt was officially underway.
