Moving out of the room, Stan led the way, with Mr and Mrs Bassett following and Sam bringing up the rear. Sam's nerves were on edge. Everything about this was too easy. She expected to meet a well-armed welcoming party every time they rounded a corner.

Making it back to the security room, Sam noticed the two guards were not present. No one manned the station. Warning bells clanged along her skin, sinking into her gut, signalling everyone to pause. Sam drew closer.

"Something is wrong," Sam said, "this has been too easy, and now we're getting out quickly and with no interference."

"Which way did you come in?" Mr Bassett asked.

"Through there," Stan motioned, "why you ask?"

The couple looked at each other before Mrs Bassett nodded, and Mr Bassett turned toward the security station, everyone filed in behind him, and he closed the door.

"We made another way out," he said, "it comes out further down the road toward the parking area."

"There's a parking area?" Stan asked in disbelief.

"How do you think all these people come to work?" Mrs Bassett grinned, "no one stays here."

"It's a big compound for no one staying here," Sam said, pulling out her phone and sending an encrypted message with GPS location keys, "how do we get out?"

"Follow me," Mr Bassett said, pulling a large metal ventilation grid off near the door and crawling inside.

Sam waited while the others crawled in before following and pulling the grid into place as alarms began blaring in the security room. Drawing away, she waited, glancing at the others who paused. The security room door opened, and two well-dressed businessmen came in. Sam pulled her phone from its pouch and clicked off several photos, quickly attaching them to an encrypted message and pressing send. Proof at last who ran the compound, something no one had ever been able to previously acquire. Waving the group on but putting her fingers to her lips, Sam followed as the two men began to speak.

"Where are the security guards?" one said, the gravel in his voice lancing through Sam, stabbing into a memory she had tried to suppress so many times but failed.

"They were here," the other said, "do you think they went off somewhere?"

"Find them," the first voice said, "then find the team for the residents."

Sam sucked in the air around her, forcing herself to control her emotions and the urge to rip through the walls and strangle them. Forcing herself to focus on the mission, she pushed forward, inhaling deeply and silently. Fighting the pain slicing through her as memories rose and flooded her mind and senses. The sudden blast of chilled fresh air brought her back to the task at hand. Crawling to the side of the exit, Sam knelt in the dust as Mr Bassett replaced the grid. He glanced at her briefly before crouching beside her, gently touching her arm. She flinched away, looking at him with haunted eyes.

"Sam, are you okay?" he whispered.

"Their voices," she whispered, "I remember their voices ... they shot my parents and left someone to kill me."

"Are you sure?" he whispered.

She nodded, "I will end them for that act."

"I'm sure you can," Mrs Bassett whispered, crouching next to her husband, "but would you mind doing that after you get us out of here."

Sam shook her head, looking around her and breathing, "I can do that."

"There is a group of men waiting at the shed exit," Stan whispered as he joined the group, "we'll need to go in this direction, correct?"

Mr and Mrs Bassett nodded.

"That is the way, and we stole a set of car keys earlier today. Sometimes we go for a drive ... helps us feel normal," Mr Bassett grinned, shrugging, "let's go."

Sam pushed to her feet, pulling her weapon out, "Stan, let's move out. We have less than five minutes to get away."

"How would you know?" Stan asked, glancing around as he moved with the Bassetts.

"I heard dogs barking," Sam said, "want to bet they'll be wanting to track us soon."

"Can you two run?" Stan asked, looking at the Bassetts, who nodded "brilliant ... double time."

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Keeping to the shadows, the small group ran toward the well-lit area under dark shade cloth.

"No wonder we saw no signs of life," Sam muttered, glancing at Stan, pointing toward a security camera, pointing toward the cars. Silently they moved around the area locating the vehicle related to the set of keys.

"It's in a difficult spot," Stan said, "if we crouch and run between the cars, we may be seen."

"It's the only way we can get out quickly enough," Sam said, "our own evac plan is stopped by a group of armed guards."

"Let's go," Mr Bassett hissed, "we don't have much time."

"Do you have the keys ready?" Sam asked,

Mr Bassett nodded, waving them in his hand.

"Great, let's go," she hissed.

Crouched in half, they ran toward the car, pressing the button to disable the alarm and getting in. Mr Bassett handed Stan the keys from the back seat as an automated voice asked them to put their GPS heading in for assistance.

"Get going," Sam said, ducking under the dashboard, rummaging through the many wires and pulling those to the GPS unit free from their docking as the engine revved and clicked into gear.

"What are you doing?" Mrs Bassett asked.

"Getting rid of anything that will help them catch us," Sam said. Pulling the GPS unit from the dashboard as Stan moved the car into the dirt path heading out of the parking, "don't stop for anything."

Lowering the window, Sam threw the GPS unit from the car. Turning toward Stan, she spotted a manual or auto button; she moved it from auto to manual. She opened the glove compartment, hissing out in annoyance.

"They have something everywhere," she muttered, pulling a gadget out and clearing her throat. "No automation required. Deactivate tampering ..." she paused, frowning at the device, "desactivar manipulación."

The gadget powered down, and Sam also threw it from the window. Glancing around, she took in everything. Spotting a small node under the rearview window. Pulling it from its place, she also threw it from the window and rolled it up.

"Nice driving," she muttered as Stan took a corner on the dirt road, and they began to rise from the valley, "that was close."

"We're not out of the woods," Stan muttered, looking into the sky above them. "I'm trying to be optimistic, but I'm pretty sure they may have a helicopter searching soon."

"Just keep going," Sam said, "we need to get to these coordinates to find a safe house."

Stan glanced at Sam's phone before glancing at the road, "How far is it from where we are?"

"A half-hour drive," Sam said, "why?"

"We may just make it," Stan said, pointing at the fuel indicator, "I'm going to do my best to get us as close as possible."

"Are we going to be okay?" Mrs Bassett asked, leaning forward between the seats.

"I'd love to say absolutely," Sam said, looking at the worried woman. "But with who is after us being ruthless and relentless men ... I'm going with ... we'll be fine once we get somewhere safe."

"Sam will make sure we are safe," Mr Bassett said, "I have complete faith in her."

"You used to say that to Cherry when there was a task at the cabin she was unsure of," Sam said, turning to look into the back seat, her face draining of colour, "Stan go faster ... we have a UAV tail."

"You're kidding," he said, glancing at her.

"It's flying low and fast. Never thought a drone would be used to take us out," Sam said, looking at the terrain ahead of them.

"What is a drone?" Mr Basset asked, "how can it follow us?"

"Your clothes," Sam said, thinking quickly, "I remember Cherry saying that the clothes were tagged with trackers."

"So they have known where we were the entire time," Mrs Bassett's face paled in the darkness of the car.

Sam plunged into her backpack, "My backup clothes. Change ...now."

Handing each a set, she turned from the couple, leaving them to scrabble around changing out of their clothes. Stan suddenly swerved as the sound of a rocket heading their direction streaked the air. Exploding in the middle of the road as he fought for control over the loose sand on the road's edge before getting them back to the hardened sand. Sam opened the window again.

"Here," Mrs Bassett said, handing Sam her pile of expensive-looking clothes.

Sam pulled them through and tossed them from the window as another rocket followed the trackers exploding behind them.

Mr Bassett swore vividly as he bundled his clothes together and threw them from his window. Another explosion happened as Stan pressed the accelerator to the floor.

"Can this vehicle go any faster?" Sam asked.

"I'm making it give everything I can," Stan said, "how are we doing?"

Sam looked out the back window, "It's still coming this way, but I think it's searching more than tracking."

"There is a tunnel up ahead," Stan said, "I'm going through, and then we'll see what we can do on the other side."

Sam frowned at him meeting his gaze, receiving the message loud and clear, "Good plan. Get there as quickly as possible."

Stan sped toward the tunnel as the drone followed them, tucking into the low cement structure as its lights went over the area. Stan drew the car to a stop, idling it and turning to the couple in the back seat. Raising his finger to his lips, he indicated for them to leave the car. Silently the four scrambled out, shutting the door and stepping away. Sam counted to ten before an automated voice spoke, "Automation engaged, auto drive engage."

They watched the car move slowly away from them, changing gears and leaving them silent in darkness.

"Well, that is a first," Mr Bassett said, "how did you know?"

"Sam said the drone was searching," Stan said, "the trackers were disposed of, but it was still searching ..." he turned to them, "for a frequency."

"What do you think is on the other side of the tunnel?" Mrs Bassett whispered.

"Everything we were expecting down there," Sam said, "come this way. We have another way out."